Combine multiple files from different data

[JoaoPGomes]

I everyone,

I think this is the best forum to my problem, if not tell me.

I start to work in financial controller in my work and we have a tool to do forecast and control a little bit old. Is a EXCEL file that collect data from other EXEcel file and that excel file collect data from fifteen Excel files. Also collect data from a data warehouse where we export to excel and copy some columns to the principal EXCEL. We must do this when start the month for the date that we collect from data warehouse and in the beginning of the week.  

I think PowerBI resolve my problems, I have seen some tools that I can use but I can’t find any way to combine all this data and how to refresh this data with the reports of all week and month.

In resume I need solutions for:

1. Combine all data from different sources and different files
2. Refresh all data from reports that we receive weekly
3. Send a message or a task to the person that will have to update the file (the fifteen persons)

I hope we could help me to get the best solution. I need to do this in 2 months max and I’m a little bit lost.

Thank you for your time.

JPG

[Greg_Deckler]

Combine all data from different sources and different files

Yes, this is a strength of Power BI. You can create multiple queries within Power Query to each Excel file or even a folder of Excel files and you can append them together or merge them, lots of options.  

Refresh all data from reports that we receive weekly

Yes, once published to the Service, you can setup automatic refresh. Or you can update things manually but opening the Power BI files and refreshing.

Send a message or a task to the person that will have to update the file (the fifteen persons)

I would use PowerAutomate (Flow) for this.

[JoaoPGomes]

I dont understand very well where you say "Yes, once published to the Service, you can setup automatic refresh. ". 

Excel files are in a folder, should I pass this information for sharepoint to have more interactive work? Our just refresh the excel file in the folder?

[Greg_Deckler · Accepted solution]

There are many good book out there that can do this. Yes, my book was written from the perspective of taking someone who has zero knowledge of Power BI and walking them through the entire lifecycle of importing data, cleaning it up, building a data model, building the report, publishing the report and sharing the report. The entire book is pretty much one big example of how to do things in Power BI.

But there are many great tools online as well! https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/guided-learning/

With regards to automatic refresh. Skipping past Direct Query, which you would not be using with multiple Excel files, you would be working in import mode. So, Power BI imports the data from your Excel files into an internal data model that is then used for reporting. However, you can setup an automatic schedule so that if the Excel files are updated, the data model in Power BI gets updated with the new information.

[JoaoPGomes]

I Greg,

Thank you for your answer.

In your book have all information I need to do this? I'm a rookie in PowerBI, perhaps in beginning  I will need a interactive help like a video. Your book bring examples how to do it?