0.3Interface: Report, Data, Model views
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Three views: Report (create the visuals), Table/Data (check line by line) and Model (architect the relationships).
- Three panes on the right: Visualizations (choosing and configuring the visual), Data (the fields to drag) and Filters.
- Key principle: you drag fields, you don't write in cells — corrections go through the source or Power Query.
Running mini-case — Zineb finds her bearings in the three views
Zineb imported the sales file of the agri-food SME and gets lost between screens. She applies the section's geography: in the Table view, she browses the rows and notes that she cannot type into the cells (normal); in the Model view, her table appears alone, without relationships; in the Report view, she checks a numeric field and a text field in the Data pane and sees a first bar chart appear by itself. She notes the reflex: check which view she is in before acting, and remember that wrong data is corrected at the source or in Power Query, never by hand.
Standalone case for this section: it returns in the course, the diagram, the script and the 48h challenge of section 0.3.
1. Three views: Report, Table, Model
Desktop is organized around three views, accessible via the icons in the left sidebar: the Report view (the canvas where you place visuals), the Table/Data view (the data line by line, like a read-only spreadsheet) and the Model view (the schema of the tables and their relationships). Knowing which view you are in avoids 90% of beginner confusion. Zineb always checks her bearings before acting.
2. Three panes: Visualizations, Data, Filters
On the right, three panes: Visualizations (choosing the visual type and configuring it: axis, values, legend, paintbrush), Data (all the tables and columns to drag) and Filters. Zineb composes: she selects a visual, then drags the fields from the Data pane into the wells of the Visualizations pane.
3. The principle: dragging fields
The fundamental principle: in Power BI, you drag fields, you don't write in cells. The tool suggests a visual, you refine it. You never fix data by hand: it would be overwritten on refresh. Corrections are made at the source or in Power Query, in a repeatable way. Zineb remembers the rule: data is cleaned, visuals are composed.
🔎 Concrete example — 🔎 Concrete example — A first visual "by itself"
Zineb creates her first visual by dragging, without writing a formula:
Report view → Data pane:
check a NUMERIC field (e.g. Amount)
+ a TEXT field (e.g. Region)
→ a bar chart appears automatically.
Move it, delete it: you're at home.Reading: checking/dragging two fields is enough to create a visual — no cell to fill.
Lesson: first locate your view (here Report), then drag the fields from the Data pane.
Section vocabulary
- Report view
- The pages canvas where visuals are built: the main workplace.
Simple example: Zineb places the sales bar chart by region there.
What it is not: the raw reading of imported rows.
Reflex: create a visual → Report view.
- Table (Data) view
- The reading of imported tables, line by line: checking, sorting, creating columns — without modifying cells.
Simple example: Zineb checks there that the amounts are correctly typed.
What it is not: direct editing of cells, impossible here.
Reflex: check data → Table view.
- Model view
- The overall plan: tables, relationships and cardinalities — the architecture of level 2.
Simple example: Zineb will later relate Sales and Products there.
What it is not: the mere display of a table's values.
Reflex: relate tables → Model view.
- Visualizations pane
- Choosing the visual type and its field wells (axis, values, legend), plus formatting (paintbrush).
Simple example: Zineb chooses the bar chart there then refines the title.
What it is not: fixing a value in the source.
Reflex: configure the visual → Visualizations pane.
- Data pane (Fields)
- All available tables and columns: the raw material you drag into visuals.
Simple example: Zineb takes Amount and Region there for her bar chart.
What it is not: a calculation written by hand in a cell.
Reflex: draw the fields → Data pane.
In practice — In practice — A guided tour with real data
- Load a small Excel/CSV file (Home → Get data → Excel/CSV → Load, without transformation), like Zineb.
- Table view: browse the rows, sort a column — note that you cannot type into the cells.
- Model view: your table appears alone, without relationships — the schema will fill up at level 2.
- Report view: check a numeric field and a text field in the Data pane — a first visual appears, move it then delete it.
Step-by-step script — finding your bearings like Zineb (5 min)
1) Import a small sales file (Home → Get data → Excel). 2) Table view: sort the Amount column and check its type; note that no cell is editable. 3) Model view: observe your table alone, without relationship. 4) Report view: check Amount then Region in the Data pane: the bar chart appears. 5) Move it, then delete it — you know where you are and what each pane does.
If you're looking for "where to write a formula", it's the DAX formula bar — but be patient: model first, measures at level 2.
Copy-paste template — my interface map
Views: Report (create) / Table (check) / Model (architect)
Panes: Visualizations (configure) / Data (fields to drag) / Filters
Rule: you DRAG fields, you don't type into cells.
Fixing data: at the source or in Power Query (repeatable).Create a visual
Zineb stays in the Report view and drags Amount + Region: the bar chart builds itself.
Check the data
Zineb switches to the Table view and sorts a column: she checks the types without editing cells.
Prepare the model
Zineb opens the Model view: her table, alone, awaiting the relationships of level 2.
The right view
Zineb always checks which view she is in before acting, to avoid most confusion.
✓ Best practices
- Check which view you are in before acting.
- The Table view checks, the Model view architects, the Report view creates.
- Create visuals by dragging/checking fields (the tool suggests).
✗ Common pitfalls
- Trying to fix data in a cell.
- Confusing the formula bar (DAX) with a cell entry.
- Getting lost between the views for lack of a landmark.
Key takeaways
- Three views: Report (create), Table (check), Model (architect).
- You don't modify data in Power BI: it is corrected at the source or in Power Query.
- The Visualizations pane configures the visual; the Data pane provides the fields.
- Checking/dragging fields is enough to create a visual: the tool suggests, you refine.
48h challenge — apply tomorrow
Import a small file like Zineb and visit the three views: check a column in the Table view, observe your table alone in the Model view, then create in the Report view a visual by dragging a numeric field and a text field. Write why you cannot fix a cell by hand.
- I distinguish the three views and their role.
- I know that you drag fields instead of writing in cells.
- I know where to fix data: at the source or in Power Query.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't we edit the cells as in Excel?
By design: Power BI reads sources and refreshes them. Any manual correction would be overwritten on the next refresh — transformations are done in Power Query (section 1.2), in a repeatable way: each step is recorded and replayed on every refresh.
What is the formula bar I can see for?
For writing DAX measures and columns (level 2), not for modifying cells. If you're looking for "where to write a formula", that's it — but patience: model first, measures next.
Can you modify the data directly in the cells as in Excel?