Learn the basics of Power BI and how you can use it to communicate what matters.

  • Learn the principles of effective visual reporting for a range of audiences.
  • Explore Power BI’s desktop interface and the many tools and options available.
  • Practise preparing data, constructing reports, and adding interactive elements.

Designed to support new and current users of Microsoftʼs powerful business intelligence platform, this one-day Creating Meaningful Insights with Power BI course combines presentation of real-life examples, discussion activities, and hands-on exercises, to help you build truly effective visual assets to share with colleagues.

You’ll explore the basics of using Power BI, including working with common chart types, managing interactive elements and filters, and editing and updating elements. You’ll also learn how to import data into Power BI and how to deal with errors.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:

  • Describe typical use cases for business intelligence
  • Transform and clean data using Power Query
  • Structure and join queries in a data model
  • Describe the principles of effective data visualisation
  • Create a range of simple visual assets in Power BI
  • Apply interactive elements to a dashboard in Power BI.

You must have experience in using Excel, Google Sheets, or equivalent spreadsheet software to take part in this course.

Overview

This course takes place online.

This course will take place in Spring 2026. Please fill out our expression of interest form to be the first to hear about the new dates.

This course costs £235. If you also book onto Creating More Meaningful Insights with Power BI, you’ll be offered a discount which should be automatically applied at checkout. If you have any queries, please contact shortcourses@bathspa.ac.uk .

You must have a personal laptop or PC with Power BI Desktop installed.

Meet the team

This training is designed and delivered by The Data Place in partnership with Bath Spa University's Short Course Unit. The Data Place is a social enterprise made up of data scientists, designers, community builders and strategists helping people and places thrive.

The Data Place has worked with Bath Spa University for over two years, providing guest lectures, interview and project feedback and interviews for short course learners, as well as designing industry-led CPD courses that provide real-world experience.

Lucy Knight is an experienced trainer and data scientist with nearly three decades’ experience in industry, government and the non-profit sector. She is an Open Data Institute Associate and Registered Trainer, and Associate Lecturer with Bath Spa University.

Martin Howitt is a data technologist with extensive experience in a wide range of organisations as an IT architect and architecture team leader, product manager and data engineer.

The words

Terms and conditions

Read the terms and conditions for taking part in this short course.

Contact us

For more information about the course please email your enquiries to shortcourses@bathspa.ac.uk .