ADVANCED POWER BI TECHNIQUES AND DATA ANALYSIS EXPRESSIONS (DAX)

Available Dates & Locations

This course is offered exclusively as In-House or Virtual, with no public sessions currently available – please contact us for inquiries.

COURSE OVERVIEW

In today’s data-driven business environment, organizations need professionals who can transform complex data into strategic insights that drive competitive advantage. This advanced Power BI workshop empowers participants to master sophisticated analytics techniques that unlock the full potential of organizational data. Through comprehensive training in advanced DAX calculations, performance optimization, and enterprise governance, participants will develop expertise to build scalable analytics solutions that accelerate decision-making across all business functions. By elevating Power BI proficiency to expert level, participants become key enablers of data-driven transformation, helping their organizations maximize return on analytics investments and achieve measurable business outcomes through actionable intelligence.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

Design enterprise-grade star schema data models optimized for performance and scalability
Write complex DAX calculations using advanced functions, variables, and industry-standard patterns
Implement time intelligence calculations for fiscal calendars and custom business requirements
Optimize Power BI solutions to achieve 10x performance improvements using systematic methodologies
Integrate Power BI with Microsoft Fabric ecosystem and leverage AI-powered analytics features
Configure Row-Level Security and deploy solutions using enterprise governance frameworks
Solve real-world business problems across Finance, Sales, HR, and Operations using advanced analytics

TARGET COMPETENCIES

Advanced Data Modeling
DAX Mastery
Performance Optimization
Microsoft Fabric Integration
Enterprise Security
Business Intelligence Solutions
Deployment Management

This course is designed for business intelligence professionals, data analysts, and reporting specialists who are responsible for developing analytics solutions within their organizations. Ideal participants include those supporting Finance, Sales, Marketing, Operations, or HR functions who need to transform complex data into strategic insights. It is particularly valuable for professionals building executive dashboards or leading analytics initiatives and enterprise-scale reporting capabilities.

Note: Participants must bring their own laptop running on Windows OS with Power BI Desktop fully installed and activated. Mac OS is not recommended.

Prerequisites

Microsoft PL-300 certification preferred or equivalent Power BI knowledge
Working knowledge of Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service
Basic to intermediate DAX functions including CALCULATE and FILTER
Understanding of data modeling, relationships, and table structures
Active professional experience using Power BI in business environment

This workshop employs 70% hands-on exercises and 30% instruction and demonstrations led by the instructor. Participants complete pre-assessment and post-assessment tests, individual classroom exercises, case studies, and daily revision exercises to cement learning and ensure concepts are thoroughly understood and retained.

Module 1: Enterprise Data Modeling and Star Schema Design

Star schema architecture with fact and dimension tables
Slowly Changing Dimensions and role-playing dimensions
Relationship cardinality and cross-filter optimization
VertiPaq engine compression and data type optimization

Module 2: Microsoft Fabric Integration and Advanced Data Sources

OneLake architecture and Direct Lake mode
Dataflows Gen2 and incremental refresh strategies
Cloud data warehouse integration (Azure Synapse, Snowflake, Databricks)
Hybrid tables combining Import and DirectQuery

Module 3: DAX Fundamentals - Context and Advanced Functions

Row context vs. filter context and context transition
ALL, ALLEXCEPT, ALLSELECTED, and FILTER optimization
CALCULATE, RELATED, RELATEDTABLE, and USERELATIONSHIP
Variables (VAR) for performance and code readability

Module 4: Time Intelligence and Advanced DAX Patterns

DATEADD, TOTALYTD, PREVIOUSYEAR, and custom calendar calculations
ABC classification and customer segmentation patterns
New vs. returning customers and basket analysis
Parent-child hierarchies and currency conversion

Module 5: AI-Powered Analytics and Copilot Integration

Copilot for automated DAX formula generation
Natural language queries and Q&A features
Verified Answers for standardized AI responses
AI governance and validation workflows

Module 6: Performance Optimization and Diagnostic Tools

Performance Analyzer and DAX Studio for bottleneck identification
Calculated columns vs. measures performance implications
Aggregations for DirectQuery acceleration
Visual optimization and query reduction techniques

Module 7: Real-World Business Calculations and Industry Solutions

Financial Analytics: P&L statements and variance analysis
Sales Analytics: Customer Lifetime Value and cohort analysis
HR Analytics: Workforce planning and turnover metrics
Supply Chain: Inventory optimization and demand forecasting

Module 8: Advanced Visualization and Report Design

Custom visuals and conditional formatting techniques
Bookmarks, drill-through, and field parameters
Mobile-optimized layouts and accessibility compliance
Executive dashboards vs. operational reporting design

Module 9: Enterprise Security and Governance

Row-Level Security (RLS) static and dynamic implementation
Object-Level Security (OLS) for column protection
Microsoft Purview integration and data classification
Testing security using View As functionality

Module 10: Application Lifecycle Management and Deployment

Deployment pipelines (Development → Test → Production)
Workspace management and version control
XMLA endpoint and Tabular Editor for enterprise development
Monitoring, auditing, and impact analysis