Getting Data from Multiple Sources in Power BI:A Beginner-Friendly Approach

Introduction In many real-world data projects, information does not come from a single source. Instead, it is often spread across platforms such as Excel files, CSV files, databases, web APIs, PDFs, and cloud storage such as SharePoint. To generate meaningful insights, this data must be collected, combined, and prepared in one place. Power BI provides a simple and efficient way to connect to these different data sources. It allows users to import data, review it, and transform it before building reports and dashboards. In this guide, you will learn how to: • Connect Power BI to multiple data sources • Review and explore data using Power Query • Prepare data for analysis and reporting Architecture Overview In Power BI, architecture refers to how data flows from different sources into the final report. Power BI Desktop serves as the central tool used to connect to data, clean it, and build visual reports. Data can come from multiple sources, including: • Excel and CSV files • SQL Server