Introduction to Power BI

Lesson 1 • Core Components of Power BI

Identifies Power BI Desktop, Service, and Mobile as distinct layers. Clarifies how each component fits into a complete reporting solution.

Lesson 2 • Installing and Configuring Power BI Desktop

Walks through download, installation, and initial settings for Power BI Desktop. Ensures every student has a functional, correctly configured tool.

Lesson 3 • What Power BI Is and Does

Defines Power BI as a business intelligence platform and maps its role in data workflows. Sets context for every skill taught in the course.

Lesson 1 • Understanding Data Sources in Power BI

Surveys the range of connectors available, from files to databases to cloud services. Frames source selection as a deliberate design decision.

Lesson 2 • Connecting to Database Sources

Guides students through connecting to relational databases using native connectors. Introduces credential management and query folding concepts.

Lesson 3 • Connecting to File-Based Sources

Demonstrates importing Excel workbooks, CSV files, and folders step by step. Covers common pitfalls such as header detection and encoding issues.

Lesson 4 • Managing and Refreshing Data

Covers manual refresh, scheduled refresh in Power BI Service, and gateway requirements. Ensures students can keep reports current after initial load.

Lesson 1 • Adding and Transforming Columns

Teaches custom columns, conditional columns, and column-from-example features. Students enrich tables with derived fields without writing complex code.

Lesson 2 • Reshaping Tables

Demonstrates pivoting, unpivoting, transposing, and splitting columns to restructure data. Reshaping converts source layouts into model-friendly formats.

Lesson 3 • Parameterizing and Reusing Queries

Introduces query parameters, query groups, and reusable function queries. Promotes maintainable, scalable data preparation workflows.

Lesson 4 • Power Query Editor Orientation

Introduces the Power Query interface, the Applied Steps pane, and the M formula language. Establishes the editor as the primary data preparation workspace.

Lesson 1 • Data Modeling Concepts

Explains fact tables, dimension tables, cardinality, and filter direction. Provides the conceptual foundation for every modeling decision in the chapter.

Lesson 2 • Model Optimization Best Practices

Addresses hiding unused fields, setting sort columns, and reducing model size. Optimized models load faster and present cleaner field lists to report authors.

Lesson 3 • Hierarchies and Calculated Columns

Teaches creating date and category hierarchies and adding calculated columns in the model. These features improve drill-down navigation and enrich the data.

Lesson 4 • Creating and Managing Relationships

Covers creating relationships in Model view, editing properties, and resolving ambiguity. Correct relationships are the backbone of accurate cross-table analysis.

Lesson 1 • Filter Functions: CALCULATE and FILTER

Explains CALCULATE as the primary context-modification function and FILTER as a table iterator. These two functions unlock the full power of DAX analysis.

Lesson 2 • Time Intelligence Functions

Covers TOTALYTD, SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR, DATEADD, and related functions for period-over-period analysis. Requires a properly marked date table in the model.

Lesson 3 • Core Aggregation Functions

Covers SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, MIN, MAX, and their X-iterator variants. These functions produce the majority of business metrics in real reports.

Lesson 4 • Logical and Conditional Functions

Teaches IF, SWITCH, AND, OR, and IFERROR for conditional business logic. Students encode decision rules directly into measures and calculated columns.

Lesson 1 • Advanced Visuals and Custom Visuals

Introduces KPI cards, gauges, decomposition trees, and AppSource custom visuals. Expands the reporting toolkit for specialized analytical needs.

Lesson 2 • Slicers, Filters, and Interactions

Teaches slicer types, the Filters pane, and cross-visual interaction settings. These controls let report consumers explore data without editing the report.

Lesson 3 • Choosing the Right Visual

Maps common business questions to appropriate chart types and tables. Correct visual selection prevents misinterpretation and improves audience comprehension.

Lesson 4 • Report Layout and Design Principles

Applies visual hierarchy, alignment, whitespace, and color theory to report design. Well-designed layouts reduce cognitive load and guide the reader's eye.

Lesson 1 • Publishing Reports from Desktop

Walks through the publish workflow, destination selection, and post-publish verification. Students confirm their reports appear correctly in the Service.

Lesson 2 • Sharing Reports and Managing Access

Teaches direct sharing, link sharing, and publishing as an app for broader distribution. Students apply the principle of least privilege to access control.

Lesson 3 • Building and Pinning Dashboards

Covers creating dashboards by pinning visuals and entire report pages. Dashboards provide a single-screen summary view for executive audiences.

Lesson 1 • Advanced DAX Patterns

Covers RANKX, TOPN, SELECTEDVALUE, and dynamic measure patterns for complex business logic. Builds on core DAX skills to handle real-world analytical requirements.

Lesson 2 • AI-Powered Visuals and Insights

Introduces Q&A, Smart Narratives, Key Influencers, and Anomaly Detection visuals. These features surface insights automatically and support natural-language exploration.

Lesson 3 • Performance Analyzer and Query Diagnostics

Uses the Performance Analyzer pane to measure visual render times and DAX query duration. Identifies which visuals and measures are causing slowdowns.

Lesson 4 • Row-Level Security Implementation

Defines RLS roles using DAX filters and tests them before deployment. Ensures sensitive data is visible only to authorized users in published reports.