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Self Service BI Boot Camp

  • On-Demand
  • Coached
Author: Ken Puls

Average Rating: (19 Reviews)

Prepare to change your company's reporting game forever! In the Self Service BI Boot Camp, Ken Puls will teach you how to use Excel, Power Query, and Power BI together to build robust Self Service BI solutions. This hands-on guided training includes access to nearly 24 hours of recorded video and twice-monthly 'Ask Ken Anything' support sessions.
Course
Course Icon - Self Service BI Boot Camp Course Icon - Self Service BI Boot Camp

Self Service BI Boot Camp

$995 Renews at $249 per year
(All prices in USD)
This Course contains:
42h 30m of training content
26 Content Modules
1 Workshop Lab
Downloadable files and Handouts
Support and Discussion groups
Certificate of completion
DURATION:
42h 30m
TOOLS:
Excel
Power BI
SKILLS:
Data Preparation
Data Modeling
DAX Formulas
Data Analysis
Data Visualization

What you'll learn?

A deep exploration of Power Query for gathering and preparing your data
Creating dynamic business intelligence models that are refreshable with a single click
The benefits, concepts, and key terminology of Dimensional Modeling
The difference between Facts, Dimensions, and Relationships
Designing and linking their parent tables correctly
Creating a variety of DAX measures
Controlling the Filter Context
Building calendar tables
Using the “Golden Date” pattern
Adjusting for non-standard year-ends
Specific features of Excel and Power BI that every analyst should know
Creating a Power BI report using a variety of different visuals for displaying data
Publishing a Power BI report and sharing it with other users
Managing Power BI report permissions

Course Overview

Course Description

We know that data is not usually stored in nicely curated databases and often – even when it is – the data analyst doesn’t have access to it. Instead, we must piece together data provided in text files, Excel files, web pages, and even the body of emails to build the business intelligence solutions we need. Until now this has been a painful process with a great deal of cut and paste effort, and updates have been tedious and error prone. That stops with this workshop!

The Self Service BI Boot Camp begins with a deep exploration of Power Query. Built-in to both Excel and Power BI, Power Query can clean, reshape, and combine your data with ease – no matter where it comes from. Converting ASCII files into tables, combining multiple text files in one shot, and even un-pivoting data is not only simple, but an investment in the future. With Power Query’s robust feature set at our fingertips, and our data clean and ready to be used, we’re now ready to explore creating dynamic business intelligence models that are refreshable with a single click.

Next, we introduce the benefits, concepts and key terminology of Dimensional Modeling. Based on the Power Pivot Data model, it’s this portion that lays the cornerstone of your reporting solution. You’ll learn the difference between Facts, Dimensions and Relationships, where they live, and how to design and link their parent tables correctly. You’ll also learn some key Power Query recipe patterns for solving two of the most frequent challenges when trying to relate tables together.

While learning to create the proper dimensional model is critical to every solution, the visible magic happens when we talk about DAX in the next section of the workshop. This powerful formula language allows us to report on much more than just the ‘Sum of Sales’. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to create a variety of DAX measures, understand how DAX measures are calculated, and how to control their Filter Context. These are all critical skills for building your own advanced measures for your work.

No course on self-service BI would be complete without discussing calendar intelligence, which is exactly why we cover it. From building calendar tables on the fly to exploring the “Golden Date” pattern, we’ll work through the steps required for extending our model to report based on our own year-end.

Finally, we’ll dive into specific features of Excel and Power BI that every analyst should know. How easy is it to create a Power BI report and use a variety of different visuals for displaying data? How can you publish a Power BI report and share it with other users? How do you manage those permissions? All these questions will be answered!

Throughout this workshop, you’ll be working with both Excel and Power BI. Why? Because the tools and concepts you’ll be learning work in both places. So how do you know which one is right for the job? We’ll talk not only about that, but also how they can be used together in one solution. Come and join us to revolutionize your reporting process!

You can view a full listing  of the topics covered in this course in the Course Content section further down this page.

Who this course is for?

This course provides an end-to-end journey from raw data through reporting, showing how each tool in the business intelligence suite is used.  It is targeted at:
  • Anyone who needs to build reports based on data.
  • Excel users who want to ‘upskill’ their knowledge to work with modern features
  • Users who want to be able to work with BOTH Excel and Power BI (no matter which program you start from.)
  • Attendees who are looking for coaching as they learn a new topic.

What skills should you bring?

The answer to this depends on which program you are more familiar with…

Experience creating and modifying Excel PivotTables is highly encouraged.

  • If you do not have experience in this area, we encourage you to check out our Excel Fundamentals Boot Camp, which will get you prepared to take this program.

