A Complete Guide on How to Learn Power BI

Microsoft Power BI is the most efficient tool in the market to make data-driven business decisions. According to a ResearchGate study, BI helps businesses to support strategic decisions.

Whether you are a novice data analyst or business intelligence professional, learning Power BI will surely add value to your career.

Now, you might have these questions in your mind:

Don’t worry; we have covered the answers to your above questions in this guide. Check this in-depth article to know how to learn Power BI in 6 easy steps. So, let’s begin.

How to Learn Power BI from Scratch in 2022 in 6 Easy Steps?

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you learn the Microsoft Power BI service.

  1. Understand Power BI and Get Familiar with the Interface

  2. Before learning about all the advanced capabilities of Power BI service, you must first understand and familiarize yourself with the interface of Power BI.

    Once the software is ready to launch, start learning about the different elements of the Power BI interface. Know the difference between Power BI report vs dashboard to get a proper understanding of the interface and its works. In addition, if you have any previous experience with Microsoft Excel, then it massively helps with understanding the interface in detail. Because the Power BI interface is of kind of similar to Excel.

    Use the Power BI interface guide available on the official Microsoft website, or go through a free YouTube video.

    Here is an interesting fact: Power BI software is free to download on Windows. But, if you are using Linux or macOS, you need a virtual machine to access the Power BI service.

  3. Learn Fundamentals of Data Preparation and Data Model

  4. Once you familiarize yourself with the user interface of the Power BI business analytics tool, it is time to learn about data preparation and create data models. As the name suggests, data preparation involves locating and preparing the raw data for import. Collecting relevant data in a single centralized place makes it easy to connect with the Power BI service. First, you need to clean and organize the data so it becomes easy to import. Lastly, import your data from the source using the relevant connectors.

    Now the second step is data modelling. Learning various data models and their use cases is very important for you to properly select one when required. Secondly, you need to understand the Power query editor to know about data modelling. However, if you are a new learner, choose a course from the list below about data models.

  5. Learn Data Transformation to Validate Business Data

  6. Learning data transformation makes it easier to understand and analyze the imported data. You can clean the data even before importing it to Power BI.

    However, if you are importing unorganized data into Power BI, there are two ways to clean them up.

    • The first method is an automatic process that transforms a massive amount of data for use in the data warehouse. But this method requires the ETL system that may be unavailable to independent Power BI beginners.
    • The second step is free but challenging as you need to do it manually. To begin with, analyze the imported data to ensure all the headings and calculated columns look as per syntax. Also, look for error symbols and null values to locate problems in the data set.

      Next, check and set the data types for the variables. This will prevent any errors during the data processing stage.

    Finally, ensure all the headers and column names are unique. If they are the same for different data sets, it can cause problems during the data processing stage. If you transform data using the manual method, it will help you to get clear Power BI fundamentals. This way, you make the most from this BI tool.

  7. Create Data Visualization to Utilize Data Properly

  8. As you have clean datasets, you should focus on creating data visualization using ReportView. However, it is better to take easy data sets to practice building the visualizations as a beginner. For creating good Power BI reports, you need to opt for online courses on Power BI. The courses you opt for should also have a few challenging data sets to prepare you for complex analytics.

    After all, the techniques you learn through the online courses will culminate in creating elaborate reports and visualizations for your peers. Your stakeholders will also heavily rely on your reports before making important decisions. Therefore, it is crucial to keep sharpening your report-making and visualization-building skills. Even, you can check our article on the best visuals of Power BI to get a quick understanding of different types of visuals.

  9. Create Models to Establish Relationships Between Data

  10. After covering the basics, you need to learn the more complex aspects of Power BI, like establishing data model relationships. The main goal of establishing relationships is to connect the same filters to multiple tables. The filters will propagate if there is a relationship path to follow. Sometimes they can span across multiple tables.

    Maintaining data integrity is not the priority of model relationships. Therefore, you must be careful while using DAX functions, as they can automatically change or disable filters.

    • Learning the properties of various relationships within the Power BI system will give you a head start.
    • Then, understand the various types and use of DAX functions. This will give you more mobility and control while establishing relationships between multiple tables.
    • Afterwards, learn to set the precedence rules to ensure the filters propagate predictably.
  11. Create Power BI Reports to Discover Important Data

  12. Power BI service enables you to publish interactive reports and grant access to other business analysts. In a professional environment, you need to actively share reports with your peers and the management. You need to show your data findings and provide a reason for their behaviour. In such cases, a basic idea about data hub will make things infinitely simpler for you.

