Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Certification Companion

Use this book to study for the PL-300 Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst exam. The book follows the “Skills Measured” outline provided by Microsoft to help focus your study. Each topic area from the outline corresponds to an area covered by the exam, and the book helps you build a good base of knowledge in each area. Each topic is presented with a blend of practical explanations, theory, and best practices.

Power BI is more than just the Power BI Desktop or the Power BI Service. It is two distinct applications and an online service that, together, enable business users to gather, shape, and analyze data to generate and present insights. This book clearly delineates the purpose of each component and explains the key concepts necessary to use each component effectively. Each chapter provides best practices and tips to help an inexperienced Power BI practitioner develop good habits that will support larger or more complex analyses.

Many business analysts come to Power BI with a wealth of experience in Excel and particularly with pivot tables. Some of this experience translates readily into Power BI concepts. This book leverages that overlap in skill sets to help seasoned Excel users overcome the initial learning curve in Power BI, but no prior knowledge of any kind is assumed, terminology is defined in non-technical language, and key concepts are explained using analogies and ideas from experiences common to any reader. After reading this book, you will have the background and capability to learn the skills and concepts necessary both to pass the PL-300 exam and become a confident Power BI practitioner.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

* Create user-friendly, responsive reports with drill-throughs, bookmarks, and tool tips
* Construct a star schema with relationships, ensuring that your analysis will be both accurate and responsive
* Publish reports and datasets to the Power BI Service, enabling the report (and the dataset) to be viewed and used by your colleagues
* Extract data from a variety of sources, enabling you to leverage the data that your organization has collected and stored in a variety of sources
* Schedule data refreshes for published datasets so your reports and dashboards stay up to date
* Develop dashboards with visuals from different reports and streaming content

WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR

Power BI users who are planning to take the PL-300 exam, Power BI users who want help studying the topic areas listed in Microsoft’s outline for the PL-300 exam, and those who are not planning to take the exam but want to close any knowledge gaps they might have

JESSICA JOLLY, MCT, MCSE, DA-100, PL-100, PL-300, DP-500, is a Microsoft certified trainer who helps businesses, non-profits, and individuals improve their business intelligence skills, bit by byte. She runs her own business, ALT-Enter, LLC. Before her reinvention as an entrepreneur (after 50!), she worked for Unilever, a global consumer products company, for 27 years, in a variety of managerial roles. Her business practice focuses on data visualization tools, specifically Microsoft's Power BI platform. She is living proof that you can cry through every math class you ever had, and still fashion a career that focuses on data, charts, visuals, and code. When she is not training other adults, she is knitting and quilting (a refuge from all of the technology!), reading about the Civil War, swimming, gardening, biking, hiking, and canoeing.

PART I. PREPARE TO STUDY

1. Exam Overview

2. PL-300 Coverage

PART II. PREPARE THE DATA

3. Get Data from Different Data Sources

4. Clean, Transform, and Load the Data

PART III. MODEL THE DATA

5. Design a Data Model

6. Develop a Data Model

7. Create Model Calculations using DAX

8. Optimize Model Performance

PART IV. VISUALIZE AND ANALYZE THE DATA

9. Create Reports

10. Enhance Reports

11. Identify Patterns and Trends

PART V. DEPLOY AND MAINTAIN ASSETS

12. Manage Files and Datasets

13. Create Dashboards

14. Manage Workspaces

PART VI. CONTINUE YOUR LEARNING

15. Where Do You Go From Here?