Power BI: Data Modeling and Data Analysis from Coursera

This course is designed to provide a comprehensive foundation in Power BI, equipping learners with the skills to model, analyze, and visualize data efficiently. Participants will begin by exploring calculated columns and tables, understanding their use cases in data modeling and performance optimization.

The course progresses to advanced data modeling in Power BI, covering essential techniques like STAR schema design, model relationships, hierarchies, and role-playing dimensions to optimize data structures. Learners will gain expertise in DAX functions, including numerical calculations, measures, quick measures, and analytical queries, ensuring efficient data manipulation.

Additionally, this course covers Power BI Desktop features, enabling participants to create calculation groups, work with DAX query view, and improve performance by reducing granularity. Features like date-time formatting, advanced settings in model view, and restricting access to model data are explored to enhance analytical capabilities.

This course is structured into multiple modules, each featuring lessons and video lectures that provide both theoretical understanding and hands-on practice. Participants will engage with 3:00–4:00 hours of instructional content, reinforcing learning through graded and ungraded assignments, ensuring real-world applicability.

Whether you're preparing for Power BI certification or seeking to optimize business intelligence workflows, this course equips you with the essential skills to master data modeling, DAX, and visualization for effective analytics.

Module 1 - Optimizing Data Models and Performance with DAX in Power BI

Module 2 - Power BI Data Modeling: STAR Schema, DAX, and Advanced Modeling Techniques

The course is for the Data Managers, Data Analysts, Power BI Associates, and Power BI Experts

What's inside

Syllabus

Optimizing Data Models and Performance with DAX in Power BI

This module provides a comprehensive understanding of Power BI data modeling, DAX functions, and advanced analytics techniques. Participants will explore key concepts such as calculated columns, tables, measures, and calculation groups to enhance reporting efficiency. The module covers best practices in STAR Schema modeling, hierarchical structures, role-playing dimensions, and optimizing data granularity for performance improvements. Learners will develop proficiency in working with DAX query view, numerical functions, and operators to build dynamic and interactive reports. Additionally, the module emphasizes data security, access control, and comparative insights between Power BI and Excel for robust analytical solutions. By the end of this module, participants will gain hands-on expertise in structuring, modeling, and securing Power BI datasets for optimal business intelligence outcomes.

Career center

Learners who complete Power BI: Data Modeling and Data Analysis will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Business Intelligence Analyst

A Business Intelligence Analyst is crucial for understanding business performance and drivers, translating complex data into clear, concise, and actionable intelligence for stakeholders. This role involves designing dashboards, creating reports, and identifying trends. This course offers a comprehensive foundation in Power BI, a leading tool in business intelligence, making it an excellent fit for this career. You will gain expertise in advanced data modeling, including STAR schema design, and learn to optimize data structures for efficient analysis, directly supporting robust BI solution development. Proficiency in DAX functions for intricate calculations and analytical queries, alongside features like calculation groups and performance optimization, will enable you to build dynamic and interactive reports. This course helps you master data modeling, DAX, and visualization, essential for success as a Business Intelligence Analyst and for optimizing business intelligence workflows.

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Data Modeler

A Data Modeler is responsible for designing and implementing the structure of databases and data warehouses, ensuring data integrity, efficiency, and scalability for analytical purposes. This course is exceptionally well-suited for aspiring Data Modelers, as it provides a comprehensive understanding of advanced data modeling principles in Power BI. You will delve into essential techniques such as STAR schema design, mastering model relationships, hierarchies, and role-playing dimensions to optimize data structures. The module's focus on optimizing data granularity for performance improvements and applying good modeling practices is directly relevant to building scalable, high-performance data models. By gaining hands-on expertise in structuring, managing, and securing Power BI datasets, you will develop the fundamental skills required to excel as a Data Modeler, ensuring efficient and accurate data representation for business intelligence success.

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Business Intelligence Developer

A Business Intelligence Developer focuses on building and maintaining BI solutions, including data warehouses, ETL processes, and analytical tools, to empower organizations with data-driven insights. This course provides a comprehensive foundation in Power BI, a core tool for many BI Developers, arming you with skills essential for this dynamic role. You will gain expertise in constructing calculated columns and tables, along with advanced data modeling techniques such as STAR schema design, which are critical for developing robust and efficient BI solutions. Proficiency in DAX functions, including numerical calculations and analytical queries, will allow you to implement complex business logic within your models. The course's emphasis on performance optimization, managing data granularity, and implementing data security measures ensures you can build scalable, high-performance Power BI solutions, directly preparing you for success as a Business Intelligence Developer.