If you are comfortable creating PivotTables from a data source, you’ll will be able to get a lot out of this course. But if you have ever run into one (or both) of the following two issues, you’ll know you are absolutely ready:

  • You’ve attempted to build a Calculated Field and found the interface and options to be lacking.
  • You’ve run into an issue where two data sources cannot be merged together to serve the data for a PivotTable

Ultimately, experience with Power Pivot and Power BI are optional as we will teach you what you need to know in both these areas.

Having said this, if you are already using Power Pivot, here are some key factors that also indicate you are ready for this course.  You may have:

  • Triggered a “Relationship Between Tables may be needed” error on an Excel PivotTable
  • Been told you cannot create a relationship between tables because each column contains multiple unique values
  • Received an error upon refreshing your Data Model because a column contains multiple values
  • Created a relationship backwards in your Data Model
  • Discovered a value that doesn’t seem to filter properly when drilling in to a PivotTable

If any of these sound familiar (or not), we’ll show you how to solve them.

For Power BI users, we recommend that you have experience getting data from a raw data source and building reports.  As long as you’re able to do this with some success you’re good to go.

Keep in mind that our journey will start in Excel, but we will teach you the ‘how’ and ‘why’ so that you can apply the techniques in the correct tool for the correct job.

Not sure if this course is right for you?

Visit our Learning Journey page to compare courses by skill level and area of specialization.

Course Structure

This course is a hybrid format of pre-recorded video training interspersed with live online Q&A and coaching with Ken Puls, for direct help with your questions. The Boot Camp is broken down into two main sections:

Section 1: Course Schedule

The main course curriculum includes nearly 24 hours of pre-recorded video training, of which approximately 2.5-3.5 hours will be assigned per week. While attendees are able to consume as much as they want at any time, our recommendation is to dedicate one afternoon per week. Doing so allows completion of the entire course over a period of approximately 14 weeks (including a ‘reading week’ every 4th week.)

Section 2: Coached Support

In addition to the main course curriculum, this course also includes access to twice-monthly “Ask Ken Anything” (AKA) sessions for as long as your subscription is active. Each of these sessions is up to 2 hours in length, conducted live and recorded for later review.  This is a great way to receive continued coaching on a longer-term basis, as you apply your skills in the real world and run into real world problems.

Questions for the sessions may be submitted in advance, and all of the live AKA sessions will be recorded and shared with participants. Thus, you will still be able to learn from the discussions even if you are not able to join Ken live (due to time zone conflicts, other commitments, etc.) or get called away for part of the session. This also allows you to watch the recordings on your own schedule, and to pause, rewind, and practice more with example files.

If you are not able to join us live for the AKA calls (please see below for schedule), you can still submit your questions to Ken beforehand and he will answer them in the session. You will then be able to watch the answer later on in the session recording.

As with all of our training courses, we also provide access to our curated Skillwave Support Forum as well, allowing you to get answers on a quicker basis should you need more immediate help.

Total Training Hours

The core of this course contains approximately 42.5 hours of training, based on:

  • 23.75h of video training
  • approximately 7.25h of practice time with the example files
  • approximately 11.5h of AKA sessions (based on 23 calls/year and students attending/watching half of the AKA’s)

If registrants attend (or watch the recordings of) all 46 hours of the AKA sessions, this course includes more than 70 hours of training in total.

Get Started the right way with a live Kick-off call

Registration is ongoing with new intakes beginning each month. Upon joining the course, attendees will be invited to join a “Kick-off” calls where Ken will walk through the details on how the program works. These calls are generally hosted on the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM Pacific Time and 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM Pacific Time. Attendees are encouraged to join the call that makes the most sense for their time zone.

Ongoing Support via ‘Ask Ken Anything’ Sessions

With the exception of December, Ken hosts 2 “Ask Ken Anything” sessions per month – generally on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month, resulting in approximately 23 AKA calls held each year. Call times alternate between morning and afternoon (Pacific Time), in order to allow students from different time zones the opportunity to join the sessions in person. All AKA calls are recorded, and students are able to submit questions in advance.

Also, you may join any of the AKA sessions for as long as you are subscribed to the course, even those after your initial enrollment semester ends.

Bonus Gifts with this Course

A digital copy of 'Master Your Data with Excel and Power BI'

Annual Monkey Tools pro license for as long as you are part of the course

Our Power Query Recipes, including all new and updated cards for as long as you are subscribed

Access to recordings of past Q&A and AMA sessions for as long as you are subscribed

Access to all future semester Q&A and AMA sessions for as long as you are subscribed

Reviews

Self Service BI Boot Camp

Average Rating

4.84 / 5

(based on 19 reviews)

