Exploring Power BI Study Fact Sheet

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering the Power BI ecosystem, its core engines, building blocks, and interface components as outlined in the study fact sheet.

Power BI

A Microsoft business intelligence platform used to connect to data, model it, and create interactive reports and dashboards.

Power BI Desktop

The free Windows application where you build reports — connect, clean, model and visualise data. Most work happens here.

Power BI Service

The cloud platform (app.powerbi.com) where reports are published, shared, and turned into dashboards.

Power BI Mobile

Apps for viewing reports and dashboards on phones and tablets.

Power BI Report Server

An on-premises server for hosting reports inside an organisation instead of the cloud.

Power Query

The data connection and transformation engine used to clean and shape data before loading. Runs on the M language.

M language

The functional language behind Power Query steps (usually generated by the UI, rarely typed by hand).

DAX (Data Analysis Expressions)

The formula language used to create measures, calculated columns and calculated tables in the model.

Power BI Gateway

A secure bridge that lets the Power BI Service refresh data from on-premises sources.

.pbix file

The Power BI Desktop file format that stores your data, model and report together.

Semantic model (formerly “dataset”)

The data model — tables, relationships and measures — that reports are built on.

Report

A multi-page, interactive collection of visuals built on one semantic model.

Dashboard

A single-page collection of visuals (tiles) pinned from reports — exists only in the Power BI Service, not in Desktop.

Report vs Dashboard

Report = multi-page, interactive, built in Desktop. Dashboard = single page of pinned tiles, only in the Service.

Tile

A single visual pinned to a dashboard.

Workspace

A collaborative container in the Service that holds reports, dashboards and datasets.

App

A packaged, polished set of reports/dashboards distributed to a wider audience from a workspace.

Report view

The default view for building visuals on the canvas.

Data (Table) view

Lets you see the actual rows of data inside each table.

Model view

Where you see tables and create/manage relationships.

Ribbon

The command bar across the top (Home, Insert, Modeling, View, etc.).

Canvas

The central area where visuals are placed and arranged on a page.

Fields / Data pane

Lists all tables and fields available to use in visuals.

Visualizations pane

Holds the chart-type icons plus field wells and format options for the selected visual.

Field wells

The boxes (Axis, Legend, Values, etc.) where you drag fields to build a visual.

Filters pane

Where filters are applied at visual, page, or report level.

Selection pane

Lists every object on a page to manage layering, visibility and grouping.

Format pane (paint-roller)

Where you change the appearance of a selected visual or page.

Slicer

An on-canvas filter control the user clicks to filter the report.

Card

A visual that displays a single headline number (often a KPI).

Typical workflow

Connect to data → Transform/clean (Power Query) → Model (relationships + DAX) → Visualise (build report) → Publish & share (Service).