Advanced Power BI bring in Power Query, DAX & M

NBC Case Study, 11 June 2021

NBC had taken the decision to adopt Power BI as their main reporting tool in the organisation.

They sent several staff on standard power BI courses, however this did not seem to provide the ability to report from subsets of data pulled from their operational database.

In discussion with JB international they therefore stipulated the need for the training to be customised with examples of NBC data, which is unlike the samples that tend to be used in standard training courses. Being an awarding body NBC’s data is all about exam qualifications, education establishments, marking and remarking statistics and so on.

Our trainer spoke one-on-one with three NBC staff from three separate departments in order to appreciate the range and nature of challenges they face day-to-day. NBC also provided a list of Power BI features that needed to be covered. This included solid introductions to both DAX and Power Query M programming.

A four-day syllabus was put together, agreed with NBC and delivered as two separate courses: a 2 day introductory course, followed by 2 days of advanced material. Four groups of typically 10 delegates attended each of the two courses with several weeks in between to allow them time to try out and consolidate their new knowledge before encountering the more advanced material.

Feedback from delegates was overwhelmingly positive. The fourth group included head of the Data Control Department, who after the introductory course explained that fourteen of his staff had now been trained and numerous useful looking Power BI reports were now appearing. In addition, these people were meeting weekly to discuss new ideas and insights. 

“I enjoyed Clive’s relaxed engaging teaching style, and I now have a much better idea what my people are talking about.” Head of Data Control, NBC

"Clive, from the get go and the introduction, I knew I was going to enjoy the training on Power BI. You demonstrate a calmness with your teaching methods and I find it very easy to listen to you. There is a good balance of getting through the required content but also sometimes going off topic by a random thought or trigger which reminds me a lot of myself actually. You're also a very good listener from what I've observed. If I ever have my own company one day, I don't know maybe something in crypto or electric cars and I need reports being built, I know you're the man for the job!" OA

"I enjoyed going over all the possible areas of Power Bi. The course starts off with the basics and really helps us understand what we can do. As the first day progressed, it was shown how easy Power Bi can be to use with practice and Clive was a big part in making the group really grasp concepts. With Clive being live with us meant we could ask questions and get answers back which made us understand any uncertainties. I have done courses in the past where the videos were pre-recorded and the learning during those courses felt very slow, whereas with Clive it felt like I could easily understand and apply what I was learning. The course did feel like a classroom taught lesson which I do prefer. Clive was excellent, he was composed, calm and taught pretty much a group of beginners who now feel like they could go away and create simple reports. " RA

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