Online Book: Power BI From Rookie to Rockstar

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The idea of writing a book on Power BI is not new for me, I’ve been thinking about it for a while, even before the first release of Power BI Designer. However, Power BI is fast-paced technology, Microsoft Product team is doing a great job with monthly, and sometimes even more frequent updates. With this fast pace release, any book publishing would be outdated once the book comes out in the market. Publishing a book takes time, writing TOC, then chapters, building demos, peer reviews, proofreading, test, feedback, revise on reviews, and publishing takes a long time. I’ve been in the publishing process of some books and I am completely aware of that. So I thought it would be better to write a book online on this blog rather than spending heaps of time on paper publishing. There are some reasons that I thought about writing this book online and writing that for free which I like to mention in this preface.

About the New Edition and New Structure

The Power BI from Rookie to Rock Star been such a popular book from the time that it published, and I added content to it every single week. After edition 3 which released July 2017, there have been many contents added. The edition 3 itself was more than 1100 pages, and If I wanted to continue the book as an all-in-one, it would have been more than 1700 pages altogether now. So I decided to break the book into a book series. Each book in this series is a complete book and can be read individually. However, each book covers a specific area of the Power BI, and if you want to learn Power BI from ground zero to sky hero, you would need to read them all. Here is the new structure:

Edition 4: 7th of Jan 2019. Total number of pages (all books together): ~1700 pages

  • Book 1: Power BI Essentials
  • Book 2: Visualization with Power BI
  • Book 3: Power Query and Data Transformation in Power BI
  • Book 4: Power BI Data Modelling and DAX
  • Book 5: Pro Power BI Architecture (Apress)

Download Free PDF Version of the first four books

** Table of Content with the link to articles is down at the bottom of this post

Why I Don’t Publish it…

There is nothing wrong with publishers such as Apress, Wrox and etc, these are great publishers. However, I have to spend lots of time to get them to read my proposal first, and then set the schedule, and write, review…. to publish. This is a long way as I mentioned above. With fast-paced technologies such as Power BI this long process won’t work, actually, the time that book is available in the market it will be out-dated for sure. When I write it online, I can write faster, I can write like a blog post, and I can write it every day. If technology updates, I’ll write an update blog post. It is all easy and on-time.

Why Free?

I never write a book for money, I write because I like to get a wider audience in front of me and tell them about the great product, and best practices of doing things with that and so on. With famous publishers, I would definitely get more audience. However when the content is available for free and online then everyone would read it, search engines would direct the audience to this content, and audience range will expand.

Why Power BI?

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Haven’t you heard the news? Power BI Desktop released with superb features, there is a massive push in Microsoft for updating Power BI regularly and frequently which makes this product better and better each month, There are so much awesome things that you can do with Power BI and many other reasons. I actually have to search for reasons why not Power BI!

How Frequent Would I Write?

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Well, I planned for writing at least a post every day for that, and with the count of days till end of the year (about 147 days from now), even if I could make only 100 days of writing on this book, I’ll be able to have it in a very good stage at end of 2015. That said, the content would be available every day, so you won’t need to wait until the end of the year to read something. you can just read it every day. I encourage you to subscribe to this blog to receive an email when the content is available.

What do I expect From You?

Feedback, Comments, Questions, Real-World Challenges about Power BI. I’m writing blog posts anyway, it will get better and better if I get feedback from you. I can put more examples if I know your real-world challenges with Power BI. I can answer your questions along the way, that answer might help some others with similar problems as well.

Who Is This Book For?

BI Developers and Consultants who want to know how to develop solutions with this technology. BI Architects and Decision Makers who want to make their decision about using or not using Power BI in their BI applications. Business Analysts who want to have a better tool for playing with the data and learn tricks of producing insights easier. The book titled “Power BI From Rookie to Rockstar”, and that means it will cover a wide range of readers. I’ll start by writing 100 level and we will go deep into 400 level at some stage. So if you don’t know what Power BI is, or If you are familiar with Power BI but want to learn some deep technical topics about Power Query M language, then this book is for you.

Table of Content

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Like any other books, I like to share the Table of Content here. The Table of Content is highly subject to change at this stage. I’ll update the table of content along the way.

Table of Content

Book 1: Power BI Essentials

This book is the book one of the series. In this book, you will learn about all components of Power BI. You will learn each component in a beginner to intermediate level. You will learn from getting data, to do minor modeling, and visualizing the data. You will also learn about the Power BI website, and sharing reports through that environment. Book one is not a deep dive book. It is a book that rises you from the ground zero level to an intermediate level of understanding all Power BI components. If you are looking for deeper diver learning, your answer is within books 2 to 5.

