Event Overview

This intensive 1-day, hands-on workshop is designed specifically for finance end-users who want to move beyond static Excel reports and build their own interactive Power BI dashboards. Focusing on practical, real-world finance scenarios—such as P&L variance analysis, KPI tracking, and period-over-period comparisons—participants will learn how to create a complete, usable report from scratch. Starting with data import from common sources like Excel and CSV files, attendees will progress through data cleaning with Power Query, basic star schema modeling, and the creation of core financial measures (YTD, MTD, variance, % change). The day concludes with designing a clear, interactive dashboard with slicers and drilldowns, plus an overview of safe publishing and sharing. This foundational (Level 101) session deliberately avoids complex data engineering or advanced DAX, ensuring that participants leave with a working mini proof-of-concept report and reusable templates for their monthly reporting cycles.

Event Outline

Module 1: Power BI & Analytics Overview

• Introduction to self-service analytics and how Power BI differs from Excel reporting
• First hands-on: connecting to an Excel data source

Module 2: Data Preparation & Transformation (Power Query)

• Profiling and cleaning raw finance data
• Removing noise, standardizing columns, handling blanks and errors
• Creating simple derived fields to structure data for analysis

Module 3: Data Modelling & Core Measures (DAX Basics)

• Building a simple, reliable model with table relationships and a date table
• Introduction to basic star schema concepts for finance reporting
• Hands-on creation of core measures: totals, YTD/MTD, variance vs. budget/prior period, percentage change
• Validating results for accuracy

Module 4: Building Effective Reports & Visuals

• Designing an interactive report to answer common business questions
• Adding filters, slicers, drilldown, and tooltips
• Applying layout and readability techniques for finance presentations

Module 5: Publishing, Sharing & Refresh Basics

• Overview of workspaces, publishing, and managing permissions
• Understanding data refresh fundamentals for ongoing use

Wrap-Up: Next Steps & Reusable Patterns

• Review of the completed mini proof-of-concept (P&L / variance pages)
• Guidance on adapting patterns month-to-month

Key Takeaways

• A working mini proof-of-concept Power BI report (e.g., 2–3 finance pages including P&L and variance analysis) ready for immediate use
• Practical ability to connect, clean, and shape finance data from Excel, CSV, and folder-based files using Power Query
• A simple, reliable data model with basic relationships and a date table
• Reusable DAX measures for time intelligence (YTD/MTD), variances, and percentage changes
• Hands-on experience designing clear, interactive dashboards with slicers, drilldowns, and tooltips for self-service insights
• Foundational knowledge of safe sharing, permissions, and refresh setup without IT dependency

Who Should Attend

This workshop is ideal for finance professionals who are tired of manually wrestling with Excel every month and want to take ownership of their own reporting and analytics. No prior Power BI experience is required.

Primary Audience:

• Financial Analysts – who spend hours consolidating data, building variance analyses, and refreshing PowerPoint decks, and want to automate and interact with their reports instead.
• Accountants (GL, Management, or Tax) – who need to track period-end results, produce P&L statements, and explain movements vs. budget or prior periods using a repeatable, auditable process.
• Finance Business Partners – who support multiple business units and need to quickly answer ad-hoc questions (e.g., "why did margin drop in March?") without relying on IT or central reporting teams.
• Finance Managers & Controllers – responsible for monthly reporting packs, KPI dashboards, and board presentations, seeking a faster, more flexible way to deliver insights.
• FP&A (Financial Planning & Analysis) Professionals – who manage budgeting, forecasting, and variance reporting, and want to build self-service tools that stakeholders can filter and explore on their own.