Get Data
Last updated
Last updated
This guide is designed to provide you with the steps to get data inside ValQ with the help of an example - the Sales Performance Dataset (you can download the file below). If you have not installed ValQ already, see the installation guide . You can also use your own datasets and follow the steps outlined.
Let us learn how to get data inside ValQ to build models.
Add the visual
Import data from Excel
Assign your data fields to ValQ
The first step to using ValQ is to add it to the Power BI canvas. Click on the ValQ icon in the visualization pane.
Resize it to fill the entire screen.
We have a simple columnar dataset as shown below that measures sales performance across regions, and product categories & with respect to sales representatives.
This is a columnar dataset as the data is stored in columns instead of rows. Download the dataset using the above link and try it yourself.
To import this data into Power BI, go to Get Data in the toolbar. Now choose Excel Workbook to import the sales data. The process is the same as importing any data to Power BI.
Go to the file location and select the file to be imported. Click Open.
Select the Sales Data(Columnar) checkbox to preview the dataset and click Load. No transformation is required for this data as it is already prepared.
You will now see the dataset under the Data pane on the right.
Now that you have the data imported, the next step is to assign them to the appropriate fields. The available fields include Category, Time Period, Values and Others.
Assign Category and Region in Category field.
Then add Month in the Time Period field.
Sales Budget and Sales Forecast are added to the Values field.
You can also assign one of these values to the Others field. They would not become a part of the data series but can be used in formulae in the Model tab and for weight distributions in the Plan tab.
For example, in the below image, the Sum of Sales Budget is assigned to the Others field instead of the Values field. This makes the series unavailable in the visual - in Plan, Simulate and Report tabs. However, in Model tab, you can refer to this series in formula calculations.
Note:
In the Category field, you can assign the category names, sub-categories and other heads under which you want the data to be categorized.
In the Time Period field, you can assign the time frame in which your data has been aggregated like Year, Quarter, Month, Week, Days, etc., Both hierarchical and non-hierarchical time formats are accepted.
All the numerical value columns that you want to aggregate can be assigned to the Values field.
Assign data in the Others field which you do not want to be added as an exclusive data series but want it to be still available for formula calculations and weight distributions.
You have now imported your data to ValQ. Take some time to explore further. In the next section, let us learn the steps to create a model.
Resources
Note: While the resources above are from previous versions of ValQ, the information available also applies to the current version of ValQ - Plan.
The example showcased here has a hierarchical time format and hence time interval mapping is not required. ValQ accepts non-hierarchical time periods as well. Refer to to know more.
ValQ accepts non-hierarchical custom time formats like FY2023, 23, Qtr1, Jan, etc. and for the visual to consume data in such time formats use the Time Interval Mapping feature as explained in .
You can also split the data series by year using the option.
ValQ packages a few inbuilt examples as samples. To explore more such models and use cases, visit .
