Introducing Microsoft Power BI


Book Description

This is the eBook of the printed book and may not include any media, website access codes, or print supplements that may come packaged with the bound book. Introducing Microsoft Power BI enables you to evaluate when and how to use Power BI. Get inspired to improve business processes in your company by leveraging the available analytical and collaborative features of this environment. Be sure to watch for the publication of Alberto Ferrari and Marco Russo's upcoming retail book, Analyzing Data with Power BI and Power Pivot for Excel (ISBN 9781509302765). Go to the book's page at the Microsoft Press Store here for more details:http://aka.ms/analyzingdata/details. Learn more about Power BI at https://powerbi.microsoft.com/.




Introduction to Microsoft Power BI


Book Description

This book is meant to serve as an introductory guide which will take you from the point of having zero or very little knowledge about Power BI, to the point where you can comfortably produce reports and dashboards that provide useful organizational insights.




Exam Ref 70-778 Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Microsoft Power BI


Book Description

Prepare for Microsoft Exam 70-778–and help demonstrate your real-world mastery of Power BI data analysis and visualization. Designed for experienced BI professionals and data analysts ready to advance their status, Exam Ref focuses on the critical thinking and decision-making acumen needed for success at the MCSA level. Focus on the expertise measured by these objectives: Consume and transform data by using Power BI Desktop Model and visualize data Configure dashboards, reports, and apps in the Power BI Service This Microsoft Exam Ref: Organizes its coverage by exam objectives Features strategic, what-if scenarios to challenge you Assumes you have experience consuming and transforming data, modeling and visualizing data, and configuring dashboards using Excel and Power BI




Beginning Microsoft Power BI


Book Description

Analyze company data quickly and easily using Microsoft’s powerful data tools. Learn to build scalable and robust data models, clean and combine different data sources effectively, and create compelling and professional visuals. Beginning Power BI is a hands-on, activity-based guide that takes you through the process of analyzing your data using the tools that that encompass the core of Microsoft’s self-service BI offering. Starting with Power Query, you will learn how to get data from a variety of sources, and see just how easy it is to clean and shape the data prior to importing it into a data model. Using Power BI tabular and the Data Analysis Expressions (DAX), you will learn to create robust scalable data models which will serve as the foundation of your data analysis. From there you will enter the world of compelling interactive visualizations to analyze and gain insight into your data. You will wrap up your Power BI journey by learning how to package and share your reports and dashboards with your colleagues. Author Dan Clark takes you through each topic using step-by-step activities and plenty of screen shots to help familiarize you with the tools. This third edition covers the new and evolving features in the Power BI platform and new chapters on data flows and composite models. This book is your hands-on guide to quick, reliable, and valuable data insight. What You Will Learn Simplify data discovery, association, and cleansingBuild solid analytical data models Create robust interactive data presentations Combine analytical and geographic data in map-based visualizations Publish and share dashboards and reports Who This Book Is For Business analysts, database administrators, developers, and other professionals looking to better understand and communicate with data




Analyzing Data with Power BI and Power Pivot for Excel


Book Description

Renowned DAX experts Alberto Ferrari and Marco Russo teach you how to design data models for maximum efficiency and effectiveness. How can you use Excel and Power BI to gain real insights into your information? As you examine your data, how do you write a formula that provides the numbers you need? The answers to both of these questions lie with the data model. This book introduces the basic techniques for shaping data models in Excel and Power BI. It’s meant for readers who are new to data modeling as well as for experienced data modelers looking for tips from the experts. If you want to use Power BI or Excel to analyze data, the many real-world examples in this book will help you look at your reports in a different way–like experienced data modelers do. As you’ll soon see, with the right data model, the correct answer is always a simple one! By reading this book, you will: • Gain an understanding of the basics of data modeling, including tables, relationships, and keys • Familiarize yourself with star schemas, snowflakes, and common modeling techniques • Learn the importance of granularity • Discover how to use multiple fact tables, like sales and purchases, in a complex data model • Manage calendar-related calculations by using date tables • Track historical attributes, like previous addresses of customers or manager assignments • Use snapshots to compute quantity on hand • Work with multiple currencies in the most efficient way • Analyze events that have durations, including overlapping durations • Learn what data model you need to answer your specific business questions About This Book • For Excel and Power BI users who want to exploit the full power of their favorite tools • For BI professionals seeking new ideas for modeling data




Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2014


Book Description

NOTE: This title is also available as a free eBook on the Microsoft Download Center. It is offered for sale in print format as a convenience. Get a head start evaluating SQL Server 2014 - guided by two experts who have worked with the technology from the earliest beta. Based on Community Technology Preview 2 (CTP2) software, this guide introduces new features and capabilities, with practical insights on how SQL Server 2014 can meet the needs of your business. Get the early, high-level overview you need to begin preparing your deployment now. Coverage includes: SQL Server 2014 Editions and engine enhancements Mission-critical performance enhancements Hybrid cloud enhancements Self-service Business Intelligence enhancements in Microsoft Excel Enterprise information management enhancements Big Data solutions




