6 min read
Top 5 Online Resources for Power BI
If you'd asked people 15 years ago which BI software they use to visualize their data, you wouldn't have heard anything about Microsoft Power BI. What's even more impressive is that Power BI only officially became available to the public in 2015, and was already named market leader by Gartner in 2019. By now, Power BI has an enormous number of features and is constantly changing. Because of this, it's easy to lose sight of the big picture, so in this blog Business Intelligence consultant Johnny Yang will share a few resources with you containing useful information about Power BI.
#1 Microsoft Learn
When you're just starting out with Power BI, the first place to look is Microsoft Learn. Here you'll find plenty of trainings for beginners to get acquainted with Power BI. Microsoft Learn doesn't just offer trainings for Power BI, but also for other Microsoft products, such as the Power Platform (think Power Apps and Power Automate), Azure, and even Microsoft Teams. One of the strong points of this Microsoft website is that it also offers 'labs', where you can try out the theory in a virtual environment.
#2 YouTube
Looking for a video that explains exactly what to do? Then YouTube is the place to be. There are countless YouTube creators who explain step by step, in their videos, how to get started with various Power BI features.
Each creator makes videos about different topics in Power BI. To keep things organized, we've divided the different types of content into three categories:
- General features
By general features we mean everything except DAX and Power Query. Think of how to set up a Power BI environment for the first time, explanations of the different visuals you can use in your report, and how to share your report with colleagues. - DAX
When you want to perform (complex) calculations with the data in tables, you'll use measures. You write these measures in DAX language, where DAX stands for Data Analysis Expressions. DAX has a lot in common with Excel functions, such as Date, Sum, and Concatenate. - Power Query
Where DAX is used once you've loaded the data, Power Query is used for the ETL process in Power BI. Here, ETL stands for Extract, Transform and Load. This means you retrieve data from a data source, transform it via the Power Query Editor, and then load it into Power BI.
Below we discuss, per category, which YouTube creator makes the most interesting videos on the topic:
General features
Guy In A Cube
Guy In A Cube is one of the better channels to start your Power BI journey with. There are videos on how to create your first Power BI report, all the way to more advanced features such as Incremental Refresh and Row-level Security. In particular, the playlist 'Getting started with Power BI' is great for getting familiar with Power BI in a short amount of time.
DAX
Enterprise DNA
A great channel to learn what you can do with DAX is Enterprise DNA. They cover many features such as calculating an average, finding clusters in your datasets, and grouping and segmenting your data with measures. Their playlist 'DAX Tutorials' includes a large collection of tutorials on DAX that will keep you busy for a while. Besides DAX videos, this channel also has a wide collection of tutorials on other data-related software such as Power Query, Power Apps, and Power Automate, making it easy to learn more about those too.
Power Query
Pavan Lalwani
Pavan Lalwani has an extensive collection of videos focused on the various possibilities of Power Query, called 'Power Query – Power BI'. Here you'll find explanations of text functions, merging columns, and more complex concepts, such as combining data from different sources. What's really nice about this channel is that the videos are clear and easy to understand, with everything explained step by step.
#3 Microsoft community
When you're looking for a solution to a specific problem you're currently running into, it's good to know that there's an entire Microsoft community dedicated to everything related to Power BI. If you search Google for a solution, you'll quickly end up on this page. Because the Power BI community is very active, chances are your question has already been asked before.
If your question isn't among them, though, feel free to ask it yourself. You'll usually get a response within 1 or 2 days, with a direct solution or a suggestion/direction you can use to try to solve the problem.
#4 Microsoft Blog
Another interesting source is the Power BI blogs. Every month, a blog is written about the changes in Power BI. Here you can see what new features have been added or what changes have been made to existing features. The blogs are useful if you're already somewhat familiar with Power BI and want to stay up to date on all the changes. The blogs also mention when beta features are added, which are often officially rolled out as a new feature after a certain period.
#5 MVP
Another place where you can learn a lot is from MVPs. MVP stands for Most Valuable Professional and is a title awarded by Microsoft. MVP titles are awarded to absolute experts in their specific areas of expertise, who also actively share this knowledge with the community. Worldwide, there are only around 4000 MVPs spread across 90 countries.
Marco Russo has been a Microsoft MVP since 2009 and is a well-known figure in the Power BI world. He gives many trainings worldwide on DAX and data modeling for Power BI. Besides that, Marco has also written several books, such as 'Introducing Microsoft Power BI' and 'The Definitive Guide to DAX'. Marco is also a frequent guest speaker at international conferences such as Microsoft Ignite, PASS Summit, and SQLBits. It's also worth following Marco's YouTube channel, where he regularly posts videos.
Written by Johnny Yang
Business Intelligence Consultant at E-mergo