Business Intelligence Reporting Training Course

Participants can elicit, prioritise and document reporting requirements with business stakeholders.

• Stakeholder mapping by decision authority, information need and reporting influence
• Use interview questions to expose decisions, exceptions, thresholds and actions
• Convert vague requests into reportable questions, measures and comparison periods
• Prioritise requirements using MoSCoW categories and measurable acceptance criteria
• Document report assumptions, exclusions, dependencies and unresolved business rules
• Trace each visual to a user question and intended action

Participants can assess source data fitness and specify controls for reporting use.

• Classify transactional systems, files, APIs and reference data sources
• Create source-to-report lineage from field extraction through published visual
• Profile completeness, validity, uniqueness, consistency, timeliness and accuracy indicators
• Define data quality rules with thresholds, owners and remediation actions
• Reconcile extracts against source totals, control accounts and operational reports
• Record transformation assumptions in a data quality issue log

Participants can retrieve and inspect business data using core SQL statements.

• Relational tables, primary keys, foreign keys and referential integrity explained
• SELECT statements retrieve fields, aliases and derived columns from tables
• WHERE clauses filter records using dates, values, patterns and nulls
• ORDER BY and LIMIT support controlled inspection of query outputs
• Aggregate measures with COUNT, SUM, AVG, MIN and MAX functions
• GROUP BY queries summarise transactions by customer, product, period or region

Participants can combine, aggregate and validate data for reporting datasets.

• INNER, LEFT and FULL joins combine related reporting tables correctly
• Test join cardinality to prevent duplicated facts and inflated totals
• Common table expressions structure multi-step reporting queries clearly
• Window functions calculate rankings, running totals and period comparisons
• CASE expressions classify records using documented business rules
• Validate query results through row counts, totals and exception samples

Participants can design a dimensional model that supports consistent reporting and analysis.

• Define business process grain before selecting facts and dimensions
• Fact tables store measurable events at an explicit level of detail
• Dimension tables describe customers, products, dates, locations and organisational units
• Star schemas simplify reporting queries and improve business user understanding
• Conformed dimensions align measures across sales, finance and service processes
• Handle slowly changing dimensions using Type 1 and Type 2 methods

Participants can define governed business metrics with clear calculation and ownership rules.

• Metric dictionaries record formula, grain, source, owner and refresh cadence
• Distinguish measures, dimensions, targets, benchmarks and key performance indicators
• Specify numerator, denominator, inclusion rules and exception treatment explicitly
• Define time intelligence for month-to-date, year-to-date and prior-period comparisons
• Apply additive, semi-additive and non-additive measure rules correctly
• Approve metric changes through documented ownership and version control

Participants can prepare reporting data through repeatable transformation steps and controls.

• Profile column types, missing values, duplicates and invalid category codes
• Standardise dates, currencies, identifiers, labels and code values before modelling
• Merge reference data to enrich transactions with business classifications
• Create calculated columns only when measures cannot meet reporting needs
• Document transformation steps using source, rule, output and owner fields
• Set refresh checks for volume, dates, nulls and control totals

Participants can build a reporting model and reusable calculations in Power BI.

• Import datasets and configure relationships within a Power BI model
• Set relationship direction and cardinality to preserve correct filter behaviour
• Create a dedicated date table for time-based analysis
• DAX measures calculate totals, ratios, variances and conditional results
• CALCULATE modifies filter context for controlled business metric definitions
• Test measures against known totals before publishing report outputs

Participants can structure reports that make priorities, patterns and exceptions clear.

• Apply IBCS principles for consistent notation, scaling and message-focused visuals
• Establish visual hierarchy using layout, contrast, whitespace and reading sequence
• Design pages around decisions rather than available fields or chart collections
• Place headline measures beside targets, variances and explanatory comparisons
• Use progressive disclosure from summary indicators to detailed records
• Write titles that state the finding, period and relevant comparison

Participants can select and construct visuals that answer specific analytical questions.

• Line charts show trends, seasonality and changes over time
• Bar charts compare ranked categories using consistent zero-based scales
• Waterfall charts explain movement between opening and closing values
• Scatter plots reveal relationships, clusters, outliers and performance segments
• Avoid misleading dual axes, truncated scales, decorative graphics and overloaded colours
• Annotate significant exceptions with operational context and required action

Participants can create controlled interactive reports for different user questions.

• Slicers filter report pages by period, region, product and customer
• Drill-through pages expose transaction detail behind summary performance measures
• Tooltips provide supporting context without overcrowding primary report pages
• Bookmarks create guided views for executive, manager and analyst audiences
• Configure visual interactions to prevent unintended cross-filtering behaviour
• Build navigation using buttons, page names and clear user prompts

Participants can specify appropriate access, distribution and privacy controls for reports.

• Classify report content by public, internal, confidential and restricted categories
• Role-based access aligns report permissions with approved business responsibilities
• Row-level security restricts records by region, unit or account assignment
• Apply data minimisation when designing extracts, visuals and downloadable details
• Schedule distribution according to decision cadence, refresh completion and ownership
• Maintain report inventories with audience, sensitivity, owner and review date

Participants can test reporting outputs for accuracy, usability and operational reliability.

• Reconcile headline measures to approved source totals and control reports
• Create test cases for filters, drill-through, security and date selections
• Perform boundary testing for nulls, zeros, late records and extreme values
• Check labels, units, periods, rounding and variance calculations systematically
• Conduct usability reviews using decision tasks and representative user scenarios
• Log defects by severity, owner, resolution date and retest status

Participants can plan reliable report refresh, publication and maintenance processes.

• Map refresh dependencies from source availability through dataset and report publication
• Define service levels for refresh timing, availability and incident response
• Monitor refresh failures, volume anomalies and late-arriving source records
• Publish reports through controlled workspaces, release notes and approval gates
• Archive superseded reports to prevent duplicate distribution and unsupported use
• Plan periodic reviews of metrics, access permissions and stakeholder needs

Participants can establish practical governance that sustains trusted reporting use.

• Assign report owner, data owner, metric owner and technical support roles
• Use a RACI matrix for report creation, approval, publication and change
• Set change control for source fields, calculations, visuals and access
• Measure adoption through usage patterns, recurring questions and decision outcomes
• Retire unused reports using evidence, owner approval and communication plans
• Run report review forums focused on exceptions, actions and improvement requests

Participants can apply reporting methods to common cross-functional management scenarios.

• Financial performance reporting compares budget, actual, forecast and prior periods
• Operations dashboards track throughput, backlog, capacity, quality and cycle time
• Customer reporting monitors acquisition, retention, service levels and complaint trends
• Procurement analysis identifies spend concentration, supplier performance and contract exceptions
• Risk reports track exposure, control failures, incidents and remediation status
• Programme dashboards connect milestones, costs, benefits, risks and accountable owners

Participants can build, review and present a complete business intelligence reporting solution from requirements through governance.

• Define a decision-led reporting charter from the assigned business case
• Profile source extracts and record material data quality risks
• Design a dimensional model with documented grain, facts and dimensions
• Build SQL queries and governed DAX measures for priority metrics
• Produce interactive Power BI report pages using IBCS design principles
• Test reconciliations, filters, security and user tasks against acceptance criteria
• Present findings, governance controls and recommended actions to a review panel