Data Modeling: Power BI Data Modeling Essentials

Name: Data Modeling: Power BI Data Modeling Essentials
Rating: 4.6 (239 reviews)

Learn and Master Data Modeling for Advanced Power BI Development

Highest Rated

Created byAhmed Oyelowo, Foresight BI & Analytics. 100,000+ Learners

Last updated 5/2026

English

What you'll learn

Explain the core principles of data modeling and how they apply to Power BI, analytics engineering, and data engineering
Identify common data modeling techniques used by database designers and apply them to analytical reporting scenarios
Manage and troubleshoot Power BI data models by detecting relationship, granularity, and performance issues
Differentiate between fact tables and dimension tables using real business scenarios and reporting requirements
Design and implement star schema models that support accurate and efficient Power BI reporting
Compare star schema and snowflake schema designs and determine when each approach is suitable in Power BI
Create calculated and supporting data tables in Power Query using practical M language techniques
Apply professional data modeling practices to build cleaner, scalable, and business-ready Power BI models

Course content

7 sections • 53 lectures • 3h 26m total length

Introduction2:33
Understanding Data Normalization3:17
Understanding Transactional data and normalization (part 1)2:47
Understanding Transactional data and normalization (part 2)3:41
Learn how transactional data uses basic tables for products, customers, places, and dates, with separate tables for additional details to enrich data and support normalization in Power BI data modeling.
Understanding Facts & Dimension Fields4:17
Explore how fact tables hold numeric measurements and unique IDs, while dimension tables store descriptive attributes, and how normalization separates data into facts and dimensions.
Eliminating Redundancy with Normalized Data5:24
Understanding the requirements for Normalizing data1:24
Analyze business domain and context to map data entities and relate employee IDs across HR and accounts, and student IDs in student records, moving from denormalized to normalized data.
Creating plan for Normalization7:21
Mapping out Data for Normalization8:30
Mapping the Fact Fields3:42
Creating an Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD)6:24
Data Modeling Concepts

Data Normalization with Power Query (part 1)7:33
Data Normalization with Power Query (part 2)4:11
Explore normalizing data in Power Query by using a single source for multiple queries, removing unused columns, and removing duplicates with M code that selects columns from the orders table.
Data Normalization with Power Query (part 3)5:26
Organizing Queries into Folders in Power Query2:44
Power Query Normalization

Confirming model relationships (part 1)2:40
Confirm and visualize relationships in Power BI data modeling by mapping fact to dimension tables in model view, using fit to page and relationship lines.
Confirming model relationships (part 2)3:10
Understanding Cardinality and Cross-filter direction (part 1)3:35
Understanding Cardinality and Cross-filter direction (part 2)2:51
Identify cardinality and cross-filter direction in Power BI by examining the relationship line between customers and sales, noting many-to-one, one-to-one, and one-way cross-filtering from dimension to fact.
Explaining Cross filter direction (part 1)3:54
Explaining Cross filter direction (part 2)5:05
Explaining Cross filter direction (part 3)3:36
Understanding Star and Snowflake Schema4:36
Converting a Snowflake Schema to Star Schema5:52
Convert a snowflake schema to a star schema in Power BI by merging related dimension tables in Power Query and loading a simplified, dimension-first model.
Quiz 3

Introduction to Date Dimension Table2:33
Intro to creating Date Tables with DAX4:36
Creating Date Table with CALENDARAUTO function3:41
Validating Date Tables & Connecting to Fact Table3:41
Mark the date table in Power BI, relate it to the fact table via order date, and use ship date as an inactive alternative for DAX reporting.
Creating Year Column with YEAR function3:39
Create Quarter and Month Number Columns2:26
Creating Month Name column with FORMAT function3:09
Fixing month sorting order2:51
In Power BI, ensure your date table includes month name and month number, then sort the month name by the month number to achieve natural January–December order.
Creating Day of Week Column3:28
Fixing Day of Week Sorting4:29
In Power BI data modeling, fix day-of-week sorting by creating a day-of-week number with the DAX weekday function and setting the visual to sort by that column.
Creating week of year column1:57
Quiz 4

Intro to working with multiple fact tables1:22
Learn how to model with multiple fact tables in a single Power BI model, sharing dimensions across sales, inventory, and the target data set while handling exclusive dimensions.
Preparing Target Data4:10
Create relationships for Target Data6:27
Understanding and Managing Many to Many Relationships4:00
Managing Many to Many relationships with bridge tables5:39

Intro to Data Modeling Troubleshooting3:11
Troubleshoot when all report categories display the same values1:13
Troubleshoot when all report categories are not displaying any values2:20
Identify and fix issues where no report categories display by checking and correcting relationships, cardinality, and cross filter direction between fact and dimension tables in Power BI data modeling.
Troubleshoot when date categories are blank3:19
Troubleshoot when unable to create relationships (part 1)4:29
Troubleshoot when unable to create relationship (part 2)7:08
Troubleshoot when to show categories with no data and when categories are blank3:13

Requirements

Power BI Desktop

Description

In this Data Modeling course, you will learn all you need to know to create and Manage Data Models in Power BI. You will be able to troubleshoot Power BI Data Models when things are broken in your reports. Taught by 5x Microsoft MVP for Data Platform and creator of Udemy's Power BI Best Seller Course.

This course is deigned to allow you gain mastery of the heart and engine of Power BI Solutions: The Power BI Data Model. You will learn about Data Modeling Concepts valuable in other data fields like Database Administration, Analytics Engineering, Data Engineering and Data Warehousing.

Below is a list of the topics covered in this Power BI Data Modeling Essentials Course:

Understanding Data Normalization Concept
Understanding Fact and Dimension Tables
Creating your own Fact and Dimension Tables from a De-Normalized Data
Using Power Query and simple M Language Technique to Normalize a Data Table
Understanding Model Relationships Cardinality and Cross Filter Direction
Understanding One to One, Many to One and Many to Many Relationships
Using DAX to create and Configure Date Tables in Power BI Data Models
Using simple Power Query M Language technique to create Date Tables for Power BI Data Models
Working with Multiple Fact Tables in a Power BI Model
Troubleshooting Data Models in Power BI

By the end of this course, you will be confident with Models in Power BI and will be on-course to Advance your Power BI knowledge, especially Data Analysis Expressions (DAX).

Enroll now and get started on your journey to Masting Data Modeling for Advanced Power BI Development.

Who this course is for:

Beginner to intermediate Power BI users who want to build better data models for reports and dashboards
Data analysts who want to understand fact tables, dimension tables, relationships, and schema design
Excel users transitioning into Power BI who need a clear introduction to data modeling concepts
Power BI learners preparing for the Microsoft PL-300 Power BI Data Analyst certification
Business intelligence professionals who want to design cleaner, scalable, and easier-to-maintain Power BI models
Report developers who need to troubleshoot common Power BI model issues and improve report accuracy
Learners interested in star schema, snowflake schema, ERDs, and analytical database design
Data professionals exploring analytics engineering, data warehousing, or modern BI modeling practices

Data Modeling: Power BI Data Modeling Essentials

What you'll learn

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Course content

Introduction11 lectures • 49min

Normalizing Data with Power Query4 lectures • 20min

Working with Normalized Data in Power BI9 lectures • 35min

Creating Date Tables with DAX in Power BI11 lectures • 37min

Creating Date Tables with M in Power Query6 lectures • 19min

Working with multiple Fact Tables5 lectures • 22min

Troubleshooting Data Models in Power BI7 lectures • 25min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: