Microsoft Power BI Sprint Sessions 2020

1.

Introduction to creating a basic report in Power BI Desktop

This session is designed for those people who wish to acquire the basic skills & knowledge to get started with Power BI Desktop.

You will learn about the key components of Power BI and how they work together.

You will learn how to create a simple report using data imported from an Excel workbook.

Delegates do not need any previous experience of Power BI but must have a basic understanding of PC’s, including familiarity with a keyboard and mouse.

A basic understanding of Excel would also be beneficial.

• Download and install Power BI Desktop.
• Navigate the desktop environment.
• Import data from an Excel workbook.
• Perform basic data transformations in preparation for analysis.
• Apply the correct data types to the imported data.
• Remove unwanted columns.
• Merge & split columns.
• Understand the difference between format & data type.
• Build a basic report using the imported data from Excel.

2.

Creating dynamic reports using ‘measures’ and ‘calculated columns’

This session follows on from the first; you learn about the key steps associated with building a typical business report.

You will learn how to build ‘measures’ (calculations) and will be introduced to ‘calculated columns’, you will learn when to use one over the other.

You will also be introduced to some of the most common DAX functions and how and when to use them.

This session is designed for those people who already use Power BI but want to be more creative and dynamic when building business reports.

It is recommended that delegates have some experience of importing and working with files of different types.

• Import data from an Excel workbook.
• Review the quality of the imported data and remove unwanted records.
• Understand the difference between a ‘measure’ and a ‘calculated column’.
• Consider how the information will be presented in the report and identify the tiles you want to use.
• Determine how the report consumer may wish to filter / slice and drill into each tile to expose various levels of granularity.
• Build some basic measures (calculation) & calculated columns that will be used in the report.
• Resize, group and format tiles to get the desired look and feel as well as being easy to read and interact with.
• Understand the difference between a standard table and a matrix and when to use one over the other.
• Make sure the report has clearly defined sections & boundaries which are aligned and balanced with other tiles.
• Create a title for the report so report consumers understand the purpose of the report.

3.

Working with dates

Most reports include dates so information can be aggregated over various calendar periods, years, month & days for example. This session includes reporting at a calendar and financial year end.
In this session you will learn the importance of creating a dates table and how to connect it to the data model.

This session is designed to complement session 3 above but can also be run independently.
This session is designed for users who are confident at building Power BI reports, but want to extend their knowledge to working with dates and other calendar periods.

It would be helpful if the user had a basic understanding of how a data model works.

• What is a dates table & why you need one?
• Construct a dates table from scratch using the ‘M’ script provided.
• How to format and configure the dates table to ensure information is presented correctly.
• Make sure the dates table spans the period of the data in the data model.
• How to modify the dates table so you can easily report on periods such as, yesterday, today & tomorrow.

4.

Maximise the report canvas

In this session you will learn some techniques that will help to maximise the report canvas, so information remains easy to read and avoids over-crowding & confusion.

This session is designed for those people who are confident in building reports in Power BI, but want to improve their report design skills, when it comes to presenting a wide range of information in a single report.

• Learn some tips & tricks that will help with report layout and how to create bespoke design templates in PowerPoint.
• Learn about the use of ‘buttons’ for hiding tiles and allowing the report consumer to choose the information they want to see and change how it’s being presented.
• Learn how to use ‘buttons’ to create a navigation menu to aid the report consumer’s experience.

5.

Working with online data sources

This session demonstrates how to use data that is available online from sites like ‘Wikipedia’.

Attendees should already have a good knowledge of Power BI and must be conversant with importing data from various file types.

• How to connect to online data sets and import into Power BI.
• Perform transformations on the data in preparation for analysis.
• Combine the data with other data sets with the aim of adding extra value.

6.

Exploring the new ‘External Tools’ in Power BI Desktop

This session looks at the new ‘External Tools’ featured in the desktop and provides some practical examples of their use.

This session is designed for those people who are already confident using Power BI Desktop and want to extend their skills & knowledge.

• Learn how to install two of the external tools: DAX Studio & Tabular Editor.
• Learn how DAX Studio can be used to diagnose performance issues in the data model.
• Use DAX Studio to show the current ‘filter context’.
• Learn how to use the Tabular Editor to create Calculation Groups and create KPI indicators for use across reports.

7.

Power BI new functionality

Learn about some of the new Power BI Desktop functionality and learn how to use these new features.

This section is aimed at people who already use Power BI on a regular basis but want to learn about the latest features & functionality and how to use them.

The content for this session will change over time as new Power BI features & functionality becomes available.

