Power BI from Zero: Build, Publish and Share a Report

What's inside

1. Level 1: What Power BI Is: Desktop, Service, Mobile, LicencesFree
   Learn what Power BI Desktop, the Power BI service and the mobile apps each do, and what the Free, Pro, Premium Per User and Fabric capacity licences allow (Microsoft Learn, read 2026-10-20).
2. Level 2: Install Power BI Desktop and Tour the InterfaceFree
   Install Power BI Desktop on Windows and find your way around its Report, Table and Model views, the ribbon and the Data, Visualizations and Filters panes.
3. Level 3: Get Data from Excel and CSV Files
   Load the lesson's sample sales workbook and CSV product list into Power BI Desktop and check that every row arrived.
4. Level 4: First Look at Power Query: Types, Headers, Columns
   Use the Power Query Editor to promote headers, set correct data types and remove columns you do not need, then confirm each change in Applied Steps.
5. Level 5: Tables, Relationships and the Star Shape
   Link the sample fact and dimension tables in Model view, and learn in plain terms why a star shape makes reports simpler and totals correct.
6. Level 6: The Report Canvas: Your First Card, Bar and Table
   Build your first visuals on the report canvas by dragging fields into card, bar chart and table visuals, and check that each total matches the expected figure.
7. Level 7: Choosing the Right Visual: Line, Matrix and Map
   Pick the visual that best answers each question: a line chart for trends over time, a matrix for two-way breakdowns and a map for location data.
8. Level 8: Formatting Visuals and Applying Themes
   Make the report clear and consistent with titles, data labels, number formats, axis settings and a report theme.
9. Level 9: Slicers and Filters: Visual, Page and Report Level
   Let users narrow the data with slicers, and control scope with visual-level, page-level and report-level filters in the Filters pane.
10. Level 10: Cross-Highlighting, Edit Interactions and Drill-Down
    Control how visuals filter and highlight each other, and build hierarchies so users can drill down from year to month or from category to product.
11. Level 11: Your First Measures: SUM, AVERAGE and COUNTROWS
    Write your first DAX measures for total sales, average order value and number of orders, then format them and store them in a clear place.
12. Level 12: DIVIDE, and Why Measures Beat Calculated Columns
    Build ratio measures safely with DIVIDE, and learn why measures usually beat calculated columns for aggregated results.
13. Level 13: Dates and a Date Table in Outline
    Learn in outline why a dedicated date table matters, then add one, mark it as a date table and link it to the sales table.
14. Level 14: Tooltips, Bookmarks and Accessibility Basics
    Finish the report with useful tooltips, simple bookmarks for saved views, and accessibility basics: alt text, tab order, contrast and clear titles.
15. Level 15: Publishing to a Workspace
    Publish the finished report from Desktop to a workspace in the Power BI service and learn how the report and its semantic model are stored there.
16. Level 16: Sharing Safely, Scheduled Refresh and the Gateway
    Share the report safely by giving the right permissions to people with the right licences, and set up scheduled refresh, with the on-premises data gateway in outline.
17. Level 17: Asking Copilot for a First Draft and Checking It
    Ask Copilot in Power BI for a draft report page or summary, check every number it gives against your own measures, and know what is generally available and what is in preview (Microsoft Learn, read 2026-10-20).
18. Level 18: Final Challenge: Build, Publish and Share a Report Exam
    Rebuild and check a complete report from a new sample dataset using every skill in the course, then plan your next steps in the Power BI learning path.

Access

The first 2 levels are free with a free account. Every level, the podcast edition and the AI tutor come with All Access at £4.99/month or any Creator plan — see pricing.

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