Microsoft Power BI Quick Start Guide: Bring your data to life through data modeling, visualization, digital storytelling, and more, 2nd Edition

An accessible fast paced introduction to all aspects of Power BI for new or aspiring BI professionals, data analysts, and data visualizers

Key Features

• Updated with the latest features in Power BI including Dataflow, AI insights, visuals and row level security
• Get faster and more intuitive data insights using Microsoft Power BI and its business intelligence capabilities
• Build accurate analytical models, reports, and dashboards

Book Description

This revised edition has been fully updated to reflect the latest enhancements to Power BI. It includes a new chapter dedicated to dataflow, and covers all the essential concepts such as installation, designing effective data models, as well as building basic dashboards and visualizations to help you and your organization make better business decisions.

You'll learn how to obtain data from a variety of sources and clean it using Power BI Query Editor. You'll then find out how you can design your data model to navigate and explore relationships within it and build DAX formulas to make your data easier to work with. Visualizing your data is a key element in this book, and you'll get to grips rapidly with data visualization styles and enhanced digital storytelling techniques.

In addition, you will acquire the skills to build your own dataflows, understand the Common Data Model, and automate data flow refreshes to eradicate data cleansing inefficiency.

This guide will help you understand how to administer your organization's Power BI environment so that deployment can be made seamless, data refreshes can run properly, and security can be fully implemented.

By the end of this Power BI book, you'll have a better understanding of how to get the most out of Power BI to perform effective business intelligence.

What you will learn

• Connect to data sources using import and DirectQuery options
• Use Query Editor for data transformation and data cleansing processes, including writing M and R scripts and dataflows to do the same in the cloud
• Design optimized data models by designing relationships and DAX calculations
• Design effective reports with built-in and custom visuals
• Adopt Power BI Desktop and Service to implement row-level security
• Administer a Power BI cloud tenant for your organization
• Use built-in AI capabilities to enhance Power BI data transformation techniques
• Deploy your Power BI desktop files into the Power BI Report Server

Who this book is for

Aspiring business intelligence professionals who want to learn Power BI will find this book useful. If you have a basic understanding of BI concepts and want to learn how to apply them using Microsoft Power BI, this book is for you.

Table of Contents

1. Getting Started with Importing Data Options
2. Data Transformation Strategies
3. Building the Data Model
4. Leveraging DAX
5. Visualizing Data
6. Digital Storytelling with Power BI
7. Using a Cloud Deployment with the Power BI Service
8. Data Cleansing in the Cloud with Dataflows
9. On-Premises Solutions with Power BI Report Server

Devin Knight a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and the President at Pragmatic Works Training. At Pragmatic Works, Devin determines which courses are created, delivered, and updated for customers, including 15+ Power BI courses. This is the tenth SQL Server and Business Intelligence book that he has authored. Devin often speaks at conferences such as PASS Summit, PASS Business Analytics Conference, SQL Saturdays, and Code Camps. He is also a contributing member to several PASS Virtual Chapters. Making his home in Jacksonville, FL, Devin is a contributor at the local Power BI User Group.

Mitchell Pearson has worked as a Data Platform Consultant and Trainer for the last 8 years. Mitchell has authored books on SQL Server, Power BI and the Power Platform. Data Platform experience includes designing and implementing enterprise level Business Intelligence solutions with the Microsoft SQL Server stack (T-SQL, SSIS, SSAS, SSRS), the Power Platform and Microsoft Azure.

Mitchell is very active in the community: Running the local Power BI User Group, presenting at user groups locally and virtually, and creating YouTube videos for MitchellSQL

Bradley Schacht is a Senior Cloud Solution Architect (Data Platform) on the Microsoft State and Local Government team based in Jacksonville, FL. Bradley has authored 3 other SQL Server books. As a former consultant and trainer, he uses his experience on the Microsoft data platform to help customers architect quality end to end solutions for every business problem encountered. Bradley gives back to the community through speaking at events such as the PASS Summit, SQL Saturdays, Code Camps, and user groups across the country including locally at the Jacksonville SQL Server User Group (JSSUG).

Erin Ostrowsky is a creative and passionate lifelong learner. She began her career as a business journalist and researcher and found herself drawn to the power of beautifully visualized data analysis. After living overseas, Erin returned to the USA looking to marry her communication background with a technical focus and found a life changing opportunity to work as a trainer for Pragmatic Works where she focused on creating new educational materials and delivering Power BI training around the country. Erin focuses on the Power Platform tools and loves working on teams to build business intelligence solutions that businesses use and enjoy.