Learn Power BI


Book Description

Learn how to use Microsoft Power BI by following along with step by step lessons. This book was designed to get you the skills you need to start importing data and building reports in Power BI Desktop. No experience necessary, all of the steps are detailed and come with screenshots so you know exactly what to do. No wasting time on trying to figure it out. This book get you up to speed in less than 4 hours on the basics of Power BI Desktop.Who should read this book?If you are interested in data visualization, data storytelling and improving your business with data. This book is designed for people that want to solve business problems with data and need a quick guide to get them started without fluff. If you have plenty of data and are stuck with Excel charts and Pivot Tables. Then give yourself a new skill and learn a leader in data visualization Microsoft Power BI. You will find this book gives you all of the core knowledge you need to create, modify and publish Power BI reports that enable self-service analytics and dashboards.Why you should select this book?For the price of 2 name brand coffees, you can learn everything you need to get started building reports in Power BI Desktop. It also provides an overview of the Power BI ecosystem so you can make a better decision to determine if implementing Microsoft Power BI is the right data visualization solution for your company. The examples provide a quick background on the topic and the provide step by step instructions with images to make sure you can get started with Power BI quickly. From start to finish this book should take you 2 to 4 hours to complete while learning critical skills required to build and modify Power BI Reports on your own.Chapter OutlineIntroductionSample Data and Project for this BookThe Power BI EcosystemHow to Add Data in Power BI DesktopVisualizationsBuilding ReportsInteracting with VisualsUsing Filter on ReportsExporting Data from Power BIPublishing Power BI DesktopBusiness leaders struggle to have the data they need readily available in an easy to use dashboard. At CDO Advisors, we'll build you an amazing Power BI Dashboard at a low monthly cost. So you can make decisions when you need without having to ask someone to pull data or send you a report.




The Definitive Guide to DAX


Book Description

This comprehensive and authoritative guide will teach you the DAX language for business intelligence, data modeling, and analytics. Leading Microsoft BI consultants Marco Russo and Alberto Ferrari help you master everything from table functions through advanced code and model optimization. You’ll learn exactly what happens under the hood when you run a DAX expression, how DAX behaves differently from other languages, and how to use this knowledge to write fast, robust code. If you want to leverage all of DAX’s remarkable power and flexibility, this no-compromise “deep dive” is exactly what you need. Perform powerful data analysis with DAX for Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services, Excel, and Power BI Master core DAX concepts, including calculated columns, measures, and error handling Understand evaluation contexts and the CALCULATE and CALCULATETABLE functions Perform time-based calculations: YTD, MTD, previous year, working days, and more Work with expanded tables, complex functions, and elaborate DAX expressions Perform calculations over hierarchies, including parent/child hierarchies Use DAX to express diverse and unusual relationships Measure DAX query performance with SQL Server Profiler and DAX Studio




Microsoft Power BI Dashboards Step by Step


Book Description

Your hands-on guide to building effective Power BI dashboards Expand your expertise–and teach yourself how to create world-class Power BI business analysis dashboards that bring data to life for better decision-making. If you’re an experienced business intelligence professional or manager, you’ll get all the guidance, examples, and code you need to succeed–even if you’ve never used Power BI before. Successfully design, architect, and implement Power BI in your organization Take full advantage of any Microsoft Power BI platform, including Power BI Premium Make upfront decisions that position your Power BI project for success Build rich, live dashboards to monitor crucial data from across your organization Aggregate data and data elements from numerous internal and external data sources Develop dynamic visualizations, including charts, maps, and graphs Bring data to life with stunning interactive reports Ensure dashboard security and compliance Drive user adoption through effective training




Mastering Microsoft Power BI


Book Description

Design, create and manage robust Power BI solutions to gain meaningful business insights Key Features Master all the dashboarding and reporting features of Microsoft Power BI Combine data from multiple sources, create stunning visualizations and publish your reports across multiple platforms A comprehensive guide with real-world use cases and examples demonstrating how you can get the best out of Microsoft Power BI Book DescriptionThis book is intended for business intelligence professionals responsible for the design and development of Power BI content as well as managers, architects and administrators who oversee Power BI projects and deployments. The chapters flow from the planning of a Power BI project through the development and distribution of content to the administration of Power BI for an organization. BI developers will learn how to create sustainable and impactful Power BI datasets, reports, and dashboards. This includes connecting to data sources, shaping and enhancing source data, and developing an analytical data model. Additionally, top report and dashboard design practices are described using features such as Bookmarks and the Power KPI visual. BI managers will learn how Power BI’s tools work together such as with the On-premises data gateway and how content can be staged and securely distributed via Apps. Additionally, both the Power BI Report Server and Power BI Premium are reviewed. By the end of this book, you will be confident in creating effective charts, tables, reports or dashboards for any kind of data using the tools and techniques in Microsoft Power BI.What you will learn Build efficient data retrieval and transformation processes with the Power Query M Language Design scalable, user-friendly DirectQuery and Import Data Models Develop visually rich, immersive, and interactive reports and dashboards Maintain version control and stage deployments across development, test, and production environments Manage and monitor the Power BI Service and the On-premises data gateway Develop a fully on-premise solution with the Power BI Report Server Scale up a Power BI solution via Power BI Premium capacity and migration to Azure Analysis Services or SQL Server Analysis Services Who this book is for Business Intelligence professionals and existing Power BI users looking to master Power BI for all their data visualization and dashboarding needs will find this book to be useful. While understanding of the basic BI concepts is required, some exposure to Microsoft Power BI will be helpful.