Microsoft Power BI enables analysts to deliver incredible data-driven insights and visualizations to their organizations. As decision makers recognize the value of visual analytics produced in Microsoft Power BI, analysts must find ways of dealing with the increasing volumes and complexity of the data required to get to these insights and visualizations. For Microsoft Power BI users this is a critical and often time consuming process. A lot of time spent revolves around blending data from multiple sources to create an actionable analytic dataset. Hence, this forces analysts to spend many days dealing with: • Wasted time waiting for others to get them the right data for their analysis • Manual preparation and integration of different data sets • A lack of advanced analytics that many decisions require Alteryx provides the advanced data blending capabilities required to reduce the time and effort to create the perfect dataset for a Microsoft Power BI visualization. This cookbook shows you how you can quickly blend multiple sources of data in order to create richer visualizations in Microsoft Power BI.

1. 6 Steps to Richer
Visualizations Using Alteryx
for Microsoft Power BI

2. Download the Starter Kit for Microsoft
6 Steps to Richer Visualizations Using Alteryx for Microsoft Power BI
Microsoft Power BI enables analysts to deliver incredible data-driven insights
and visualizations to their organizations. As decision makers recognize the value
of visual analytics produced in Microsoft Power BI, analysts must find ways
of dealing with the increasing volumes and complexity of the data required to
get to these insights and visualizations. For Microsoft Power BI users this is a
critical and often time consuming process. A lot of time spent revolves around
blending data from multiple sources to create an actionable analytic dataset.
Hence, this forces analysts to spend many days dealing with:
• Wasted time waiting for others to get them the right data for their analysis
• Manual preparation and integration of different data sets
• A lack of advanced analytics that many decisions require
Alteryx provides the advanced data blending capabilities required to reduce
the time and effort to create the perfect dataset for a Microsoft Power BI
visualization. This cookbook shows you how you can quickly blend multiple
sources of data in order to create richer visualizations in Microsoft Power BI.
Deliver Richer Visualizations
With Quicker Data Blending for
Microsoft Power BI Analysts need faster speed-to-insight
to keep up with the pace of business
Quicker data blending enables
analysts to spend more time on
creating richer visualizations
Decision makers are turning to
tools like Microsoft Power BI to
understand data quickly

3. Download the Starter Kit for Microsoft
6 Steps to Richer Visualizations Using Alteryx for Microsoft Power BI
Quicker Data Blending for Microsoft Power BI with Alteryx
Analysts need to bring together many sources of data in order to get a true view
of a business problem. However, this process can sometimes take weeks
to perform.
Like Microsoft Power BI, Alteryx is built with the analyst in mind, utilizing a
drag-and-drop workflow that does not require coding or technical skills.
Users can take advantage of data in existing systems of record, for example, a
data warehouse, but then blend it with data on their desktop, in cloud systems,
or even from big data systems such as Hadoop. This allows them to quickly
create the specific dataset they need in hours instead of weeks and render it
directly to Microsoft Power BI.
Richer Visualizations in Hours
Instead of Weeks
Data Blending
Capabilities for
Microsoft Power BI
• Access to structured,
unstructured, and semi-
structured data
• Data cleansing
• Data integration
• Data transformation
• Data enrichment

4. Download the Starter Kit for Microsoft
6 Steps to Richer Visualizations Using Alteryx for Microsoft Power BI
We created the Alteryx Starter Kit for Microsoft to help you get started. This kit
provides you with key analytic workflow applications, visualizations and tutorial
information to help you learn how you can quickly use Alteryx and Microsoft Power
BI to blend and cleanse data, perform predictive and spatial analysis, fuzzy match,
and more.
Download the kit and explore workflows like the one below at
alteryx.com/microsoftkit.
Alteryx Starter Kit for Microsoft
See demo videos on Data
Blending at alteryx.com/
solutions/data
Alteryx Starter Kit for
Microsoft
Analytics workflows and
visualizations including:
• Advanced Data Blending
• Data Cleansing &
Preparation
• Fuzzy Matching
• Predictive Analytics
• Geo-Spatial Analytics
• Text Analytics
Download the Alteryx Starter
Kit for Microsoft at
alteryx.com/microsoftkit
Connect to the customer
demographics file
L
R
L
J
R
Connect to the customer
transaction file
Change the data
types and rename
fields
Create a spend
field
Aggregate and count the
transactions for each
customer
O
R
Blend the transaction
and demographic data
Create a logistical
regression using the data
View the report for the
model
Score the model against
the data
Review the scores
Publish to Power BI

