How to use copilot with Power BI & Key Strategies

24 Apr
2025

In the world of data analysis, Microsoft Power BI is well-known. But have you heard about its new sidekick, Power BI Copilot? It’s making waves and quickly becoming a big deal. Why? Because it’s changing how we use data to make smart decisions.

But what’s so special about Microsoft Power BI Copilot? How does it make data analysis easy for everyone?

In this blog post, we’ll explore how Power BI and AI team up under Microsoft Fabric, giving us a sneak peek into a future where data tells stories and drives business growth.

What is Microsoft Power BI Copilot?

Microsoft Copilot for Power BI is a fresh addition to Power BI, leveraging advanced generative AI to expedite insight discovery and sharing. With Copilot, you can describe the insights you seek or pose questions about your data, and it swiftly analyses and retrieves the relevant data, transforming it into visually appealing reports—turning data into actionable insights instantly. Additionally, Copilot enables you to create and modify DAX calculations, generate narrative summaries, and seamlessly incorporate them into your reports, all through conversational language.

Copilot in Power BI Overview – YouTube

Accelerate data analysis with copilot capabilities

Why is Power BI Copilot important for businesses?

Power BI Copilot is a transformative force in data analytics, redefining how businesses harness their data’s potential. This innovative tool democratizes data analytics and effortlessly empowers users to extract meaningful insights. Let’s explore the key benefits that make Power BI Copilot a game-changer:

Microsoft Power  BI Copilots streamlines the report creation process, making it possible to generate reports and gain insights using natural language descriptions.

Five Key Strategies for Preparing Power BI Copilot 

Now that we have explored the fundamental aspects of Microsoft Power BI Copilot, let’s dive deeper into five essential strategies enabling your organization to leverage this AI-powered productivity tool’s potential fully.

With Copilot, you can:

  • Create and tailor Power BI reports and gain insights in minutes
  • Generate and refine DAX calculations
  • Ask questions about your data
  • Create narrative summaries

All of the above can be done using conversational language. Power BI already had some AI features, such as the quick measure suggestions that help you come up with DAX measures using natural language, but Copilot takes it to the next level.

With Copilot, you can say goodbye to the tedious and time-consuming task of sifting through data and hello to instant, actionable insights. It’s the ultimate assistant for uncovering and sharing insights faster than ever before.          

1. The Importance of Data Cleaning

Preparing for optimal use of Power BI Copilot is akin to organizing your workspace. Ensure your data is clean – it’s like paving the way for Copilot. Data cleaning involves identifying and rectifying issues to ensure reliable information. Clean data is essential for AI success, enhancing accuracy, innovation, and cost-effectiveness. Organizations can enhance data cleaning efforts by following recommended best practices, including:

  • Conducting thorough auditing and quality planning.
  • Implementing effective strategies for managing missing data.
  • Streamlining datasets by eliminating duplicates.
  • Maintaining data integrity through accuracy validation.
  • Automating processes for improved efficiency.
  • Establishing continuous monitoring to uphold sustained data quality.
  • Cultivating shared understanding through team training.
  • Documenting the entire data cleaning process for transparency and accountability.

2. Maintaining Consistent Naming Conventions

Maintaining consistent naming conventions is crucial for optimizing the performance of Power BI Copilot. Naming conventions provide guidelines for labeling tables, columns, or variables, ensuring clear communication and scalability across datasets and systems.

Key tips for maintaining consistent naming conventions include:

  • Avoiding inconsistencies: Ensure uniform naming across datasets to prevent confusion.
  • Eliminating special characters: Avoid symbols and characters that may disrupt Copilot’s interpretation.
  • Minding spaces and case sensitivity: Keep spaces and cases consistent to avoid errors.
  • Considering efficiency: Follow a naming structure that promotes efficient navigation and interpretation.
  • Building trust through clarity: Consistent naming instills trust in Copilot’s insights, ensuring reliability.

3. Enhancing AI Insights with Data Annotation

Power BI Copilot, a crucial strategy is enhancing AI insights through data annotation. But what exactly is data annotation? It’s the process of adding informative labels to your data, guiding Copilot’s interpretation.

The importance of labels and metadata in AI data interpretation cannot be overstated. They are essential for ensuring accuracy, providing context, and enabling ongoing evaluation of insights. To maximize the benefits of data annotation, here are some best practices to consider:

  • Clear Guidelines: Establish precise annotation guidelines to maintain consistency.
  • Quality Control: Implement robust quality control measures to improve the reliability of annotations.
  • Consistency is Key: Maintain uniform annotation practices across your datasets.
  • Privacy/Sensitivity Consideration: Exercise caution and adhere to privacy standards, particularly with sensitive data
  • Continual Updates and Feedback Loop: Keep annotations current and establish a feedback loop for continuous enhancement.

Conclusion

 Microsoft Power BI Copilot represents a groundbreaking advancement in data analytics, democratizing access and effectively extracting insights from intricate datasets. Tailored for professionals across various roles, Copilot introduces cutting-edge features including rapid insights, automated report generation, real-time collaboration, robust data summaries, and an intuitive interface.

As organizations prepare to leverage Copilot, the five outlined strategies—ranging from meticulous data cleaning to ensuring data security and recognizing updated data—lay the groundwork for unlocking Copilot’s potential. These strategies foster a data-driven culture, positioning Copilot as both a tool and a transformative catalyst for informed decision-making in the dynamic landscape of AI-driven analytics.

Begin your transformative Copilot journey with Forge Dots. Our experts are ready to guide you through the process, ensuring a tailored approach to prepare for Microsoft Copilot.