Training Course in Data Analysis and Reporting with Microsoft Power BI Desktop
1Summary
Raw spreadsheets rarely convince anyone of anything — what moves decision-makers is a clear, interactive picture of what the numbers actually mean. Microsoft Power BI Desktop has become one of the go-to tools for building that picture, and this course from the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy takes participants from opening the programme for the first time to publishing polished, interactive business intelligence reports.
Learners work through the full pipeline a Power BI project goes through in practice: pulling data in through Power Query, shaping it into a reliable model, writing DAX calculations, designing visuals that tell a clear story, and finally publishing and sharing the finished dashboard — skills that translate directly into better, faster, data-backed decisions across any industry.
2Objectives and target group
Who Should Attend?
- Business and data analysts turning raw numbers into usable insight.
- Project managers who want to support decisions with visual data.
- IT professionals expanding their business-intelligence toolkit.
- Managers and decision-makers relying on data to guide strategy.
- Anyone looking to strengthen their reporting and data-analysis abilities.
Knowledge and Benefits:
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Navigate Power BI Desktop confidently and understand its core components.
- Import, clean and transform data using the Power Query Editor.
- Build a reliable data model and write calculated columns and DAX measures.
- Design interactive reports and dashboards using a range of visualization techniques.
- Publish, share and maintain Power BI reports for ongoing business analysis.
3Course Content
Module 1: Why Power BI Desktop Matters — Getting Set Up
- The role Power BI plays in modern business intelligence and data visualization.
- Installing the programme, connecting to your first data source, and creating an initial report.
- Finding your way around the ribbon, panes and core views: Reports, Data and Model.
Module 2: Importing and Cleaning Data with Power Query
- Getting to know the Power Query Editor interface.
- Connecting to data from CSV, Excel, databases and the web.
- Removing duplicates, correcting data types, and handling missing values.
Module 3: Advanced Data Transformation Techniques
- Splitting, merging and combining columns.
- Applying custom transformations using M code.
- Grouping, summarizing and merging data from multiple queries efficiently.
Module 4: Building and Optimizing a Reliable Data Model
- Why data modeling matters, and the relationship types available (one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-many).
- Defining relationships between tables.
- Best practices for model performance, including star and snowflake schemas.
Module 5: Writing DAX — Calculated Columns and Measures
- An introduction to DAX (Data Analysis Expressions).
- Building calculated columns and measures.
- Applying time-intelligence functions such as year-to-date figures and moving averages.
Module 6: Designing Effective Visuals
- The main visualization types: tables, charts, maps and KPIs.
- Choosing the right visual for the story your data tells.
- Refining visuals with colour, labels and formatting.
Module 7: Making Reports Interactive
- Adding slicers and filters for interactive exploration.
- Using drill-through and drill-down for deeper analysis.
- Creating dynamic views with bookmarks and buttons.
Module 8: Assembling Complete Dashboards and Reports
- Combining multiple visuals into one coherent report.
- Designing dashboards that are responsive, clear and visually appealing.
- Applying themes and custom visuals for a polished, on-brand result.
Module 9: Publishing, Sharing and Securing Your Reports
- Publishing reports and datasets to the Power BI Service.
- Working with workspaces and apps, and setting row-level security.
- Sharing dashboards with colleagues and scheduling automatic data refreshes.
Module 10: Power BI Everywhere — Mobile and Embedded Reporting
- Viewing and interacting with reports on mobile devices.
- Embedding Power BI reports into websites or applications.
- An overview of the Power BI API and customization options for developers.