MS Power BI for Data-Driven Decision Makers, Student Edition

Microsoft Power BI for Data-Driven Decision Makers

Course Specifications

Course Number: ELK95–031_rev1.2

Course Length: 1 day

Course Description

As data acquisition, access, analysis, and reporting are interwoven with our businesses and lives, more and more data is collected about business and personal activities. This abundance of data and the computing power to analyze it has increased the use of data analysis and data visualization across a broad range of job roles. Decision makers of all types, including managers and executives, must interact with, interpret, and develop reports based on data and analysis provided to them.

Microsoft® Power BI® software is designed for data analysis and the creation of visualizations. Data analysts prepare data, perform initial analysis, and create visualizations that are then passed to business data decision makers. These decision makers can use Power BI's tools to explore the data, perform further analysis to find new insights, make decisions, and create customized reports to share their findings.

Course Objective: In this course, you will explore, analyze, and customize reports and visualizations in Power BI to discover new insights, showcase those insights, and share them.

You will:

  • Explore Power BI reports.
  • Analyze data to get answers and insights.
  • Sort and group data for analysis and reporting.
  • Filter visualizations.
  • Prepare reports.
  • Troubleshoot, collaborate, and share reports.

Target Student: This course is designed for professionals in a variety of job roles who receive Power BI data visualizations and reports from data analysts or from data visualization engineers. These data report recipients want to use the features and capabilities of Power BI to fully explore the visualizations and initial analyses provided to them in reports, perform additional analysis to ask next-level questions of the data, and to customize and create new visualizations and dashboards in order to share new insights and create compelling reports.

Prerequisites: To ensure your success in this course, you have experience managing data with Microsoft® Excel® or Google Sheets™, which you could obtain by taking the following Logical Operations courses:

  • Microsoft® Excel® for Office 365 (Desktop or Online): Part 1
  • Using Google G Suite™

Hardware Requirements

For this course, you will need one computer for each student and one for the instructor. Each computer will need the following minimum hardware configurations:

  • Sufficient processor speed, RAM, and storage space for good system performance when running Windows.
  • Mouse, keyboard, and monitor.
  • High-speed, stable Internet connection.
  • For the instructor's computer, a method to project and/or share the screen as needed for local and remote class participants.

Software Requirements

  • Microsoft® Windows® 10
  • Microsoft® 365 Business Premium (Trial)

NOTE: Students will need to be provided with a Microsoft 365 Business Premium trial email address that they can access during the course.

  • Microsoft® Excel® for Office 365™/2019
  • Microsoft® PowerPoint® for Office 365™/2019
  • Microsoft® Power BI® Desktop, latest version
  • Any web browser.
  • Students will need a valid work or school email address that they can access during the course.
  • If necessary, software for viewing the course slides. (Instructor machine only.)

Course Content

Lesson 1: Exploring Power BI Reports

Topic A: Data Analysis Workflow with Power BI
Topic B: Explore Reports in the Power BI Service
Topic C: Edit Reports

Lesson 2: Analyzing Data to Get Answers and Insights

Topic A: Configure Data Visualizations
Topic B: Ask New Questions by Changing Summarization
Topic C: Find Answers with Calculations

Lesson 3: Sorting and Grouping Data for Analysis and Reporting

Topic A: Sort Data
Topic B: Group Data

Lesson 4: Filtering Visualizations

Topic A: Filter Data to Refine Analysis
Topic B: Create Slicers for Reports

Lesson 5: Preparing Reports

Topic A: Format and Annotate Reports
Topic B: Emphasize Data in Reports

Lesson 6: Troubleshooting, Sharing, and Collaborating

Topic A: Troubleshoot Data Issues
Topic B: Collaborate in Power BI
Topic C: Collaborate with Non-Power BI Users

Appendix A: Best Practices for Visual Design