Learn Power BI from basics to advanced — 4-week roadmap

4-week Power BI learning roadmap

Week 1

Get familiar with Power BI Desktop

→Install Power BI Desktop (free)
→Understand the interface: Report, Data, Model view
→Import data from Excel + CSV
→Create basic bar charts, line charts, tables

Week 2

Data Modeling + Power Query

→Star schema vs flat table
→One-to-many, many-to-many relationships
→Power Query: clean data, merge, append
→Calendar table for time intelligence

Week 3

Basic DAX

→Aggregate functions: SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT
→Calculated column vs Measure
→CALCULATE — the most important DAX function
→Time intelligence: YoY, MTD, YTD

Week 4

Advanced visuals + Publish

→Slicer, drill-down, bookmark
→Conditional formatting + custom visuals
→Publish to Power BI Service
→Share dashboards with your team (Pro license)

Free learning resources

Read more detailed articles by topic on the SenData blog.

DAX from basics to advanced

12 core DAX functions, time intelligence, CALCULATE, RANKX.

Power Query M Language

Power BI ETL: combine files, merge ERP/CRM, Google Sheets.

Visualization & dashboard design

10 principles for beautiful, readable dashboards.

Data Modeling & RLS

Star schema, Row-Level Security, storage mode.

Real-world case studies

Real dashboards from Vietnamese businesses: F&B, textiles, hospitals.

Power BI news 2026

Microsoft Fabric, Copilot, pricing, new features.

Self-study or a paid Power BI course?

Many people look for a Power BI course before knowing what they actually need. These three paths differ in what you trade away: time, money, or long-term self-sufficiency.

Path	Trade-off	Fits when
Free self-study	2–4 weeks at 1–2 hours a day	You have the time and want to stay self-sufficient. The roadmap on this page is enough.
Paid course	A few million VND, similar time commitment	You want guidance and a fixed schedule. A course shortens finding materials, not the practice itself.
Hire someone	From 300k (coursework) to tens of millions (business)	You need the report now, or your data spans several complex sources. You still get the source file.

SenData does not sell courses. This page is free, and if self-study cannot keep up with your deadlines, hiring someone to lay the foundation and maintaining it yourself is often cheaper than learning first. See what hiring a Power BI freelancer costs.

FAQ about learning Power BI

How long does it take to learn Power BI well enough for a basic dashboard?

About 2-4 weeks at 1-2 hours a day. Week 1: get familiar with the interface, connect data, basic charts. Week 2: data modeling, relationships. Weeks 3-4: basic DAX, publishing, sharing. After 4 weeks you can build a simple dashboard for real work.

Is Power BI Desktop free?

Yes. Power BI Desktop is completely free for individuals and businesses. Download it from the Microsoft Store or microsoft.com. A Power BI Pro license ($10/user/month) is only needed when you want to share dashboards online with others. Learning and personal use: 100% free.

I don't know SQL — can I still learn Power BI?

Yes. Power Query (M language) is built in and lets you transform data with drag-and-drop, no code. That said, basic SQL (SELECT, JOIN, WHERE) is very helpful when your data comes from a database. Recommendation: learn Power BI first, and learn basic SQL alongside it over 1-2 weeks.

How does Power BI differ from Tableau and Looker Studio?

Power BI: integrates well with Microsoft (Excel, SharePoint, Azure), strong at DAX and data modeling. Tableau: beautiful visuals, easy to build dashboards. Looker Studio: free, integrates with Google. For Vietnamese businesses already using Excel/Office 365, Power BI is the most natural choice.

What jobs can I do after learning Power BI? What's the salary?

Common roles: Data Analyst (VND 15-30M), BI Developer (VND 20-40M), Business Analyst (VND 18-35M) in Vietnam. Power BI freelancers can earn VND 5-80M per project on SenData. Hiring demand is high and steadily growing.

Already learned but need a dashboard now?

Learning Power BI takes time. If your business needs a dashboard now, hire a SenData freelancer to build it in 1-3 weeks.

Hire a Power BI freelancer Read the Power BI blog

Learn Power BI from the basics — a 4-week roadmap