Power BI beginners
You’ve never worked with Power BI and want a clear, structured way to get productive without guessing what each part of the interface is for.
Microsoft Power BI - The Practical Guide
Learn how to use Microsoft's Power BI Tools, including Power BI Desktop, Power BI Service and Power BI Developer
Course Overview
About This Course
You’ve got data sitting in different places, and you know there are answers in it—but turning that into something clear, shareable, and trustworthy feels harder than it should. Maybe you’ve opened Power BI before and got stuck on what to do first, or how all the pieces fit together.
This course gives you a practical route through the Power BI ecosystem, with two ways to learn: a full, in-depth path or a focused crash-course path when you need results fast. You’ll see how the tools connect so you’re not just clicking around—you’re building a repeatable workflow.
By the end, you’ll be able to go from raw data to a finished, interactive result you can publish, share with colleagues, and access on multiple devices. You’ll also have the foundation to confidently explore Power BI’s advanced features next, instead of feeling blocked by the basics.
What You'll Learn
You’ll cover the full Power BI workflow: connect and shape data, model it properly, build calculations, and deliver interactive reports and dashboards across Desktop, Pro, and Mobile.
Navigate the Power BI tools
Work comfortably across the Power BI universe and understand how the tools work together—so you can choose the right place to build, publish, and consume your analysis.
Use Power BI Desktop
Understand Power BI Desktop and its core components so you can move confidently between the steps of building a dataset, modeling it, and turning it into a report.
Transform data in Query Editor
Connect to various source types in the Query Editor, then clean and reshape data with filtering, formatting, and pivoting/unpivoting to create your own datasets.
Model data with relationships
Work in the different views of the Data Model and build relationships between tables so your report visuals reflect the right logic across multiple data sources.
Create columns and measures
Add calculated columns and measures to your model so you can extend raw data with the calculations you need for analysis and reporting.
Publish, share, and access
Use Power BI Pro to create dashboards and publish/share results, then access those results from multiple devices with Power BI Mobile for on-the-go consumption.
Ready to get started?
See enrollment optionsPrerequisites
A Windows computer is required for the majority of the course.
Basic understanding of data analysis is helpful but not required.
A work or school email address is required to sign up for multiple modules.
Who Is This Course For?
Business users
You need to learn fast and efficiently to get analysis done for your job, and you want a path you can follow end-to-end instead of piecing tutorials together.
Aspiring visual builders
You want to create customized visuals using the Power BI Developer tools and need the core workflow in place first so your visuals sit on a solid dataset and model.
Curriculum Overview
Start NowPreview the structure and pacing of this course before you begin.
Getting Started50m
- 01Welcome to This Course0:55 min
- 02What is Power BI?5:46 min
- 03Installing Power BI Desktop3:33 min
- 04Connecting Power BI Desktop to Source Files8:46 min
- 05Creating our First Visuals7:34 min
- 06Comparing Excel & Power BI3:20 min
- 07Course Outline5:30 min
- 08The Two Ways (Paths) Of Taking This Course2:22 min
- 09How to Get the Most Out of This Course3:14 min
- 10Important: How to Access Course Resources, Project Files & Slides9:48 min
Understanding the Power BI Desktop Basics21m
- 01Module Introduction1:26 min
- 02The Power BI Desktop Workflow5:15 min
- 03Interface Tour9:28 min
- 04Important! Creating the Project Template & Recommended Settings5:37 min
Data Preparation in the Power Query Editor2h 8m