4.83/5
Ken Muse
Ken Muse
December 17, 2022
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This course is a complete end-to-end exploration of Power BI, including data modeling, reporting, integrating with Excel, improving performance, and building usable reports and dashboards. Very thorough while remaining approachable for new users. I've highly recommended it to others already.
Jeff
Jeff
November 24, 2021
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Huge props for the care and thought taken in both the structure and layout/visuals for this course. This course manages to cover a very wide range of everything you need to: get your data into a clean and robust dataset; model and relate it all properly for speed and scalability; and then create visuals to tell the story in the data. It is not a deep dive into the coding side but it will leave you knowing exactly where you need to go deeper. The AMA and Q&A sessions alone are worth the course price.
Steffen Fischer
Steffen Fischer
March 24, 2021
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This course designed and led by Ken Puls is absolutely fantastic! From simple pivot tables to advanced subjects with Power Query, DAX, Dimensional Modeling and Power BI, you get the complete package with best practices, excercises, Q&A and AMA-sessions. There are also additional PDF files on DAX Measures that are very helpful. Ken knows what is important and convey his knowledge very well and practically. I can highly recommend the course to everyone who wants to get the most out of all the the Power BI Tools! Great content!
Cristian
Cristian
March 11, 2021
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This course is fantastic! It’s like the “swiss army knife” course for any Self Service BI professional. There’s a huge amount of great support material in this course and pre-recorded videos are very well prepared. The relevance and quality of both sample files and video materials, together with the excellent answers provided by Ken in the Q&As are just brilliant. I really enjoyed learning at my own pace and I am glad that I could grow my skills as a SSBI professional. I would highly recommend this.
Alina I.
Alina I.
August 25, 2023
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I loved the hands-on approach and theory combined with real examples one can try straight away. I liked all the tips and explanations behind the approaches to solve particular data challenges, and Ken's positive attitude towards the whole material. Keep up an excellent work 🙂
Doug Munsch
Doug Munsch
March 20, 2023
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I liked the quality of the lessons and the promptness of feedback from Ken and the other students in the forums and Ask Me Anything sessions. The class was a grand slam.
Andrew Hunt
Andrew Hunt
March 17, 2023
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The content was well laid out, but it would be nice if there was assignments.
Basma Hassan
Basma Hassan
March 15, 2023
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I loved how every explanation was followed with a worked through example as well as resources to work in our own time. Also I liked how the website would automatically jump to the next video, very efficient! Thank you for creating this course and I look forward to future courses.
Maria Porshnova
Maria Porshnova
December 27, 2022
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The well-structured approach really helped me understand Power Query down to designing simple databases, which was lacking in some of the courses I took from other providers.
Jon Krueger
Jon Krueger
November 7, 2022
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The examples provided and the clarity of the instruction given were all excellent. I particularly appreciated the complexity involved and look forward to going back through the videos a second, maybe even a third time, to try and master the concepts. Ken appears to be super nice, and super helpful. A genuine teacher. Happy that I purchased the course.
Mike
Mike
October 13, 2022
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Learning Power Query opened up a whole new world for me. I'm using it on a daily basis now. I'm saving so much time without having to manually filter reports, etc. The self service format is great. I can easily follow the instructions and get practice on my own time. My days can be so busy, so having a self service course is very helpful.
Rod Apfelbeck
Rod Apfelbeck
September 7, 2022
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The best part was that it opened a bunch of new possibilities to me. I really, really enjoyed this course even though it was sometimes at the fringes of my understanding. I thought the content and your presentation style were both excellent. I also greatly value the continued access to the AMA sessions.
Geoff Mondy
Geoff Mondy
August 16, 2022
Read More
I liked the relatable content and ready-to-use solutions. Ken had a great way of demystifying complex terminology. I’m looking forward to my next course with Skillwave soon.
Tristan
Tristan
July 25, 2022
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I liked the vast content.
Stephen Ng
Stephen Ng
June 24, 2022
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I am a daily Excel user for over 10 years. This course completely transformed the way I use the software. It has improved my efficiency, enabled me to solve problems that I didn't know was possible, and opened doors for my career. Overall, I highly recommend this course. Thank you Ken Puls!
Cynthia Scherbarth
Cynthia Scherbarth
June 6, 2022
Read More
I really did like all the learning. There is so much that I don't know. Taking me through step by step was great, and doing it while seeing it be done was the best. I thought this was a very informative course. I did learn a lot and I'm very thankful that I will be able to come back to this and look up different courses when needed. I'm sure that I'll be back. Thank you!
John Hanson
John Hanson
June 2, 2022
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Ken has a wonderful teaching style. He's very knowledgeable and clearly has a passion for Power Query and DAX. He dives into details yet walks through each step with very well laid out lessons and before and after files so I never felt lost. Additionally, Ken's foundational teaching in proper setup of data sources, relationships, and other future-proofing concepts has benefited me greatly in building my own data models. Appreciate you all and the entire Skillwave Team!
Martin Stubbings
Martin Stubbings
August 31, 2021
Read More
Ken and his team have put together a great course. The learning materials were really well presented and broken down into modules that built up from a refresher on pivot tables to publishing Power BI reports in order to make them accessible to colleagues. The Q&A calls with Ken allow participants to clarify any points that have not been fully understood. Although I had some very basic knowledge around the subject matter, the course clarified and consolidated a lot of my previous learning as well as introducing me to aspects that I had completely missed. I would recommend this course.
Stanton Berlinsky
Stanton Berlinsky
May 31, 2021
Read More
The Self Service BI Boot Camp is the best all-around course I’ve taken to understand better the ins and outs of data modeling with Power BI. Each module provides a clear and concise explanation of the subject matter, and example files deliver the practice you need to learn the techniques taught. Thank you, Ken Puls and Skillwave.
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Course Update Log

