Power BI for business analytics and data visualization

Course overview

Description generated based on course syllabus and open data.

The program covers data preparation, importing from various sources, modeling with DAX, and building interactive monitoring dashboards in Microsoft Power BI.

Who Power BI suits and who it does not

Suitable for BI and data analysis

• Analysts, finance, marketing — to aggregate large datasets and create clear reports.
• Business owners and managers — to monitor KPIs via Power BI dashboards.
• Excel users and BI beginners — to overcome spreadsheet limits using Power Query and DAX.

Not suitable

• For one-off static reports without a data model.
• For users needing only basic tables without interactive visuals.
• For scenarios requiring only enterprise-grade RPA/ETL without a BI front end.

Data problems → how Power BI structures the outcome

• Fragmented sources → Power BI connectors and Power Query unify Excel, CSV, SQL and cloud services into a single model.
• Manual preparation → Power Query transformations automate cleaning and normalization.
• Inconsistent metrics → DAX standardizes calculations and ensures repeatable measures.
• Hidden patterns → interactive visuals and filters reveal trends, variances and relationships.

Power BI vs business analytics alternatives

• Excel: familiar but limited for large volumes and multi-step transformations; Power BI adds a data model, DAX and scalable visuals.
• Looker Studio: convenient for web visuals; Power BI offers richer modeling and DAX calculations.
• Tableau/Qlik: strong visual platforms; Power BI stands out with Microsoft ecosystem integration and flexible DAX.

Outcomes from covering Power BI materials

• Import and transform data in Power Query, connect to online services and databases.
• Build a data model, define relationships, and create numeric and text DAX expressions.
• Create interactive reports and dashboards and apply custom visuals.
• Publish and collaborate in Power BI Service and view in Power BI Mobile.
• Use What-If parameters, Visual Calculations and Dynamic Formatting.

Power BI lecturer

Viktor Ryzhov — founder of Bintels. 13+ years in business analytics; Power BI implementations in agro and service companies; budgeting automation; Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate.