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POWER BI

Power BI: Raw Data to Professional Business Dashboards

Go from messy raw files to a polished, interactive executive dashboard in Power BI: Power Query, data modeling, DAX, time intelligence, visuals, design, row-level security and AI features, with practice files, a hands-on assessment and quiz for every module and a final capstone.

9h 19mBeginner to Advanced83 lessons
Created by Priyendra Kumar (PK) · NextGenTemplates Academy
Power BI: Raw Data to Professional Business Dashboards

What you’ll learn

  • Connect Power BI to Excel and CSV files and combine a folder of monthly files that refreshes itself
  • Clean and reshape messy data with Power Query: text fixes, unpivot, conditional columns, merges and appends
  • Design a star schema with relationships and a marked Date table
  • Write DAX measures with aggregations, iterators, variables and SWITCH
  • Control results with CALCULATE, ALL and REMOVEFILTERS and report percent of total
  • Build year-to-date, prior-year, YoY %, rolling and Top N calculations with DAX time intelligence
  • Choose the right visual and format cards, tables, matrices, maps and waterfalls like a professional
  • Make reports interactive with slicers, drillthrough, bookmarks, tooltips and field parameters
  • Design a one-page executive dashboard and secure it with row-level security
  • Use AI visuals and AI-assisted DAX, and verify every result

A practical route to better work.

A complete, project-based Power BI course in 12 modules, built around realistic fictional US businesses. Start with the Power BI workflow and your first report, then connect to Excel and CSV files, combine a whole folder of monthly files automatically and use parameters to make reports portable. Clean and reshape data with Power Query: fix text, promote headers, unpivot, add conditional and custom columns, merge and append queries and group rows. Design a proper star schema with relationships, a marked Date table and a tidy model, then write DAX from first principles: measures versus calculated columns, aggregations, iterators, logic and variables, CALCULATE, percent of total, year-to-date, prior-year and rolling calculations, ranking and dynamic Top N. Turn the model into clear visuals with the right chart, the new card visual, tables and matrices with conditional formatting, maps and waterfalls, and professional formatting; make it interactive with slicers, drill down, drillthrough, bookmarks, buttons, tooltips and field parameters. Then design the executive page with themes, backgrounds and alignment, add row-level security, publish to the Power BI service, and use AI features with care: the decomposition tree, key influencers, anomaly detection, smart narrative and AI-assisted DAX that you always verify. Modules 1-10 each end with a hands-on assessment on a new business, a 10-question quiz and a full solution walkthrough, Module 11 closes with a quiz, and the course finishes with a final capstone: a three-page Summit Home & Outdoor executive sales dashboard built from raw files. Every lesson includes the practice files used in the video, and Power BI Desktop is free.

Inside the course

13 modules · 83 lessons
MODULE 01Start Here+
Welcome: what you will build and how this course works4 minPreview
Install Power BI Desktop, set options and get the course files5 minPreview
MODULE 02Module 1: Foundations+
What Power BI is: Desktop, Service, Mobile and the BI workflow6 minPreview
Tour of Power BI Desktop: views, panes and the ribbon7 min
Your first report: from an Excel file to three visuals9 min
Module 1 assessment: Bean Street Coffee first report45 min
Module 1 quiz: check your understanding10 min
Module 1 assessment: full solution walkthrough8 min
MODULE 03Module 2: Get Data+
Connect to Excel and CSV: Navigator, Load vs Transform data7 min
Combine a folder of monthly CSV files automatically8 min
Enter data, web tables and copying data in safely6 min
Parameters and data source settings: make the report portable6 min
Module 2 assessment: Redwood Bike Rentals folder of monthly CSVs45 min
Module 2 quiz: check your understanding10 min
Module 2 assessment: full solution walkthrough9 min
MODULE 04Module 3: Power Query+
Power Query Editor tour: applied steps, data types and column profiling8 min
Clean text: trim, clean, case, split and replace values9 min
Fix messy reports: promote headers, remove rows, fill down, handle errors9 min
Unpivot, pivot and transpose: turn reports into tables9 min
Conditional columns, custom columns and column from examples9 min
Merge and append queries: lookups and stacking tables9 min
Group By, reference vs duplicate and organizing queries10 min
Module 3 assessment: Prairie Health Clinics messy visit export45 min
Module 3 quiz: check your understanding10 min
Module 3 assessment: full solution walkthrough11 min
MODULE 05Module 4: Data Modeling+
Star schema: fact and dimension tables explained7 min
Relationships: cardinality, filter direction and active vs inactive10 min
Build a Date table and mark it as a date table9 min
Model hygiene: hide keys, formats, data categories and display folders9 min
Module 4 assessment: Bluegate Logistics shipments model40 min
Module 4 quiz: check your understanding10 min
Module 4 assessment: full solution walkthrough12 min
MODULE 06Module 5: DAX Foundations+
Calculated columns vs measures: row context and filter context10 min
Core aggregations: SUM, AVERAGE, COUNTROWS, DISTINCTCOUNT and DIVIDE10 min
Iterators: SUMX, AVERAGEX and RELATED9 min
Logic in DAX: IF, SWITCH(TRUE()), variables and BLANK handling10 min
Module 5 assessment: Copperleaf SaaS subscription measures40 min
Module 5 quiz: check your understanding10 min
Module 5 assessment: full solution walkthrough13 min
MODULE 07Module 6: CALCULATE and Time Intelligence+
CALCULATE: change the filter context11 min
ALL, ALLEXCEPT, REMOVEFILTERS and percent of total10 min
Time intelligence: YTD, QTD, MTD, prior year and YoY growth11 min
Rolling and moving: rolling 3 months, moving average and running total10 min
Ranking and Top N: RANKX, TOPN and a dynamic Top N slicer10 min
Module 6 assessment: Granite Peak Hotels bookings 2024-202645 min
Module 6 quiz: check your understanding10 min
Module 6 assessment: full solution walkthrough14 min
MODULE 08Module 7: Visuals+
Choose the right chart: bar, column, line, area and combo8 min
Cards, the new card visual, KPI and gauge8 min
Tables and matrices with conditional formatting9 min
Maps, scatter, treemap, waterfall and decomposition tree9 min
Format like a pro: titles, labels, axes and analytics lines8 min
Module 7 assessment: Harborline Insurance claims report page45 min
Module 7 quiz: check your understanding10 min
Module 7 assessment: full solution walkthrough11 min
MODULE 09Module 8: Interactivity+
Slicers: list, dropdown, tiles, date range and sync slicers9 min
Filters pane and edit interactions8 min
Drill down, hierarchies and drillthrough pages8 min
Bookmarks, buttons and page navigation10 min
Report page tooltips and field parameters9 min
Module 8 assessment: Evergreen Grocers interactive report45 min
Module 8 quiz: check your understanding10 min
Module 8 assessment: full solution walkthrough16 min
MODULE 10Module 9: Dashboard Design+
Dashboard design principles: layout, hierarchy and color8 min
Themes, canvas background and alignment tools10 min
Build the executive page: KPI row, trend and breakdowns12 min
Finish the report: detail pages, navigation and final polish14 min
Module 9 assessment: Lumen Electronics one-page dashboard50 min
Module 9 quiz: check your understanding10 min
Module 9 assessment: full solution walkthrough13 min
MODULE 11Module 10: Security and Sharing+
Row-level security: static and dynamic roles9 min
Publish to the Power BI Service: workspaces, reports and dashboards8 min
Refresh, gateways and sharing: apps, links and export8 min
Module 10 assessment: Cascade Field Services regional security35 min
Module 10 quiz: check your understanding10 min
Module 10 assessment: full solution walkthrough10 min
MODULE 12Module 11: AI Features+
Built-in AI visuals: decomposition tree, key influencers, smart narrative and anomalies8 min
Use AI to write, explain and debug DAX and M - and verify it9 min
Module 11 practice: Maple & Main Bakery AI-written measures20 min
Module 11 quiz: AI features and AI-assisted DAX10 min
MODULE 13Module 12: Capstone+
Final capstone brief: Summit Home & Outdoor executive sales dashboard240 min
Submit your final capstone10 min
Final capstone: complete solution walkthrough23 min

Practice files

27 downloadable practice workbooks to follow along with the lessons.

Video lessons

59 step-by-step video lessons (9h 19m), streamed securely.

A practical assignment

Apply your learning, submit your work and explain your approach.

A knowledge check

Test your understanding with clear feedback and explanations.

Certificate of completion

Complete the course to download a certificate of completion with a unique certificate ID.

Is this course for you?

  • Excel users who want to move from spreadsheets to automated dashboards
  • Analysts, finance, operations and sales professionals who build recurring reports
  • Managers and small-business owners who want clear, interactive reporting
  • Students and job seekers who want a portfolio-ready Power BI project

Before you start

  • A Windows PC that can run Power BI Desktop (free download from Microsoft)
  • Basic Excel skills: opening files, tables and simple formulas
  • No paid Power BI license is needed to follow the lessons

About your instructor

Priyendra Kumar (PK), founder of NextGenTemplates

Priyendra Kumar (PK)

Founder, NextGenTemplates · Creator of PK: An Excel Expert

A business intelligence consultant, educator and template creator with more than 20 years of real-world experience in Excel, Power BI, Google Sheets, dashboards and business reporting.

PK has shared Excel tutorials on YouTube since 2017. In this course he teaches the same practical way: understand the idea, work through a business example, and build something you can use.

More about PK

Good to know

How do I buy a course, and which payment methods can I use?+

Choose a course, select Add to cart and complete checkout. With an Indian billing address you pay in INR through Razorpay, using UPI, cards or net banking. From any other country you pay in USD through PayPal, including debit and credit cards. It is a one-time payment, and the course appears in My Learning as soon as payment is confirmed.

Can I learn at my own pace?+

Yes. Lessons are organized into modules, and signed-in learners can save their progress and resume where they left off.

Are practice files included?+

Yes. Practice files are included with each paid course and can be downloaded from the course once you are enrolled. They are for your personal learning and your own internal work.

Will I receive a certificate?+

Yes. When you complete all required lessons (and any knowledge check or assignment in the course), you can download a certificate of completion with a unique certificate ID. It confirms course completion; it is not an academic or professional accreditation.

How long will I have course access?+

You get lifetime access: you can use the course for as long as NextGenTemplates Academy operates and offers it, as described in the Course Access Policy. There is no subscription or renewal fee.

Can I get a refund?+

Courses are digital content with immediate access, so purchases are generally non-refundable. Limited exceptions are explained in the Refund Policy.

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