2021-03-22

First release of the course.

2021-08-02

Release of Master Your Data with Excel and Power BI book (formerly titled M is for (Data) Monkey). Course registrants now receive the new second edition instead of the original first edition.

2021-09-28

Updates made to the Power Query Recipes:

  • Added an entire new section to the recipe collection that corresponds with the new Academy module on Allocations. Section 65 – Allocations Over Periods contains the following new recipes:
    • Allocating Values Over Periods Between Two Dates (65.100)
    • Allocating Values Over x Periods From a Start Date (65.101)
    • Allocate Evenly to Each Day in Period (65.110)
    • Allocate to Month by Days in Period (65.120)
    • Allocate Evenly to each Month in Period (65.130)
    • Allocate to Year by Days in Period (65.220)
    • Allocate Evenly to each Year in Period (65.230)
    • Allocate Over x Months from Start Date (65.310)
    • Allocate Over x Years from Start Date (65.320)
    • Allocate Over x Consecutive Days from Start (65.410)
    • Allocate Over x Instances at y Intervals (65.420)
  • Added two new recipes to Section 60 – Date & Time Techniques:
    • Creating a Custom GetMonthEnds Function (60.850)
    • Creating a Custom GetYearEnds Function (60.855)
  • Updated a recipe in Section 70 – Miscellaneous:
    • Add a Random Number to all Table Rows (70.100)

2021-12-20

Power Query Recipes Updates:

  • Added a new recipe to section 20 – Reshaping Data:
    • Pivoting Vertical Sets (Recipe 20.130)
  • Updated existing recipes:
    • Pivoting Stacked Data (Recipe 20.120) – name of the “Integer-Division” column updated to reflect new wording (was formerly “Integer-Divide”)
    • Allocate over x Years from Start Date (Recipe 65.320) – the formula logic for the first period was corrected
    • Random Numbers (Recipe 70.100) – note added that the recipe is now much easier with versions of Power Query released after October 2021

2022-03-31

Power Query Recipes Updates:

  • Added a new recipe to section 00 – Best Practice Architectures:
    • Quickly Setting Data Type of All Columns (Recipe 0.550.2203)
  • Added a new recipe to section 70 – Miscellaneous:
    • Choosing Columns vs Removing Columns (Recipe 70.130.2203)
  • Updated existing recipe in section 30 – Combining Data:
    • Cartesian Products (Recipe 30.120.2203)

2022-06-27

Updates made to the Power Query Recipes:

  • Added a new recipe to section 20 – Reshaping Data:
    • Shift Non-Aligned Columns Left (Recipe 20.160.2206)

2022-09-28

Power Query Recipes Updates:

  • Added a new recipe to section 20 – Reshaping Data:
    • Unfill in Power Query (Recipe 20.170.2209)

Power Query Recipes Updates:

  • Added two new cards:
    • Recipe 35.200 – Append all Tables in the Current Workbook
    • Recipe 60.950 – Convert a Julian Date to a Gregorian Date
  • Updated an existing card:
    • Recipe 60.530 (Fiscal Period Columns for 13 x 4-Week Calendars) – corrected the Fiscal Quarter formula

The original format of weekly 30-minute Q&A calls + monthly ‘Ask Ken Anything’ (AKA) calls replaced with twice-monthly AKA calls that are 2-hours each. This is to better accommodate new semesters kicking off each month instead of each quarter.

7.5 hours of new and updated content added to the course, including:

  • Added a new Architecting Business Intelligence Solutions module, containing 8 new lessons
  • Added 4 additional lessons to the end of the Dimensional Modeling Recipes module:
    • Adjustments for 12-Month Non-Standard Year Ends
    • Fiscal Periods for 12-Month Non-Standard Year Ends
    • Adjustments for 364-Day Calendars
    • Fiscal Periods for 364-Day Calendars
  • Removed the original Dashboarding with Power BI Module, and replaced it with 5 new modules:
    • Introduction to Power BI (containing 7 new lessons)
    • Power BI Desktop (containing 7 new lessons)
    • Power BI Service (containing 8 new lessons)
    • Sharing Power BI (The Right Way) (containing 6 new lessons)
    • Multi-User Environments (containing 6 new lessons)
  • Updated the Excel & Power BI – Better Together module to be called Power BI & Office – Better Together, and
    • Replaced 4 lessons with brand new lessons
    • Updated 2 of the existing lessons to feature the new Power BI UI

Course Formats

On-Demand
This is an on-demand course, delivered via pre-recorded video modules that you can consume at your own pace. It includes all required sample files and practice sets.
Coached
This course includes live online coaching with our trainer, where you can ask your questions directly. During these sessions, our expert trainer will help you with any challenges you encountered while working through the on-demand portions of the course.

