Power BI and Power Virtual Agents Course

Lesson 1 • Understanding Data Models

Explains tables, relationships, and cardinality within Power BI's model view. Students understand how data structure drives report accuracy.

Lesson 2 • Power BI Ecosystem Overview

Covers Power BI Desktop, Service, and Mobile and how they interconnect. Establishes the platform context needed for all subsequent chapters.

Lesson 3 • Connecting to Data Sources

Teaches how to import and connect to common data sources such as Excel, CSV, and databases. Lays the groundwork for data transformation in the next section.

Lesson 1 • Power Query Editor Interface

Introduces the Query Editor ribbon, Applied Steps pane, and preview grid. Students learn to navigate the transformation environment confidently.

Lesson 2 • Shaping and Restructuring Data

Teaches pivoting, unpivoting, splitting columns, and merging queries. Students reshape data to match the star schema model introduced earlier.

Lesson 3 • Custom Columns and M Language Basics

Introduces custom column formulas and the M formula language underlying Power Query. Students extend transformations beyond built-in UI options.

Lesson 4 • Essential Data Cleaning Techniques

Covers removing duplicates, handling nulls, and correcting data types. These skills ensure data quality before any analysis begins.

Lesson 1 • Building Relationships in Model View

Teaches creating and editing relationships using drag-and-drop and the Manage Relationships dialog. Students apply star schema principles from Chapter 1.

Lesson 2 • Hierarchies and Display Folders

Covers building date, geographic, and custom hierarchies and organizing fields into display folders. Students improve report usability and field discoverability.

Lesson 3 • Calculated Columns and Tables

Introduces DAX-based calculated columns and calculated tables added in Model view. Students extend the model without altering source data.

Lesson 1 • CALCULATE and Filter Modification

Teaches CALCULATE as the primary function for modifying filter context. Students build measures that override or extend report-level filters.

Lesson 2 • Time Intelligence Functions

Covers TOTALYTD, SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR, DATEADD, and related functions for period-over-period analysis. Students build standard financial and operational time comparisons.

Lesson 3 • Advanced DAX Patterns

Introduces ranking, dynamic segmentation, and SWITCH-based measures for complex business logic. Students apply patterns reusable across multiple report types.

Lesson 4 • DAX Syntax and Basic Aggregations

Introduces DAX syntax rules and common aggregation functions such as SUM, AVERAGE, and COUNT. Students write their first measures in the measure editor.

Lesson 1 • Report Accessibility and Usability

Covers alt text, tab order, color contrast, and keyboard navigation for inclusive report design. Students meet accessibility standards expected in professional environments.

Lesson 2 • Bookmarks, Buttons, and Navigation

Introduces bookmarks, action buttons, and page navigation for guided storytelling. Students create app-like report experiences.

Lesson 3 • Choosing the Right Visual Type

Maps common analytical questions to appropriate chart types such as bar, line, scatter, and map visuals. Students avoid misleading or ineffective chart choices.

Lesson 4 • Formatting and Theming Reports

Covers the Format pane, custom themes via JSON, and consistent color and font standards. Students produce polished, brand-aligned reports.

Lesson 1 • Publishing Reports to the Service

Walks through publishing from Desktop, selecting target workspaces, and verifying successful uploads. Students connect Desktop development to the cloud environment.

Lesson 2 • Dataset Refresh and Gateway Setup

Teaches scheduled refresh, on-premises data gateway installation, and refresh failure troubleshooting. Students maintain live, up-to-date datasets in the Service.

Lesson 3 • Dashboards and Pinning Visuals

Covers creating dashboards by pinning report visuals and configuring tiles. Students distinguish dashboards from reports and use each appropriately.

Lesson 4 • Row-Level Security Configuration

Introduces static and dynamic RLS roles defined in Desktop and enforced in the Service. Students restrict data access by user identity.

Lesson 1 • Variables and Slot Filling

Teaches bot variables, slot filling from user input, and variable scoping across topics. Students capture and reuse user-provided data within conversations.

Lesson 2 • Testing and Publishing Bots

Covers the test chat pane, conversation diagnostics, and publishing bots to channels. Students validate bot behavior and deploy to end users.

Lesson 3 • Topics and Conversation Design

Covers system topics, custom topics, trigger phrases, and conversation node types. Students design the core dialogue structure of a working bot.

Lesson 4 • Power Virtual Agents Platform Overview

Introduces the PVA interface, bot creation wizard, and its position in the Power Platform ecosystem. Students understand where PVA fits alongside Power BI and Power Automate.

Lesson 1 • Integrating Power Automate with PVA

Teaches calling Power Automate flows from bot topics to perform actions and retrieve data. Students connect bots to external systems without custom code.

Lesson 2 • Adaptive Cards and Rich Responses

Introduces Adaptive Card JSON templates for structured, visually rich bot messages. Students replace plain text responses with interactive card layouts.

Lesson 3 • Bot Analytics and Continuous Improvement

Teaches reading PVA analytics dashboards, identifying abandonment points, and iterating on topic design. Students apply a data-driven improvement cycle to bot performance.

Lesson 4 • Surfacing Power BI Data in Bots

Covers querying Power BI datasets via flows and presenting KPIs or report links in bot responses. Students bridge the analytics and conversational AI layers.