How to integrate Excel data with Power BI: a step-by-step guide

Excel and Power BI are, for millions of professionals and companies, the fundamental pillars of data analysis and management.. Although each one shines with its own light, Integrating them effectively takes analytical potential and collaboration to the next levelIf you've ever wondered how to have the best of both worlds—both for browsing and sharing up-to-date data—here's everything you need to achieve it in the most efficient and secure way.

The connection between Excel and Power BI has established itself as one of the most powerful integrations in the Microsoft ecosystem, and its implementation is much simpler and more flexible than it seems.Whether you're looking to refresh reports with a click, add layers of analysis in Excel on top of Power BI reports, or migrate your Excel data models to a more visually compelling and collaborative environment, there are options for every scenario and need.

Why integrate Excel and Power BI?

El Excel's appeal lies in its ease of use and versatility to organize, analyze, and perform calculations on data almost instantly. However, as organizations grow and their data becomes more complex, Power BI becomes the perfect ally to centralize, model and secure that critical data.

Connecting both environments allows you to work on the same information, ensuring security, governance and always reliable data.. This way, you can make better-informed decisions and foster a data culture in your company.

Main integration scenarios

There are several ways to Integrate and leverage data between Excel and Power BI, each adapted to different workflows and needs:

• Connecting Excel to Power BI Semantic Models: allows you to analyze all the data centralized in Power BI from Excel without duplicating or exporting information.
• Importing Excel workbooks into Power BI Desktop- Ideal when you want to bring your Excel queries, tables, and models into the Power BI environment and take advantage of its advanced visualization capabilities.
• Creating Excel workbooks with updatable Power BI data: Export data from Power BI to Excel while maintaining a connection that allows you to refresh data directly from the workbook.

Connect Excel to Power BI semantic models

Thanks to the link between both services, it is possible Access semantic models hosted in Power BI in real time directly from your Excel spreadsheetThis allows analyses performed in Excel to always be up-to-date and adhere to the same data security and quality policies managed by Power BI. Learn how to create conditional formulas in Excel to further enhance your analysis.

main advantages

• Centralization of access to data: Make sure you always work with the latest version and avoid inconsistencies or outdated data.
• Governance and protection of information: Sensitivity labels and certifications travel with the semantic model from Power BI to Excel.
• Flexibility in analysis: Use pivot tables, Excel charts, and advanced formulas, leveraging the power of the Power BI data model.

Requirements to enable the connection

To establish this integration, it is essential that Your organization's administrator has enabled some key options:

• Allow users to work with Power BI semantic models in Excel using a dynamic connection.
• For local datasets, enable the option to allow XMLA endpoints and analyze in Excel.
• Have the appropriate permissions on the Power BI semantic model (permission compilation or the role of collaborator).
• Have a Fabric license (Free, Pro, or Premium per user). Free license users can only work with datasets in personal workspaces or premium capabilities.
• Use the most up-to-date version of Excel Desktop or Excel for the web.

How to detect and connect to Power BI semantic models in Excel?

Once you have the permissions and the appropriate Excel version, you can Connect to Power BI semantic models directly from Excel:Automate tasks in Excel and Power BI.

• In Excel Desktop or Excel for the web, go to the Insert tab and select Pivot Table > From Power BI.
• Another option is to go to the Data tab and choose Get Data > Power Platform > From Power BI.

Doing so opens a panel on the right displaying all the Power BI semantic models you have access to. Each model displays details such as its name, owner, workspace, refresh date, and available tables.

You can insert a pivot table connected to the model or, in the desktop version, even insert conventional tables connected to work with data in Excel spreadsheet format. All this without downloading the data instantly, but instead maintaining the data's update and connection to the Power BI cloud.

Limitations and considerations to take into account

• The semantic models that appear in the panel are usually the most commonly used ones, but you can search for other models using the search box.
• The option to insert a regular table is only available in Excel desktop.
• There may be delays of up to 24 hours before newly created or modified semantic models appear in the Excel dashboard.
• Performance may vary between Excel and Power BI visuals due to differences in query engines.
• Some specific features, such as the Power BI Datasets add-in, are not available in Excel Web on certain specialized clouds.

Import Excel workbooks into Power BI Desktop

If you want to take the leap and Bring your Excel models and analyses into Power BI Desktop To take full advantage of its visual and collaborative power, the process is straightforward and fairly automated.

Steps to import an Excel workbook

1. Open Power BI Desktop and select File > Import > Power Query, Power Pivot, Power View.
2. Choose the Excel file you want to import. Power BI analyzes the workbook and extracts its queries, models, and supported objects.
3. In the dialog box, click StartThe workbook will be converted into a Power BI Desktop .pbix file, separate from the original Excel file.
4. Once the import is complete, a summary appears showing the items imported and those that could not be imported.
5. You can now work, edit, create visualizations, and enhance your report directly in Power BI Desktop.

