Power BI Essentials: Data Transformation & Modeling with DAX
Keep adding new skills with 10,000+ programs for $239 (usually $399). Save now.
Power BI Essentials: Data Transformation & Modeling with DAX
This course is part of Power BI Developer Specialization
Included with
Ask Coursera
Recommended experience
Recommended experience
What you'll learn
Identify key concepts of Business Intelligence and list the core components of the Power BI ecosystem.
Explain how Power BI supports data-driven decision-making and contrasts with traditional BI systems.
Demonstrate how to connect, transform, and visualize data from multiple sources using Power BI tools.
Evaluate DAX calculations to develop efficient and insightful analytical models in Power BI.
Skills you'll gain
- Relationship Management
- Data Strategy
- Data Governance
- Data Analysis Expressions (DAX)
- Data Storytelling
- Business Intelligence Software
- Data Integration
- Data Cleansing
- Data Transformation
- Data-Driven Decision-Making
- Extract, Transform, Load
- Business Intelligence
- Process Improvement and Optimization
- Data Quality
- Data Modeling
- Data Management
- Data Analysis
- Snowflake Schema
Tools you'll learn
Details to know
December 2025
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills
Build your subject-matter expertise
- 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
There are 4 modules in this course
This course equips business professionals, Power BI developers, and aspiring data strategists with the essential skills to transform raw data into actionable business intelligence using Power BI. You’ll begin by exploring the principles of data-driven decision-making — understanding how modern organizations harness analytics to inform strategy, optimize operations, and drive innovation. Through real-world examples, you’ll examine how Business Intelligence (BI) has evolved into a critical enabler of organizational agility and competitive advantage.
Building on this foundation, the course introduces you to the Power BI ecosystem from its architecture and workflow to its integration within the Microsoft data landscape. You’ll learn to differentiate between traditional and modern BI tools, navigate Power BI Desktop and Service environments, and compare various versions and deployment models. Practical sessions guide you through installation, interface exploration, and connecting Power BI to diverse data sources. As you progress, you’ll master the end-to-end process of data preparation, transformation, and modeling. Using Power Query Editor, you’ll learn to clean, shape, and profile datasets for accuracy and quality. You’ll then design robust semantic data models by applying schema principles, managing relationships, and optimizing model performance for speed and scalability. These hands-on skills build the foundation for intelligent data storytelling and dashboard creation in later stages of your Power BI journey. The course culminates in a comprehensive introduction to Data Analysis Expressions (DAX), the powerful formula language that drives analytics in Power BI. You’ll develop fluency in writing DAX functions, creating calculated columns and measures, and understanding evaluation contexts. Advanced lessons introduce you to performance optimization and best practices for crafting efficient DAX expressions, preparing you to analyze data dynamically and with precision. By the end of this course, you will be able to: - Explain the strategic importance of BI in enterprise data ecosystems. - Differentiate between Power BI Desktop, Service, and other BI platforms for appropriate architectural design. - Apply data transformation and integration techniques using Power Query Editor. - Design and optimize relational and semantic data models using schema design principles. - Develop efficient DAX formulas, calculated columns, and measures to enable advanced analytics. - Evaluate model performance and implement best practices for scalable Power BI solutions. This course is ideal for Power BI developers, BI architects, data engineers, and analytics professionals who aim to master the technical and architectural aspects of Power BI implementation. It bridges analytical design with engineering precision, preparing learners to architect data solutions that are reliable, scalable, and insight-driven. Join us to master the foundations of Power BI, where data meets intelligence to empower better, faster, and smarter business decisions.
Explore the foundations of Business Intelligence (BI) and the Power BI ecosystem to understand how data transforms into strategic insights. Learn how BI empowers organizations to make data-driven decisions, compare traditional and modern BI tools, and navigate the Power BI environment, architecture, and versions that underpin enterprise analytics.
What's included
14 videos8 readings4 assignments
14 videos•Total 76 minutes
- Specialization Introduction•7 minutes
- Course Introduction•5 minutes
- Introduction to Business Intelligence•7 minutes
- The Role of Data in Business Intelligence•6 minutes
- The Rise of Self-Service Business Intelligence (SSBI)•5 minutes
- Introduction to Power BI•6 minutes
- Traditional BI vs. Modern BI Tools•7 minutes
- Power BI Architecture and Workflow•5 minutes
- Power BI Ecosystem Overview•5 minutes
- Core Components of Power BI•5 minutes
- Power BI Desktop vs. Power BI Service•4 minutes
- Power BI Version Comparison•5 minutes
- Demonstration: Power BI Desktop Installation•3 minutes
- Demonstration: Exploring the Power BI Desktop Interface•7 minutes
8 readings•Total 80 minutes
- Welcome to Power BI Essentials: Data Transformation and Modeling with DAX•10 minutes
- The Evolution of Business Intelligence•10 minutes
- Data-Driven Decision Making in Modern Businesses•10 minutes
- Power BI in the Microsoft Data Ecosystem•10 minutes
- Transforming Industry Insights with Power BI•10 minutes
- Power BI in Action: A Real-World Case Study•10 minutes
- Power BI Product Tiers and Use Cases•10 minutes
- Module Summary: Getting Started with Power BI•10 minutes
4 assignments•Total 33 minutes
- Knowledge Check: Getting Started with Power BI•15 minutes
- Practice Quiz: The Power of Data-Driven Decision Making•6 minutes
- Practice Quiz: Power BI Foundations•6 minutes
- Practice Quiz: Power BI Environment and Version Comparison•6 minutes
Gain mastery over the data foundations that underpin intelligent analytics in Power BI. Learners will oversee the end-to-end data preparation process, connecting diverse data sources, transforming and cleansing information, and developing efficient data models. Emphasis is placed on schema design, relationship management, and performance optimization to ensure data accuracy, integrity, and scalability for enterprise-grade reporting and analytics.