  1. Introduction to Power BI: What is Power BI?
  2. Power BI Desktop; The First Experience
  3. Power BI Website: You’ll Need Just A Web Browser
  4. What Is Power Query? Introduction to Data Mash-up Engine of Power BI
  5. Get Started with Power Query: Movies Data Mash-Up
  6. Power BI: How to Analyze FIFA 2014 Worldcup
  7. Quick Measures in Power BI: You don’t have to write DAX!?
  8. Power BI Q&A; How to Ask Questions?
  9. Be Fitbit BI Developer in Few Steps: First Step Get Data from CSV
  10. Be Fitbit BI Developer in Few Steps: Step 2 Loop Through All CSV Files
  11. Be Fitbit BI Developer in Few Steps: Step 3 Visualization
  12. Schedule Refresh Local Files on Power BI Web Site
  13. Dashboard vs Report; Differences At a Glance – Power BI
  14. Dashboard Sharing, and Manage Permissions in Power BI; Simple, but Useful?

Book 2: Visualization in Power BI

This book is the book two of the series. In this book, you will learn only about visualizations. You will learn visualization basics such as choosing between clustered column chart or stacked column chart, as well as extending visualizations using some features such as drill-through master details design. You will learn through examples, everything about Power BI visualizations in this page. If you want to learn the basics of Power BI Desktop or service, or learn basics of Power BI in general, start with book one of this series “Power BI Essentials” If you want to learn more about advanced features in Power Query, Modeling or Architecture, your answer is within books 3 to 5.

  1. Part I: Visuals in Power BI
    1. Stacked Chart or Clustered? Which One is the Best?
    2. Power Behind the Line Chart in Power BI; Analytics
    3. Power BI Waterfall Chart: What’s That All About?
    4. Ribbon Chart is the Next Generation of Stacked Column Chart
    5. Storytelling with Power BI Scatter Chart
  2. Part II: Extending Visual Features
    1. Master Detail Design with Drillthrough Filter in Power BI
    2. Report Page Tooltip – Revolution in Visualization of Power BI
    3. Control the Interaction in Power BI Report
    4. Grouping and Binning; Step Towards Better Data Visualization
    5. Bookmarks and Buttons: Making Power BI Charts Even More Interactive
    6. Clear All Slicers in Power BI; A Bookmark Story
    7. Filtering Slicer Resolved in Power BI
  3. Part III: Map Visualization
    1. How to Do Power BI Mapping With Latitude and Longitude Only
    2. Power BI Filled Map; the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
    3. Shape Map Better than the Filled Map
    4. Power BI Says Hi to 3D Maps
    5. ArcGIS Map in Power BI; Simple, But Insightful
  4. Part IV: Custom Visuals
    1. Custom Visuals in Power BI; Build Whatever You Want
    2. KPIs and Power BI; Visualization Aspect
    3. Infographic Designer: Not Just Another Visual
  5. Part V: Mobile Reports
    1. Dashboard Design for Mobile Power BI
    2. Power BI Design Tip; Design for Mobile Device
  6. Part VI: ATool to Help
    1. Power BI Cleanup Tool; Time Saving with Power BI Helper
    2. Searching a Field or Table in Power BI Visualization: Power BI Helper

Book 3: Power Query and Data Transformation in Power BI

This book is the book three of the series. You will learn all about Power Query in this book. Through many demos and examples, you will learn all aspects of Power Query, from getting Data to different types of transformations. You will also learn about features such as Custom functions that can make your code more automated. You will learn about the scripting language of Power Query which is called M. at the end of the book, you will learn some use cases of using Power Query; for example, for creating a Date dimension. If you want to learn more about other parts of Power BI not just Power Query, your answer is within books 1 to 5.

