Conquering Power BI

Conquering Power BI

From Data to Insight in 3 Days

Turn raw data into actionable insights - and tell the story behind the numbers.

This intensive three-day course is crafted for professionals who want to move beyond the basics and use Microsoft Power BI as a strategic business tool. With over 30 years of industry experience, your instructor brings real-world challenges and outcomes - not just academic exercises. You’ll work with up-to-date features (including the latest 2025 innovations) and focus on how companies are actually using Power BI to make decisions, manage performance and improve their workflows. By the end of the course you’ll be able to connect to real data, build models, craft interactive dashboards, apply analytics and manage sharing and governance in a commercial environment.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Connect to a variety of data sources (spreadsheets, databases, cloud, etc.) and transform raw data for analysis.
• Build a robust data model using Power BI Desktop, applying effective relationships, measures and structure.
• Use DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) to create calculated columns, measures and time-intelligence metrics.
• Design and build interactive, visually compelling dashboards and reports that tell a business story.
• Leverage the 2025-era enhancements of Power BI - such as AI assistance, live semantic modelling, and improved performance.
• Implement sharing, collaboration, security and governance for Power BI reports in the service environment.
• Translate business questions into analytics and present insights clearly to stakeholders.

Prerequisites

Participants should have:

• Basic familiarity with spreadsheets (Excel or similar) and data in tabular form.
• A working knowledge of business concepts (sales, operations, finance) so the analytics can be contextualised.
• A laptop with licensed Power BI Desktop installed (64-bit version recommended).
• Curiosity and willingness to engage in hands-on exercises rather than purely lecture-based learning.

Training Outline

1. Introduction to the Power BI Ecosystem
   • Overview of the Power BI architecture: Desktop, Service, Mobile, Gateway
   • Recent feature highlights (2025): AI-driven Copilot functionality, live semantic modelling, performance improvements
   • Real-world business scenarios where Power BI drives value

1. Data Acquisition & Transformation
   • Connecting to diverse data sources: Excel, CSV, SQL databases, cloud services
   • Using Power Query Editor: data cleansing, shaping, combining tables
   • Best practices for data preparation in a business context
   • Ensuring performance and scalability: incremental refresh, efficient queries

1. Data Modelling & Relationships
   • Understanding tables, relationships, star vs snowflake schemas
   • Creating measures, calculated columns, hierarchies
   • Applying 2025 modelling enhancements: semantic model versioning, live editing in Direct Lake
   • Optimising model performance and avoiding common pitfalls

1. DAX Fundamentals & Time Intelligence
   • Introduction to DAX: syntax, key functions, measure design
   • Building calculations for business metrics: YTD, QTD, moving averages
   • Advanced DAX patterns for reporting: filters, context, dynamic calculations
   • Practical business use cases: churn rate, revenue growth, customer segmentation

1. Building Interactive Reports & Dashboards
   • Report design fundamentals: layout, visuals selection, storytelling with data
   • Using slicers, filters, interactions, bookmarks and drill-through
   • Visualisation best practices: custom themes, alignment, readability
   • Leveraging new features (2025): AI-assist suggestions, style presets, enhanced visuals
   • Designing for various audiences: executives, operations, analysts

1. Publishing, Sharing & Collaboration
   • Publishing reports to Power BI Service