## 4 Software
### Data Visualization  
#### 4.3.1 Microsoft Power BI  
In July 2015, Microsoft launched the Power BI tool. This tool has a set combination of services, such as applications, connectors, and services to transform the raw data gathered into understandable, consistent, and visually interactive information. With this combination in mind, Microsoft main goal with Power BI is to serve the individuals users or an organization's necessity [53; 54; 55]. Power BI can handle the connection of vast data sources, in a variety of formats that can be locally hosted or in a cloud.  
The Microsoft tools have a huge variety of data source currently available to users to connect to Power BI. Those data sources vary from Excel, CSV/Text, JSON, XML file, or relational and non-relational databases. In terms of database, Power BI can handle data from Oracle, IBM DB2, MySQL, PostgresSQL, Sybase, Teradata, SAP HANA, and Azure SQL. In addition, it connects to SAP Business Warehouse Server, Facebook, and Github. Besides all these varieties of data sources, Microsoft is still working to add more data source connection to Power BI [54].  
One of the main advantages of Power BI is its capability in handling a customized interface, in which users can provide several parameters based on their role and access in the organization, or even the capabilities of data sharing between employees. Another great advantage of Power BI is the ability to create a dashboard and report all connected data sources, hence aggregating all the important data in one place for all users.  
Figure 8 shows the basic architecture of Power BI functions.  
Figure 8: Power BI (Business Intelligence) architecture. Adapted from Reference [56].  
Components  
The Microsoft tool Power BI includes many components which have an important role on the platform. These components can be used in combination or individually. Thus, to better understand the platform itself it is fundamental to know all the Power BI components and how they work. The main Power BI components are:  
* **Power Query**: this component is responsible for the process of Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) of data.
* **Power Pivot**: this component handles the in-memory data modeling, to allow for quick aggregation, calculation, and efficient data storage.
* **Power View**: this component provides the users with a highly interactive visualization tool, with a drag-and-drop interface to create and simplify the visualizations of data in Excel workbooks.
* **Power Map**: this component is applied to Excel, and it is a three-dimensional (3D) model to visualize the data that helps users to understand the information in new and different ways.
* **Power Q&A**: this component aims to identify the words entered and search where to find the answer.
* **Power BI Desktop**: this component is responsible for making analysis effortlessly with the principal objective to create reports. With its drag-and-drop feature, it is easy to place content exactly in the place wanted on a flexible and fluid canvas.
* **Power BI Website**: this component enables users to publish their reports from the Power BI desktop into the Power BI website. In addition, it allows users to create a wide variety of dashboard for their reports and share it with other users.
* **Power BI Mobile Apps**: this component is a mobile solution both for Android and iOS, which is the main objective so as to provide the users with an interactive overview of their reports on mobile devices.  
By organizing all of these components, one can realize that the benefits obtained from Power BI are as great as the number of components used together.