Course Content

Welcome to the Course!
6 Lessons
Getting Started
Recommended Schedule
Course Introduction
Who’s Ken
Monkey Tools License
Self Service BI Ecosystem
PivotTable Review
8 Lessons
Structuring Data for Self Service BI
Excel Tables
Benefits of Excel Tables
Introduction to PivotTables
Creating PivotTables
Formatting PivotTables
PivotTable Design Options
Filtering PivotTables
The Trouble with Data
5 Lessons
Building Modern BI Solutions
The Trouble with Data
Classic Excel Cleanup
Power Query Adds ETL Capability
Dealing with Data in Modern Excel
Power Query Basics
4 Lessons
Accessing Power Query
How Systems Import Dates
Importing a CSV File
Update Options
Appending Data
8 Lessons
Basic Append Operations
Importing a Folder of Files – Overview
Importing a Folder of Files – Step 0
Importing a Folder of Files – Step 1
Importing a Folder of Files – Step 2
Importing a Folder of Files – Step 3
Importing a Folder of Files – Step 4
Update Options Revisited
Merging Data
4 Lessons
Merging Tables with Power Query
7 Ways to Join Your Data
Cartesian Products
Merging with an Approximate Match
Reshaping Tabular Data
7 Lessons
Unpivot With Ease
Unpivot Subcategorized Tables
Pivoting Stacked Data
Pivoting Multi Column Vertical Pairs
Pivoting Multi Column Horizontal Pairs
Data Grouping Recipe
Calculating Percentage of Total via Grouping
Conditional Logic
3 Lessons
Creating Conditional Logic
Conditional Logic – Advanced
Columns From Example
Introduction to Power Pivot
5 Lessons
Where PivotTables Fail
Enter the Data Model
Relating the Tables
Aggregating Data with DAX
Filtering, Ordering and Sorting
Architecting Business Intelligence Solutions
8 Lessons
Steps to Successful Business Intelligence
Identifying the Business Process
Wireframing Report Requirements
Determining the Model Grain
Exercise: Designing Tables From Wireframes
Solution: Designing Tables From Wireframes
Determining Unique Columns Required for the Model
Collecting and Normalizing Model Data
Dimensional Modeling Terminology
5 Lessons
Facts and Dimensions
Preparing For Dimensional Modeling
Designing Dimension Tables
Designing Fact Tables
Measuring Facts
Relationships
4 Lessons
Relationship Types
Relationship Schemas
Effect of Relationship Issues
Preventing Filtering Issues
Dimensional Modeling Recipes
11 Lessons
Composite Key Joins
Bridge Tables
Flattening Snowflaked Dimensions
Creating Calendars
Creating Calendar Boundaries
Creating Calendars from StartDate to EndDate
Fiscal Periods for 12-Month Dec 31 Year Ends
Adjustments for 12-Month Non-Standard Year Ends
Fiscal Periods for 12-Month Non-Standard Year Ends
Adjustments for 364-Day Calendars
Fiscal Periods for 364-Day Calendars
Slowly Changing Dimensions
6 Lessons
Slowly Changing Dimensions
Filling Blanks with Dates
Option 1: Surrogate Keys Without Meaning
Option 2: Surrogate Keys With Meaning
Creating the Bridge Query
Replacing the Fact Table’s Foreign Key
Case Study – The Loaded Pencil
5 Lessons
Loaded Pencil Data Staging
Loaded Pencil Dimensional Model
Loaded Pencil Calendar Table
Loaded Pencil Relationships
Loaded Pencil Basic Measures
Performance
6 Lessons
Model Performance and Stability
How the Vertipaq Engine Works
6 Tips for Data Model Optimization
Dealing with Big Data – A Case Study
What is Query Folding?
How to Tell if Query Folding is Active
DAX and Filter Context
8 Lessons
Filter Context and Measure Calculation
Debugging Filter Context
Aggregating Dimensions
Why Relationships May Be Needed
CALCULATE
Removing a Filter
Calculating Percent of Total via DAX
Conditional DAX
Intermediate DAX Concepts
7 Lessons
Challenge: Generate Cost by Line
Cost by Line Using Calculated Columns
Cost by Line Using Iterator Functions
Challenge: Flipping Signs in a Column
Reporting Filter Context in a Pivot
Dealing With Multiple Values
Flipping Signs in a PivotTable Column
Calendar Intelligence
7 Lessons
The Importance of a Calendar Dimension
DAX Functions – Extracting Date Components
DAX Functions – “x” to Date Measures
DAX Functions – Previous/Next Period Measures
DAX Functions – Shifting Dates with DATEADD()
The Golden Date Pattern
Creating Calendar Safe Patterns
Introduction to Power BI
7 Lessons
From Excel to Power BI – Background
Overview of the Power BI Ecosystem
Power BI and Your Organization
Microsoft 365 Background
Acquiring Power BI Desktop
Request Your Power BI Account
Setting Power BI Defaults for Success
Power BI Desktop
7 Lessons
Starting From Scratch
Importing Excel Models into Power BI Desktop
Visuals – Report Headers
Visuals – Creation and Formatting
Visuals – Cross Filtering
Visuals – Drill Down
Visuals – Custom
The Power BI Service
8 Lessons
Publishing to Power BI
Creating Dashboards
Insights and Q&A
Creating Mobile Views
Creating Alerts
Refreshing Power BI Datasets
Benefits and Drawbacks of My Workspace
Where Do the Costs Come In?
Sharing in Power BI (The Right Way)
6 Lessons
Creating Workspaces
Publishing to a Named Workspace
Creating a Power BI App
Accessing a Power BI App
Updating a Power BI App
Managing User Access
Multi-User Environments
6 Lessons
Benefits of Core and Thin Architecture
Creating a Development Stage
Deploying Updates
What is Row Level Security?
Creating RLS Roles
Assigning RLS Roles
Power BI & Office – Better Together
6 Lessons
Power BI and Office – Better Together
Sharing Excel Workbooks via Power BI
Excel Models as Core Files
Analyze in Excel
Export to PowerPoint
Which Tool to Use and When
Help Resources
6 Lessons
Free Help Forums
Free Blogs and Articles
Master Your Data
Power Query Recipes
Power Query Academy
Free Newsletters
Rate the Course
1 Lesson
Course Feedback
Ask Ken Sessions
3 Lessons
Ask Ken Anything
AKA Content Index
AKA Session Recordings

