Course Overview

This foundation-level programme introduces new learners to the core skills required to work with data, build simple dashboards, and understand the Microsoft Power Platform. It prepares participants for more advanced analytics, automation, and reporting programs.

The curriculum is designed for absolute beginners or professionals transitioning into data roles.

Program Purpose (Beginner Level)

This programme equips participants with the essential skills to:

• Understand the basics of data, analytics, and business intelligence

• Use Power BI to connect, clean, and visualize data

• Build simple dashboards and reports

• Understand basic DAX formulas

• Learn the fundamentals of Power Apps and Power Automate

• Gain confidence to progress into advanced analytics programs

Program Outcomes (What Participants Will Learn)

By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:

• Understand what Power BI is and how it fits into modern analytics

• Import data from Excel, CSV, and online sources

• Clean and prepare data using basic Power Query steps

• Build simple data models with relationships

• Create basic visualizations (charts, tables, slicers, cards)

• Apply introductory DAX formulas (SUM, COUNT, simple KPIs)

• Publish and share reports in the Power BI Service

• Understand the purpose of Power Apps and Power Automate

• Build a simple app and a basic automated workflow

• Apply best practices for clean, readable dashboards

Course Format

• Instructor-led sessions

• Hands-on exercises

• Step-by-step guided practice

• Mini-projects and practical assignments

• Real-world examples

Modules & Practical Labs (Beginner Level)

1. Introduction to Modern Business Intelligence

• What is Business Intelligence

• Overview of Power BI, Power Apps, and Power Automate

• Understanding data sources and data types

• How organizations use analytics for decision-making

Lab: Explore sample datasets and identify insights

2. Getting Started with Power BI Desktop

• Power BI interface and navigation

• Importing data from Excel and CSV

• Basic data cleaning (remove rows, rename columns, change data types)

Lab: Load and clean a simple dataset

3. Power Query Basics

• What Power Query does

• Basic transformations:

  • Remove duplicates

  • Split columns

  • Filter rows

  • Merge and append tables

Lab: Clean a messy dataset using Power Query

4. Introduction to Data Modeling

• What is a data model

• Creating relationships between tables

• Understanding primary keys and lookup tables

Lab: Build a simple model using two or three tables

5. Building Visualizations

• Bar charts, line charts, tables, cards, slicers

• Formatting visuals

• Using themes and color standards

• Creating interactive dashboards

Lab: Build your first dashboard

6. Introduction to DAX

• What is DAX

• Basic measures: SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT

• Simple KPIs

• Intro to calculated columns

Lab: Create measures for a sales or performance dashboar

7. Power BI Service Basics

• Publishing reports

• Sharing dashboards

• Understanding workspaces

• Refresh basics

Lab: Publish your dashboard and share it with your team

8. Introduction to Power Apps

• What Power Apps is used for

• Canvas app basics

• Connecting Power Apps to Excel or SharePoint

Lab: Build a simple data-entry app

9. Introduction to Power Automate

• What automation means

• Creating simple flows:

  • Email notifications

  • Approval requests

  • Scheduled reminders

Lab: Build a basic automated workflow

10. Mini Capstone Project

Participants build a simple end-to-end solution:

• Clean a dataset

• Build a small model

• Create a dashboard

• Publish it

• Build a simple app or flow connected to the data

Business Value (Organizational Benefits)

• Improved data literacy across teams

• Faster reporting with simple dashboards

• Better decision-making using clean, visual insights

• Reduced manual work through basic automation

• Foundation for advanced analytics and enterprise BI

Individual Career Impact

• Gain confidence working with data

• Build your first analytics portfolio

• Prepare for advanced Power BI and Power Platform training

• Become more competitive in data-driven roles

Who Should Attend

• Beginners with no data background

• Professionals transitioning into analytics

• Administrators, coordinators, officers

• M&E staff, HR, finance, operations

• Anyone who wants to start learning Power BI and Power Apps