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Learn Power BI

From messy spreadsheets to a data model and report people trust.

Free to start. Built from a single prompt. No credit card.

Power BI is Microsoft's business intelligence tool for turning data into interactive reports and dashboards. Real Power BI skill has three layers: shaping and cleaning data in Power Query, building a data model with fact and dimension tables joined by relationships, and writing DAX measures that calculate correctly under any filter. The visuals are the easy part once the model is right. Power BI Desktop is free to download on Windows. Learnr builds a personalized Power BI course and teaches each layer through short interactive lessons based on realistic sales and finance data.

How to learn Power BI, step by step

Install Power BI Desktop and follow one full workflow. Load a sample workbook, clean it in Power Query, build a couple of visuals and save the file. Seeing the whole path from data to report once makes the purpose of each later topic clear.
Get good at Power Query. Practice removing columns, changing types, splitting, unpivoting, merging and appending queries. Every step is recorded in the Applied Steps pane, written in the M language, so learn to read and reorder those steps.
Model data as a star schema. Separate a fact table of transactions from dimension tables like date, product and customer, and connect them with one-to-many relationships. Add a dedicated date table, which time intelligence functions require.
Learn DAX measures and filter context. Write basic measures with SUM, DIVIDE and COUNTROWS, then learn CALCULATE, which changes filter context. Understand the difference between measures and calculated columns, and between row context and filter context.
Add time intelligence and common patterns. Build year-to-date, same-period-last-year and rolling averages with functions like TOTALYTD, SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR and DATEADD. Brief daily Learnr practice is a good way to keep these function names and patterns at your fingertips.
Design a report someone would actually use. Lay out one page around a few key questions, add slicers and drill-through, use consistent formatting and test it with a colleague. Learn how publishing, sharing and scheduled refresh work in the Power BI Service.

What you'll learn

Import, clean and reshape data with Power Query
Design a star schema with fact and dimension tables and correct relationships
Write DAX measures with CALCULATE and time intelligence functions
Explain filter context and row context in DAX
Build interactive report pages with slicers, drill-through and clear visuals

What's inside your Power BI course

A sample path Learnr builds for Power BI. Your real course adapts to your goal and level.

1. Power BI Desktop, Service and the overall workflow
2. Getting and transforming data in Power Query
3. Data modeling: star schemas and relationships
4. DAX fundamentals: measures, columns and context
5. Time intelligence and advanced DAX patterns
6. Report design, sharing and refresh

How long does it take to learn Power BI?

Building basic reports takes about 2 to 4 weeks at a few hours a week. Solid data modeling and DAX usually take 2 to 4 months of regular practice. Excel users, especially those familiar with pivot tables and Power Query, tend to progress faster.

What you need before you start

Comfort with Excel or another spreadsheet, including formulas and pivot tables. A Windows computer is needed for Power BI Desktop, or a virtual machine on a Mac.

Common mistakes to avoid

Importing one wide flat table and building every visual on it, instead of a star schema, which makes DAX harder and reports slower.
Using calculated columns where a measure belongs. Columns are computed per row and stored, while measures respond to filters in the report.
Skipping a proper date table, then wondering why time intelligence functions return blanks or wrong totals.

How Learnr builds your course

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Power BI questions, answered

Is Power BI free?

Power BI Desktop is a free download for building reports on your own computer. Sharing reports with others through the Power BI Service generally requires a paid license, so check current Microsoft licensing for your situation.

Is there a Power BI certification?

Microsoft offers the Power BI Data Analyst Associate certification, earned by passing the PL-300 exam. It covers preparing data, modeling, visualizing and managing deployments, which maps closely to the skills in this course.