Beginner Program

Power BI Foundations

Foundations takes you from the Power BI Desktop interface to a polished first dashboard, with guided practice in data loading, Power Query cleanup, starter DAX, and sharing reports with confidence.

Built for new analysts, Excel users, and career-switchers who want a practical first path into Power BI.

Duration

6 weeks · 8 guided modules

Program Focus

8 curriculum sections

Study Rhythm

Plan for 2 to 3 hours per module plus workbook practice.

What You'll Receive

Full Beginner Learning Guide — beginner-guide.md (PDF)

DAX Quick Reference Cheat Sheet — dax-cheatsheet.md (PDF)

5 Hands-On Exercises with real retail & sales datasets

Step-by-step Exercise Correction Guide with solutions & tips

Lifetime access to all materials

Learning Objectives

Navigate Power BI Desktop, the Service, and the core report-building workflow with confidence.
Connect to Excel, CSV, and database sources and choose the right import approach for beginner scenarios.
Clean and reshape raw data in Power Query using repeatable transformation steps.
Model a beginner-friendly star schema and understand tables, relationships, measures, and filter context.
Write essential DAX measures for totals, ratios, and simple business logic.
Build, format, and publish a first interactive dashboard you can use in a portfolio.

What's Covered

Power BI Desktop basics, the workspace layout, and the end-to-end BI workflow.
Loading files and simple source connections, including Excel, CSV, and relational databases.
Power Query cleanup, data typing, shaping, unpivoting, and common quality fixes.
Your first dashboard with KPI cards, charts, slicers, bookmarks, and page-level storytelling.
Basic DAX including measures, CALCULATE, iterators, time intelligence, and common starter patterns.
Publishing to Power BI Service, sharing reports, and planning the next step after the fundamentals.

Curriculum

Full Program Breakdown

Each section is designed to build practical skill, not just theory. You move from guided concepts into repeatable delivery habits and portfolio-ready work.

Understanding Business Intelligence & Power BI

Start with the platform, the workflow, and the interface you will use throughout the course.

Power BI Desktop, Service, and Mobile roles
The five-step BI workflow from data to sharing
Core panes, views, and report-building controls

Connecting to Data Sources

Learn how to load data correctly before you model or visualize anything.

Excel and CSV imports
Starter database connections
Import mode versus DirectQuery for beginners

Power Query — Cleaning & Transforming Data

Turn messy source files into reliable reporting tables.

Removing columns and fixing data types
Splitting, merging, and unpivoting fields
Creating repeatable transformation steps

Data Modeling Fundamentals

Build a clean semantic model that makes reports trustworthy.

Star schema basics
Relationships and cardinality
Fact tables, dimensions, and date modeling

Introduction to DAX

Move from dragged fields to explicit business calculations.

Measures versus calculated columns
Starter aggregations and logic functions
CALCULATE and basic filter context

Building Your First Report

Assemble visuals into a dashboard that answers business questions clearly.

KPI cards, bar charts, matrices, and trend lines
Slicers, drill-down, and report interactivity
Formatting and layout decisions for readability

Publishing & Sharing

Ship the work, not just the file.

Publishing to Power BI Service
Dashboards, workspaces, and sharing patterns
Refresh expectations and collaboration basics

Next Steps & Learning Path

Wrap the program with a practical roadmap for continued growth.

Portfolio planning
Skills to reinforce after foundations
Readiness for the practitioner track

What You'll Build

Your First Report — Loading and Exploring Data
Data Cleaning in Power Query
Core Visualizations
Capstone — Complete Multi-Page Sales Dashboard

Included Resources

Beginner Guide

beginner-guide.md

The step-by-step learning path that anchors the full foundations program.

Understanding Business Intelligence & Power BI
Connecting to Data Sources
Power Query — Cleaning & Transforming Data
Data Modeling Fundamentals

DAX Cheat Sheet

dax-cheatsheet.md

Reference notes for the formulas and measure patterns beginners use most often.

Aggregation Functions
Logic Functions
CALCULATE — The Most Important Function
Time Intelligence Functions
Common Measure Patterns

Exercises Workbook

exercises.md

Hands-on labs that convert each lesson into a real artifact and a repeatable skill.

Your First Report — Loading and Exploring Data
Data Cleaning in Power Query
Capstone — Complete Multi-Page Sales Dashboard

Exercise Correction Guide

exercises-corrections.md

Step-by-step solution walkthroughs for every exercise — expected results, common mistakes, and improvement tips.

Step-by-step solution walkthroughs with screenshots
Expected results and validation checks
Common beginner mistakes and how to avoid them
DAX code explanations and alternative approaches

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