5. Download the Starter Kit for Microsoft
6 Steps to Richer Visualizations Using Alteryx for Microsoft Power BI
Recipe: Quick Data Blending for
Richer Visualizations
See demo videos on Data
Blending at alteryx.com/
solutions/data-blending
Quickly cleanse your data to remove outliers, duplicate data,
and other data noise2
Join the specific data required from all your different
types of sources4
Get data from all the data sources needed for your analysis1
Optimize the data for visualization by moving rows to columns,
renaming fields, and repeating demographic data when needed3
Transform your data so that it is ready for analysis without
manual formulas or copying data5
Ingredients you need
• A copy of Alteryx
alteryx.com/download
• A list of the data sources you
want to blend
• Access to each database or
source you are going to use
• A rough specification of the
dataset you need
• A clear understanding of the
analysis you want to deliver
See demo videos on
Data Blending for
Microsoft Power BI at
alteryx.com/powerbiOutput your results directly to Microsoft Power BI without
spending time looking for files6

6. Download the Starter Kit for Microsoft
6 Steps to Richer Visualizations Using Alteryx for Microsoft Power BI
Get to Know Your Alteryx Tools
Cleanse, Merge, Select, Transform, Join, Formula, FilterInput & Browse Output
See demo videos for Microsoft Power BI at alteryx.com/powerbi
Browse Microsoft Power BI
Output
Output
Join Multiple
Join
Filter
Alteryx Select
Formula
Cross Tab
Transpose
SummarizeInput Data

7. Customer Database
Product Sales
Download the Starter Kit for Microsoft
6 Steps to Richer Visualizations Using Alteryx for Microsoft Power BI
• Using the Input tool you can drag and drop data sources into the
Alteryx canvas to build a workflow
• Choose each data source you need by using the configuration pane
for the Input tool
• Preview your datasets so that before you blend them together you
can understand if you need to make changes later in the workflow
Get data from multiple sources1 Recipe for
analytic greatness
• Ensure you have the right
credentials to access your
data sources
• Understand what problems
are in your data
• Plan how you will transform
your data in your workflow

8. Recipe for
analytic greatness
• Make product names,
categories, and user IDs
consistent as you bring
multiple datasets together
• Create a taxonomy of your
terms and create consistent
category names
Quickly cleanse your data2
• Once you have accessed your datasets you can now prepare them
for blending and analysis
• Remove outliers and noisy data by using the Sample tool
• Use the Filter tool to isolate only the subset of data that you
are interested in
• Use the Unique tool to remove duplicate data
Sample tool Filter tool
T
T
Product Sales Unique tool
U
U
Download the Starter Kit for Microsoft
6 Steps to Richer Visualizations Using Alteryx for Microsoft Power BI

9. • Drag the Transpose icon onto the canvas, and transpose your
columnar data to row format
• Use the Select tool to rename your fields to make your
visualizations more readable
• Use the Formula tool to take values from one set of cells and reuse
them on other rows of data
Download the Starter Kit for Microsoft
6 Steps to Richer Visualizations Using Alteryx for Microsoft Power BI
Recipe for
analytic greatness
• Shape and label your data
to optimize it for Microsoft
Power BI
• Associate 3rd party
demographic data such
as Experian Mosaic data
with your customers for
segmentation
Optimize the data for3
Move sales data from
columns to rows
Rename fields such as LOR
to Length of Residence
Associate Mosaic segments with each transaction
so you can analyze product sales by segment

