Power BI/Power Query training advice

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cep32

50 posts

Geek

#316136 19-Sep-2024 11:24

I've used Excel for 20 plus years now and am starting to find the limits of what I can do with the dataset sizes I have. Over the last couple of months I have been dredging through a lot of the free online training for Power BI and Power Query and have got to the point where I can do most of what I need to more efficiently.

What I am worried about is not having any formal training and not being aware of work arounds I might be using.

Does anyone here have any recommendations on good quality training courses for Power BI and Power Query? I think we have about 5 of us at work that would be interested in a 2-3 day intensive course. There seem to be plenty of courses offered online but in my experience, these sorts of things seem to vary wildly in quality.

Cheers,

Chris

cddt

1561 posts

Uber Geek

#3283991 19-Sep-2024 11:33

Have you considered using SQL?

Power Query = 🤮

My referral links: BigPipe | Mercury

cep32

50 posts

Geek

#3283993 19-Sep-2024 11:40

As I was writing the post I was thinking this might prompt some strong feelings.

Yes, I have considered SQL. One of the issues we have as an organisation is being audited by AuditNZ every few years. We find that, unless we can show how we are working in a very simple graphical way we start getting too many questions from the auditors and this takes up an extraordinary amount of our time. One way of looking at it is this could be a stepping stone to greater things (SQL for example).

Totally get where you're coming from though.

gehenna

8514 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3284016 19-Sep-2024 12:13

If you're basing your technology strategy around making things understandable for auditors, success will always elude you. The solution doesn't matter, but your understanding of the solution, how its used, and your ability to communicate that info to auditors in a way that provides assurance, is the thing you should focus on. The solution doesn't change you needing to do that, it just means you are frustrated with the solution during the other 51 weeks of the year when you're not being audited.

cep32

50 posts

Geek

#3284022 19-Sep-2024 12:47

I hear you. "Technology Strategy" sounds like a fantastic concept that is entirely foreign to those further up the food chain from me. I'm very much the smallest cog in a very large engine.

alasta

6706 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Subscriber

#3284027 19-Sep-2024 13:14

I undertook training on Power Query a couple of years ago but never managed to grasp it. I am good with logic and statistics but hopeless with computers, so it didn't fit with my how my brain works.

I use SAS Enterprise Guide and it could work well for your audit requirement as it allows you to visually map out your logical processes. Unfortunately licensing for it is very expensive.

SQLGeek

135 posts

Master Geek

#3284036 19-Sep-2024 13:50

New Zealand is lucky to have one of the worlds best Power BI trainer based here, Reza Rad: https://radacad.com/

I've done one of his courses, he's excellent and really nice guy.

Well worth subscribing to the newsletter at least to learn about training events.