Designing & Navigating Power BI Dashboards Complete Step-by-Step Guide (Using Sample Superstore Dataset)
This guide covers everything from importing data to creating interactive dashboards with navigation using the Sample Superstore dataset.
🔷 Step 1: Open Power BI & Import Data
1️⃣ Open Power BI Desktop.
2️⃣ Click "Home" → "Get Data" → "Excel" (or select another data source if needed).
3️⃣ Browse and select the Sample Superstore dataset.
4️⃣ Click "Load".
5️⃣ The data appears in the Fields Pane (Right-Side).
🔷 Step 2: Create a Left Navigation Menu
We will create a navigation panel on the left for easy access to different report pages.
1. Insert Left Panel (Background)
1️⃣ Click "Insert" → "Shapes" → "Rectangle".
2️⃣ Drag and resize it to cover the left side of the report.
3️⃣ Change the color:
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Click on the rectangle → Open Format Pane (Right-Side).
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Under Fill, choose a dark color (e.g., navy blue or black).
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Under Border, turn it off.
2. Add Menu Buttons
1️⃣ Click "Insert" → "Buttons" → "Blank".
2️⃣ Rename each button:
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Home
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Sales
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Profit
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Region
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Customer
3️⃣ Arrange the buttons vertically inside the left panel.
4️⃣ Format the buttons: -
Click the button → Open Format Pane.
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Under Fill, choose a light color.
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Under Text, increase size and bold the text.
🔷 Step 3: Add Page Navigation to Buttons
1️⃣ Click on the "Home" button.
2️⃣ Open Format Pane → Action.
3️⃣ Toggle Action ON.
4️⃣ Set Type = Page Navigation.
5️⃣ Select "Home" Page from the dropdown.
6️⃣ Repeat for all buttons:
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Sales button → Navigate to Sales Page.
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Profit button → Navigate to Profit Page.
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Region button → Navigate to Region Page.
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Customer button → Navigate to Customer Page.
🔷 Step 4: Create Report Pages & Add Visualizations
Now, let's create each report page with meaningful visualizations.
1. Home Page – Overview of Key Metrics
1️⃣ Click "New Page" (Bottom tab).
2️⃣ Rename it Home.
3️⃣ Add KPI Cards:
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Click "Visualizations Pane" → Select "Card".
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Drag Sales to Fields → Displays Total Sales.
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Drag Order ID (Count) to Fields → Displays Total Orders.
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Drag Profit to Fields → Displays Total Profit.
4️⃣ Arrange the KPI Cards properly.
2. Sales Analysis – Sales by Category, Sub-Category, and Year
1️⃣ Click "New Page" → Rename it Sales.
2️⃣ Sales by Category (Bar Chart):
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Click Clustered Bar Chart.
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Drag Category to Axis.
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Drag Sales to Values.
3️⃣ Sales by Sub-Category (Bar Chart): -
Click Clustered Bar Chart.
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Drag Sub-Category to Axis.
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Drag Sales to Values.
4️⃣ Yearly Sales Trend (Line Chart): -
Click Line Chart.
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Drag Order Date (Year) to Axis.
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Drag Sales to Values.
3. Profit Insights – Most & Least Profitable Products
1️⃣ Click "New Page" → Rename it Profit.
2️⃣ Top 5 Profitable Products (Bar Chart):
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Click Clustered Bar Chart.
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Drag Product Name to Axis.
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Drag Profit to Values.
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Apply Top 5 Filter in Filters Pane.
3️⃣ Least Profitable Products (Bar Chart): -
Duplicate the Top 5 Chart.
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Change Top 5 → Bottom 5 in filter settings.
4️⃣ Profit by Sub-Category (TreeMap): -
Click TreeMap.
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Drag Sub-Category to Group.
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Drag Profit to Values.
4. Region Analysis – Sales & Profit by Region
1️⃣ Click "New Page" → Rename it Region.
2️⃣ Sales by Region (Bar Chart):
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Click Clustered Bar Chart.
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Drag Region to Axis.
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Drag Sales to Values.
3️⃣ Sales & Profit Map: -
Click Map.
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Drag State to Location.
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Drag Sales to Size.
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Drag Profit to Color Saturation.
5. Customer Analysis – Orders by Segment
1️⃣ Click "New Page" → Rename it Customer.
2️⃣ Orders by Customer Segment (Pie Chart):
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Click Pie Chart.
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Drag Segment to Legend.
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Drag Order ID (Count) to Values.
3️⃣ Sales by Customer Segment (Bar Chart): -
Click Clustered Bar Chart.
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Drag Segment to Axis.
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Drag Sales to Values.
🔷 Step 5: Add Back Navigation
1. Add a Back Button
1️⃣ Go to each report page (Sales, Profit, Region, Customer).
2️⃣ Click "Insert" → "Buttons" → "Back".
3️⃣ Open Format Pane → Action.
4️⃣ Toggle Action ON.
5️⃣ Set Type = Back.
✅ This allows users to return to the previous page.
🔷 Step 6: Apply Theme for a Professional Look
1️⃣ Click "View" → "Themes".
2️⃣ Choose a pre-built theme or click "Customize Theme".
3️⃣ Adjust colors, fonts, and visuals for consistency.
🔷 Step 7: Use Q&A for Fast Report Generation
1️⃣ Click "Insert" → "Q&A".
2️⃣ Ask questions like:
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"Show sales by region as a bar chart" -
"Display profit trend over time as a line chart" -
"Show total orders as a KPI card"
3️⃣ Power BI automatically generates the charts based on your question.
✅ This saves time in report creation!
🔷 Step-by-Step Guide to Publishing & Sharing a Power BI Report
Step 1: Save Your Power BI Report
Before publishing, make sure your report is saved properly.
1️⃣ Click File → Save As.
2️⃣ Choose a location on your computer.
3️⃣ Give your report a name (e.g., Superstore_Dashboard.pbix).
4️⃣ Click Save.
✅ File format: The Power BI Desktop file is saved as .pbix.
Step 2: Sign in to Power BI Service
To publish your report, you must have a Power BI account.
👉 If You Don’t Have an Account:
1️⃣ Go to Power BI Service.
2️⃣ Click "Sign Up Free" if you don’t have an account.
3️⃣ Use your work or school email (Personal emails like Gmail/Yahoo may not work).
4️⃣ Follow the steps to verify your email.
5️⃣ Log in to Power BI Service.
✅ Power BI Service is the online version of Power BI where you can share reports.
Step 3: Publish the Report
Now, let’s upload your Power BI report to Power BI Service.
1️⃣ Open Power BI Desktop.
2️⃣ Click File → Publish → Power BI Service.
3️⃣ Sign in to Power BI Service if prompted.
4️⃣ Choose a workspace (By default, select "My Workspace").
5️⃣ Click "Select" → Power BI uploads your report.
6️⃣ Once the upload is complete, click "Open in Power BI".
✅ Now, your report is hosted online in Power BI Service.
Step 4: Share the Report with Others
Once your report is in Power BI Service, you can share it with students or colleagues.
Option 1: Share via Link
1️⃣ Open Power BI Service (app.powerbi.com).
2️⃣ Go to My Workspace → Find your report.
3️⃣ Click the "Share" button on the top-right.
4️⃣ Click "Copy link" → Send it via email or message.
✅ Anyone with access can view the report online.
Option 2: Share with Specific People
1️⃣ Click Share.
2️⃣ Enter the email addresses of the people you want to share with.
3️⃣ Choose their permissions:
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✅ Can View → They can only see the report.
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✅ Can Edit → They can make changes to the report.
4️⃣ Click Send.
✅ They will receive an email invitation to view the report.
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