Power BI for Beginners: Free Dashboard Course
Clean data with Power Query, model it like a pro and write the DAX measures interviewers love to ask about.
About this course
A free Power BI course that takes you from loading your first dataset to a polished, interactive dashboard. Learn Power Query for cleaning data, relationships and the data model, DAX measures, choosing the right visual, slicers and filters, and how to tell a clear story with a one-page report. Built for Indian students and freshers using Power BI Desktop, which is free.
Who it's for
Students and early-career analysts who want to build business dashboards.
What you will learn
- Install Power BI Desktop and load data from CSV and Excel files
- Clean messy data in Power Query: fix types, split and trim columns, unpivot, and keep every step reproducible
- Build a star-schema data model with the right relationships between fact and dimension tables
- Write the DAX measures interviewers ask about: SUM vs SUMX, CALCULATE, filter context, time intelligence and running totals
- Choose the right chart for each business question and add slicers, filters and drill-through
- Design a clean one-page report that tells a clear story to a manager
- Finish a portfolio capstone dashboard you can show in interviews and on LinkedIn
Course syllabus: 4 weeks, 36 lessons
Week 1: Get In, Clean Up: Power BI Desktop & Power Query
- Excel Khatam, Power BI Shuru.
- Install Power BI Desktop (and the Windows Reality)
- Get Data: Connecting to CSV, Excel & the Mess Within
- The Power Query Editor: Every Click Is a Recorded Step
- Fix Types, Split & Trim: The Daily Cleaning Toolkit
- Unpivot: The Transform That Separates Pros from Beginners
- Close & Apply: From Query to Model
- Your First Visual: Just to See the Clean Data
- Week-1 Deliverable: A Cleaned, Documented Dataset
Week 2: The Data Model: Think Like a Database
- Why One Big Table Fails
- Creating Relationships in Model View
- The Star Schema: One Fact, Many Dimensions
- Every Model Needs a Date Table
- Measures vs Columns: The Distinction Everyone Confuses
- Your First Real Measures: SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, DISTINCTCOUNT
- Cards, Tables & a Matrix: Showing Measures
- Slicers: Let the User Filter
- PUBLISH: Your First Power BI Report
Week 3: DAX That Gets You Hired
- Filter Context: Why the Same Measure Shows Different Numbers
- CALCULATE: Change the Filter on Purpose
- ALL & Percent of Total: Removing Filters
- YTD, QTD, MTD: Cumulative Time Measures
- Previous Period & Growth %: SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR
- Running Totals & Moving Averages
- Variables (VAR) for Readable, Faster DAX
- Drill-through: Click a Summary, See the Detail
- PUBLISH: A DAX-Powered Interactive Report
Week 4: Reports, Polish & Your Portfolio Capstone
- Report Layout: A Page People Can Read
- KPI Cards & Conditional Formatting
- Bookmarks & Buttons: Guided Interactivity
- A Consistent Theme & Clean Tooltips
- Phone Layout: They'll Open It on Mobile
- Your 3 Findings: The Interview Script
- PUBLISH the Capstone + Sharing Settings
- Résumé & LinkedIn: The Part That Gets You Hired
- Capstone Showcase + Rapid Interview Drill
Certificate
The course is free. When you finish every lesson you can get a verified certificate for Rs 99 (GST included). It carries a QR code anyone can scan to verify it, so you can add it to your resume and LinkedIn.
Why Techwave Academy
Techwave Academy is a free, hands-on learning platform built for Indian students K-12 and self-learners. Every course is interactive: code runs in your browser, AI mentors explain every concept, and progress is tracked end-to-end. No installs, no signup walls, no hidden costs. Just learn.
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Start this course freeFrequently asked questions
Is this Power BI course really free?
Yes. Every lesson is free, and Power BI Desktop itself is a free download from Microsoft.
Do I need a powerful laptop?
Power BI Desktop runs on Windows. If you only have a Mac or a phone you can still follow the lessons, read every explanation and do the DAX and modelling exercises, and use Power BI on the web for practice.
Do I need to know Excel first?
Basic comfort with spreadsheets helps, but the course starts from loading your first dataset. Our free Excel course is a good companion.
Is DAX covered for interviews?
Yes. A whole week is on DAX, with the measures and filter-context questions that come up most in data analyst interviews.
Which language are the lessons in?
English with Hinglish narration, written for Indian students and freshers.