PL-300 certification: Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst from Udemy

This course covers the content required for the PL-300 certification exam. It has been updated in line with the March-June 2023 User Interface update for Power BI Desktop on-object interaction, the updated Power BI Service User Interface, and the PL-300 exam updates as of 6 February and 23 April 2024.

What do students like you say about this course?

Girma says: "This is another great course taught by the instructor – well-paced, every important aspects of Power BI are discussed in detail. I gained the real power of Power BI in this course."

Mohan says: "Another Excellent course by Mr Burton. This course can be used as a refresher , manual reference to review, understand and use Power BI tools efficiently. Explanations are very clear and crisp. Can help from Beginner to Intermediate level learning."

Andrew says: "I took a similar Power BI course through my work and I think this one is better. Highly recommend this training. I am a Lead ERP Financial Systems Analyst who worked mostly with Oracle BI tools. Company wants to go in a different direction so I am learning Power BI."

Do you already use reporting software such as Access, SSRS, Tableau or WebI? Or is this your first reporting software tool? Either way, welcome.

In this course, learn the skills that Microsoft want you to know, and add another tool to your CV, and even go for the Microsoft Power BI certification.

Power BI is one of the most requested reporting tools that are requested in the job market, and the ability to being able to use it now could be very useful for your current work, and your next job hunt.

This course comes in four parts:

Part 1 - Creating Visualizations (also known as Visualize and Analyze the Data)

We'll download and install for free Power BI Desktop. We'll start by creating our first visualizations (vizuals) and investigate the Power BI interface.

We'll look at the various visualisations available, and go through their common properties. We'll create maps, hierarchies, KPIs, gauges, and all sorts of chart types.

Part 2 - Get and Transform Data (also known as Prepare the Data)

We see how data can be transformed, saving you time in analysing the data. We'll look at sorting and filtering, split columns, and other transform activities. We'll merge, append and combine queries together. We'll Pivot and Unpivot, and transform text, numbers, dates and times, and create custom columns using the M language.

Part 3 - Refining the model (also known as Model the Data)

We'll see how relationships can be made through multiple tables, and refine the data with custom columns and measures using the DAX language.

Part 4 - Power BI Service

We'll then publish our visualisations onto the Power BI Service (which you can sign up for free), and then from your reports create dashboards. With the Power BI Pro (for which you can get a free trial), you can also create workspaces and apps.

The course will take around 28 hours to complete, but completing this will enable you to create visuals, transform and refine the model, and use the Power BI Service.

The course increases in difficulty slowly, so you'll create for instance a table or basic bar chart, then turn it into a stacked bar chart, and investigate more of their properties, step by step.

The course is fairly relaxed - there will be a few "wrong turns", so you can see what problems might arise, but every lesson works towards an end goal at a relatively slow pace, so you can follow on your own computer easily. I assume that you know how to use a computer, including installing programs, but the actual analysis will be at a basic level, and I'll introduce every component as we go on.

At the end of the course, you can download a certificate of completion, so you can show everyone your new-found skills, and be able to start creating analyses for yourselves. And with a bit of practice, you could also go for the official Microsoft PL-300 exam - wouldn’t that certificate look good on your CV or resume?

What's inside

Learning objectives

Download for free and install and run the full version of power bi desktop, the bi and analysis software.
Be able to create analyses, such as line charts, stacked bar charts, or geographic analyses using maps.
You will be able to format numbers and dates, and add labels, tooltips and animation.

You will be able to get and transform multiple sources of data, including merging multiple files from a folder, pivoting and unpivotting.
Building and refine models, including adding calculated columns and measures.
You will learn the important m and dax functions, to enable you to build your own formulas.

Download for free and install and run the full version of power bi desktop, the bi and analysis software.
Be able to create analyses, such as line charts, stacked bar charts, or geographic analyses using maps.
You will be able to format numbers and dates, and add labels, tooltips and animation.
You will be able to get and transform multiple sources of data, including merging multiple files from a folder, pivoting and unpivotting.
Building and refine models, including adding calculated columns and measures.
You will learn the important m and dax functions, to enable you to build your own formulas.

Syllabus

Introduction

Welcome to Udemy

The Udemy Interface

Do you want auto-translated subtitles in more languages?

What are we going to learn?

Installing Power BI Desktop

Resources

Saved Power BI files

Part 1 Level 1: Creating and formatting a table visualization

Welcome to Part 1: Visualizations

Importing from Excel, and Creating our first visualization

Exploring Power BI Desktop - Report view

Exploring Power BI Desktop - Data view

Focus mode and Different visualizations

Why do I need a Work email address? And how can I get one, if I don't have it?

