Power BI Tutorial | Learn Power BI

Power BI is a Microsoft-powered business intelligence tool that helps transform raw data into interactive dashboards and actionable insights. It allow users to connect to various data sources, clean and shape data and visualize it using charts, graphs and reports all with minimal coding.

It’s widely used in industries for data storytelling, decision-making and analytics and integrates well with tools like Excel, databases, Cloud and even Python. Tools like Microsoft Power BI are used by over 3000 companies for business intelligence.

What is Power BI Used For?

Power BI is a tool that helps you understand your data better. you can:

• Bring in data from different places like Excel files, SQL databases, CSVs, JSON files and even websites.
• Clean and fix your data easily without writing code.
• Create visuals like bar charts, line graphs, pie charts and dashboards to help you see patterns and trends.
• Analyze your data using filters and slicers, so you can focus on specific details like sales by region or product performance over time.
• Share your dashboards with your team or clients so everyone stays informed and can explore the data on their own.
• Set up automatic updates so your reports always show the latest information without you having to do anything.

The tutorial is divided into 5 sections and each section provides you the necessary materials to progressively learn Power BI. As you complete each section you move forward to your goal of becoming a Power BI specialist.

Section 1: Power BI - Introduction & Setup

In this section We will start with an introduction to Power BI, learn how to install it and understand the basic settings required to get started. Additionally we will cover the key components of Power BI, its real-world applications and compare it with tools like SSRS.

• PowerBI Installation
• Downloading Power BI & Adjusting Settings
• What is Power BI and Why Power BI in Data Analysis
• Power BI Components
• Practical Applications
• Advantages of Power BI, Disadvantages of Power BI
• Differences Between Microsoft Power BI and SSRS
• Power BI Free vs Power BI Pro vs Power BI Premium

Section 2: Power BI - Query Editor

Now we’ll explore how to clean and shape data using Power BI’s Query Editor. You’ll learn how to transform values, create conditional columns, group data and merge queries. By the end you’ll be able to prepare datasets effectively for analysis.

• Query Editor in Power BI
• Working with Numbers in Power BI
• Working with Date & Time Tools
• Conditional Columns in Power BI
• Grouping & Aggregating Records
• Merge and Append Queries in Power BI
• Manage data source settings and permissions
• Data refresh in Power BI
• Power BI Data Types
• Power BI – Excel Integration

Section 3: Power BI Dashboard and Visualization 

Wll learn how to build interactive dashboards and bring data to life with visualizations in Power BI. You’ll discover how to use charts, filters, slicers, maps and KPIs to explore data and share insights

• Creating a dashboard
• Inserting Basic Charts & Visuals in Power BI
• Build table relationship and Data models
• Conditional Formatting
• How to add Reports to Dashboards
• Using Charts: Bar, Column, Area, map, Waterfall, Tree map, Table
• Adding Trend Lines & Forecasts
• Power BI Report Filtering Options
• Exploring Data with Matrix Visuals
• Filtering with Date Slicers
• Editing Power BI Report Interactions
• Adding Drillthrough Filters

Section 4: DAX Introduction

Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) is the formula language used in Power BI for creating custom calculations. We’ll understand how to build measures, use common DAX functions and understand the role of filter context.

• Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) and Measures
• Filter Context in Power BI
• Common DAX Function : Date & Time, Conditional, Logical, Text and Window
• DAX Information Functions
• Basic Math in Power BI and Index Functions
• Power BI - DAX Trigonometric Functions
• COUNT Functions 
• DAX Aggregate Functions in Power BI
• Power BI - DAX Depreciation Functions
• Power BI- DAX Bitwise Functions

Section 5: Creating Table Relationships & Data Models

In this section we’ll explore how to structure your data effectively using data models and table relationships in Power BI. You’ll learn how to link multiple tables, apply normalization principles and manage relationships to build efficient and scalable data models.

• What is a "Data Model"?
• Principles of Database Normalization
• Understanding Data Tables vs. Lookup Tables
• Creating , Managing & Editing Table Relationships | Power BI
• Managing Active vs. Inactive Relationships in Power BI
• Connect Multiple Data Tables in Power BI
• Understanding Filters in Power BI
• Hiding tables, columns and fields from Power Pivot

If you want to prepare for Job Interview or build projects Check the below links:

• Top 30 Power BI Interview Questions and Answers
• Power BI Project ideas for Data Science