Program objective
Develop the analytical capability to turn fragmented business data into decision-ready Power BI reports. Participants connect data preparation, model design, DAX measures and visual storytelling within a controlled reporting process.
Who this suits
Analysts, reporting professionals and managers responsible for interpreting business performance and communicating insights.
Professional objectives
- Transform inconsistent data into a reliable analytical model.
- Build measures and interactive reports that answer business questions.
- Present a tested dashboard with clear decisions, ownership and refresh requirements.
Key learning outcomes
- Create a refreshable Power Query sequence and a data-quality exception log.
- Deliver a documented star schema and explain a relationship-induced reporting error.
- Create a tested measure set with definitions, expected values and reconciliation checks.
- Deliver a navigable dashboard that answers three agreed business questions.
- Prepare a report-release checklist and test access using a supplied role scenario.
- Present the dashboard and a prioritized operational recommendation with explicit limitations.
Module map
- 1.Business questions and data preparation
- 2.Data modeling and relationships
- 3.DAX measures and calculation logic
- 4.Interactive report design
- 5.Publishing, refresh and controlled access
- 6.Insight communication and quality assurance
Modules in detail
1
Business questions and data preparation
Theory & concepts
Translate stakeholder requests into measures, dimensions and reporting requirements. Use Power Query to set data types, handle nulls and duplicates, merge or append tables, and create repeatable transformation steps. Profile column distributions, errors and null values before transformation. Unpivot cross-tabulated data and distinguish merge keys, join types and append operations in a recurring reporting task.
Professional application
Define the reporting grain and a data dictionary before loading information. Distinguish duplicate transactions from legitimate repeated records and reconcile transformed totals against the original source.
Hands-on exercise & output
Create a refreshable Power Query sequence and a data-quality exception log.
2
Data modeling and relationships
Theory & concepts
Build a star schema using fact and dimension tables. Define relationships, filter direction and date tables, and investigate how duplicate keys or unsuitable relationships distort reported results. Define the grain of each fact table and check unique dimension keys. Compare one-to-many and many-to-many relationships, active relationships and filter propagation through a worked model.
Professional application
Trace the filter path between dimension and fact tables. Diagnose ambiguous relationships and explain why a technically valid model can still produce a misleading business answer.
Hands-on exercise & output
Deliver a documented star schema and explain a relationship-induced reporting error.
3
DAX measures and calculation logic
Theory & concepts
Create measures using SUM, COUNTROWS, DISTINCTCOUNT, DIVIDE and CALCULATE. Distinguish measures from calculated columns, explain filter context, and test ratios and period comparisons against independently calculated results. Apply iterator and context concepts through SUMX, CALCULATE and simple time-intelligence examples. Build a date table and validate year-to-date or prior-period measures at different filter levels.
Professional application
Test measures at row, category and total levels. Explain why ratios should often be recalculated at the total level rather than summed or averaged without appropriate weighting.
Hands-on exercise & output
Create a tested measure set with definitions, expected values and reconciliation checks.
4
Interactive report design
Theory & concepts
Select charts that fit the analytical question and avoid misleading scales. Configure slicers, drill-through and tooltips, and organize pages around an executive summary, diagnostic detail and recommended action. Use visual hierarchy, consistent units and accessible contrast to improve interpretation. Configure bookmarks and drill-through so an executive can move from a performance exception to its likely cause.
Professional application
Design a report journey from overview to investigation and action. Use meaningful defaults, consistent labels and explanatory context so users can interpret exceptions without assistance.
Hands-on exercise & output
Deliver a navigable dashboard that answers three agreed business questions.
5
Publishing, refresh and controlled access
Theory & concepts
Explain the role of workspaces, semantic models, scheduled refresh and gateways. Demonstrate row-level security concepts and distinguish report distribution from permission to access underlying business data. Distinguish workspace roles, sharing permissions and row-level security. Discuss refresh failures, credential ownership and release checks; review Copilot-assisted report or DAX suggestions only where licensed.
Professional application
Define report ownership, refresh expectations and access approval. Document who resolves data failures, who validates business definitions and how a revised report is accepted for use.
Hands-on exercise & output
Prepare a report-release checklist and test access using a supplied role scenario.
6
Insight communication and quality assurance
Theory & concepts
Reconcile totals, test filters and document measure definitions before presenting conclusions. Communicate uncertainty, exceptions and business implications through a concise narrative and a practical reporting ownership checklist. Use Performance Analyzer concepts to identify expensive visuals and unnecessary interactions. Separate a business finding from a data-quality issue and support recommendations with reproducible evidence.
Professional application
Review whether every visual answers a decision-relevant question. Distinguish an actionable pattern from a coincidental relationship and recommend a next investigation when the evidence is insufficient.
Hands-on exercise & output
Present the dashboard and a prioritized operational recommendation with explicit limitations.
Integrated assignment
Build a management dashboard from a supplied business dataset, validate the measures and present the decisions the report can support.
Delivery & methodology
Format
Part-time professional training
Attendance
Face-to-face · Live online
Location
Dubai / UAE for face-to-face cohorts; online attendance available
Timing
Session hours, timetable, venue and cohort availability are confirmed in joining instructions.
- Pre-course needs and learning-goals assessment
- Facilitated theory and professional concepts
- Guided demonstrations, case analysis and hands-on exercises
- Application to workplace decisions, with discussion and feedback
- Post-course learning review and a personal application plan
Assessment & application
Before
Identify your role, experience, priority objectives and a workplace task you want to improve. Record a baseline confidence rating with an example of current capability.
During
Review module exercises for accurate use of the method, evidence supporting decisions, relevance to the case and clarity of the completed output. Use facilitator and peer feedback to refine the work.
After
Compare the completed assignment with your initial objectives. Explain the decisions made, identify remaining gaps and record the next practical steps.
Workplace transfer
Create a personal 30-day application plan with a defined action, target date, required support and an observable success measure. This is a participant follow-through plan; ongoing coaching is scoped separately.
Frequently asked questions
How does the program connect data to decisions?
It follows the complete analytical journey — defining the business question, preparing and modeling data, building DAX measures and dashboards, then interpreting results with a clear evidence trail.
Is a realistic case included?
Yes. An integrated case runs from the business question through modeling to a dashboard and interpretation.
Are the dates confirmed?
Dates, delivery format and places are confirmed by TIH before any booking is finalized. Use the enquiry option to check the next available cohort.
How is it delivered?
Public programs are available in person in the UAE and as live online attendance. Confirm the format for your chosen date when you enquire.
