Power BI Masterclass – Beginners to Advanced Course Syllabus

Overview: This comprehensive Power BI masterclass is designed for beginners and takes you step-by-step from foundational concepts to advanced analytics and deployment. You'll learn through hands-on exercises and real-world scenarios, building practical skills in data transformation, modeling, DAX, interactive reporting, and performance optimization. With approximately 6 hours of on-demand content, this course prepares you to create impactful business intelligence solutions using Power BI Desktop and Service.

Module 1: Getting Started with Power BI Desktop

Estimated time: 0.5 hours

• Installing Power BI Desktop and navigating the interface
• Loading and previewing sample datasets
• Connecting to Excel and CSV files
• Performing basic data preview and transformation

Module 2: Data Transformation with Power Query

Estimated time: 1 hour

• Shaping data using filters, splits, and merges
• Unpivoting and pivoting data columns
• Creating custom columns and calculated fields
• Building reusable parameters and functions for ETL automation

Module 3: Data Modeling & Relationships

Estimated time: 1 hour

• Defining tables and managing data types
• Creating one-to-many and many-to-many relationships
• Designing star schemas for analytical efficiency
• Using auto-detect vs. manual relationship configuration

Module 4: Introduction to DAX Basics

Estimated time: 1 hour

• Understanding calculated columns vs. measures
• Using core aggregation functions: SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT
• Creating date tables and basic time-intelligence calculations
• Implementing year-to-date and quarter-over-quarter comparisons

Module 5: Advanced DAX & Analytics

Estimated time: 1 hour

• Writing iterator functions: SUMX, AVERAGEX
• Using variables and context transition in DAX
• Advanced time-intelligence calculations
• Dynamic segmentation with SWITCH and USERELATIONSHIP

Module 6: Report Design & Interactivity

Estimated time: 1 hour

• Adding slicers, drill-throughs, and bookmarks
• Designing tooltips and button navigation
• Applying custom visuals and theming
• Ensuring accessibility and layout best practices

Module 7: Power BI Service & Collaboration

Estimated time: 0.75 hours

• Publishing reports to Power BI Service
• Setting up workspaces and sharing apps
• Configuring row-level security and data alerts
• Scheduling dataset refreshes

Module 8: Performance Tuning & Best Practices

Estimated time: 0.75 hours

• Optimizing queries with query folding
• Implementing incremental refresh for large datasets
• Using Performance Analyzer to identify bottlenecks
• Leveraging aggregations for faster report rendering

Prerequisites

• Familiarity with basic Excel functions
• Understanding of fundamental data concepts (e.g., rows, columns, tables)
• No prior Power BI experience required

What You'll Be Able to Do After

• Connect to and transform data from multiple sources including Excel, SQL, and web APIs
• Build efficient data models using star schemas and proper relationship design
• Write advanced DAX formulas for dynamic business calculations
• Create interactive, visually compelling dashboards with slicers and drill-throughs
• Deploy secure, high-performance reports using Power BI Service