These are some of the primary libraries and configurations needed to run Python inside Power BI for transformations or visualizations. Power BI has a scripting feature that allows you to acquire data and create custom visuals using Python. While some Python libraries will not support the Power BI environment, you will have to ascertain that they are compatible with Power BI.
Important Libraries Needed to Integrate Power BI
Although these are the most commonly used for data manipulation and visualization, Power BI also supports them widely:
Pandas - Data manipulation, cleaning, and transformation library essential for dataset preparation for visualization or integration.
Matplotlib- Primary library for static, non-static, and animated visualizations created in Python.
Seaborn- This is built above matplotlib, which provides easy-to-generate statistical plots that look beautiful by default.
NumPy: NumPy itself is not a library for visualization, but it deals with numerical operations and is used as often with Pandas.
Others, like Plotly and Scikit-learn, are extremely powerful but might not be fully integrated into the Python script editor in Power BI. For more on the details of supported packages, please refer to Power BI's official documentation.
Configuration Requirements
Install Python: Make sure that you have Python installed on your machine well because Power BI works based on Python 3.x, and to run it effectively, it is best to use stable releases that have backward compatibility.
Configure Path: Once installed in your system, configure the Python executable's path in Power BI. Go to File > Options and Settings > Options > Python scripting and note the location of the Python installation.
Library Installation: Download using a package manager such as pip to have access to the following libraries (e.g., pip install pandas matplotlib seaborn numpy).
Environment Consistency: Power BI should preferably use a virtual or dedicated environment in Python to avoid conflict with other projects.
More Details
Dependencies: Power BI does not support all library dependencies. Try running tests to check whether the scripts work appropriately.
Security: If external Python scripts or libraries depend on the Internet, use caution because this may conflict with the organization's security policy. Thus, if you use them together with these configurations and library recommendations in place, you can freely use Python scripts in your Power BI workflows for high-level data analysis and visualization.
