When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Professional Certificate.
Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate from Microsoft
There are 3 modules in this course
This course forms part of the Microsoft Power BI Analyst Professional Certificate. This Professional Certificate consists of a series of courses that offers a good starting point for a career in data analysis using Microsoft Power BI.
In this course, you’ll learn about the role of a data analyst and the main stages involved in the data analysis process with a focus on applying them using Microsoft Power BI.
After completing this course, you’ll be able to:
• Describe how data is produced and gathered in businesses and organizations.
• Outline the role of data in creating data-driven decisions and successful business outcomes.
• Classify key stages in the data analysis process.
• Recognize the skills needed by a Power BI analyst and the tools they use.
• List the tasks performed by a Power BI Data Analyst.
• Recognize the components of Power BI.
This is also a great way to prepare for the Microsoft PL-300 exam. By passing the PL-300 exam, you’ll earn the Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst certification.
Are you ready to transform raw data into powerful business stories? In this module, you will kickstart your journey by mastering the five pillars of the professional data analysis process: Prepare, Model, Visualize, Analyze, and Maintain. You will explore the essential Power BI trio—Desktop, Service, and Mobile—learning exactly how to move from authoring a report to sharing insights with global teams. By the end of this module, you will navigate the ecosystem like a seasoned analyst, ready to turn information into impact.
Module summary: Data analysis in business•3 minutes
23 readings•Total 295 minutes
Course syllabus•10 minutes
How to be successful in this course•10 minutes
New name for Power BI datasets•10 minutes
How to locate your downloaded files•10 minutes
Additional resources: Welcome to the course•10 minutes
Using data to solve a business problem•10 minutes
Tasks of a data analyst•10 minutes
Exercise: Identifying stakeholders•30 minutes
Exemplar: Identifying stakeholders•10 minutes
Additional resources: The role of the Data Analyst•5 minutes
Sharing data insights•10 minutes
Stakeholder experience•10 minutes
Exercise: Stakeholder experience•30 minutes
Exemplar: Stakeholder experience•10 minutes
Exercise: Evaluating an analysis process•30 minutes
Exemplar: Evaluating an analysis process•10 minutes
Additional resources: Stages in data analysis•5 minutes
Power BI Desktop, service, and Mobile•10 minutes
Setting up your Power BI environment•10 minutes
Activity: How to view a report•10 minutes
Exercise: Generate a visualization•30 minutes
Exemplar: Generate a visualization•10 minutes
Additional resources: Introduction to Power BI•5 minutes
4 assignments•Total 75 minutes
Module quiz: Data analysis in business•30 minutes
Knowledge check: The role of the Data Analyst•15 minutes
Knowledge check: Stages in data analysis•15 minutes
Knowledge check: Introduction to Power BI•15 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
What do you hope to learn?•10 minutes
The right tools for the job
Module 2•5 hours to complete
Module details
Real-world data is often messy—but you will learn how to tame it. In this module, you will dive into the engine room of Power BI: Power Query. You will master the art of Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) to ensure your data is clean, accurate, and ready for analysis. By focusing on data integrity within organizational contexts, you will gain the hands-on skills needed to solve common data pitfalls and build a foundation of trust for every report you create.