How subscription works?

This course is built on an annual subscription format. Your registration comes with 12 months of access to the course materials, so you can refer back to the videos and example files whenever you like. Your subscription also gives you access to our private Discussion Forum, where you can ask questions related to the course materials, as well as how to apply those teachings to your own work. This forum is an invaluable resource that also allows students to practice their own learnings by helping others with those questions.

On your annual renewal date, your subscription will be automatically renewed with the credit card information on file, unless you cancel your subscription beforehand. You will be emailed a renewal reminder about one month before the renewal date. Please see the FAQs below for information about subscription renewals and cancellations.

About the author

Ken Puls

Ken Puls

Microsoft MVP, FCPA, FCMA
Ken Puls is one of the founding partners of Skillwave.Training, and the President and Chief Training Officer of Excelguru Consulting Inc. in Canada. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant, blogger, author, and trainer with over 20 years of business and IT experience. His passion lies in exploring tools to turn data into information, and teaching others how to use them. Ken is a Microsoft MVP and a leading expert in Excel, Power Query, and Power BI.

FAQ

How do I access the course materials? Are they downloadable?
The videos are streamed on-demand and may be watched as often as you like. However, they are not downloadable. The example files and handouts for each lesson are downloadable.
Do I have to wait until the semester start date before I begin watching the videos?
No, you can begin watching the videos and using the example files as soon as you are registered. You do not have to wait for the kick-off call. Additionally, your subscription will be extended to one year from the semester start date, not the date of purchase.
Where are the course videos hosted?
All the videos for the course are hosted on Vimeo. Please note that some networks block access to Vimeo, in which case the videos will not be watchable. You may want to double-check that your network allows access to Vimeo before registering in the Academy, to ensure that you will be able to see the videos.
How do I receive my Certificate of Completion?
After all the modules and lessons have been completed, you will be able to download the Certificate of Completion from the My Courses area of your Account Dashboard.
What support is included with the course? How do I ask questions?
All users with a current course subscription receive access to our private Discussion Forum, where they can ask questions related to the course materials, as well as how to apply those teachings to their own work. This forum is also intended to act as a place for students to practice their own learnings by helping others with those questions. While the focus of this forum is primarily aimed at allowing students to learn by helping each other, they are monitored by our course authors as well. For technical issues related to the site, course access, or other questions regarding your account, please get in touch through our Contact Us page.
How do I submit questions for the AKA sessions? Can I still submit questions if I am not able to join the session live?
We recommend you may submit your questions (and upload any support files) at least 24 hours before the call via the 'Ask Ken Submissions' lesson. If you are not able to join the AKA session live, you can still submit your question and watch the session recording later.
How do I access the recordings of the live AKA sessions?
After the AKA session, the recording will be uploaded to the 'AKA Session Recordings' lesson (usually within 48 hours) so you can watch them whenever you like.
Can my corporate groups get private AKA sessions?
Yes, if you have a group of 15 or more people registered in the course, we are happy to offer one private AKA session in addition to the regular AKA sessions open to all students. This will allow the instructor to help you directly with questions on your organization's data, instead of having to provide a cleansed sample data set that is safe to be viewed by others.
How do I renew my subscription?
If you subscription is set to auto-renew, our system will automatically renew your subscription for another year on your renewal date using the billing information on file. If you subscription is set to manual renewal, our system will generate a manual invoice and email it to you on the renewal date. About a month (4 weeks) before your next renewal date, you will receive an email from us reminding you that the renewal is coming up and to confirm your billing details so your access is uninterrupted.
How do I cancel my subscription?