- 01Module Introduction1:12 min
- 02Understanding Data Preparation / Cleaning / Cleansing4:50 min
- 03Connecting Power BI Desktop to Source Files10:35 min
- 04How Power BI Queries Data5:01 min
- 05Understanding Basic Row Operations9:07 min
- 06Filtering Data6:00 min
- 07Analyzing Columns & Removing Blank Fields10:59 min
- 08Understanding & Using the Append Feature8:27 min
- 09Choosing & Removing Columns7:05 min
- 10Append Behind the Scenes2:50 min
- 11Understanding the Transpose Feature2:58 min
- 12Replacing Values7:35 min
- 13Working with Dates - The Basics6:50 min
- 14Understanding Data Formats5:50 min
- 15Handling Data Format Errors8:18 min
- 16Understanding Pivoting & Unpivoting4:30 min
- 17Applying Pivoting & Unpivoting3:55 min
- 18Fixing a Sorting Problem2:11 min
- 19Extracting Data, Splitting Columns & Sorting Multiple Columns9:24 min
- 20Introducing the "Group By" Feature4:20 min
- 21Improving the Project Structure3:16 min
- 22Wrap Up3:06 min
Data Transformation in the Power Query Editor1h 54m
- 01Module Introduction0:56 min
- 02Data Warehouse, Data Model & Data Schema5:45 min
- 03The Star Schema - Theory6:14 min
- 04Applying the Star Schema to our Project2:26 min
- 05Understanding References4:07 min
- 06Comparing References & Duplicates6:39 min
- 07Importing Country & Region Codes7:53 min
- 08Using "Enter Data" to Create a Table3:01 min
- 09Understanding the Merge Feature3:29 min
- 10How to Join Tables3:19 min
- 11Understanding Outer, Inner & Anti Joins5:37 min
- 12Join Kind in Practice5:02 min
- 13Handling Merge Errors11:31 min
- 14Understanding the DIM-age Table3:26 min
- 15Bringing Back the "age-group" Column4:41 min
- 16Getting the Maximum Values From Each Age Group3:30 min
- 17Creating Conditional Columns7:23 min
- 18Creating an Index Column2:26 min
- 19Creating a DIM-gender Table3:16 min
- 20Understanding the FACT Table3:02 min
- 21Finishing the FACT Table8:50 min
- 22Applying Basic Mathematical Operations2:30 min
- 23Using the Enable Load Feature6:58 min
- 24Wrap Up2:46 min
The Data Model: Working with Relationships & DAX (Data Analysis Espressions)2h 41m
- 01Module Introduction1:26 min
- 02Query Editor vs Data Model4:39 min
- 03Understanding Relationships2:35 min
- 04Creating our First Relationship9:59 min
- 05Understanding Cardinality & Difference Relationship Types2:23 min
- 06One to Many & Many to One2:23 min
- 07One to One1:38 min
- 08Many to Many3:28 min
- 09Fixing the Column Order Bug3:33 min
- 10Understanding the Cross Filter Direction11:15 min
- 11Understanding Active Properties1:41 min
- 12Adding Relationships to the Project6:56 min
- 13M-Language vs DAX (Data Analysis Expressions)4:17 min
- 14Creating a Custom Column with the M-Language6:30 min
- 15Creating a Calculated Column with DAX7:01 min
- 16M vs DAX - What Should I Choose?2:24 min
- 17The DAX Basics2:59 min
- 18The Core DAX Syntax4:01 min
- 19DAX Data Types2:59 min
- 20DAX Operators4:54 min
- 21DAX Core Functions4:19 min
- 22Creating a Table with the CALENDAR Function6:37 min
- 23Extracting Data with the DOT Notation4:05 min
- 24Adding & Dividing Columns8:00 min
- 25Working with IF Functions6:42 min
- 26Understanding Relationship Functions4:40 min
- 27Calculated Column vs Measure1:51 min
- 28Understanding & Creating Measures5:14 min
- 29Working with FILTER & CALCULATE Functions - Theory5:44 min
- 30Combining CALCULATED & FILTER Functions9:11 min
- 31Adding the Filter Condition to CALCULATE3:32 min
- 32Using Measures in Measures4:24 min
- 33Changing the Measure's Home Table4:20 min
- 34Understanding the Data Category3:00 min
- 35Wrap Up2:39 min
Creating Visuals in the Report View2h 37m
- 01Module Introduction1:03 min
- 02The Power BI Workflow & Understanding Basics Visual Elements4:49 min
- 03Creating & Duplicating Pages2:08 min
- 04Organizing Visuals6:02 min
- 05Creating a New Visual3:00 min
- 06Creating Line & Column Charts7:02 min
- 07How FILTER Affects the Visual6:40 min
- 08Understanding Interactions5:22 min
- 09Hierarchies & Drill Down7:30 min
- 10Formatting Chart Colors7:50 min
