Chitech

Some people have been asking what the difference is between Excel and Power BI and which one they should learn first.

The truth is that Both Excel and Power BI are Microsoft products, but they serve very different functions. Excel is a spreadsheet tool while Power BI is a business intelligence tool. There are a few key differences that set these two types of tools apart.

The first feature where Excel and Power BI differ is in their ability to generate visualizations. Now you can build out graphs and charts in Excel, but it's not the main focus of Excel. Power BI's data visualization functionality is on a whole new level.

The next function that sets these two types of tools apart is data discovery. Excel stores data in tabular form, which is good if you're new to analytics in that it enables you to quickly manipulate data. Power BI stores data in data tables that can be linked together to create a data model. Having a data model empowers you to combine multiple data sources and conduct much deeper analysis.

Finally, Power BI is much better at automation. You can create some automation in Excel, but Power BI is specifically designed to be automated. An example of this is ETL, or Extract, Transform, Load, which is the process of data analytics where you can connect and manipulate data sources.

Power BI's query editor allows you to quickly record each step that you need to manipulate your raw data set. Then it can automate that process moving forward. This will save you a huge amount of time as an analyst. Excel is a very powerful tool, but data visualization and data discovery and automation are functions that are much better pulled off in Power BI.

As a data analyst, you need to learn both! Now answering the question of which one should I start first. As a beginner, I recommend starting with Excel.

Starting with Excel can provide you with a strong foundation in data manipulation, formulas, and basic visualization techniques. Once you're comfortable with Excel, you can then explore Power BI to leverage its more advanced features for creating interactive dashboards and conducting deeper data analysis.

You should learn Power BI if you want some serious analytic skills.