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DQDigital Qasas Guides/Power BI Basics
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  • What is Power BI?
  • Installing Power BI Desktop
  • Loading and shaping data
  • Your first measure (DAX)
Getting started

Installing Power BI Desktop

Last updated 6 June 2026

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Download

Power BI Desktop is free. Get it from the Microsoft Store (recommended, so it auto-updates) or as a standalone installer from the official Power BI download page.

System requirements

  • Windows 10 or later (64-bit).
  • At least 4 GB RAM — 8 GB or more is comfortable for real datasets.
  • An internet connection for publishing to the Power BI Service.
On macOS, Power BI Desktop does not run natively — use a Windows virtual machine, or author lighter reports directly in the Power BI Service.

First launch

Open the app and you will land on a blank report canvas with three views on the left: Report, Data, and Model. We will use all three as we go.

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Pairs well with
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Power BI: From Basics to Intermediate

This is strong on Data Prep; Power BI: From Basics to Intermediate adds Data Prep. Together they cover the full workflow.

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  • Download
  • System requirements
  • First launch