You may cancel your subscription at any time, and you will continue to have access to all of your course materials until your expiry date. To cancel your subscription, go to the Billing page from your Account Dashboard and select the subscription to cancel from the My Subscriptions area. Once in the Subscription Details page, you can then choose to cancel your subscription from the Actions field. After your subscription expires, you will not longer have access to the course materials, including the downloadable 'Master Your Data' book and Recipe Cards.
What payment methods do you accept? What currency is used?
We accept credit card payments through our secure online payment portal, Stripe. If you would like to discuss other payment options, please get in touch through our Contact Us page. All transactions are charged in US Dollars. Please note that because Skillwave is registered in Canada, we are required by Canada Revenue Agency to collect the 5% Goods & Services Tax (GST) on registrations made by Canadians.
What is your refund policy for this course?
We think you will love our training; however, if you are unsatisfied with the training for any reason, we offer a 14-day 100% money-back guarantee, as long as you have completed less than 25% of the course. All we ask in return is that you tell us why you were unsatisfied with the training. We do not offer refunds if you have completed over 25% of the course and/or it is more than 14 days after the purchase date.
Can an account be shared with or transferred to another user?
Logins, downloads, and other materials are for the exclusive use of the registered user only. Sharing of credentials is in violation of our site policies and may result in termination of product and/or site access without notice.
How to I receive my complimentary Monkey Tools license?
Our team will be in touch with you within 3 business days after you register with information on how to obtain your license. The annual license is free for as long as you are part of the course. Thus, if you choose to renew your subscription to the course, we will also renew your Monkey Tools license for another year at no charge. (If you choose not to continue your course access next year, you may choose to either cancel or renew the Monkey Tools license separately.)
What if I already have a Monkey Tools license?
For existing Monkey Tools license holders, we will extend your Monkey Tools pro license renewal date until one month after the course subscription renewal/expiration date. No refunds or other extensions will be provided for overlapping subscription terms.

Reviews

Self Service BI Boot Camp

4.8
(16 Reviews)
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4
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16 reviews for Self Service BI Boot Camp

  1. Cristian (verified owner)

    This course is fantastic! It’s like the “swiss army knife” course for any Self Service BI professional : it goes from getting the data, transforming it with Power Query into a proper Dimensional Model, understanding relationships, filter context and use DAX to uncover “un-seen” insights by creating your own measures, creating the necessary visualizations and then publishing and secure-sharing the reports in Power BI service.

    There’s a huge amount of great support material in this course and pre-recorded videos are very well prepared. The relevance and quality of both sample files and video materials, together with the excellent answers provided by Ken in the Q&As are just brilliant.

    The combination of pre-recorded video materials, weekly Q&A Live Calls and especially the AMA sessions were the best fit for my style of learning. In between the Live Q&A sessions there is time to “digest” the new information and come up meaningful questions to clarify the concepts. I really enjoyed learning at my own pace and I am glad that I could grow my skills as a SSBI professional.

    I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in learning or recapping on previous things they’ve learned on Power BI or Power Query and Power Pivot in Excel.

  2. Steffen (verified owner)

    This course designed and led by Ken Puls is absolutely fantastic! From simple pivot tables to advanced subjects with Power Query, DAX, Dimensional Modeling and Power BI, you get the complete package with best practices, excercises, Q&A and AMA-sessions. There are also additional PDF files on DAX Measures that are very helpful.
    Ken knows what is important and convey his knowledge very well and practically.
    I can highly recommend the course to everyone who wants to get the most out of all the the Power BI Tools! Great content!

  3. Stanton (verified owner)

    The Self Service BI Boot Camp is the best all-around course I’ve taken to understand better the ins and outs of data modeling with Power BI. Each module provides a clear and concise explanation of the subject matter, and example files deliver the practice you need to learn the techniques taught. Thank you, Ken Puls and Skillwave.

