The data models developed in Power BI Desktop are at the center of Power BI projects, as they expose the interface in support of data exploration and drive the analytical queries visualized in reports and dashboards. Well-designed data models leverage the data connectivity and transformation capabilities described in Chapter 2, Accessing and Retrieving Data to provide an integrated view of distinct business processes and entities. Additionally, data models contain predefined calculations, hierarchies and groupings, and metadata to greatly enhance both the analytical power of the dataset and its ease of use. The combination of Chapter 2, Accessing and Retrieving Data and Chapter 3, Building a Power BI Data Model, querying and modeling, serves as the foundation for the BI and analytical capabilities of Power BI.
"The data model is what feeds and what powers Power...