  1. Part I: Getting Started with Power Query
    1. What Is Power Query? Introduction to Data Mash-up Engine of Power BI
    2. Get Started with Power Query: Movies Data Mash-Up
    3. Data Preparation; First and Foremost Important Task in Power BI
  2. Part II: Get Data
    1. Power BI Get Data From Excel: Everything You Need to Know
    2. Power BI Get Data: From Azure SQL Database
    3. Meetup Data Source for Power BI
  3. Part III: Transformations
    1. Reference vs Duplicate in Power BI; Power Query Back to Basics
    2. Append vs. Merge in Power BI and Power Query
    3. Choose the Right Merge Join Type in Power BI
    4. How to Change Joining Types in Power BI and Power Query
    5. Find Mismatch Rows with Power Query in Power BI
    6. Dates Between Merge Join in Power Query
    7. Pivot and Unpivot with Power BI
    8. Warning! Misleading Power Query Filtering
    9. Grouping in Power Query; Getting The Last Item in Each Group
    10. Fuzzy Matching in Power BI and Power Query; Match based on Similarity Threshold
    11. Fetch Files and/or Folders with Filtering and Masking: Power Query
  4. Part IV: Dealing with Errors
    1. Exception Reporting in Power BI: Catch the Error Rows in Power Query
    2. Flawless Date Conversion in Power Query
    3. Make Your Numeric Division Faultless in Power Query
  5. Part V: Power Query Formula Language: M
    1. Power Query Formula Language: M
    2. M or DAX? That is the Question!
    3. Basics of M: Power Query Formula Language
    4. Basics of Value Structures in M – Power Query Formula Language
    5. Power Query Formula Language M : Table Functions Part 1
    6. List.Accumulate Hidden Gem of Power Query List Functions in Power BI
    7. Power Query; Convert Time Stamp to Date Time
    8. Get List of Queries in Power BI
    9. Power Query Library of Functions; Shared Keyword
    10. Writing Custom Functions in Power Query M
    11. Day Number of Year, Power Query Custom Function
    12. Power Query Function that Returns Multiple Values
    13. Custom Functions Made Easy in Power BI Desktop
    14. Search for a Column in the Entire Database with Table.ColumnNames in Power Query and Power BI
    15. Power BI Custom Connector: Connect to Any Data Sources. Hello World!
  6. Part VI: Performance Tuning
    1. Not Folding; the Black Hole of Power Query Performance
    2. Performance Tip for Power BI; Enable Load Sucks Memory Up
    3. Watch Your Steps! Power Query Performance Caution for Power BI
  7. Part VII: Power Query Use Cases
    1. Create a Date Dimension in Power BI in 4 Steps – Step 1: Calendar Columns
    2. Create a Date Dimension in Power BI in 4 Steps – Step 2: Fiscal Columns
    3. Create a Date Dimension in Power BI in 4 Steps – Step 3: Public Holidays
    4. Power Query Not for BI: Event Date and Time Scheduler – Part 1
    5. Power Query Not for BI: Event Date and Time Scheduler – Part 2
    6. Power Query Not for BI: Event Date and Time Scheduler – Part 3
  8. Part VIII: A Tool to Help; Power BI Helper
    1. Exposing M Code and Query Metadata of Power BI (PBIX) File
    2. Export the Entire M Power Query Script from a Power BI File, New Version of Power BI Helper, Search based on Field Description in the Model
    3. Beautify M Script and Extract Row Level Security with Power BI Helper Version 4.0

Book 4: Power BI Modelling and DAX

This book is the book four of the series. In this book, you will learn about data modeling in Power BI with a heavy focus on DAX. You will learn about all types of calculations in Power BI such as Calculated column, table, and measure and their differences. You will learn many scenarios of writing calculations in Power BI. Through many examples, you will learn all about the modeling in Power BI, which is relationships, hierarchies, date dimension, DAX functions and expressions, etc. If you want to learn more about other parts of Power BI not just Modeling, your answer is within books 1 to 5.

  1. Part I: Basics of Modeling
    1. Sort By Column in Power BI
    2. Data Preparation; First and Foremost Important Task in Power BI
    3. Do You Need a Date Dimension?
    4. Power BI Date Dimension; Default or Custom? Is It Confusing?
  2. Part II: Relationships
    1. Relationship in Power BI with Multiple Columns
    2. What is the Direction of Relationship in Power BI?
    3. UseRelationship or Role-Playing Dimension; Dealing with Inactive Relationships in Power BI
  3. Part III: DAX and Calculations
    1. M or DAX? That is the Question!
    2. Measure vs Calculated Column: The Mysterious Question? Not!
    3. Scenarios of Using Calculated Tables in Power BI
    4. SUM vs SUMX; What is the Difference of the two DAX Functions in Power BI?
    5. IF and Filter are Different! Be Careful (DAX)
  4. Part IV: Real-world Scenarios of DAX Expressions
    1. Lost Customers DAX Calculation for Power BI
    2. DatesInPeriod vs DatesBetween; DAX Time Intelligence for Power BI
    3. DateAdd vs ParallelPeriod vs SamePeriodLastYear; DAX Time Intelligence Question
    4. Week to Date Calculation in Power BI with DAX
    5. Previous Dynamic Period DAX Calculation
    6. Solving DAX Time Zone Issue in Power BI
    7. Parsing Organizational Hierarchy or Chart of Accounts in Power BI with Parent-child Functions in DAX
    8. Overwrite Interaction of Power BI with DAX
    9. Power BI Issue Fix: Import from Excel Workbook Contents; Password Protection Failure
  5. Part V: A Tool to Help: Power BI Helper
    1. Expression Dependency Tree: New Feature of Power BI Helper
    2. Find the Most Expensive Columns for Performance Tuning, Bookmarks, and more with Power BI Helper Version November 2018