  4. MARTIN STUBBINGS (verified owner)

    Ken and his team have put together a great course. The learning materials were really well presented and broken down into modules that built up from a refresher on pivot tables to publishing Power BI reports in order to make them accessible to colleagues. The Q&A calls with Ken allow participants to clarify any points that have not been fully understood. Although I had some very basic knowledge around the subject matter, the course clarified and consolidated a lot of my previous learning as well as introducing me to aspects that I had completely missed. I would recommend this course.

  5. Jeff (verified owner)

    Huge props for the care and thought taken in both the structure and layout/visuals for this course. Most video courses don’t amount to much more than a narrated power point. But Ken delivers the material in a very casual (yet concise-no fluff), conversational tone that makes it so easy to digest – I can watch video after video and never get mentally fatigued.

    Contrary to what I’ve found for learning DAX, Ken has ditched the static theory approach and explains the concepts to more reflect how we approach problem solving in the real world. And the visuals to support the explanations are just fantastic, which my brain loves.

    This course manages to cover a very wide range of everything you need to: get your data into a clean and robust dataset; model and relate it all properly for speed and scalability; and then create visuals to tell the story in the data. It is not a deep dive into the coding side but it will leave you knowing exactly where you need to go deeper. With so many aspects to BI, I’ve found that knowing what to learn next is half the battle.

    The AMA and Q&A sessions alone are worth the course price. Having Ken and the community to bounce questions off of would cost thousands in training and consulting fees.

  6. John Hanson (verified owner)

    Ken has a wonderful teaching style. He’s very knowledgeable and clearly has a passion for Power Query and DAX. He dives into details yet walks through each step with very well laid out lessons and before and after files so I never felt lost. Additionally, Ken’s foundational teaching in proper setup of data sources, relationships, and other future-proofing concepts has benefited me greatly in building my own data models.

    I got through 90% of the course and got side-tracked putting principles learned into real life practice… Glad I have the subscription because I wrapped things up and got to play around with my new Monkey Tools Pro add-in live while going through some of the unwatched lessons. Appreciate you all and the entire Skillwave Team!

  7. Cynthia Scherbarth (verified owner)

    I really did like all the learning. There is so much that I don’t know. Taking me through step by step was great, and doing it while seeing it be done was the best. It went very fast, I had to slow down all the presentations and I had to watch them multiple times so I could get it. I’m just so thankful that I was able to do just that. I thought this was a very informative course. I did learn a lot and again, I’m very thankful that I will be able to come back to this and look up different courses when needed. I’m sure that I’ll be back. Thank you!

  8. Stephen Ng (verified owner)

    I am a daily Excel user for over 10 years. This course completely transformed the way I use the software. It has improved my efficiency, enabled me to solve problems that I didn’t know was possible, and opened doors for my career. Overall, I highly recommend this course. Thank you Ken Puls!

  9. Tristan (verified owner)

    I liked the vast content.

  10. Geoff Mondy (verified owner)

    I liked the relatable content and ready-to-use solutions. Ken had a great way of demystifying complex terminology. I’m looking forward to my next course with Skillwave soon.

  11. Rod Apfelbeck (verified owner)

    The best part was that it opened a bunch of new possibilities to me. I really, really enjoyed this course even though it was sometimes at the fringes of my understanding. I thought the content and your presentation style were both excellent. I also greatly value the continued access to the AMA sessions. Whether this was a good investment or not will be decided based on how much I’m able to implement these new tools/ideas/possibilities that you’ve made me aware of, and a key to that is if I have somewhere to turn when inevitably something doesn’t work as expected.

  12. Mike (verified owner)

    Learning Power Query opened up a whole new world for me. I’m using it on a daily basis now. I’m saving so much time without having to manually filter reports, etc. The self service format is great. I can easily follow the instructions and get practice on my own time. My days can be so busy, so having a self service course is very helpful.

  13. Jon Krueger (verified owner)

    The examples provided and the clarity of the instruction given were all excellent. I particularly appreciated the complexity involved and look forward to going back through the videos a second, maybe even a third time, to try and master the concepts. Ken appears to be super nice, and super helpful. A genuine teacher. Happy that I purchased the course.

  14. Basma Hassan (verified owner)

    I loved how every explanation was followed with a worked through example as well as resources to work in our own time. Also I liked how the website would automatically jump to the next video, very efficient! Thank you for creating this course and I look forward to future courses.

  15. Douglas Munsch (verified owner)

    I liked the quality of the lessons and the promptness of feedback from Ken and the other students in the forums and Ask Me Anything sessions. The class was a grand slam.

  16. Andrew Hunt (verified owner)

    The content was well laid out, but it would be nice if there was assignments.

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