Ground Excel analysis in a live Power BI report

Step 1: Confirm which Power BI report is the governed sourcePower BI

Check with the report owner that this is the version finance actually signs off on — attaching the wrong or an unofficial copy defeats the point of grounding in governed data.

Step 2: Attach the report to your Excel workbookExcel

Use Insert > Add from Power BI (or Data > Get Data > From Power BI) to connect the live report directly into the workbook, rather than exporting its data to a static range — a live connection means every question you ask later in step 3 pulls current numbers, not a snapshot from whenever you happened to export it.

Step 3: Ask Copilot to analyze performance and identify trendsCopilotExcel

Ask specific questions — which region is behind plan, what changed since last quarter — rather than a generic "summarize this."

Prompt idea:

Using the attached Power BI report, identify the three regions furthest behind their quarterly plan and explain what changed in each, citing the specific measures you're using.

Step 4: Verify any number before quoting it externallyExcel

Spot-check a cited figure against the Power BI report directly before it goes into a document someone outside the team will see.

Check the work

• The attached report is confirmed as the governed, not a personal or stale, version.
• Every cited number traces back to a specific measure in the report.
• At least one headline figure was independently verified before external use.

Source: Nexacu, "Copilot for Excel (2026): Practical Prompts, Agent Mode & Time-Saving Examples"