PivotTables in Excel are the main tool to navigate in data models created with Power Pivot. This module describes the features available in both Excel 2010 and Excel 2013. The goal is to create a solid background on what is a PivotTable, how it works and what are its limitations. In the following lectures, you learn how to overcome those limitations.

Excel 2013 greatly enhanced PivotTables with the introduction of the Data Model and a deeper integration with Power Pivot. In this lecture, you learn what the data model is, how to activate it, and how to start using Power Pivot.

In this lecture, you learn how to load data in the Power Pivot window, how to create basic relationships, and how to use the Power Pivot user interface to complete basic operations.

Calculated columns are a simple and very effective way of enriching the expressiveness of your model, by adding basic row-by-row calculations to your tables. In this lecture, you learn the basics of calculated columns: how to create and use them.

You can turn any Excel table into a Data Model table by using Linked Tables, which are a great way to enrich your model with data you prepare in Excel.

Calculated fields add advanced calculations to the data model. They compute values over totals instead of computing values row-by-row, making it possible to compute percentages, distinct counts and other non-trivial calculations.

Once you complete a report, you might want to share it with other people. Power BI transforms any Excel workbook containing Power Pivot data into an interactive web-based report, so that authorized people using a web browser can see and navigate it.

This lecture provides you a deeper analysis of the difference between loading data from Excel tables and loading data from data sources. You learn why it is important loading data directly into the model and what are the basic tools to use.

A relational database accessible by using SQL queries is probably the most common data source. Here you learn the basic techniques to load data from SQL Server tables, how to connect to a relational database and load the content from available tables and views, without writing SQL queries.

Even if you are not familiar with the SQL language, you can use the SQL Wizard to create custom queries that populate your data model. You just have to be aware of a few details about relationships, which you learn in this lecture.

This lecture shows a few advices about importing data from Microsoft Access.

If you have data stored in Analysis Services databases (also known as “Cubes”), you can import that data in Power Pivot, too. This lecture shows how to overcome a few limitations existing in importing data from SQL Server Analysis Services.

You have already seen Linked Tables in a previous lecture. Now you can see more details about how they work and how to get the most out of this feature.

If you have data stored in other Excel workbooks, you can import them in a Power Pivot data model. This lecture explains how to do that and how to avoid the most common mistakes.

This lecture described the Text File Data Source, which imports data stored in text and CSV files.

This lecture shows how to load data from any program by using the copy and paste feature, using the Windows clipboard.

You can populate a data model by loading data from Reporting Services reports in a fast and efficient way, without having to worry about the removal of formatting and graphics.

You can load data published on certain web sites (e.g. SharePoint) in Power Pivot using the data feeds. This module shows you how to import OData data feeds supported by Power Pivot.

You can load data from the Azure Marketplace, where you can find data collected and sold (or provided for free) by other companies.

In this lecture, you learn the techniques to load data from SharePoint lists, reports stored in SharePoint, and Power Pivot workbooks already published in SharePoint.

In this lecture, you learn how to modify the data connection automatically created by Power Pivot in order to enable automatic refresh on open, to activate periodic data updates, and to disable the automatic refresh on connection that you want to update only manually.

Working with Power Pivot you will become a data modeler. This lecture provides the basic information about what is a data model and why modeling is important in Power Pivot.

What does it mean to normalize or de-normalize a model? Knowing when to denormalize is a very important skill, which is useful creating data models for Power Pivot.

In modern data warehouses, the shape of data is usually a star schema. In this lecture, we introduce the concept of star schemas and explain why it is important to shape data in this way, maximizing the usability of the data model.

You learn that denormalization is important, but what happens if you denormalize too much? At that point, the data model is no longer easy to use. This module introduces the concept of over denormalization and simple techniques to solve the issue, if present.

Instructions to download sample database and files.