What's included
14 videos8 readings4 assignments
14 videos•Total 74 minutes
- Demonstration: Exploring Diverse Power BI Data Sources•5 minutes
- Data Connectivity Modes•5 minutes
- Views in Power BI Desktop•5 minutes
- Managing Data Sources and Refresh Strategies•5 minutes
- Introduction to Power Query Editor•4 minutes
- Data Shaping Techniques•7 minutes
- Demonstration: Data Cleaning and Transforming using Power Query Editor•5 minutes
- Demonstration: Creating Dynamic Queries with Parameters•3 minutes
- Advanced Editor and M Code Fundamentals•4 minutes
- Demonstration: Data Profiling for Quality Assurance•6 minutes
- Introduction to Data Modeling•6 minutes
- Star vs. Snowflake Schema Design•6 minutes
- Exploring Cross-Filter Directions and Relationship Properties •7 minutes
- Model Optimization and Performance Tuning•6 minutes
8 readings•Total 80 minutes
- Choosing the Right Data Connectivity Mode•10 minutes
- Overview of Data Loading in Power BI•10 minutes
- Data Cleaning and Transformation Best Practices•10 minutes
- The Role of ER Models in Power BI Data Modeling•10 minutes
- Understanding Relationships and Cardinality in Power BI•10 minutes
- Active and Inactive Relationships in Power BI•10 minutes
- Designing Effective Relationships and Schema Structures•10 minutes
- Module Summary: Data Preparation, Transformation, and Modeling •10 minutes
4 assignments•Total 33 minutes
- Knowledge Check: Data Preparation, Transformation, and Modeling •15 minutes
- Practice Quiz: Connecting and Loading Data•6 minutes
- Practice Quiz: Transforming Data with Power Query Editor•6 minutes
- Practice Quiz: Building and Optimizing Data Models•6 minutes
Develop advanced proficiency in Data Analysis Expressions (DAX), the core analytical language of Power BI. Learners will explore the syntax, logic, and evaluation context that drive dynamic calculations and intelligent data modeling. Through hands-on practice, they will create calculated columns and measures, apply essential and time-based functions, and implement optimization techniques to ensure efficient, high-performance analytics across enterprise datasets.
What's included
18 videos10 readings4 assignments
18 videos•Total 79 minutes
- Introduction to Data Analysis Expressions (DAX)•4 minutes
- Role of DAX in Data Modeling•4 minutes
- DAX Syntax and Structure Demystified•5 minutes
- Data Types in DAX•4 minutes
- Core DAX Calculation Types•5 minutes
- Demonstration: Creating Simple Calculated Columns and Measures Using DAX•6 minutes
- Essential DAX Functions for Every Developer•6 minutes
- Demonstration: Applying Aggregation and Filter Functions in Power BI•5 minutes
- Logical and Text Functions in DAX•4 minutes
- Demonstration: Building Conditional Logic and Text Manipulations Using DAX•3 minutes
- Time Intelligence Functions•5 minutes
- Demonstration: Analyzing Trends with Time Intelligence Functions in Power BI•3 minutes
- Working with DAX Tables and Applying Filters•5 minutes
- Demystifying Filter Context and Row Context•4 minutes
- Demonstration: Exploring DAX Tables and Filter Logic •4 minutes
- Demonstration: Creating Basic Visualizations Using DAX Tables•4 minutes
- DAX Performance Optimization Techniques•5 minutes
- Best Practices for Writing Efficient DAX Formulas•5 minutes
10 readings•Total 100 minutes
- Managing Data Types Effectively in DAX•10 minutes
- Data Visualization: Transforming Analysis into Insight•10 minutes
- Mechanics of DAX Filtering and Aggregation•10 minutes
- Crafting Conditional Logic and Text Operations in DAX•10 minutes
- Working with Date and Time Intelligence in DAX•10 minutes
- Information Functions in DAX•10 minutes
- DAX Operators and Their Applications•10 minutes
- Boost Your Analytics: Mastering Visual Calculations •10 minutes
- Advanced DAX Evaluation Context•10 minutes
- Module Summary: DAX Deep Dive: The Language of Power BI•10 minutes
4 assignments•Total 48 minutes
- Knowledge Check: DAX Deep Dive: The Language of Power BI•30 minutes
- Practice Quiz: Introduction to DAX•6 minutes
- Practice Quiz: Mastering DAX Functions and Logic•6 minutes
- Practice Quiz: Advanced DAX: Context and Performance•6 minutes
This module is designed to assess an individual on the various concepts and teachings covered in this course. Evaluate your knowledge with a comprehensive graded quiz.
What's included
1 video1 reading2 assignments1 discussion prompt
1 video•Total 4 minutes
- Course Summary•4 minutes
1 reading•Total 30 minutes
- Practice Project: Employee Data Preparation and Analysis•30 minutes
2 assignments•Total 60 minutes
- End Course Knowledge Check: Power BI Essentials: Data Transformation and Modeling with DAX•30 minutes
- Applying Power BI for Strategic Decision-Making•30 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 5 minutes
- Describe your journey•5 minutes
Earn a career certificate
Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.
Explore more from Data Analysis
Course
Course
Why people choose Coursera for their career
Frequently asked questions
The Power BI Essentials course typically takes 3weeks to complete, depending on your pace and time investment in practice exercises and assessments.
Learners will gain skills in connecting and transforming data, designing optimized data models, writing DAX formulas, creating dashboards, and interpreting insights to support strategic decisions.
The course includes guided demonstrations, practice assessments after each lesson, and a graded module assessment to help reinforce data transformation, modeling, and DAX application skills.
More questions
Financial aid available,
¹ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.