Saving visualization to the Desktop and to the Power BI service

Creating and formatting a table visualization

Practice Activity Number 1

Practice Activity Number 1 - The Solution

Part 1 Level 2: Formatting our first visualization

Opening the Format Pane - for older versions of Power BI

Exploring the Format Pane (for all versions of Power BI)

Formatting using On-object Interaction

Formatting font and font size

Formatting colors

Stylistic options

Formatting our first visualization

Position visuals

Align visuals

Format Painter

Configuring summarization, both default and in a specific visualization

Changing number and date formatting

Custom number and date formatting

Configuring visuals

Practice Activity Number 2

Practice Activity Number 2 - The Solution

Part 1 Level 3: Creating different visualizations: Matrices and bar charts

Matrix

Drill down data, see data and records, and export data

Stacked bar charts and switch theme for reports

Bar Chart formatting, including continuous versus categorical axes

Configure interactions between visual (Edit interactions)

Clustered and 100% Stacked bar charts

Line and area charts, including 8b. Configure duplicate pages

Combo charts (Line and column charts)

Matrices and bar charts

Practice Activity Number 3

Practice Activity Number 3 - The Solution

Part 1 Level 4: Adding more control to your visualizations

Adding Text boxes, Images and Shapes

Visual level, page level and report level filters - basic filters

Advanced Filtering

Filter Top N Items

Including View - Sync slicers

Synchronizing slicers to multiple pages

Slicer Warning

Adding more control to your visualizations - Filters and slicers

Including clicking on the "More Options" button

Configure small multiples

Use Bookmarks for reports

Group and layer visuals by using the Selection pane

Adding more control to your visualizations - Part 2

Drillthrough

Buttons and Actions

Page Navigation and Drill through actions

Enable Natural Language Queries (Ask A Question) and Page Formatting

Tooltip Pages

Page and Bookmark Navigator

Adding more control to your visualizations - Part 3

Practice Activity Number 4

Practice Activity Number 4 - The Solution

Part 1 Level 5: Other visualizations

Ribbon charts

Waterfall charts

Scatter, bubble and dot charts

Other visualizations - Part 1

Pie charts and donut charts

Treemaps

Funnel charts

Adding Marketplace visualizations (Import a Custom Visual)

Other visualizations - Part 2

Practice Activity Number 5

Practice Activity Number 5 - The Solution

Part 1 Level 6: Mapping

Enabling maps

Maps

Formatting maps

Adding Data Categories

Filled Maps,Conditional Formatting, and color blindness

Creating hierarchies

ArcGIS Maps for Power BI

Practice Activity Number 6

Practice Activity Number 6 - The Solution

Part 1 Level 7: Measure performance by using KPIs, gauges and cards

a) calculate the actual

b) calculate the target

c) calculate actual to target

d) configure values for gauges

e) use the format settings to manually set values

Cards and Multi-row cards

More conditional formatting

KPIs

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Explores Power BI, which is standard in business intelligence and data analytics

Taught by Philip Burton and I Do Data Limited, who are recognized for their work in Power BI

Develops skills and knowledge that are core for the PL-300 certification exam

Covers the latest Power BI updates, including the March-June 2023 User Interface update and the PL-300 exam updates

Provides hands-on labs and interactive materials

Suitable for beginners and intermediate learners

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in PL-300 certification: Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst with these activities:

Identify Mentors in the Data Analysis Field

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Seek guidance and support from experienced professionals by identifying potential mentors in the field of data analysis

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Attend industry events and network with professionals
Reach out to people in your professional network
Contact professors or instructors from previous courses

Review Basic Statistics Concepts

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Brush up on fundamental statistical concepts to strengthen your foundation for data analysis in Power BI

Browse courses on Statistics

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Review statistical concepts such as mean, median, and mode
Practice calculating basic statistical measures

Compile a Data Analysis Resource List

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Create a comprehensive list of valuable resources related to data analysis, including websites, articles, and tools

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Search for online resources on data analysis
Organize the resources into categories
Create a document or spreadsheet to store the list
Share the resource list with others

Five other activities

Expand to see all activities and additional details

Show all eight activities

Practice Creating Visualizations

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Practice creating various visualizations to reinforce your understanding of different ways to present data

Browse courses on Visualizations

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Create a line chart
Create a bar chart
Create a pie chart
Create a scatter plot
Create a map visualization

Peer Review of Power BI Visualizations

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Collaborate with peers to provide and receive feedback on Power BI visualizations, enhancing your visual communication skills

Browse courses on Peer Review

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Find a peer
Exchange Power BI visualizations
Provide constructive feedback
Incorporate feedback into your own visualizations

Tutorials on Data Transformation and Modeling

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Follow online tutorials to enhance your skills in transforming and modeling data

Browse courses on Data Transformation

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Find a tutorial on data transformation using Power BI
Follow the tutorial to learn how to transform data
Find a tutorial on data modeling using Power BI
Follow the tutorial to learn how to model data
Practice transforming and modeling data using the techniques you learned

Develop a Power BI Report

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Create a comprehensive Power BI report to demonstrate your proficiency in data analysis and visualization

Browse courses on Reporting

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Choose a dataset
Create a Power BI report
Analyze the data
Create visualizations
Publish your report

Volunteer at a Non-Profit Organization

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Apply your data analysis skills in a practical setting by volunteering for a non-profit organization

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Find a non-profit organization that needs assistance with data analysis
Contact the organization and offer your services
Work with the organization to identify their data needs
Analyze data and provide insights to the organization

Career center

Learners who complete PL-300 certification: Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Data Analyst

