For UK consumers, deal seekers, and enthusiasts looking to explore data analysis tools, Microsoft Power BI offers a valuable opportunity to practice with sample datasets. These free, official resources provide a safe and consequence-free environment to learn, experiment, and build skills without the need for real-world data. This guide details the methods and datasets available directly from Microsoft and its partners, focusing on the structured, verified sources of information.
Why Use Sample Data for Power BI?
Working with sample data is an essential step for anyone new to Power BI or looking to refine specific analytical skills. The provided documentation highlights several key advantages of using these pre-built datasets. Firstly, they offer a safe learning environment where users can freely transform, merge, or delete columns without any risk to live business intelligence reporting. This freedom is crucial for beginners to understand the tool's capabilities without fear of making errors. Secondly, sample data allows for skill-specific practice. Whether a user needs to master time-intelligence functions with a dataset containing dates or practice building star schemas with multiple related tables, there are samples tailored to these needs. Finally, these datasets enable the creation of a public portfolio. Since company data is often confidential, using a public dataset allows analysts to build and share impressive reports to demonstrate their capabilities.
Official Microsoft Sample Files
Microsoft provides a centralised collection of ready-made samples, reports, and datasets that can be opened, inspected, and reused. These are designed to help users learn Power BI quickly and are available in multiple formats, including downloadable .pbix and .xlsx files. The .pbix format is a Power BI Desktop report file that contains the report pages, data model, queries, and visuals. Users can download a .pbix file to open a complete report directly in Power BI Desktop and explore or modify both the visual layer and the underlying model. The .xlsx format is an Excel workbook that contains the sample data, and sometimes a Power Pivot model. These files can be used as data sources in Power BI Desktop or published from Excel to the Power BI service. Advanced Excel users can also open the workbook in Power Pivot to inspect or edit the data model.
Available Sample Datasets
The documentation includes a table of downloadable samples, each designed to demonstrate specific Power BI capabilities. The following samples are explicitly mentioned:
- Artificial Intelligence sample .pbix: This dataset is designed to demonstrate AI-powered visuals and cognitive insights. It helps users learn how to surface patterns, predictions, and natural-language summaries from data.
- COVID-19 US sample .pbit: This sample tracks COVID-19 cases, testing, and trends across US geographies. It includes time-series charts and maps, making it suitable for outbreak analysis.
- Customer Profitability sample (.pbix and .xlsx): This dataset analyses revenue, costs, and customer segments. Its purpose is to help users identify high- and low-profit customers and calculate lifetime value.
- Corporate Spend sample .pbix: This sample provides insight into corporate expenditures by category, department, and vendor, supporting spend optimisation efforts.
- IT Spend Analysis sample (.pbix and .xlsx): This dataset breaks down IT spending across projects, services, and cost centres to assist with budgeting and chargeback decisions.
How to Download and Use Sample Files
The process for obtaining and using these official samples is straightforward. For .pbix files, users should select the relevant link from the sample table to download the file. Once downloaded, they can open Power BI Desktop, navigate to File > Open, and select the .pbix file to load it. For .xlsx files, the process is similar: find the desired sample in the table and select the .xlsx link to download it. If the file does not download automatically, the documentation suggests right-clicking the link and selecting "Save link as" or "Save target as". For files hosted on GitHub, selecting the link will take the user to the GitHub page, where they should select the "Download raw file" button (the down arrow icon) to download the file.
Once downloaded, these files can be used as data sources in Power BI Desktop. Alternatively, in the Power BI service (app.powerbi.com), users can navigate to their workspace, select "Upload" in the upper-left corner, and then choose to upload the .xlsx sample file. Depending on the file's location, the user will be prompted to select "Upload" or "Open".
The Financial Sample Dataset
A specific dataset highlighted for beginners is the Financial Sample dataset. This dataset is available directly within Power BI Desktop. Users can access it by clicking the "Load sample data" button, which presents two options: an international sales dataset or the official Financial Sample workbook. By selecting the "Financials" option and clicking "Load," Power BI will load a table named "Financials" into the data model. This table is a simple but effective set of fictional financial data, perfect for practising basic report building. It contains several useful columns, including:
- Geographic Data:
Country - Product Information:
Product,Discount Band - Time-Based Data:
Date,Year,Month Name - Financial Figures:
Sales,Gross Sales,Discounts,COGS,Profit
With this single table, users can create various visualisations, such as maps showing profit by country, bar charts illustrating sales by product, and line charts tracking profit over time. It serves as an excellent launchpad for building initial dashboards.
Generating Sample Data with DAX
For situations where a specific dataset structure is required but cannot be found online, the documentation mentions an alternative method: generating sample data with DAX (Data Analysis Expressions). This approach is useful for creating a simple table with dates and random values to test a visual. While the provided chunks do not elaborate on the specific DAX functions or steps involved, the mention of this method indicates that Power BI offers flexibility beyond pre-built datasets for users with more advanced or specific testing needs.
Important Terms and Attribution
When using samples provided by Microsoft's partners, specific attribution and copyright notices are required. For instance, the workbooks and data provided by obviEnce, an Independent Software Vendor and Intellectual Property Incubator focused on Microsoft Business Intelligence, are shared solely to demonstrate Power BI functionality with industry sample data. Any use of these workbooks and/or data must include the attribution "obviEnce ©" and be accompanied by the specified copyright notice. By downloading these files, users agree to the terms. This highlights the importance of reviewing the terms associated with any sample dataset, especially those from third-party providers, to ensure compliance with usage rights and attribution requirements.
Conclusion
Accessing free sample data for Power BI is a structured process supported by official Microsoft resources and partner-provided datasets. These samples, available in formats like .pbix and .xlsx, provide a risk-free environment for learning and experimentation. From the foundational Financial Sample dataset to more specialised samples for AI, corporate spend, and IT analysis, there are resources tailored to various skill levels and learning objectives. By following the documented download and usage procedures, UK-based enthusiasts can effectively leverage these free resources to build their data analysis capabilities and create their own portfolios without the need for proprietary data.