- 11The Canvas3:00 min
- 12Formatting the Page Background / Wallpaper2:37 min
- 13Formatting the Filter Pane & Filter Cards7:17 min
- 14Formatting Visuals: General Settings4:42 min
- 15Diving Deeper Into Formatting Visuals8:04 min
- 16Working with Report Themes7:13 min
- 17Finishing the Report Theme2:23 min
- 18Understanding the Slicer9:35 min
- 19Default Summarization & Sorting Order4:20 min
- 20Creating Treemaps & Working with Multiple Slicers6:36 min
- 21Creating Tables6:36 min
- 22Syncing Slicers3:11 min
- 23Filter on Visual, Page & Report Level9:47 min
- 24Creating Single & Multi Row Cards7:48 min
- 25Adding a Secondary Y-Axis4:34 min
- 26Combining Column & Line Charts2:51 min
- 27The Waterfall Chart3:11 min
- 28Importing Visuals2:19 min
- 29Finishing Touches5:09 min
- 30Wrap Up4:24 min
Power BI Pro & Mobile: Sharing & Collaborating2h 3m
- 01Module Introduction1:52 min
- 02The Next Steps4:57 min
- 03Power BI Pro Pricing4:14 min
- 04Power BI Pro Interface Tour6:38 min
- 05Publishing & My Workspace - Theory3:19 min
- 06Publishing / Importing Power BI Desktop Projects to Pro4:10 min
- 07Datesets Walkthrough4:25 min
- 08List View vs Lineage View4:02 min
- 09Exploring Reports In Pro4:46 min
- 10Understanding Dashboards7:20 min
- 11Creating Reports & Dashboards7:32 min
- 12Diving Deeper Into "My Workspace", Understanding Refresh and a Refresh Error4:34 min
- 13Gateways - Theory1:40 min
- 14Gateways: Configuring Manual & Scheduled Refreshs11:53 min
- 15Sharing Data From "My Workspace" via Direct Access13:44 min
- 16Sharing Links5:42 min
- 17Understanding Collaboration Workspaces - Theory1:37 min
- 18Creating Colaboration Workspaces8:09 min
- 19Sharing Data via Apps1:38 min
- 20Publishing & Unpublishing Apps9:20 min
- 21Deleting Workspaces1:15 min
- 22My Workspace vs Collaboration Workspace vs App2:19 min
- 23Understanding Power BI Mobile5:48 min
- 24Wrap Up2:48 min
Optional: Power BI Desktop Crash Course / Introduction & Summary2h 16m
- 01Module Introduction1:29 min
- 02Project Setup3:55 min
- 03Connecting Power BI Desktop to the Source Files1:53 min
- 04Query Editor Walkthrough4:27 min
- 05Removing Blank Rows & Fixing Format Errors5:08 min
- 06Saving the Project0:54 min
- 07Duplicates vs References7:27 min
- 08Appending Queries4:46 min
- 09Splitting Columns & Extracting Data3:04 min
- 10Basic Column Interactions2:56 min
- 11Data Modelling Theory6:20 min
- 12Creating the "Orders" Table3:41 min
- 13Working with Indexes3:15 min
- 14The Formula Bar4:17 min
- 15Merging Queries4:25 min
- 16Loading Data Into the Data Model6:11 min
- 17Creating Line Charts5:28 min
- 18Understanding Relationships5:32 min
- 19Formatting Numbers in Charts3:15 min
- 20Understanding Interactions3:12 min
- 21Hierarchies & Drill-Down5:10 min
- 22Sorting Axis Values1:37 min
- 23Formatting Visuals & Applying Report Themes3:15 min
- 24Reports, Map Visual & Default Summarization4:35 min
- 25The Data Category1:40 min
- 26Applying Filters to Visuals4:53 min
- 27Understanding Slicers4:10 min
- 28Creating Tables4:59 min
- 29Working with DAX ("Data Analytics Expressions")6:07 min
- 30Sorting Weekdays with Calculated Columns4:25 min
- 31Fixing the Revenue Calculation1:50 min
- 32Introducing Measures7:14 min
- 33Working with Quick Measures5:03 min
And 1 more sections in the full course.
Ready to Get Started?
Choose the option that works best for you.
Single Course
Microsoft Power BI - The Practical Guide
One Payment. Lifetime Access.
$99one-time
- One-time payment
- All future updates for this course
- Downloadable resources & code
- Certificate of completion
- Hands-on exercises & projects
- Self-paced learning
- English captions on all videos
- Lifetime access
Most Popular
All-Access Membership
Everything we teach. One subscription.
$25/mo
$4,729+ worth of courses
- Full access to all courses
- All future courses included
- Downloadable resources & code
- Certificates of completion
- Hands-on exercises & projects
- Self-paced learning
- English captions on all videos
- Cancel anytime