Course Description and Competencies

What to Expect

In this course, you will work through 15 courses in the DataCamp learning platform. Working through this material will equip you with the necessary skills to become proficient in Power BI.

Throughout the course, you will find readings, practice scenarios, and other activities to help you develop your use of Power BI in data analytics. These include case studies and interactive elements to deepen your understanding of the content. Engaging with these activities will help expand your understanding of how data is collected and sorted, in addition to gaining the skills to present data and create reports using Power BI. 

Prerequisites:

It is recommended to take Data Analysis with SQL before beginning this course.

Course Competencies

This course covers the following competencies:

  • The learner will be able to identify relationships among data using raw datasets.
  • The learner will be able to create visualizations in the best format for a given set of data. 
  • The learner will be able to communicate findings to stakeholders using the correct data and visualizations. 

Assessment

Your competencies will be assessed by a performance assessment and a certification exam. The course materials are here to help you prepare, and you can use them in the way that works best for you. To complete the course, you will need to earn a Competent ranking on both assessments.

You can set yourself up for success by creating a study plan, taking practice quizzes, and completing the practice assessment. These steps can help you build confidence and see where you may want to focus before attempting your assessments. For your performance assessment, you are encouraged to attempt the assessment as early as you feel ready, so you have time to learn from the experience and try again if needed.

If you do not pass the performance assessment the first time, don’t worry. You can reach out to your Student Experience Team to make a plan and try again.

For your certification exam, details for preparing, registering, and completing the exam are available in the final module at the end of the course. The registration fee for your first attempt to pass the exam is included with your enrollment.

1 Final Project
1 Certification Exam
3 Competency Units

Course Outline

ModuleUpon completion of this module, you will be able to:
Introduction to Power BI
  • Identify the differences between Power BI Free, Pro, and Premium versions and their appropriate use cases.
  • Recognize Power BI’s main components, including report view, data view, and relationship view.
  • Differentiate between DAX and M code when creating calculated columns, tables, and measures.
  • Assess visualization techniques such as hierarchies, drill-downs, filters, and slicers to enhance reports.
  • Evaluate deployment options by recognizing Power BI Service features, workspaces, and dashboards.
Introduction to DAX in Power BI
  • Generate calculated columns, measures, and tables using DAX.
  • Create complex DAX code using Quick Measures.
  • Utilize context to enable dynamic analysis.
Data Visualization in Power BI
  • Determine what type of visualization to use given a target audience.
  • Present data in ways that elicit audience emotions.
  • Tailor data visualizations to reduce cognitive load.
Data Preparation in Power BI
  • Clean data using Power Query to prepare it for analysis.
  • Summarize dataset characteristics using Power Query.
  • Determine necessary data transformation steps using Power Query.
  • Transform text and numerical data using Power Query.
Data Transformation in Power BI
  • Reshape and aggregate data from various sources to enrich analytical capabilities.
  • Compare and contrast DAX and M Code.
  • Write custom functions in M Code.
Data Modeling in Power BI
  • Determine when to use Power Query and Power BI.
  • Load and transform data from multiple sources using Power BI and Power Query.
  • Utilize various approaches to dimensional modeling.
Intermediate Data Modeling in Power BI
  • Minimize complex date operations using date dimensions and relationships.
  • Improve query performance using aggregating and grouping.
  • Determine when to use natural hierarchies and artificial hierarchies.
  • Determine when to use bi-directional cross-filters and role-playing dimensions.
  • Identify and resolve performance issues in Power BI.
DAX Functions in Power BI
  • Write custom functions to create new tables, calculated columns, and calculated measures.
  • Compare and contrast implicit and explicit measures.
  • Utilize variables to improve efficiency of writing DAX functions.
  • Improve performance using filtering, counting, and iterating functions.
Intermediate DAX in Power BI
  • Utilize common logical functions to return information about the values or sets in an expression.
  • Set user roles and permissions using row-level security.
  • Manipulate tables using ADDCOLUMNS() and SUMMARIZE().
  • Manipulate and compare data using time intelligence functions.
Exploratory Data Analysis in Power BI
  • Identify the six tasks of exploratory data analysis (EDA).
  • Identify and fill gaps in missing data using imputation techniques.
  • Identify and address outliers within a dataset using winsorizing.
  • Build histograms to analyze distributions.
  • Determine relationships between continuous and categorical variables.
Trend Analysis in Power BI
  • Analyze changes in the value of a variable over time using time series analytics.
  • Build line charts to calculate new metrics and uncover trends in data over time.
  • Construct and interpret Decomposition Trees to explain a target outcome by other variables.
  • Identify key influencers to determine major drivers in a metric and explore relationships between variables.
Reports in Power BI
  • Compare and contrast reports and dashboards.
  • Increase user interaction using drill-through filters, bookmarks, buttons, and navigation.
  • Customize the look and feel of buttons and tables using Unicode and emojis in tables.
  • Create Q&A visuals to improve user experience.
Report Design in Power BI
  • Apply progressive disclosure to increase users’ control over visuals.
  • Create custom themes in Power BI.
  • Optimize reports for mobile devices.
Data Connections in Power BI
  • Compare and contrast data connections in Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service.
  • Connect various data sources to create comprehensive reports.
  • Amend established data connections using M Language.
  • Implement incremental refreshes using parameters.
Deploying and Maintaining Assets in Power BI
  • Publish Power BI Desktop reports as workspaces and build applications.
  • Compare template and organizational applications.
  • Secure datasets in Power BI Service by applying global and report settings.
  • Enable report discovery using endorsement, subscription, and data alerts.
  • Endorse content via promotion.

Key Contacts

Certificate Connect
Check out this online community to take advantage of course resources, including videos and tips from your educators. You can ask and answer questions, provide feedback on your progress, and interact with fellow students. You will find this platform in the Student Resources section of the course. Log on and do some exploring!

Technical Support
If you encounter technical issues, be sure to contact the Help Desk. Just submit a Support Request for assistance.

Program Support
Do you have questions about your account? Student Support has answers. They can help with billing, switching courses, and other requests. You can contact them at (888) 320-0540 or support@academy.wgu.edu.

Accommodations

WGU provides compliant and accessible learning experiences. If you require accommodation, please contact us at the start of the course. You can email disability@academy.wgu.edu.

We are committed to ensuring that all students with disabilities have equal access to WGU's services and materials. We strive to use best practices for accessibility. Our goal is to conform to existing U.S. laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Our learning management system (LMS) platform is Open edX. Open edX’s commitment to accessible content is published in their Website Accessibility Policy.