8.

An introduction to using ‘tool tips’

You can create visually rich report tool tips that appear when you hover over visuals, based on report pages you create in Power BI Desktop.

This section is aimed at people that already use Power BI on a regular basis and want to learn about new ways of engaging with their report consumers.

• Create and configure a tool tip page.
• Manually set a report tool tip page.
• Customise report tool tips & line charts.
• Reverting to default tool tips.
• Learn other ways to use tool tips to encourage report consumer engagement.
• Create a tool tip that shows the current ‘filter context’ on the report page.

9.

Learn how to filter data in Power BI Desktop

Power BI is a very dynamic and interactive reporting tool that encourages users to interact with reports. Under the hood of Power BI, it is just one BIG filtering engine.
By understanding how Power BI filters data, you will be able to build more advanced reports, dashboards and build more complex data models & measures.

This session is aimed at people who are conversant with navigating Power BI Desktop and have at least a basic understanding of how a data model works.

• Explore the various methods of filtering data by using built in functionality.
• Learn how to filter data ‘programmatically’ using ‘DAX’ and M Code.
• Understand the concept of cross filtering and how it impacts on report behavior.
• Learn about the concept of ‘filter flow’ in the data model and how it impacts on connected tables and associated measures.
• Learn about the various methods of filtering data that report consumers can use.

10.

Learn about the concept of ‘Filter Context’

This session is a follow on from the above session ‘Learn how to filter data in Power BI Desktop’. Filter Context could be described as the holy grail of Power BI.

By learning this concept, you will be better placed to build more advanced reports and better at diagnosing problems.

This session is for competent users of Power BI. They will be confident with writing measures using some of the most common DAX functions.
It is advisable that users attend the above session before attending this one.

• Learn about some of the key principles of data modelling.
• Learn about cross filtering and how to manipulate it.
• Learn about the concept of ‘Filter Context’ and how it impacts on the data model.
• Learn about the key principle of ‘Filter’ then ‘Maths’ which describes Power BI at a most basic level.

11.

How to use the various mapping visuals in Power BI Desktop

Power BI comes with several mapping visuals by default. In this session we will review some of these options as well as looking at the new Azure Map visual.
With visually appealing maps and easy-to-understand content, you will be able to gain more insight into your data.

This session is for experienced Power BI users who want to expand their skills and experience by learning to visualise their information geographically rather than be limited to a flat chart or table.
*Users will need an active MS Azure account to use the new Azure Map visual.

• An introduction to Power BI maps.
• Preparing your data set for geographical reporting.
• Create & format a basic map.
• How to use filled maps.
• Exploring ArcGIS Maps for Power BI.
• Enabling the Shape map in Power BI.
• Creating & formatting a Shape map.
• Explore the new Azure Map visual.

12.

Visualisations: best practices, tips & tricks

In this session users will learn some best practices & tips & tricks to help them build better visualisations that stand out from the crowd.

This session is for experienced Power BI users who are looking for new ways to improve their report design skills and want to encourage report consumer engagement.

• Some of these best practices come from the Gestalt principles; simple, consistent & space.
• Know the questions your reports are trying to answer?
• Allow users to interact with the report and build their own experience.
• Learn about Perspectives Support for Personalised Visuals (currently in preview).

13.

An introduction to the Power BI Service

Power BI service sometimes referred to as Power BI online, is the SaaS (Software as a Service) part of Power BI.
In the Power BI service, you can build reports & dashboards and share them securely with your colleagues & business partners.

This session is for people will a good understanding of Power BI and the relationship between data and reports.

They should be familiar with the concept of building charts & tables either in Excel or other similar applications.

• Learn about the relationship between the Desktop & Service.
• Learn how to navigate the Service environment.
• Learn how to manipulate reports and create new ones from new & existing data sets.
• Learn how to build a dashboard using reports published to the Service.
• Learn how to share reports & dashboards with colleagues & partners.
• Learn how to analyse a data model in the Service and show the results directly in Excel as a pivot table.

14.

How to create and publish an app in Power BI Service

In Power BI, you can create official packaged content, then distribute it to a broad audience as an app.
You create apps in workspaces, where you can collaborate on Power BI content with your colleagues & partners.

This session is aimed at experienced users of the Service and understand the difference between reports & dashboards.
It will be important to have a good understanding of workspaces and the process for sharing reports with colleagues & partners.

• Learn to publish your reports & dashboards as an app.
• Design the navigation experience for your app.
• Determine and set permissions for the app.
• Know how to make changes to a published app.
• Know how to automatically install apps for new users.