This workshop is part of the Digital Scholarship Unit's Fun Data Fridays Series.
These events are designed with an hour-long introduction presentation on the topic led by U of T Scarborough Librarian, followed by a peer-to-peer discussion and collaborative learning session. This program is designed to be a forum for how data is used pervasively across all disciplines and troubleshoot your data questions. Our goal is to work together to appreciate the unique issues and opportunities brought forth when discussing data cross-disciplinarily.     

Power BI is a powerful business analytics tool developed by Microsoft, designed to transform raw data into meaningful insights through interactive visualizations and business intelligence capabilities. It is widely used by businesses and professionals to create data-driven reports and dashboards, facilitating informed decision-making. 

In this workshop, we will guide you through the essential features and functionalities of Power BI. We will explore how to connect to various data sources, clean and transform data using Power Query, and create compelling visualizations that tell a story with your data. You will learn how to build interactive dashboards, publish your reports to the Power BI service, and share them with stakeholders. 

We will engage in hands-on activities to reinforce your learning, allowing you to apply the concepts in real-time. By the end of this workshop, you will be equipped with the skills to create dynamic and interactive reports that can significantly enhance your data analysis and reporting capabilities. 

Overall Lesson Objectives 

• Getting Started with Power BI Desktop: Understanding the interface, connecting to data sources, and basic data loading. 
• Data Transformation: Utilizing Power Query for data cleaning and preparation. 
• Creating Visualizations: Designing basic and advanced visuals, including bar charts, line charts, maps, and tables. 
• Building Interactive Dashboards: Combining multiple visuals into a cohesive dashboard and adding interactivity. 
• Publishing and Sharing: Uploading reports to the Power BI service and sharing them with others. 

Learning Outcomes 

• Retrieving and formatting data to understand relationships  
• Creating meaningful charts and visuals for storytelling 
• Manipulating data and developing formulas for deeper insights  

This event is designed with an hour-long introduction presentation on the topic led by U of T Scarborough Librarian, followed by a peer-to-peer discussion and collaborative learning session. This program is designed to be a forum for how data is used pervasively across all disciplines and troubleshoot your data questions. Our goal is to work together to appreciate the unique issues and opportunities brought forth when discussing data cross-disciplinarily.   

Location: The BRIDGE, IC Building main floor

Facilitator:
David Kwasny, Data & Digital Literacy Librarian, UTSC Library
DS3