10. Download the Starter Kit for Microsoft
6 Steps to Richer Visualizations Using Alteryx for Microsoft Power BI
Recipe for
analytic greatness
• Bring together fields that
don’t match exactly using the
Alteryx Fuzzy Match tool
• Fuzzy Match has
preconfigured match styles
and can be used to identify
non-exact duplicates and
merge or purge them
Join data from different4
• Accept and combine each stream of data into a single stream using
the Union tool
• Join the product details to the customer transactions on the
SKU number
• In some cases fields don’t match, but Alteryx lets you join them using
Fuzzy Match
Use the Union tool to combine each
data source into a single stream
Join product details to
customer transactions
L
R
L
J
R

11. • Use the Summarize tool
to count the number of
transactions by Customer ID
• Use the Summarize tool
again to total the value of
the purchases
Download the Starter Kit for Microsoft
6 Steps to Richer Visualizations Using Alteryx for Microsoft Power BI
Recipe for
analytic greatness
• Alteryx provides hundreds
of tools that perform data
transformations
• Alteryx ensures that a
dataset fits your specific
purpose by preparing and
shaping it accordingly
Transform your data without
manual formulas or coding
5
Summarize: Count the number
of transactions, and add the
value of the transactions

12. Download the Starter Kit for Microsoft
6 Steps to Richer Visualizations Using Alteryx for Microsoft Power BI
Output your results to Microsoft
Power BI
6
• Output directly to Microsoft Power BI from Alteryx and don’t
waste time searching for files
• Output to Excel and Microsoft SQL Server, providing the flexibility
to work with your information architecture
• Perform data blending directly in Microsoft SQL Server,
leveraging your investment in Microsoft SQL Server and enabling
business analysts to work directly with that data without SQL
coding of models already in place in an organization
Recipe for
analytic greatness
• Build repeatable and
sharable workflows for data
blending and deliver it as
a repeatable process for
creating the right analytic
dataset for Microsoft
Power BI
Microsoft Power BI tool:
Immediately launch your results into
Microsoft Power BI

13. Download the Starter Kit for Microsoft
6 Steps to Richer Visualizations Using Alteryx for Microsoft Power BI
• Utilize advanced analytics to better understand and predict
customer behavior
• Calculate the likelihood that a customer will respond to an ad
or mailing
• Score customers and future prospects based on historical patterns
Bonus! Use advanced analytics
to score customers
Recipe for
analytic greatness
• Utilize boosted models to
understand the importance
of predictor fields
• Perform advanced analytics
access them without writing
code or scripts
O
R
Logistic Regression tool:
Determine the probability
that someone will respond
to a campaign
Score tool: Calculate the
percentageb of likelihood
to respond

14. Download the Starter Kit for Microsoft
6 Steps to Richer Visualizations Using Alteryx for Microsoft Power BI
• Delivering deep spatial analysis in Microsoft Power BI, or Excel for
that matter, can be very difficult or require other tools
• Understand where customers and store locations fall on a map with
the Create Points tool
• Understand how long it takes to drive to store locations, not
just distance
Bonus! Incorporate spatial
analysis to find customers
Recipe for
analytic greatness
• Match data based on spatial
information (e.g. customers
inside a trade area)
• Use heat maps to spot trends
in data
• Use spatial tools to perform
tasks in seconds that would
normally take days or weeks
Create Points tool: Geocode
addresses to create spatial data
Distance tool: Calculate the drive
time between two points or define a
trade area

15. Download the Starter Kit for Microsoft
6 Steps to Richer Visualizations Using Alteryx for Microsoft Power BI
Why Should Analysts Use Alteryx and Microsoft
Power BI Together?
Single intuitive workflow for a complete
self-service data analytics process
Deeper business insight that can be achieved
from richer visualizations
Empowered analysts can deliver quicker insights to take
advantage of business opportunities

16. Learn more about how Alteryx and Microsoft Power BI help
drive richer visualizations with quicker data blending
Download Alteryx Starter Kit for Microsoft
(Includes prebuilt analytic workflows for Microsoft Power BI)
www.alteryx.com/microsoftkit »
Download the Alteryx 14-Day FREE Trial:
alteryx.com/download
Sign up for a Microsoft Power BI account
www.powerbi.com »

17. Thousands of data analysts worldwide rely on Alteryx daily.
alteryx.com/microsoft
The Leading Platform for Self-Service Data Analytics