Web data import in Power BI - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Web data import lets you bring data from websites directly into Power BI. This helps you analyze live or updated data from online tables or reports without manual copying.

When you want to analyze sales prices listed on a competitor's website regularly

When you need to track stock prices or financial data from a public web page

When your report requires weather data updated daily from a weather site

When you want to combine online sports scores with your own data

When you need to import government statistics published on a web page

Steps

Step 1: Click

- Home tab > Get data > Web

The Web data source dialog opens where you can enter a URL

Step 2: Type

- URL field in the Web data source dialog

The URL you want to import data from is entered

Step 3: Click

- OK button in the Web data source dialog

Power BI connects to the website and shows available tables or data previews

Step 4: Select

- Navigator pane

The table or data you want to import is highlighted

Step 5: Click

- Load button

The selected web data loads into Power BI for analysis

Step 6: Optionally click

- Transform Data button

Power Query Editor opens to clean or shape the web data before loading

Before vs After

Before

Power BI report has no data from the website; only local or other sources are present

After

Power BI report contains a new table with live data imported from the specified web page

Settings Reference

URL

📍 Web data source dialog

Specifies the web page to import data from

Authentication method

📍 Web data source dialog > Advanced options

Defines how Power BI accesses protected web pages

Default: Anonymous

Data format

📍 Web data source dialog > Advanced options

Selects the type of data to import from the web page

Default: HTML tables

Common Mistakes

Entering a URL that requires login without setting authentication

Power BI cannot access the data and shows an error or empty result

Use the Authentication method setting to provide correct credentials

Selecting the wrong table or data preview in Navigator

You import irrelevant or empty data, wasting time and causing confusion

Carefully preview tables and select the one with the data you need

Not refreshing the data after the web page updates

Your report shows outdated information

Use the Refresh button to update the imported web data regularly

Summary

Web data import lets you bring live data from websites into Power BI easily.

You enter the web page URL, select the data table, and load it for analysis.

Remember to set authentication if the site needs login and refresh data to keep it current.