Dashboard in a Day

In this module, you'll learn everything you need to get started with Microsoft's Dashboard in a Day. You'll download all the necessary files, set up your workspace, and gain a clear understanding of the tools required to complete the course. All of which can be found below.

Justin kicks things off with an introduction to the course structure and learning goals. You’ll go over what Power BI is, how it's used in the real world, and what you'll need to follow along, including software access and course files.

Begin your hands-on journey by connecting to data in Power BI Desktop. Justin shows you how to import data from common sources and prepare it for analysis using the Power Query Editor—covering everything from renaming columns to removing errors.

Create your first data model by defining relationships between tables and exploring your dataset’s structure. You'll learn how to navigate Power BI's data view, identify key fields, and prepare your model for deeper insights.

In this module, Emily will guide you through the essential techniques for enhancing data analysis and visualization in Power BI, focusing on hierarchies, matrix visuals, and calculated measures. You’ll begin by learning how to create hierarchies within your data model, adding layers such as geography and products to enable detailed drill-down analysis. Emily will demonstrate this with a real-world example, using Australia's 2021 revenue spike to illustrate how hierarchies improve insights. You’ll then explore matrix visuals, a powerful tool for comparing data categories like urban and rural revenue, and learn how to incorporate revenue percentages for a deeper financial overview. Finally, Emily will introduce calculated measures, highlighting their efficiency and performance benefits over calculated columns. You'll learn to use DAX functions like CALCULATE and DIVIDE to compare sales revenue and calculate year-over-year growth, making your data models more dynamic and responsive. By the end of this module, you’ll be well-equipped to organize and analyze complex data with precision and clarity.

Now it's time to bring your data to life. Justin walks you through adding visual elements like bar charts, line graphs, and slicers. You'll also learn the basics of report layout, color usage, and how to focus attention on key insights.

Make your reports stand out by importing custom visuals from the marketplace. You’ll also learn how to use bookmarks to create guided navigation or highlight different views within a single report page.

In this module, Emily will guide you through the essential steps of creating mobile-friendly reports, publishing your work, and building dashboards in Power BI. You’ll start by learning how to design a mobile report view using the mobile layout feature in Power BI Desktop, ensuring your visuals are accessible and clear on smaller screens. Next, Emily will walk you through the process of publishing your report to the Power BI Service, where you’ll create a collaborative workspace for sharing and managing your reports and semantic models. Finally, you’ll discover how to build and customize dashboards in Power BI Service by pinning key visuals from your reports, allowing you to monitor important metrics and drill down into specific data points. By the end of this module, you’ll have the skills to make your reports both mobile-ready and collaborative, while effectively visualizing and analyzing data through dashboards.

In this module, Emily will guide you through the advanced features of Power BI, focusing on interactive data querying, managing permissions, and mobile accessibility. You’ll begin by exploring Power BI's Q&A feature, where you can query data directly from a dashboard to generate visuals such as bar charts and tree maps, helping you gain quick insights and set alerts for specific metrics. Next, Emily will demonstrate how to manage permissions within Power BI workspaces, showing you how to assign roles, share content, and create apps for distributing reports and dashboards. Finally, you’ll learn how to access and interact with Power BI reports on mobile devices, ensuring you can view and analyze data on the go. By the end of this module, you’ll be equipped to make data-driven decisions, collaborate effectively, and maintain mobile accessibility in Power BI.

Wrap up the course with a review of everything you’ve built. Justin summarizes key concepts, shows a completed dashboard in action, and offers guidance on where to go next in your Power BI journey.