# How to Start Power BI

> To start using Power BI, launch Power BI Desktop, create a blank report, get and load your data, select a visualization from the pane, drag fields onto the canvas, save the report locally, and publish it to the Power BI Service.

Canonical: https://livedemo.ai/tutorials/how-to-start-power-bi/
Apps: Power BI
Updated: 2026-10-05
Interactive demo: https://story-api.livedemo.ai/workspaces/62255d3d3304f17b8f5e2d03/stories/692a4ef8ab56e05a00ffaece/preview?step=1

## Steps

1. Launch Power BI Desktop and click 'Blank report' to start with Power BI.
2. You’ll see a home screen where you can 'Get Data' and click on it.
3. Select a data source for your report.
4. Select the table and click 'Load'.
5. Power BI loads it into a data model. Then, go to the 'Visualizations' pane and select a visualization for your data.
6. Drag fields onto the canvas.
7. Click the save icon to save your report locally.
8. When ready, click 'Publish' to send it to the Power BI Service for sharing.