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Data Analyst

A Data Analyst plays a pivotal role in transforming raw data into actionable insights, helping organizations make informed decisions. This career involves collecting, processing, and performing statistical analyses on data, often culminating in the creation of comprehensive reports and interactive dashboards. This course directly equips you with the essential skills for this role, providing a comprehensive foundation in Power BI. You will gain expertise in constructing calculated columns and tables, mastering advanced data modeling techniques like STAR schema design, and leveraging DAX functions for intricate numerical calculations. By understanding granular data optimization and developing proficiency in DAX query view, you will be able to build dynamic, efficient analytical solutions. Learners of this course will be well-prepared to effectively model, analyze, and visualize data, directly aligning with the core responsibilities of a Data Analyst and fostering success in this analytical career path.

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Reporting Analyst

A Reporting Analyst specializes in creating and distributing insightful reports and dashboards that help organizations track performance, identify trends, and support decision-making processes. This course provides a comprehensive foundation in Power BI, making it an ideal choice for anyone aiming to excel in a Reporting Analyst role. You will gain expertise in developing calculated columns and measures using DAX functions, which are critical for preparing data and creating dynamic, interactive reports. The course covers advanced data modeling techniques, including STAR schema design and hierarchies, ensuring your reports are built on a solid, efficient data structure. By learning about Power BI Desktop features, such as calculation groups and DAX query view, you will be able to create sophisticated and performant analytical solutions. Practical skills in data visualization and efficient analytics are core to this course, directly preparing you to create compelling and effective reports.

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Consultant Business Intelligence

A Consultant Business Intelligence advises clients on designing, implementing, and optimizing BI solutions to meet their strategic objectives and unlock the power of their data. This course is exceptionally well-suited for aspiring Consultant Business Intelligence professionals, providing a comprehensive foundation in Power BI and its advanced capabilities. You will gain expertise in advanced data modeling techniques, including STAR schema design, model relationships, and role-playing dimensions, which are crucial for architecting effective BI solutions for diverse client needs. Proficiency in DAX functions for complex calculations and analytical queries, combined with an understanding of performance optimization, will enable you to deliver high-performing and scalable Power BI implementations. The course's coverage of data security and best practices helps build a strong foundation for advising clients on robust, secure, and efficient business intelligence workflows, preparing you to succeed in a consulting capacity.

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Financial Analyst

A Financial Analyst provides critical insights into an organization's financial health, performance, and strategic direction, often relying heavily on data analysis, forecasting, and detailed reporting. This course can be highly valuable for a Financial Analyst, offering a comprehensive foundation in Power BI to streamline financial data modeling, analysis, and visualization. You will gain expertise in DAX functions, which are invaluable for complex financial calculations, such as trend analysis, budgeting, and performance metrics. Mastering advanced data modeling techniques like STAR schema design ensures you can efficiently integrate and analyze diverse financial datasets. The ability to create calculation groups and optimize data granularity will empower you to build dynamic and interactive financial reports and dashboards, enabling more agile and accurate financial planning and analysis. This course helps you enhance your analytical capabilities, making you a more effective and impactful Financial Analyst.

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Marketing Analyst

A Marketing Analyst plays a vital role in understanding market trends, customer behavior, and campaign performance, translating data into actionable strategies for marketing teams. This course can significantly benefit a Marketing Analyst, equipping you with a comprehensive foundation in Power BI for effective marketing data analysis and visualization. You will gain expertise in DAX functions, essential for calculating key performance indicators, measuring campaign effectiveness, and segmenting customer data. Mastering advanced data modeling techniques, including STAR schema design and model relationships, will allow you to integrate various marketing data sources efficiently, from website analytics to CRM data. The course's focus on Power BI Desktop features, performance optimization, and creating interactive reports directly supports the creation of dynamic marketing dashboards, enabling a Marketing Analyst to derive deeper insights and drive successful marketing initiatives.

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Operations Analyst

An Operations Analyst focuses on optimizing business processes, improving efficiency, and driving operational excellence through data-driven insights. This course can be highly beneficial for an Operations Analyst, providing a comprehensive foundation in Power BI for robust operational data modeling, analysis, and visualization. You will gain expertise in DAX functions, which are critical for calculating operational metrics, tracking performance against targets, and identifying bottlenecks. Mastering advanced data modeling techniques, including STAR schema design and hierarchies, will enable you to efficiently structure and analyze complex operational datasets, such as supply chain or production data. The course's emphasis on performance optimization, managing data granularity, and creating interactive reports empowers an Operations Analyst to build dynamic dashboards for real-time monitoring and actionable insights, fostering continuous improvement and strategic operational decisions.

