There are a few ways to connect Excel to a PowerBI Desktop file. The easiest way meanwhile is to use DAX Studio (can be downloaded for free here: https://daxstudio.org/)
Steps are as follows:
1. Open PowerBI Desktop file that you want to connect to. In my case I opened CoronaPBI file that I was working on.
![](http://dataempower.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/image.png)
3. In the DAX Studio, enable these options: Show External Tools should be checked. You may as well check all the other Preview Features.
![](http://dataempower.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/image-1-1024x325.png)
4. Go to Advanced Tab of DAX Studio and simply click on last icon Excel under External Tools group.
![](http://dataempower.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/image-2.png)
5. This will open the Excel and connect to the PowerBI via pivot table as follows:
![](http://dataempower.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/image-3-1024x382.png)
Now you are all set!
Some things to consider:
- Your connection to Excel will only work as long as you have your PowerBI session open. Once you close your PowerBI, DAX Studio, your Excel will not be connected anymore.
- In order to reconnect to the PowerBI after you closed your session, you will have to create a new connection in the above mentioned steps every time.
Tip: If you already created customized pivots / views of data in your excel and you will not want to recreate them again from scratch you can do the following:
- Open your old excel with customized pivot views that is disconnected from PowerBI
- Open PowerBI file and DAX Studio.
- Connect PowerBI to Excel using brand new connection as in the steps above.
- Open Connection Properties in Excel
![](http://dataempower.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/image-4.png)
- Copy the connection string: example below
![](http://dataempower.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/image-5-1024x220.png)
- Paste the connection string to your old excel file replacing the old connection string.
- You should be all set and reconnected to PowerBI file again!