At Team Academy, our latest Power BI training session was packed with hands-on exploration, powerful insights, and practical troubleshooting. From diving deep into time series analysis to configuring KPIs, the team sharpened their data storytelling skills while preparing for advanced topics like DAX and Power Automate.
đź“Š Time Series Analysis & Data Storytelling
We kicked things off with Power BI’s time series analysis features, learning how it automatically calculates variance and percentage differences across periods.
Explored ribbon charts and decomposition trees to break down metrics by dimensions like performance, categories, and regions.
Planned a regional analysis dashboard using map visualizations to measure productivity across multiple locations.
🗺️ Maps Visualization & Security Troubleshooting
The group examined Power BI map visuals, addressing common troubleshooting issues:
✅ Enable “Maps and Field Map Visuals” and “Use ArcGIS for Power BI” in Security settings.
💡 If features don’t work, it may be due to organizational restrictions—solutions include requesting tenant-level changes or upgrading to Azure apps.
🤖 AI Visuals in Action
Next, we explored Power BI’s AI-powered visuals:
Tooltips for interactive category breakdowns.
Key influencers to analyze data above/below average performance.
Q&A visuals that let users query data in plain language—perfect for quick insights without building visuals manually.
💡 Pro tip: Adding synonyms like “staff name” for “employee name” makes Q&A queries more intuitive!
🗂️ Data Preparation & Cleaning
Data prep is key! The team practiced removing duplicate values using Power Query—an essential step for ensuring accuracy in reports. This exercise tied directly to PL-300 exam prep, highlighting the importance of mastering transformations for real-world scenarios.
🎨 Conditional Formatting & Visual Parameters
We then explored conditional formatting, setting rules (e.g., highlighting when totals exceed 50K) to make visuals more dynamic and insightful.
From there, the team dove into visual parameters:
âś… Checkboxes and field parameters for interactive reports.
🎬 Adding animated bar charts and play-axis visuals from the custom visuals store.
đź“Ś KPI Configuration & Next Steps
Wrapping up, we configured KPI visuals to compare targets vs. actuals using intuitive color indicators. Students practiced structuring KPIs across multiple periods and report layouts.
👉 What’s next? Upcoming sessions will cover DAX formulas and Power Automate, taking reporting automation and analytical power to the next level!
🎯 Key Takeaways
Time series and decomposition trees simplify variance analysis.
Security settings are crucial for enabling map features.
AI visuals (tooltips, influencers, Q&A) make reports smarter and user-friendly.
Data cleaning and formatting techniques are essential for accuracy.
KPIs and parameters help transform static dashboards into interactive performance tools.
✨ Ready to master Power BI?
👉 Join a Free Demo Class
👉 Enroll in Our Power BI Course