Mastering Microsoft Power BI: Expert techniques to create interactive insights for effective data analytics and business intelligence, 2nd Edition

Plan, design, develop, and manage robust Power BI solutions to generate meaningful insights and make data-driven decisions.

Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free eBook in the PDF format.

Key Features

• Master the latest dashboarding and reporting features of Microsoft Power BI
• Combine data from multiple sources, create stunning visualizations and publish Power BI apps to thousands of users
• Get the most out of Microsoft Power BI with real-world use cases and examples

Book Description

Mastering Microsoft Power BI, Second Edition, provides an advanced understanding of Power BI to get the most out of your data and maximize business intelligence. This updated edition walks through each essential phase and component of Power BI, and explores the latest, most impactful Power BI features.

Using best practices and working code examples, you will connect to data sources, shape and enhance source data, and develop analytical data models. You will also learn how to apply custom visuals, implement new DAX commands and paginated SSRS-style reports, manage application workspaces and metadata, and understand how content can be staged and securely distributed via Power BI apps. Furthermore, you will explore top report and interactive dashboard design practices using features such as bookmarks and the Power KPI visual, alongside the latest capabilities of Power BI mobile applications and self-service BI techniques. Additionally, important management and administration topics are covered, including application lifecycle management via Power BI pipelines, the on-premises data gateway, and Power BI Premium capacity.

By the end of this Power BI book, you will be confident in creating sustainable and impactful charts, tables, reports, and dashboards with any kind of data using Microsoft Power BI.

What you will learn

• Build efficient data retrieval and transformation processes with the Power Query M language and dataflows
• Design scalable, user-friendly DirectQuery, import, and composite data models
• Create basic and advanced DAX measures
• Add ArcGIS Maps to create interesting data stories
• Build pixel-perfect paginated reports
• Discover the capabilities of Power BI mobile applications
• Manage and monitor a Power BI environment as a Power BI administrator
• Scale up a Power BI solution for an enterprise via Power BI Premium capacity

Who this book is for

Business Intelligence professionals and intermediate Power BI users looking to master Power BI for all their data visualization and dashboarding needs will find this book useful. An understanding of basic BI concepts is required and some familiarity with Microsoft Power BI will be helpful to make the most out of this book.

Table of Contents

1. Planning Power BI Projects
2. Preparing Data sources
3. Connecting to Sources and Transforming Data with M
4. Designing Import, DirectQuery, and Composite Data Models
5. Developing DAX Measures and Security Roles
6. Planning Power BI Reports
7. Creating and Formatting Visualizations
8. Applying Advanced Analytics
9. Designing Dashboards
10. Managing Workspaces and Content
11. Managing the On-Premises Data Gateway
12. Deploying Paginated Reports
13. Creating Power BI Apps and Content Distribution
14. Administering Power BI for an Organization
15. Building Enterprise BI with Power BI Premium

Greg Deckler is Vice President of the Microsoft Practice at Fusion Alliance and has been a professional technology systems consultant for over 25 years. Internationally recognized as an expert in Power BI, Greg Deckler is a Microsoft MVP for Data Platform and a superuser within the Power BI community with over 100,000 messages read, more than 11,000 replies, over 2,300 answers, and more than 75 entries in the Quick Measures Gallery. Greg founded the Columbus Azure ML and Power BI User Group (CAMLPUG) and presents at numerous conferences and events, including SQL Saturday, DogFood, and the Dynamic Communities User Group/Power Platform Summit.

Brett Powell is the owner of and business intelligence consultant at Frontline Analytics LLC, a data and analytics research and consulting firm and Microsoft Power BI partner. He has worked with Power BI technologies since they were first introduced as the PowerPivot add-in for Excel 2010 and has been a Power BI architect and lead BI consultant for organizations across the retail, manufacturing, and financial services industries. Additionally, Brett has led Boston’s Power BI User Group, delivered presentations at technology events such as Power BI World Tour, and maintains the popular Insight Quest Microsoft BI blog.