Getting started
Power BI Desktop is available for free and can be found via a direct download link at Power BI (https://powerbi.microsoft.com/), or by installing it as an app from Microsoft Store. There are several benefits of using the Microsoft Store Power BI app, including automatic updates, no requirement for admin privileges, and making it easier for planned IT rollout of Power BI.
If you are using the on-premises Power BI Report Server for your deployment strategy, then you must download a different Power BI Desktop, which is available by clicking the advanced download options link at https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/report-server/. A separate installation is required because updates are released more often to Power BI in the cloud. This book will be written primarily under the assumption that you are using the cloud-hosted Power BI Service as your deployment strategy.
Once you've downloaded, installed, and launched Power BI Desktop, you will likely...