Microsoft Power BI. The key to effective data analysis
Key takeaways Fast access to reliable data decides how quickly you can shift ad budgets, react to stock levels or use a trend. Power BI is one of the most widely used tools for this. Below we explain what it does well in marketing and e-commerce, where its limits are and what it costs in […]
Key takeaways
- What it is: Microsoft’s business intelligence tool and the reporting layer of Microsoft Fabric. It combines data from many sources into one model and interactive reports.
- Best use in e-commerce: one view of sales, ad spend, margin and stock, so you can see profit by channel, not just revenue.
- Marketing data: there are no native connectors for Google Ads or Meta Ads; use a third-party connector or a warehouse such as BigQuery.
- Cost: Pro is $14 per user per month (since April 2025). Copilot needs a paid Fabric capacity (F2 or higher).
- Choose it when you work in the Microsoft ecosystem and need a robust data model; Looker Studio is often enough for simple GA4 and Google Ads reporting.
Fast access to reliable data decides how quickly you can shift ad budgets, react to stock levels or use a trend. Power BI is one of the most widely used tools for this. Below we explain what it does well in marketing and e-commerce, where its limits are and what it costs in 2026.
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What is Power BI?
Power BI is Microsoft’s business intelligence platform for connecting, modelling and visualizing data. It has three main parts: Power BI Desktop (free, Windows only) for building models and reports, the Power BI service for publishing and sharing, and mobile apps. Since 2023 it has been part of Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft’s analytics platform that also includes data storage, pipelines and real-time analytics.
Which data sources can you connect for marketing and e-commerce?
| Source | How to connect | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Store database (e.g. MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server) | Native connectors | Orders, products, customers |
| ERP and accounting | Native connectors or SQL / API | Margin, costs, stock |
| Google Analytics 4 | Native Google Analytics connector, or GA4 export to BigQuery | BigQuery export gives raw, unsampled event data; see GA4 + BigQuery costs |
| Google Ads, Meta Ads, TikTok Ads | Third-party connectors or a warehouse | No native connectors in Power BI |
| BigQuery, Snowflake, Azure SQL | Native connectors (BigQuery) | Best option for large data volumes |
| Excel, CSV, SharePoint | Native connectors | Budgets, targets, manual data |
| APIs and custom sources | Web connector, Python or R scripts | Requires technical setup |
The key is a shared dimension, usually date, product or campaign, so that sales, spend and costs can be analysed together.
What reports does Power BI make possible?
- Profit by channel: revenue from the store, minus ad spend, product cost and shipping, by channel and campaign. Revenue-only reports from ad platforms can’t show this.
- Category performance: sales, margin and stock by category, shown as a treemap, with drill-down to products.
- Purchase funnel: product views, add-to-cart, checkout and purchase from GA4 data, shown as a funnel chart.
- Budget changes: a waterfall chart showing what increased or reduced the result against the plan.
- Sales map: sales by region or store.
- Customer segments: RFM analysis (recency, frequency, monetary value) and cohort retention.
Reports can be filtered by date, category, customer type, traffic source or campaign ID. See data-driven ways to boost e-commerce conversions.
What can you calculate with DAX?
DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) is Power BI’s formula language for measures. Example measures for a store:
Profit = SUM(Orders[Revenue]) - SUM(Orders[ProductCost]) - SUM(AdSpend[Cost])
ROAS = DIVIDE(SUM(Orders[Revenue]), SUM(AdSpend[Cost]))
Revenue YoY % = DIVIDE([Revenue] - CALCULATE([Revenue], SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR('Date'[Date])), CALCULATE([Revenue], SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR('Date'[Date])))For forecasts, use the built-in Forecast option in a line chart’s analytics pane or models in Python. Python results can be shown with the Python visual.
How does Copilot in Power BI work?
Copilot in Power BI answers questions about your data in natural language, summarizes report pages and helps write DAX. Since April 2025 it works on any paid Fabric capacity from F2 or Power BI Premium P1; a Pro or Premium Per User license alone isn’t enough, and trial capacities aren’t supported. Copilot’s answers depend on a clean data model, with clear table and measure names and descriptions.
Can Power BI show real-time data?
Yes, but the approach is changing. Microsoft is retiring real-time streaming semantic models (push and streaming datasets) by 31 October 2027 and recommends Real-Time Intelligence in Microsoft Fabric, which requires a Fabric capacity. For most stores, refreshing data every hour or using DirectQuery is enough, also for Black Friday or a TV campaign.
How much does Power BI cost in 2026?
| Option | Price | For whom |
|---|---|---|
| Power BI Desktop | Free | Building reports (Windows only) |
| Power BI Pro | $14 per user per month | Publishing and sharing; every viewer also needs Pro |
| Premium Per User | $24 per user per month | Larger models, more frequent refreshes |
| Microsoft Fabric capacity (F SKUs) | Pay for capacity (from F2) | Copilot, Fabric workloads; from F64, viewers need no Pro license |
Source: Microsoft, pricing update. Prices in USD; check current local pricing.
Is your data secure in Power BI?
Power BI supports sensitivity labels from Microsoft Purview Information Protection, row-level security (users see only their region or brand), and network isolation with Azure Private Link.
Power BI or Looker Studio?
| Criterion | Power BI | Looker Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Price | From $14 per user per month | Free (Pro version paid) |
| Data model and calculations | Strong (DAX, relationships) | Basic |
| Google Ads / GA4 | Via connectors or BigQuery | Native connectors |
| Best for | Many sources, finance and operations data, Microsoft ecosystem | Marketing reports based on Google data |
See our detailed comparison: Looker Studio vs Tableau vs Power BI.
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FAQ
Can Power BI connect to Google Ads and GA4?
GA4 yes, through the Google Analytics connector or a BigQuery export. Google Ads and Meta Ads need a third-party connector or a data warehouse, because Power BI has no native connectors for them.
How much does Power BI Pro cost?
$14 per user per month since 1 April 2025 (previously $10). Premium Per User costs $24.
Does Copilot in Power BI work with a Pro license?
Not on its own. Copilot needs a paid Fabric capacity (F2 or higher) or Power BI Premium P1; reports must be in a workspace on that capacity.
Is Power BI Desktop available on Mac?
No. Power BI Desktop runs only on Windows; Mac users can view and edit some reports in the browser (Power BI service).
Sources
- Microsoft: Important update to Power BI pricing (Nov 2024)
- Microsoft: Retirement of real-time streaming in Power BI
- Microsoft Learn: Copilot in Power BI
- DataTako: Copilot in Power BI runs from F2 (2026)
- Microsoft Learn: Google BigQuery connector
- Microsoft Learn: Sensitivity labels in Power BI
- Microsoft Learn: Python visuals in Power BI Desktop
About the author: Joanna Jelenik is Delivery Manager at Insightland. Insightland is a Wrocław-based SEO and GEO agency, part of the Hexe Capital Tech Hub. Contact us.
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