Home Course Power BI Course

Power BI Course

About the Course

The ability to analyse and present data meaningfully is an essential skill for data professionals and decision-makers across all disciplines. Organisations increasingly need to move beyond static spreadsheets and reports towards interactive tools that allow users to explore data, track performance and generate insights when they are needed. Where a spreadsheet answers the question you had this morning, a well-built Power BI report keeps answering new questions as they arise, letting a user filter by region, drill into a single outlier, or track a trend as new data lands, without asking an analyst to rebuild the chart each time

Microsoft Power BI is a powerful business intelligence and data visualisation platform that enables users to connect to multiple data sources, transform and model data, conduct analyses, and communicate findings through interactive reports and dashboards. Its integration with Microsoft Excel and other commonly used data sources makes it particularly useful for organisations seeking to turn routinely collected data into accessible, decision-relevant information.

However, effective use of Power BI requires more than creating attractive charts. Analysts need to understand how data should be structured, cleaned and modelled; how appropriate measures are calculated; and how visualisations should be designed to communicate information accurately and effectively.

This highly practical course takes participants through the Power BI analytical workflow, from connecting to and preparing raw data through data modelling and analysis to the development and publication of interactive reports and dashboards.

Course Objectives

The course equips participants with six core capabilities:

  • Data connection and preparation: Participants will learn to connect Power BI to common data sources and understand how data structure affects subsequent analysis. Using Power Query, they will profile, clean and transform data; combine information from different sources; and prepare datasets for reliable analysis.

  • Data modelling: Participants will understand the principles of effective data modelling, including measures and dimensions, keys, table relationships and model structure. They will learn to build models that allow information from multiple tables and sources to be analysed efficiently.

  • DAX calculations and data analysis: Participants will be introduced to Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) and learn to create calculated columns and measures for analysing data. They will use aggregation and other commonly applied DAX functions to generate meaningful indicators and analytical outputs.

  • Data visualisation and reporting: Participants will learn the principles of effective data visualisation and apply them to create compelling interactive reports. They will select appropriate visualisations, configure filters and interactions, and design reports and dashboards that enable users to explore data and quickly identify important patterns and findings.

  • Publishing and sharing insights: Participants will learn how to publish Power BI reports and make analytical outputs available to intended users. They will understand the transition from developing an analysis in Power BI Desktop to sharing and using reports through the Power BI Service.

  • Agentic data analysis: Participants will use Power BI Copilot to ask natural-language questions of a report, generate first-draft DAX measures and narrative summaries, and produce AI-suggested visuals while learning to validate every AI-generated output against the underlying data model before it reaches a decision-maker.

Course Outcomes

After completing this course, participants will be able to take raw data from common organisational and research sources, clean and transform it, develop appropriate data models, perform analyses using DAX and create professional interactive reports and dashboards in Power BI. They will also understand how to publish and share Power BI reports for use within their organisations. They will be able to move beyond simply presenting data to developing analytical products that allow decision-makers to explore performance, identify trends and patterns, and derive actionable insights from their data.

Course Content

Day 1: Introduction to Power BI and Data Preparation
  • Understand business intelligence, the Power BI environment and how research or business questions shape data requirements
  • Connect to common data sources and use Power Query to profile, clean, transform and prepare data
  • Combine data from different sources and identify common data preparation and loading problems
  • Understand the principles of data modelling, including measures and dimensions, keys and relationships between tables
  • Build efficient data models and understand common modelling mistakes
  • Create calculated columns and measures using essential DAX functions
  • Apply descriptive analytical concepts to identify and communicate meaningful patterns in data
  • Select, create and format appropriate visualisations and configure filters, interactions and tooltips
  • Develop interactive reports and dashboards that communicate findings clearly and support decision-making
  • Refine reports and dashboards to improve usability, consistency and analytical value
  • Publish Power BI reports and understand how analytical outputs can be shared and accessed through the Power BI Service
  • Integrate data preparation, modelling, analysis and visualisation skills through an applied Power BI project
  • Introduction to agentic data analysis and multi-step analytical workflows
  • Integrate data preparation, modelling, analysis, visualisation and AI-assisted workflows through an applied Power BI project
Week 1: Introduction to Power BI and Data Preparation
  • Understand business intelligence, the Power BI environment and how research or business questions shape data requirements
  • Connect to common data sources and use Power Query to profile, clean, transform and prepare data
  • Combine data from different sources and identify common data preparation and loading problems
  • Understand the principles of data modelling, including measures and dimensions, keys and relationships between tables
  • Build efficient data models and understand common modelling mistakes
  • Create calculated columns and measures using essential DAX functions
  • Apply descriptive analytical concepts to identify and communicate meaningful patterns in data
  • Select, create and format appropriate visualisations and configure filters, interactions and tooltips
  • Develop interactive reports and dashboards that communicate findings clearly and support decision-making
  • Refine reports and dashboards to improve usability, consistency and analytical value
  • Publish Power BI reports and understand how analytical outputs can be shared and accessed through the Power BI Service
  • Integrate data preparation, modelling, analysis and visualisation skills through an applied Power BI project
  • Introduction to agentic data analysis and multi-step analytical workflows
  • Integrate data preparation, modelling, analysis, visualisation and AI-assisted workflows through an applied Power BI project

Who Should Attend

  • Researchers
  • Data scientists
  • Data analysts
  • Programme officers and managers
  • M&E officers
  • Business analysts
  • Administrators
  • Postgraduate students
  • Government officials
  • Research scientists

Price Includes

In-person:

  • Course attendance 
  • Full refreshments: 
    • Lunch 
    • Welcome tea (tea and pastries) 
    • Two tea breaks (tea and pastries) 
  • Course lecture notes and training manual 
  • Complimentary parking 
  • Certificate of attendance

Virtual:

  • Access to interactive webinars 
  • Videos for every interactive webinar session 
  • All pre-reading materials 
  • E-Certificate of attendance

Course Details

In-Person
Online

For more details about our services contact:

Dimakatso Mofokeng
info@cesar-africa.com
+27 11 403 1411

We offer exceptional training and consultancy services.

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