Which Excel workbook elements can be imported?

Known Limitations

• Connections to Analysis Services tabular models They are not imported automatically. You'll need to recreate them manually.
• Hierarchies data model are not supported and are ignored.
• Binary data columns (such as images) are removed from the imported result.
• Some named ranges created from table or Excel.CurrentWorkbook() are not supported and are imported as an external connection.
• Connections for SSRS are not currently available in Power BI Desktop.

Create Excel workbooks with updatable Power BI data

Suppose you have a report in Power BI and you want to analyze the data in Excel, but without losing the connection or risking using outdated information. Microsoft offers several ways for you to do this. You can export or analyze Power BI data directly from Excel, maintaining the link and allowing you to refresh the data at any time..

Available options

• Analyze in ExcelFrom the Power BI service itself, you can generate an Excel workbook connected to a specific semantic model or report. This way, you have all the fields, measures, and tables from the Power BI model available to work with pivot tables, charts, and other Excel tools, without duplicating data.
• Export data with dynamic connection: Within any Power BI report you can export the information from a visual to Excel, selecting the format .xlsx with dynamic connectionThis allows you to have an Excel spreadsheet that automatically refreshes with changes to the report, while maintaining security and access policies.
• Using the Excel add-in for Power BI- This add-in makes it easy to insert pivot tables or connected tables directly into Excel by searching and selecting user-accessible Power BI semantic models.

Step by Step: Analyze in Excel

1. From Power BI web, open the report, select the option Export > Analyze in Excel or search for the option in the report/template menu.
2. An Excel workbook with the same name as the report will be downloaded. You can open it in Excel Online or on your desktop.
3. When you open the workbook, confirm your Power BI query and enable editing and content if prompted.
4. You'll see all the tables and measures in your Power BI model in the Fields list, ready for creating pivot tables and other analyses in Excel.

In a very similar way, when exporting a visual with dynamic connection, you'll have an Excel table that can be refreshed as many times as you need, as long as you have permissions to the Power BI model.

Power BI Add-in for Excel: Key Features

• List all Power BI semantic models that you have permission to build or edit.
• Allows you to search, view metadata, and open models or reports in Power BI with a single click.
• Insert pivot tables or connected tables ready to refresh directly from Excel, respecting security settings.
• Maintain confidentiality labels and information protection.

Data updates in Excel are immediate, just as if you were working within Power BI.All of this is done in a familiar and customizable environment like Excel, making it easy to adopt for users who prefer this program.

Specific limitations and safety aspects

• Row-Level Security (RLS) and Object-Level Security (OLS) It is always applied automatically.
• If your model uses connection modes like Direct Lake or DirectQuery, the hierarchy is not preserved in Excel pivot tables.
• It is not possible to change the connection's regional settings after creating the workbook.
• There is a 2GB size limit on queried data; for larger volumes, we recommend using the XMLA endpoint.
• Users outside the organization's domain cannot analyze or load Power BI data into Excel.
• Does not work with semantic models directly connected to Azure Analysis Services or SQL Server Analysis Services.
• En Mac, you can only use Excel Online to work with Power BI semantic models.
• The order and column names of the visual may change when exporting to Excel.
• Write permissions may be required for some scenarios depending on the tenant administrator's configuration.
• If you're having trouble exporting, disable the "Show items without data" option in the Power BI visual before trying again.

Practical recommendations and best uses

To get the most out of the Integration between Excel and Power BI:

• Ensure your Power BI data model is well-organized and documented, making it easy to analyze from Excel.
• Use sensitivity labels to protect information and comply with regulations from Power BI and Excel. Automate tasks in Excel and Power BI.
• Centralize the management of permits and licenses to avoid problems accessing or updating data.
• Train users on the various connection and export options, tailoring the method to each use case.
• If you need to collaborate with external users, consider sharing reports directly from Power BI or using specific workspaces with controlled permissions.

The range of possibilities for integrate data between Excel and Power BI It's becoming increasingly broad and easy to implement. Whether you're a user who "lives" in Excel or manages a company's entire data infrastructure, you can leverage this integration to combine the best of both worlds: the visual power, collaboration, and security of Power BI, along with the flexibility and familiarity of Excel. Adopting these workflows ensures a richer, more secure, and more efficient data analysis experience, helping to transform the way organizations work with their data.

Related article:

How to Create Conditional Formulas in Excel: Complete Guide with Examples, Tricks, and Applications

Isaac

Passionate writer about the world of bytes and technology in general. I love sharing my knowledge through writing, and that's what I'll do on this blog, show you all the most interesting things about gadgets, software, hardware, tech trends, and more. My goal is to help you navigate the digital world in a simple and entertaining way.