Did you know you can easily export Power BI to Excel with just three clicks? Yes, is it not so amazing?
I recently worked on a Power BI report, and my client asked me to send them the data we used in the Power BI visual. However, my client didn’t have a Power BI Desktop or Power BI Service. The Power BI export to Excel feature was beneficial in this situation.
In this tutorial, we will learn how to export Power BI to Excel in desktop and export to Excel in Power BI service.
Also, we will discuss how to export data with the current layout, summarized data, and underlying data in the Power BI service.
Power BI export to Excel
Previously, we only imported data from Excel into Power BI. Now, I’ll discuss the benefits of exporting data from Power BI to Excel.
Excel users can perform additional calculations that might not be available in Power BI. Additionally, Excel can be used to share data with users who don’t have access to Power BI.
The image below depicts the Power BI data after it has been exported to Excel.
How to Export Power BI to Excel
I will show you how to export Power BI reports to Excel using Power BI Desktop.
NOTE:
Before exporting Power BI to Excel, we first need to create a report in Power BI. If you’re new to Power BI, you can check out a detailed post on [create a report in Power BI from a SharePoint list].
Here is the report I’m using for this example. I highly recommend creating a report before proceeding further. See the screenshot below.
Follow the below steps to export Power BI Desktop to Excel:
1. Open the Power BI report you created before in Power BI Desktop.
2. Click on the visual you want to export(In my case, a Column chart). Then, click the three dots (…), which are present at the top right corner of your visual. Select Export data.
3. Next, select the location where you want to save the Excel file and choose the Excel file type as CSV. Then, click on Save.
4. Then, the Excel file is downloaded to your local machine. When you open the Excel file on your desktop, you can see the data, similar to the screenshot below.
You can export Power BI visual to Excel in Power BI Desktop.
Example-2: (Power BI Export Line chart to Excel)
1. Select the visual you want to export(In my case, a Line chart). Then, click the three dots (…), which are present at the top right corner of your visual. Select Export data.
2. Next, select the location where you want to save the Excel file, choose the Excel file type as CSV, and then click on “Save.” Then, open the Excel file on your local machine.
In the same way, you can easily export any Power BI visual in Power BI Desktop.
Export Data from a Power BI Dashboard
Now, let’s explore how to export data from a Power BI dashboard.
NOTE:
Before exporting data from a Power BI dashboard, you must have a dashboard in Power BI Service.
1. Go to the Power BI Service and select the visual you want to export. In my case, Stacked column chart. Check in the screenshot below.
2. Select a visual, then from the upper right corner of the visual, click on More options (three dots), then select Export data.
3. The window below will appear where you choose which data format to export: Data with the current layout, Summarized data, or Underlying data.
- Data with current layout = Export the data in the same layout you see in the Power BI dashboard without any icons, colors, or other formatting.
- Summarized data = Export the summarized data used to create the Power BI visual.
- Underlying data = Export the raw data used to create the Power BI visual.
Export Data to Excel with the Current Layout in Power BI Service
Now, we see how to export data to Excel with the current layout in Power BI Service.
1. Select a visual, then from the upper right corner of the visual, click More options (three dots), then select Export data.
2. You can view the data with the current layout, which is only available for table and matrix visuals
Now you know that we can not export data with the current layout in Power BI Service except for table and matrix visuals.
Export Data to Excel with Summarized Data in Power BI Service
Now, we see how to export data to Excel with summarized data in the Power BI service.
1. Select a visual, then from the upper right corner of the visual, click More options (three dots), then select Export data.
2. Next, select Summarized data and select File format as .csv. You can choose the .xlsx file format if you want an Excel file. Then click the Export button.
3. Now, the CSV file is downloaded to the local system. Then, open it in Excel.
In this process, you can export data from a Power BI dashboard.
Export Data to Excel with Underlying Data in Power BI Service
Here, we see how to easily export underlying data in Power BI service to Excel.
1. Select a visual, then from the upper right corner of the visual, click More options (three dots), then select Export data.
2. Next, select Underlying data. Then click the Export button.
3. The Excel file is downloaded. After that, open it in Excel. You can see the raw data in the Excel file.
This way, you can easily export underlying data in Power BI service to Excel.
Conclusion
I hope you can now export Power BI reports to Excel in Power BI Desktop or Service.
This tutorial taught us Power BI export to Excel, how to export to Excel in Power BI Desktop, and how to export to Excel in Power BI service.
Additionally, we covered how to export data with the current layout, summarized data, and underlying data in the Power BI service.
Furthermore, you may like some more Power BI tutorials:
- Create a Table in Power BI
- Create a Power BI Pie Chart
- Create a Date Table in Power BI
- How to Create a Report from SharePoint List in Power BI
Preeti Sahu is an expert in Power Apps and has over six years of experience working with SharePoint Online and the Power Platform. She is the co-author of Microsoft Power Platform: A Deep Dive book. As a Power Platform developer, she has worked on developing various tools using Power Apps and Power Automate. She also makes Microsoft 365 videos and shares them on YouTube.
