Overview
Microsoft Power BI is an essential tool for government professionals seeking to harness data for strategic decision-making. With agencies increasingly adopting data-driven approaches, Power BI provides an intuitive and powerful solution for analyzing, visualizing, and sharing insights securely across departments.
This Power BI Essentials course is designed for government professionals who are new to Power BI or looking to build a solid foundation in data reporting and visualization. The training covers key aspects of the Power BI ecosystem, including data connectivity, transformation, visualization, and sharing. Participants will gain hands-on experience with Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service, learning to create impactful dashboards and interactive reports that drive operational efficiency and policy effectiveness.
The course also introduces Microsoft Copilot in Power BI, giving participants a practical first look at how AI can accelerate report creation, suggest report pages, and generate smart narratives. Copilot touchpoints are woven throughout the course so learners understand both what Copilot can do and when to validate its outputs before sharing them.
By the end of this course, participants will be equipped with the knowledge to confidently develop reports, apply data transformations, and leverage Power BI's capabilities, including Copilot, to support transparency and accountability in government initiatives.
Join us and unlock the power of Power BI to enhance efficiency, transparency, and data-driven decision-making in government!
Who Should Attend?
This course is designed for all government professionals — regardless of role or technical background — who want to develop essential skills in data analysis, visualization, and reporting using Power BI. Whether you work in policy, finance, operations, IT, or administration.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
Understand the core components of Power BI, including Power BI Desktop, Power BI Service, and Power BI Mobile.
Connect to and clean data from various sources, including Excel, CSV, and databases.
Perform basic data transformations using Power Query, including filtering, sorting, merging, and appending data.
Build and format visualizations, such as bar charts, line graphs, tables, and cards.
Enhance interactivity using slicers, filters, and cross-filtering techniques.
Create and publish reports to Power BI Service for collaboration and sharing.
Implement basic DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) functions for calculations.
Apply best practices in data visualization to create clear and effective reports.
Use Copilot in Power BI to accelerate report building, including suggested pages and smart narratives.
Identify Copilot licensing and workspace requirements to assess readiness within your organization.
Online Training
Power BI Essentials for Government
Session details
- Government-Focused Training: Tailored for public sector professionals, this course aligns with government transparency, accountability, and data-driven decision-making initiatives.
- Reduce Dependence on IT Teams: Power BI enables non-technical users to analyze and visualize data without relying on IT specialists.
- Drive Data-Informed Decision-Making: Learn how Power BI can help streamline reporting, enhance policy planning, and improve stakeholder communication.
- Move Beyond Static Reports: Shift from traditional spreadsheets to interactive, real-time dashboards that empower decision-makers.
- Accelerate Report Building with Copilot: Use AI-assisted tools to generate report pages, suggest visuals, and draft narratives, while keeping your data expertise controlled by real people.
- Collaborate Across Teams: Publish and share dashboards through Power BI Service, enabling colleagues and leadership to access up-to-date insights from anywhere.
- Build Confidence with Real Data: Work through hands-on exercises using realistic government datasets, so skills transfer directly to your day-to-day work.
By attending this course, government professionals will gain the skills and confidence needed to harness the power of data and support agency objectives through actionable insights.
No prior Power BI experience is required, making this course suitable for both beginners and those looking to strengthen their foundational knowledge.
Key Sessions
11:00am
1) Introduction to Power BI (with a Copilot-aware orientation)
- What is Power BI?
- Overview of Power BI Desktop vs Power BI Service vs Power BI Mobile
- Core use cases and where each fits
- Key features and benefits of Power BI
- The Power BI ecosystem
- Differences between Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service
- When to use each tool
- Typical workflow: build in Desktop → publish to Service → share/consume (web/mobile)
- The Power BI workflow (connect → transform → model → visualize → share)
- Where Copilot fits
- What Copilot can help with in Power BI
- What it cannot replace
1:00pm Break
1:10pm
2) Getting started with Power BI Desktop
- Navigating the Power BI interface
- Overview of the Home, Insert, and View tabs
- Understanding the Report, Data, and Model views
- Connecting to data sources
- Importing data from Excel, CSV, and other common sources
- Introduction to Power Query Editor for basic data cleaning
- Basic Data Transformations
- Filtering, sorting, and removing unnecessary data
- Merging and appending tables
- Clean-up patterns you’ll use every day
- Rename fields, change data types, trim/clean text
- Remove duplicates, handle nulls/blanks
3) Creating your first report (and a small Copilot assist)
- Building basic visuals
- Charts (bar/column, line, pie), tables, cards
- Adding titles, labels, legends
- Customizing visuals
- Formatting options (fonts/colors/backgrounds)
- Introduction to conditional formatting (data bars, color scales)
- Report Themes
- Applying and customizing themes for consistent design
- Copilot touchpoint: Starter page in 60 seconds
- Use Copilot to suggest a report page, then critique + improve it manually
- Emphasize validation: check filters, axis sorting, and field choices
3:00pm End of day 1
11:05am
4) Enhancing your reports
- Adding Interactivity
- Using slicers and filters to make reports interactive
- Cross-filtering and highlighting data
- Data visualization best practices
- Choosing the right visual for your data
- Designing clear and effective reports
- Introduction to DAX (Data Analysis Expressions)
- Creating simple calculated columns and measures (e.g., SUM, AVERAGE)
- Quick examples learners can reuse
- Copilot touchpoint: Prompt refinement mini-lesson
1:00pm Break
1:10pm
5) Power BI Service (Cloud) and Copilot readiness
- Navigating the Power BI Service
- Uploading/publishing from Desktop to the Service
- Sharing and collaboration
- Sharing reports and dashboards with others
- Creating and pinning visuals to dashboards
- Setting up email subscriptions for reports
- Copilot readiness and licensing
- Copilot availability (often preview/beta features)
- Workspace requirement (Fabric capacity-enabled workspace; not personal workspace)
- Practical checklist: tenant enabled, Fabric capacity, well-governed model
6) Q&A and hands-on practice
- Build a simple report end-to-end (connect → transform → visuals → publish)
- Optional: Copilot “suggest content” for one additional page, then validate
3:00pm End of day 2
Meet Your Facilitator
Shannon Lynch
The PowerBI Coach
Shannon Lynch is a leading Power BI trainer and consultant specializing in data visualization and analytics. With extensive experience helping organizations unlock the power of Power BI, Shannon brings a practical, hands-on approach to training. His expertise in simplifying complex data concepts into actionable insights makes him a trusted advisor for government professionals looking to leverage Power BI for better decision-making.
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Join this training for professionals working within the Public Sector
Early Bird
Ends 22 May
$595 CAD
per person + tax $300 savingRegular
$895 CAD
per person + taxFor group or payment enquiries or custom training solutions, please contact [email protected]
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