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Product Analyst

A Product Analyst focuses on analyzing product performance, user behavior, and market feedback to inform product development strategies and drive product growth. This course can be highly valuable for a Product Analyst, providing a comprehensive foundation in Power BI for impactful product data modeling, analysis, and visualization. You will gain expertise in DAX functions, which are essential for calculating product usage metrics, conversion rates, and user engagement scores. Mastering advanced data modeling techniques, including STAR schema design and model relationships, will allow you to integrate diverse product datasets, such as telemetry, sales, and customer feedback. The course's emphasis on Power BI Desktop features, performance optimization, and creating interactive reports enables a Product Analyst to build dynamic dashboards for monitoring key performance indicators and identifying opportunities for product enhancement, helping to drive informed product decisions.

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Business Systems Analyst

A Business Systems Analyst acts as a bridge between business needs and technological solutions, often playing a key role in defining requirements for data-driven systems and reporting tools. This course can be highly valuable for a Business Systems Analyst, providing a comprehensive foundation in Power BI that enhances your ability to understand, define, and recommend business intelligence solutions. You will gain expertise in advanced data modeling, including STAR schema design and model relationships, allowing you to articulate data requirements more effectively to technical teams. Understanding DAX functions for analytical queries and performance optimization in Power BI enables you to better evaluate the feasibility and impact of proposed BI initiatives. This course helps you to translate complex business problems into structured data solutions and to appreciate the nuances of data modeling and analysis, fostering more effective communication and successful project delivery.

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Data Architect

A Data Architect is responsible for designing and implementing an organization's data strategy, including the structure, integration, and security of data assets. This role typically requires an advanced degree, focusing on creating robust, scalable, and secure data environments that support various business needs. This course may be useful for a Data Architect as it offers a comprehensive understanding of data modeling principles within Power BI, which can inform broader architectural decisions. You will explore advanced data modeling techniques such as STAR schema design, essential for optimizing data structures for efficient analysis. The emphasis on model relationships, hierarchies, and managing data granularity for performance improvements directly contributes to designing effective data solutions. Furthermore, the module covering data security and restricting access to model data is highly relevant for establishing robust data governance and security frameworks, helping to build a strong foundation for managing data at an enterprise level.

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Data Engineer

A Data Engineer builds and maintains the infrastructure and systems for collecting, storing, processing, and delivering large datasets, ensuring data readiness for analytics and machine learning. While the core focus of a Data Engineer is often on data pipelines and ETL, a strong understanding of how data is consumed and modeled for analysis is crucial. This course may be useful for a Data Engineer as it provides a comprehensive understanding of advanced data modeling principles in Power BI, particularly STAR schema design and optimizing data structures for efficient analysis. The emphasis on managing data granularity and performance improvements directly relates to designing effective data sources for downstream consumption. Understanding how data is modeled for business intelligence helps a Data Engineer to create more efficient and analytically friendly data pipelines, helping to build a foundation for robust data architecture.

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Enterprise Architect

An Enterprise Architect designs and oversees an organization's overall IT strategy, ensuring that all systems and data assets align with business goals. This role involves a high-level view of technology, processes, and information, and typically requires an advanced degree. This course may be useful for an Enterprise Architect in understanding how data is optimally structured and managed for analytical purposes within the enterprise. It provides a comprehensive foundation in Power BI's capabilities for advanced data modeling, including STAR schema design, model relationships, and performance optimization techniques like reducing granularity. Gaining expertise in DAX functions and understanding how to secure model data are crucial for ensuring the integrity, performance, and accessibility of analytical insights across the organization. This perspective helps in designing overarching data strategies that support efficient business intelligence workflows, contributing to a holistic and integrated enterprise architecture.

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Data Scientist

A Data Scientist is often at the forefront of extracting knowledge and insights from data, applying advanced statistical methods, machine learning, and programming to solve complex problems and predict future trends. While this role typically requires an advanced degree, the fundamental understanding of data structures and efficient data manipulation is critical. This course may be useful for an aspiring Data Scientist as it provides a comprehensive foundation in Power BI, focusing on optimizing data models and enhancing analytical capabilities. You will explore calculated columns, tables, and measures, along with advanced data modeling using STAR schema design, which are foundational concepts for preparing data for more sophisticated analysis. Proficiency in DAX functions for analytical queries and understanding data granularity can significantly streamline the data preparation phase, enabling a Data Scientist to more effectively cleanse, explore, and structure data before applying complex algorithms. This course can help build a strong understanding of robust data handling, which is a key prerequisite for success in data science.

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