Power BI – Modeling Data
One of the most valuable assets a business owns is data. For most businesses, it is the single most important asset. But data only becomes an asset when it is actionable. What has happened? What is happening? What will happen? What can I do to get the desired outcome? To get to these answers, the data must be transformed. Not changing the data, but instead organizing the data in a way that the data can then speak for itself. Find out how data modeling for a software application is very different than data modeling for business intelligence.
This course focuses on the process of transforming data using the star schema method. We then apply Microsoft Power BI-specific features and tools to improve efficiency and let the data tell the story.
Power BI – Modeling Data builds on the skills covered in the companion course, Power BI – Introduction, which is included in the Data Analysis Certificate.
This course can be applied to the following certificates:
Business Analysis Certificate
Data Analysis – Advanced Certificate
Data Analysis Certificate
Instructor
Belinda Allen is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for Power BI. Belinda is currently a Microsoft Power Platform (Certified) Trainer (MCT), speaker and co-author of two books on business intelligence and Microsoft Dynamics GP. Belinda is a principal at ... read more
Who Should Attend
Individuals with a basic understanding of Power BI, who want to create (model) efficient data sets and reports that provide important data discoveries with a user-friendly experience.
Benefits and Learning Outcomes
- Understand how to build a data model that optimizes performance.
- Troubleshoot data models using out-of-the-box tools.
- Shape data for visualizations in reports and communications.
- Build complex DAX functions.
- Create visualizations that help identify trends and patterns.
- Use techniques to increase Power BI report adoption among report consumers.
Course Outline/Topics
This course explains the necessary foundations for a data analyst using Microsoft Power BI. It covers the following:
Star schema
- Learn about dimension tables and fact tables and how efficiently using them can improve the performance of your reports
- Understand query folding
- Gain an understanding of normalization and denormalization and how it affects performance
- Create surrogate keys to improve filter propagations
- Learn about creating relationships and cardinality
- Review role-playing dimensions, when you need them and how to use them
Optimize model performance
- Learn how to use Performance Analyzer to identify bottlenecks
- Discover the benefits of using variables in DAX
- Learn about improving performance by reducing cardinality levels in columns and implementing data granularity
Identifying patterns and trends
- Gain an understanding of using out-of-the-box visuals with build in AI to identify trends and outliers
- Experience using custom visuals to help understand your data better and to better tell your story
- Use some advanced DAX functions with a discussion about Dax patterns to improve the ability to recognize anomalies and trends
Building datasets and Power BI reports that users will use (user adoption)
- Review techniques on shaping data for end users and visualizations
- See a story unfold
- Learn methods to report viewers to perform some customization, through personalization and Q&A
- Review report delivery methods that reduce complexity and allow for built-in “help”
Prerequisites
Familiarity with data collection and data handling is required. Prior completion of Power BI – Introduction or equivalent experience is recommended.
Date: Mar 25, 27, Apr 1, 3, 2025
Delivery Method: Live Online
Time: 8:30-Noon CT
Platform: Zoom
Instructor: Belinda Allen MCT/MVP
Fee:
$845 by Mar 11, 2025
$895 after Mar 11, 2025
CEUs: 1.4
Enrollment Limit: 20
Program Number: 5020-16283
Registration Deadline: Mar 24, 2025