DA-100 certification: Analyzing Data with Microsoft Power BI (updated 1/2022)

Learn skills for Microsoft DA-100 certification using the free Power BI Desktop. Learn Power Query, DAX, M and more.

What you'll learn
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.

Requirements
Before you begin this course, you should have a computer with access to the internet, and be able to install programs.
That's it! The more experience in reporting using other packages including Excel, the better, but it is not essential.

Description
This course covers the visualizations and analysing content required for the Power BI 70-778 and the new DA-100 certification exams.

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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."

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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 three parts

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

We'll download and install for free Power BI Desktop. We'll start by creating our first visualizations (vizzes) 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, guages, 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.

The course will take around 16 hours to complete, but completing this will enable you to create vizzes, dashboards and stories of your own, and know how to overcome common problems.

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.

Please note: Microsoft will retire the 70-778 exam on 31 January 2021, and the DA-100 certification will be available from 2 April 2020. This course will be kept up to date with the latest requirements.

Who this course is for
This reporting course is meant for anyone who has no prior experience of Power BI. It's also for you if you have used it, but never designed a report.
It's great if you have created analyses in other reporting tools, such as Microsoft Access, WebI, SSRS, Tableau or Yellowfin, but it not essential. If you have, then it will be another string to your bow.
It would also be good if you had prior experience in using Excel formulas, but again, that is not essential.
No prior experience in reporting tools or creating formulas is required.
This course is probably not for you if you always know how to use Power BI and know how to create reports, although we will be looking at some more advanced topics, including the M and DAX languages.