Forum Discussion
Will Power BI desktop replace Power View, Query and Maps
Power BI Desktop is designed for exactly your situation: people who don't have the latest version of Excel but want to use the latest features. If anything the features in Power BI Desktop get updated more rapidly than the features in Excel.
The main difference between the Power BI Desktop and Excel is that the Power BI Desktop is focused on Power BI. It generates pbix files and works with powerbi.com. There's no 'export to Excel' (right now at least). By contrast, the Power tools in Excel work very well with Excel (and also work with Power BI).
If your intent is to get started with powerbi.com, you can work with the Power BI Desktop exclusively and never have to switch to using the Excel tools.
The one exception: Power Map (3D Maps in Excel 2016) - is exclusive to Excel and the same functionality doesn't exist in Power BI Desktop.
Hope this helps.
I have Microsoft Office 2010. So the version of Excel I have is 2010. This means I do not have Power Query, Power View etc and am wondering if it matters if I can use Power BI Desktop
Power BI Desktop is designed for exactly your situation: people who don't have the latest version of Excel but want to use the latest features. If anything the features in Power BI Desktop get updated more rapidly than the features in Excel.
The main difference between the Power BI Desktop and Excel is that the Power BI Desktop is focused on Power BI. It generates pbix files and works with powerbi.com. There's no 'export to Excel' (right now at least). By contrast, the Power tools in Excel work very well with Excel (and also work with Power BI).
If your intent is to get started with powerbi.com, you can work with the Power BI Desktop exclusively and never have to switch to using the Excel tools.
The one exception: Power Map (3D Maps in Excel 2016) - is exclusive to Excel and the same functionality doesn't exist in Power BI Desktop.
Hope this helps.