Business Analytics with Excel and Power BI Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Business Analyst, Financial Analyst and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 7 Nov 2026 Course code SD-BI-055

Before you join: Participants should be comfortable using Excel worksheets, formulas, tables and basic charts, and should understand common business measures such as revenue, cost, volume, budget and variance.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Business reporting often stalls between spreadsheet extracts, inconsistent definitions and dashboards that do not answer operational questions. Finance teams may reconcile monthly figures manually; procurement managers may lack visibility of supplier performance; programme leaders may receive static reports too late to intervene. Analysts need to turn raw data into trusted measures, models and visual reports while preserving a clear audit trail from source data to management decision.

This course develops practical business analytics and reporting skills using Microsoft Excel and Power BI. Participants structure analytical questions, assess data quality, clean and combine data with Power Query, build Excel models and PivotTable reports, and design relational Power BI data models. They create DAX measures for time intelligence, variance and performance indicators; select visuals suited to the decision; and publish reports with appropriate refresh, security and governance controls. The course also addresses metric definitions, data grain, reconciliations and common causes of misleading reporting.

Teaching combines instructor demonstrations, short technical briefings, worked cases, group analysis and guided build sessions using realistic finance, operations, sales and service data. Participants test calculations, interpret findings and explain reports to decision-makers. They leave with a reusable reporting blueprint containing a requirements canvas, KPI dictionary, data preparation steps, model design, dashboard wireframe and validation checklist. The five-day course runs from 08:30 to 16:30 each day, with about 6.5 contact hours daily, and is available in classrooms in 50+ cities or live online. Participants receive a certificate of completion.

What you will be able to do

  • Define decision-focused reporting requirements using a KPI dictionary and stakeholder reporting canvas
  • Prepare and combine tabular data using Power Query transformations and data quality checks
  • Build Excel analytical models with structured references, PivotTables, charts and scenario analysis
  • Design star-schema Power BI models with appropriate relationships, dimensions and fact tables
  • Write DAX measures for aggregations, variances, ratios and time-intelligence reporting
  • Create decision-ready Power BI reports using visual hierarchy, drill-through and conditional formatting
  • Validate reported figures through reconciliations, exception checks and documented metric definitions
  • Publish governed Power BI reports with refresh planning, workspace access and row-level security

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Produce recurring management reports with fewer manual spreadsheet steps
  • Explain KPI calculations and variances with confidence to decision-makers
  • Build Power BI reports from prepared business data
  • Identify data quality issues before they distort reported results
  • Create a portfolio-ready Excel model and Power BI reporting blueprint

For your organisation

  • Shorter reporting cycles through repeatable data preparation and refresh processes
  • More consistent KPI definitions across finance, operations and commercial teams
  • Earlier identification of performance exceptions, cost variances and service issues
  • Reduced spreadsheet rework through reconciliations and documented calculation logic
  • Clearer management decisions supported by interactive, controlled reports

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can translate a business reporting request into defined measures, decisions and report requirements.

  • Analytical questions translated into measurable decisions, audiences, and reporting cadence
  • KPI dictionary defining formulas, owners, thresholds, and approved data sources
  • Data grain identified before combining transaction, customer, and monthly summary data
  • Leading and lagging indicators matched to operational and financial decisions
  • SMART reporting requirements documented through stakeholder interviews and report inventories
  • Metric hierarchies separating strategic measures, drivers, diagnostic measures, and exceptions

Participants can assess, clean and structure source data for reliable business analysis.

  • Data profiling checks for nulls, duplicates, outliers, formats, and missing keys
  • Source-to-report lineage mapped from extracts through transformations to dashboard measures
  • Validation rules applied to dates, currencies, identifiers, categories, and numeric ranges
  • Reconciliation totals compared against source reports before analytical modelling begins
  • Tidy data principles applied to columns, rows, headers, and repeated values
  • Business rules documented for exclusions, adjustments, mappings, and reporting periods

Participants can build structured Excel models that calculate, analyse and test business performance.

  • Excel Tables used for structured references, automatic ranges, and controlled formulas
  • XLOOKUP, INDEX MATCH, SUMIFS, COUNTIFS, and IFERROR applied to business datasets
  • Date functions calculate reporting periods, ageing, working days, and trend comparisons
  • Absolute, relative, and mixed references controlled within reusable calculation models
  • Scenario analysis tests price, volume, cost, and staffing assumptions
  • Formula auditing traces precedents, dependents, errors, and inconsistent calculations

Participants can create interactive Excel summaries and charts for management reporting.

  • PivotTables summarise revenue, expenditure, volumes, margins, and service performance
  • Slicers and timelines filter reports by region, product, manager, and period
  • Calculated fields distinguish budget variance, percentage change, and contribution measures
  • PivotCharts communicate trends, rankings, distribution, and exceptions without clutter
  • Conditional formatting highlights threshold breaches, top performers, and unusual movements
  • Excel dashboard layouts organise headline measures, supporting analysis, and action prompts

Participants can use Power Query to create documented, repeatable data preparation steps.

  • Power Query connections import Excel, CSV, folder, and database extracts
  • Query steps rename columns, set types, remove errors, and filter records
  • Merge queries join lookup tables using controlled keys and join types
  • Append queries combine monthly files, departmental extracts, and historical records
  • Unpivot transformations convert cross-tab reports into analysis-ready transaction structures
  • Parameters support reusable file paths, reporting dates, and controlled refresh settings

Participants can design a Power BI model that supports accurate and efficient analysis.