Identifying and evaluating required data•6 minutes
Workflow in Power BI•5 minutes
The ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) process•6 minutes
Ingesting and gathering data•6 minutes
Storing and managing data•6 minutes
Transforming and cleaning data•6 minutes
What is Power Query?•6 minutes
Module summary: The right tools for the job•5 minutes
11 readings•Total 155 minutes
Exercise: Dataset•30 minutes
Exemplar: Dataset•10 minutes
Additional resources: Data collection•5 minutes
Exercise: Data storage and management•30 minutes
Exemplar: Data storage and management•10 minutes
Additional resources: Introduction to the ETL process•5 minutes
Cleaning at source in Excel•10 minutes
Data transformed in Power BI•10 minutes
Exercise: Evaluating data for transformation•30 minutes
Exemplar: Evaluating data for transformation•10 minutes
Additional resources: Introduction to transforming data•5 minutes
7 assignments•Total 105 minutes
Module quiz: The right tools for the job•30 minutes
Self-Review: Dataset•10 minutes
Knowledge check: Data collection•15 minutes
Self-Review: Data storage and management•10 minutes
Knowledge check: Introduction to the ETL process•15 minutes
Self-Review: Evaluating data for transformation•10 minutes
Knowledge check: Introduction to transforming data•15 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
What other business scenarios would require data transformation?•10 minutes
Final project and assessment: Harnessing the power of data in Power BI
Module 3•3 hours to complete
Module details
This is where your skills come to life! In this final capstone experience, you will design and construct a comprehensive Business Intelligence solution from scratch. You will connect to live data, perform complex cleaning in Power Query, and build a high-impact report that solves a real business challenge. Beyond the technical build, you will map your new expertise to specific BI career paths, ensuring you are ready to step into the industry with a professional-grade portfolio.
Our goal at Microsoft is to empower every individual and organization on the planet to achieve more.
In this next revolution of digital transformation, growth is being driven by technology. Our integrated cloud approach creates an unmatched platform for digital transformation. We address the real-world needs of customers by seamlessly integrating Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, LinkedIn, GitHub, Microsoft Power Platform, and Azure to unlock business value for every organization—from large enterprises to family-run businesses. The backbone and foundation of this is Azure.
● If you want to switch or start a career in the field of data analytics.
● If you are interested in the field of data analytics, just beginning to work with business intelligence and data analysis solutions and services, or new to Microsoft Power BI.
What background knowledge is necessary?
You don’t need any background knowledge to take this Professional Certificate. Whether you’re just starting out or a professional in a relevant field, this program can be the right fit for you.
How long does it take to complete the Professional Certificate?
It typically takes 5 months to complete the 8 courses. But some learners may go through the content faster.
What is the main benefit of a Professional Certificate?
Whether you’re looking to start a new career or change your current one, Professional Certificates help you become job ready. Apply your new skills on hands-on projects that showcase your expertise to potential employers and earn a career credential to kickstart your new career.
What will I be able to do upon completing the Professional Certificate?
Once you have completed this Professional Certificate, you’ll have built a foundational knowledge of the key concepts and tools in Power BI and how they apply to a business environment including:
• The ability to implement best practices when conducting Data Analysis.
• The skills to use the visualization and report capabilities of Power BI to create compelling reports and dashboards.
• The ability to provide valuable data insights that help to inform business decisions.
What does a Power BI analyst do?
Power BI Data Analysts design, develop, and deploy business analytics dashboards using Microsoft Power BI. Data analysts are essential in helping organizations gain valuable insights into the expanse of data that they have, and they work closely with others in the organization to help reveal valuable information.
Data Analyst, Business Intelligence Analyst and Power BI Analyst: What’s the Difference?
Data analysts and business intelligence analysts both help drive data-driven decision-making in their organizations. Data analysts tend to work more closely with the data itself, while business intelligence analysts tend to be more involved in using the results of data analysis to address business needs and recommend solutions. The Power BI data analyst is a combination of both of these roles. They work closely with business stakeholders to identify business requirements and collaborate with enterprise data analysts and data engineers to identify and acquire data. They also transform the data, create data models, visualize data, and share assets by using Power BI. These are all highly sort after roles.
What jobs can I get with Power BI data analytics skills?
Prepare for a career as a data analyst using Power BI. The Power BI skills you learn in this program prepare you for an entry-level role as a data analyst. An entry-level role as a data analyst is a great starting point and can be the first step towards building a career as a business intelligence analyst, data scientist or data engineer.
Will I be able to complete this course online?
This course is completely online. You can access your lessons, readings, and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.
Do I need to take the courses in specific order?
We highly recommend taking the courses of each certificate program in the order they are presented. The content in the courses builds on information from earlier courses. The final course contains a practice exam that assesses your knowledge of the content covered in the previous courses. As such, it makes the most sense to take the courses in the order they are presented.
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Certificate?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Certificate, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.