How to Extract Data from Excel using Power BI
Source: Dev.to
What is data?
Data is a collection of raw, unorganized facts, figures, or symbols. Think of data as the raw ingredients in a kitchen (flour, eggs, sugar). On their own, they don’t tell you much. It’s only when you process and combine them that they become a cake (information).
In Power BI, the Extract step is the very first part of the ETL process. It bridges your raw files (Excel, CSV, JSON) or databases to your reporting environment.
Here, I will show exactly how you can extract data from Excel in Power BI Desktop.
Steps to extract data from Excel using Power BI
Step 1 – Open a blank report
Open Power BI Desktop, go to Home and click Blank report.
Step 2 – Get data
If the Home tab is not selected by default, select it and click Get data.
Step 3 – Choose Excel workbook
From the drop‑down list, select Excel workbook.
Step 4 – Locate the file
Navigate to the folder where the Excel workbook is stored and select the file (or folder).
Note: you must know the location of the Excel workbook.
Step 5 – Load or transform the data
Select the table(s) you want to import and click Load (imports the data directly) or Transform Data (opens Power Query to clean or modify the data).
Quick‑access shortcuts
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When you open Power BI Desktop (Step 1), you can also go to Home → Excel workbook for a faster path to Step 4.
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In Step 2, you can click directly on Excel workbook instead of Get data, which also takes you to Step 4.
Summary
Connecting to Excel is the most common task in Power BI, but doing it correctly saves hours of work later. We’ve walked through the step‑by‑step process of importing data, previewing sheets, and setting the stage for a clean, efficient report.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You’ve successfully moved your data out of a static spreadsheet and into the dynamic world of Power BI. It might seem like a small step, but you’ve just initiated a professional data workflow. Don’t stop here—the real magic happens in the next phase: Transformation.