Microsoft launches Copilot for Power BI

It is part of Microsoft’s strategy to bring a range of new generative AI-powered features to Windows 11 starting in June 2023. The main component is called Windows Copilot, a set of text-driven assistive capabilities that make the process of using your PC easier and more intuitive.

It combines advanced generative AI with your data to help everyone uncover and share insights faster and let users automatically create a report containing multiple charts and get answers to their questions in plain English.

With Copilot in Power BI, we can infuse the power of LLMs into Power BI at every layer to help users get more done and create more value from their data.

Using Copilot, you can simply describe the visuals and insights you’re looking for, and Copilot will do the rest. Users can create and tailor reports in seconds, generate and edit DAX calculations, create narrative summaries, and ask questions about their data, all in conversational language.

With the ability to easily tailor the tone, scope, and style of narratives and add them seamlessly within reports, Power BI can also deliver data insights even more impactfully through easy-to-understand text summaries.

Some key use cases where Copilot will bring value to the user, include:

• Accelerated report creation: Copilot can assist users in quickly creating reports by automatically suggesting relevant visuals, measures, and query structures based on the underlying data. This is particularly helpful when users need to generate reports based on unfamiliar datasets or when they want to create preliminary drafts for further refinement.
• Exploratory data analysis: When exploring a dataset, Copilot can suggest suitable visualizations, identify key patterns, and recommend insightful measures or calculations. Users can interact with their data using natural language queries and receive instant suggestions to dive deeper into specific aspects of their data.
• Ad-hoc analysis: Copilot is valuable in ad-hoc analysis scenarios where users need to quickly retrieve specific information from their data. By using natural language queries, users can ask questions such as "What were the sales figures by region last quarter?" and Copilot will generate the appropriate visuals or provide the required insights.
• Query optimization: Copilot assists users in optimizing their queries by suggesting alternative or more efficient ways to retrieve and manipulate data. It can recommend optimizations based on the query structure, data model, and previous user interactions, resulting in improved query performance.
• Collaborative reporting: Copilot facilitates collaboration by providing contextual suggestions and guiding less experienced users in report creation. Team members with varying levels of expertise can work together effectively, leveraging Copilot's suggestions and insights to build cohesive reports that align with organizational requirements.
• Monitoring and anomaly detection: Copilot helps identify anomalies and outliers in data by automatically analyzing the dataset and providing notifications or suggestions for further investigation. Users can proactively monitor key metrics and receive timely insights on any unusual or unexpected data patterns.
• Data storytelling: Copilot can support users in creating compelling data stories by suggesting appropriate visuals, narrative structures, and insights. It assists in the creation of engaging reports that effectively communicate data-driven narratives to stakeholders or decision-makers.

These are just a few examples of how Copilot can be utilized in Power BI across various use cases. Its intelligent suggestions, natural language querying, and collaborative capabilities enhance the report creation process and enable users to derive valuable insights from their data.

Microsoft Copilot is currently being tested with a select group of users, and while the exact release date hasn’t been announced yet, Microsoft has indicated that they are working diligently to make Copilot available to a wider audience as soon as possible. Stay tuned for updates!