    As a report creator, you can locate the different items required to create a report. You can also link them or easily establish relationships with them. And the data item owners can see the utilization of their data sets across multiple Power BI reports.

    As you have understood the steps to learn Power BI, let’s now look at some paid and free courses to accelerate your Power BI learning progress.

Where to Learn Power BI for Data Analysis?

Here are some powerful online training courses to start learning Power BI.

Course Name Price What You Will Learn Course Link
Microsoft Power BI- Up and Running With Power BI Desktop Paid
  • In this course, you will learn about the basics of the Power BI business intelligence tools. It teaches you how to install the software and get it running.
  • The course includes over 10 hours of video explaining how to transform data into interactive and vibrant dashboards.
  • It also teaches how to set up the workflows using the essential Power BI tools.
Udemy
Introduction to Power BI Free
  • This free course aims to take you from a novice to an expert within a few months.
  • While Datacamp’s video content is limited, they have numerous hands-on projects to sharpen your practical skills.
  • The course starts with Power Query and goes on to explore the important tools like drag-and-drop editor and data modules.
  • The course has multiple exercises to train to build interactive and responsive data reports.
DataCamp
Power BI Essential Training Free
  • This course focuses on all of the features of Power BI online services. This is because most analysts will use this version of the software during their employment.
  • Gini Von Courter explains in great detail the utility of this BI tool. She teaches how to differentiate between and apply different data types. And also helps with learning and building dashboards and reports.
  • The course additionally covers how to create and manage workspaces within Power BI to encourage collaboration.
  • In the same module, you will also learn about assigning different user roles to business analysts.
  • Finally, there are some tips and tricks to use the Power BI mobile application.
LinkedIn Learning
Power BI Training Paid
  • The Power BI training course hosted on Mind Majix comes in two variants. In the online variants, you have to join online classes to learn about the tool. The self-paced variant instantly provides you access to 20+ hours of videos.
  • In addition to that, you will also have 24/7 lifetime access to customer support.
  • Apart from the Power BI tools, the course also covers the basics of SQL server and Azure fundamentals.
  • Furthermore, you will learn about agile and scrum basics.
  • Mind Majix also conducts one-on-one doubt-clearing sessions. In the online version, they conduct real-time project classes.
Mind Majix
Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Power BI Paid
  • EdX’s Power BI course teaches exclusively about visualization and data analysis using Power BI. Teaches you the tools and functions that will add the most value to your professional career.
  • The instructor will teach you all about data transformation and data modelling. By the end of the course, you will be able to independently build dashboards and reports.
  • If just want to learn about Power BI through the edX course for free, you can use the audit feature to watch the videos. But, you will have to pay for the course if you want a shareable Power BI certification.
edX

How Much Time Does It Take to Learn Power BI from Scratch?

To learn power BI it takes around 6-8 weeks or 2 months around. The range is not fixed as it depends on the individual capability to learn Power BI. If you can grasp the concepts faster and spend more time on the course, you’ll finish learning faster than others. Whereas, if you’ve less free time for dedicated learning and no previous experience with data analytics tools, you might need more time to learn.

But wait, there is more! Do you want to learn more things about BI tools? If so, check the following articles written on Power BI to gain more knowledge.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it easy to learn Power BI?

Yes, if you are consistently learning and practicing report building, it is easy to learn Power BI. Users with basic knowledge of Excel will also find it easier to learn Power BI.

What are the Power BI Job Opportunities?

Learning Power BI’s collection of software services, web and Power BI mobile apps, and connectors opens up multiple avenues for you. The main job opportunities are data analysts, data scientists, and data managers. Power BI is also useful for consultants and reports developers.

What are the key features of Power BI?

Some of the key features of the Power BI business intelligence tool are report building, custom visualization, Power Query, Power View, and Power Pivot. Check this detailed guide on the top features of Power BI.

Conclusion

It’s easier said than done, hence the detailed guide. The onus is on you to practice and master the Power BI tools. The online courses attached to the blog will help you master the foundational elements of the Power BI business intelligence tool. As you grow, you will need more relevant courses for niche work, so you are able to create advanced data analytics reports.

Gaurang Bhatt

Written by

Gaurang Bhatt

Gaurang has 15+ years of experience solving complex business problems and enabling businesses with data-driven decisions using data analysis and predictive modeling tools like Tableau, Power BI, Looker, and Google Data Studio. His expertise lies in data visualization, reporting, and creating ETL pipelines. In addition, he is passionate about exploring different technologies like machine learning and AI. He shares his knowledge and learnings on the LabsMedia platform.