A Data Analyst is someone who collects, analyzes, interprets, and visualizes data in order to identify trends and patterns. In this course, you will learn the skills needed to create visualizations, transform and refine data, and use the Power BI service. These skills are essential for Data Analysts, as they allow them to turn raw data into actionable insights that can help businesses make better decisions.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Analyst

Business Intelligence Analyst

A Business Intelligence Analyst is someone who uses data to help businesses understand their performance and make better decisions. In this course, you will learn the skills needed to collect, analyze, and visualize data, as well as how to use Power BI to create dashboards and reports. These skills are essential for Business Intelligence Analysts, as they allow them to provide valuable insights to businesses that can help them improve their performance.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Intelligence Analyst

Data Scientist

A Data Scientist is someone who uses data to solve problems and make predictions. In this course, you will learn the skills needed to collect, analyze, and visualize data, as well as how to use Power BI to create models and forecasts. These skills are essential for Data Scientists, as they allow them to develop solutions to complex problems and make accurate predictions.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Scientist

Data Engineer

A Data Engineer is someone who designs, builds, and maintains data systems. In this course, you will learn the skills needed to transform and refine data, as well as how to use Power BI to create data models. These skills are essential for Data Engineers, as they allow them to build systems that can handle large amounts of data and provide valuable insights to businesses.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Engineer

Database Administrator

A Database Administrator is someone who manages and maintains databases. In this course, you will learn the skills needed to transform and refine data, as well as how to use Power BI to create data models. These skills are essential for Database Administrators, as they allow them to manage databases that can handle large amounts of data and provide valuable insights to businesses.

See salaries and explore the career path for Database Administrator

Report Writer

A Report Writer is someone who creates reports that summarize and analyze data. In this course, you will learn the skills needed to create visualizations, transform and refine data, and use the Power BI service. These skills are essential for Report Writers, as they allow them to create reports that are clear, concise, and informative.

See salaries and explore the career path for Report Writer

Data Visualization Specialist

A Data Visualization Specialist is someone who creates visualizations that communicate data in a clear and concise way. In this course, you will learn the skills needed to create visualizations, transform and refine data, and use the Power BI service. These skills are essential for Data Visualization Specialists, as they allow them to create visualizations that can help businesses understand their data and make better decisions.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Visualization Specialist

Management Consultant

A Management Consultant is someone who provides advice to businesses on how to improve their performance. In this course, you will learn the skills needed to collect, analyze, and visualize data, as well as how to use Power BI to create dashboards and reports. These skills are essential for Management Consultants, as they allow them to provide valuable insights to businesses that can help them improve their performance.

See salaries and explore the career path for Management Consultant

Financial Analyst

A Financial Analyst is someone who analyzes financial data to help businesses make investment decisions. In this course, you will learn the skills needed to collect, analyze, and visualize data, as well as how to use Power BI to create dashboards and reports. These skills are essential for Financial Analysts, as they allow them to provide valuable insights to businesses that can help them make better investment decisions.

See salaries and explore the career path for Financial Analyst

Marketing Analyst

A Marketing Analyst is someone who analyzes marketing data to help businesses understand their customers and improve their marketing campaigns. In this course, you will learn the skills needed to collect, analyze, and visualize data, as well as how to use Power BI to create dashboards and reports. These skills are essential for Marketing Analysts, as they allow them to provide valuable insights to businesses that can help them improve their marketing campaigns.

See salaries and explore the career path for Marketing Analyst

Operations Analyst

An Operations Analyst is someone who analyzes operational data to help businesses improve their efficiency and productivity. In this course, you will learn the skills needed to collect, analyze, and visualize data, as well as how to use Power BI to create dashboards and reports. These skills are essential for Operations Analysts, as they allow them to provide valuable insights to businesses that can help them improve their operations.

See salaries and explore the career path for Operations Analyst

Product Manager

A Product Manager is someone who is responsible for the development and marketing of a product. In this course, you will learn the skills needed to collect, analyze, and visualize data, as well as how to use Power BI to create dashboards and reports. These skills are essential for Product Managers, as they allow them to understand their customers and make better decisions about their products.

See salaries and explore the career path for Product Manager

Sales Analyst

A Sales Analyst is someone who analyzes sales data to help businesses understand their customers and improve their sales strategies. In this course, you will learn the skills needed to collect, analyze, and visualize data, as well as how to use Power BI to create dashboards and reports. These skills are essential for Sales Analysts, as they allow them to provide valuable insights to businesses that can help them improve their sales strategies.

See salaries and explore the career path for Sales Analyst

Data Architect

A Data Architect is someone who designs and builds data management systems. In this course, you will learn the skills needed to transform and refine data, as well as how to use Power BI to create data models. These skills are essential for Data Architects, as they allow them to design and build systems that can handle large amounts of data and provide valuable insights to businesses.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Architect

Data Steward

A Data Steward is someone who manages and protects data assets. In this course, you will learn the skills needed to transform and refine data, as well as how to use Power BI to create data models. These skills are essential for Data Stewards, as they allow them to manage and protect data assets.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Steward