Book 5: Pro Power BI Architecture (Apress)

I’ve been teaching and consulting on Power BI for many years. My students and clients always ask me, “What is a good reference for Power BI architecture?,” and I always refer them to my blog posts. Then I got a proposal from Apress to write a book on Power BI
architecture, which has always been on my to-do list. This is not a book for beginning Power BI, nor is it for data analysts or developers. It is a book for someone who wants to design the strategy and architecture of Power BI so it can be used in an organization or as a solution. This is a book that talks about components and their collaboration with each other. This is a book that gives you blueprints of different architectures and the pros and cons of each. If you are a developer or an analyst, you still will benefit from this book, but you will notice that this book does not explain how to create reports with Power BI. For that, you
can read my online book, “Power BI from Rookie to Rockstar.” This is a book focusing on architecture topics such as sharing, security, integration, administration, etc. After finishing this book, you will have full knowledge of all Power BI components
and will be able to design the architecture to use Power BI in your organization (or for your client’s organization) while considering all existing requirements.

Part I: Getting Started
Chapter 1: Power BI Components
Chapter 2: Tools and Preparation
Part II: Power BI Service
Chapter 3: Power BI Service Content
Chapter 4: Gateway
Chapter 5: Import Data or Scheduled Refresh
Chapter 6: DirectQuery
Chapter 7: Live Connection
Chapter 8: Choosing the Right Connection Type
Part III: Sharing
Chapter 9: Dashboard Sharing
Chapter 10: Workspaces as a Collaborative Environment
Chapter 11: Power BI Apps
Chapter 12: Publish to Web
Chapter 13: Embed in SharePoint Online
Chapter 14: Power BI Embedded
Chapter 15: Power BI Sharing Methods
Part IV: Security
Chapter 16: Row-Level Security
Chapter 17: Dynamic Row-Level Security
Chapter 18: Patterns for Dynamic Row-Level Security
Chapter 19: Row-Level Security with Analysis Services Live Connection
Part V: Administration and Licensing
Chapter 20: Power BI Administrator Configuration
Chapter 21: Usage Metrics
Chapter 22: Power BI Licensing Guide
Chapter 23: Power BI Premium
Part VI: Integration
Chapter 24: PowerPoint Integration with Power BI
Chapter 25: Power BI and Excel
Chapter 26: Power BI Report Server
Chapter 27: SQL Server Reporting Services
Chapter 28: Real-Time Streaming with Power BI
Chapter 29: Power BI REST API
Part VII: Architecture
Chapter 30: Power BI Architecture Guidelines

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Reza Rad on FacebookReza Rad on LinkedinReza Rad on TwitterReza Rad on Youtube
Reza Rad
Trainer, Consultant, Mentor
Reza Rad is a Microsoft Regional Director, an Author, Trainer, Speaker and Consultant. He has a BSc in Computer engineering; he has more than 20 years’ experience in data analysis, BI, databases, programming, and development mostly on Microsoft technologies. He is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP for 12 continuous years (from 2011 till now) for his dedication in Microsoft BI. Reza is an active blogger and co-founder of RADACAD. Reza is also co-founder and co-organizer of Difinity conference in New Zealand, Power BI Summit, and Data Insight Summit.
Reza is author of more than 14 books on Microsoft Business Intelligence, most of these books are published under Power BI category. Among these are books such as Power BI DAX Simplified, Pro Power BI Architecture, Power BI from Rookie to Rock Star, Power Query books series, Row-Level Security in Power BI and etc.
He is an International Speaker in Microsoft Ignite, Microsoft Business Applications Summit, Data Insight Summit, PASS Summit, SQL Saturday and SQL user groups. And He is a Microsoft Certified Trainer.
Reza’s passion is to help you find the best data solution, he is Data enthusiast.
His articles on different aspects of technologies, especially on MS BI, can be found on his blog: https://radacad.com/blog.

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