  • Star schemas separate fact tables, dimensions, measures, and descriptive attributes
  • One-to-many relationships configured using unique dimension keys and consistent granularity
  • Calendar tables support fiscal periods, reporting dates, and time-based calculations
  • Active and inactive relationships selected for dates, roles, and alternative analysis paths
  • Model fields organised through folders, friendly names, formats, and hidden technical columns
  • Filter direction assessed to prevent ambiguous paths and incorrect totals

Participants can create DAX measures for business performance, comparisons and period analysis.

  • Measures distinguish aggregations from calculated columns and imported source values
  • CALCULATE modifies filter context for targeted business metric definitions
  • DIVIDE handles ratios safely when denominators are blank or zero
  • VAR variables improve DAX readability, testing, and repeated calculation logic
  • Year-to-date, prior-year, and rolling-period measures analyse performance trends
  • Variance measures compare actual, budget, forecast, and prior-period results

Participants can design Power BI reports that direct users from headline performance to evidence.

  • Report pages structured around decisions, audiences, priorities, and reporting frequency
  • Visual selection matches comparisons, trends, composition, distribution, and geographic patterns
  • Visual hierarchy uses position, size, colour, labels, and whitespace deliberately
  • Drill-through pages provide transaction detail behind summary performance indicators
  • Tooltips and bookmarks support guided analysis without overcrowding report pages
  • Accessibility settings improve contrast, reading order, labels, and keyboard use

Participants can validate analytical outputs and communicate findings, causes and recommended actions.

  • Control totals reconcile Power BI measures with approved source reports
  • Exception analysis isolates unusual movements using thresholds, comparisons, and drill-down
  • Root-cause questions distinguish correlation, operational drivers, and unsupported assumptions
  • Variance narratives explain scale, timing, ownership, business impact, and next actions
  • Sensitivity checks test conclusions against changed assumptions and incomplete data
  • Management briefing structures present finding, evidence, implication, and requested decision

Participants can prepare a controlled publishing approach and application plan for a business report.

  • Power BI workspaces organise development, review, publication, and report ownership
  • Dataset refresh plans define source access, frequency, failures, and notification responsibilities
  • Row-level security restricts report visibility using roles, filters, and user assignments
  • Version control records metric changes, source updates, approvals, and release dates
  • Report governance checklist covers ownership, refresh, validation, access, and retirement
  • Application plan prioritises one reporting process, stakeholders, milestones, and success measures

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Business reporting requirements canvas
  2. KPI dictionary template
  3. Power Query transformation checklist
  4. Excel analytical model template
  5. Power BI star-schema design sheet
  6. Report validation and governance checklist

Who should attend

  • Business Analyst — needs repeatable methods for converting data into management reporting
  • Financial Analyst — requires faster variance analysis, forecasting views and reconciled dashboards
  • Operations Manager — needs timely performance measures for service, capacity and process decisions
  • Reporting Analyst — builds recurring reports and must improve consistency across data sources
  • Project Manager — needs clear delivery, cost, risk and milestone reporting
  • Data Coordinator — prepares business data and supports controlled reporting processes

Skills and tools covered

Data preparationExcel modellingPower BI reportingDAX calculationsKPI designReport governance

Tools and standards

Microsoft Excel, Power Query, Power BI Desktop, DAX

How the course runs

Training methodology

The instructor uses short briefings and demonstrations to introduce each analytical method, followed by worked cases using business datasets. Participants complete individual and group exercises in Excel, Power Query and Power BI, comparing alternative calculations and report designs. Simulations require teams to respond to reporting requests, data exceptions and changing management questions. Facilitated reviews focus on assumptions, model logic and communication choices. Each participant develops an application plan for transferring the methods, templates and controls to a current reporting need.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should be comfortable using Excel worksheets, formulas, tables and basic charts, and should understand common business measures such as revenue, cost, volume, budget and variance. Experience working with operational, finance, customer or project data is useful. The course assumes confidence with files, folders and standard desktop software. Prior Power BI, Power Query, database, SQL, programming or statistical modelling experience is not required. Participants should be prepared to work with numerical data and discuss the business meaning of measures and exceptions.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should be comfortable with worksheets, formulas, tables and basic charts. The course teaches advanced analytical uses of Excel, Power Query and Power BI without assuming prior DAX, SQL or programming knowledge.

Bring a laptop with a current desktop version of Excel and Power BI Desktop where possible. Course materials and sample datasets are provided; participants should not bring confidential organisational data unless approved by their employer.

It suits analysts, managers and reporting professionals who work with recurring business data and need better reports. It is particularly relevant to finance, operations, commercial, project and service teams.

This course connects spreadsheet analysis, data preparation, data modelling and published reporting in one workflow. Excel-only courses usually focus more heavily on formulas and spreadsheets, while Power BI-only courses may assume prepared data and established reporting requirements.

Participants can use the requirements canvas, KPI dictionary and validation checklist on a current reporting process. The methods support recurring reports such as budget variance, service performance, sales pipeline, procurement spend and project status reporting.

Each day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 with about 6.5 contact hours. Time is divided between Excel analysis, Power Query preparation, Power BI modelling, DAX calculations, report design, validation and publishing controls.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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