Master Excel Power Pivot & DAX (Beginner to Pro)
Itâs one thing to get data into Excel. Itâs another to turn that data into meaningful reports.
Watch IntroAre you able to bridge the gap between a spreadsheet full of data and the big picture?
Excel users who deal with large amounts of data should be given a constant supply of Gatorade and gym towels.
Why?
Because transforming that data into meaningful reports can feel like being in an Olympic event. It is hard.
You sit there, Excel open on your computer, and groan at the sight of data everywhere.
- Youâve got data spread across multiple tabs
- Youâre got data in a CSV file, SAP, or Oracle
- Youâve got multiple tables that need to be combined into one
Itâs like walking back into your home after your childâs birthday party.
âWhat a mess...â
So you roll up your sleeves and get to work. You know itâs going to be a late night, but the job must be done, right?
How to Bridge the Gap with Ease
Your Excel life will only reach that peaceful, Zen-state when you can bridge the gap between looking at data and presenting it.
And do it with ease.
After all, presenting data is the goal? What good is having data if youâre not going to present it, analyze it, and make decisions?
When you can bridge this gap, without pulling a hamstring, you finally achieve Excel nirvana.
Data Model to the Rescue
Excelâs Data Model can relieve your burden of transforming data. Itâll do the heavy lifting, so you can get back to those thousand other tasks on your to-do list.
Specifically, a tool called Power Pivot.
Power Pivot is the second âpower toolâ in Excelâs power
toolbox. Power Pivot is the engine that turns your raw data into useful metrics,
which can then be presented via beautiful reports.
How I Discovered Power Pivot
Hi, Iâm Leila Gharani. Iâm a Microsoft MVP and have taught Excel to over 340,000 students through my courses.
Power Pivot has been around for a while, but I never thought I needed it. I didnât create complex models in Excel. I created reports. Of course, that was the wrong thinking. But I didnât know at the time.
A lot of the reports I created were based on data from different places. Some reports required complex logic to get the outcome we were after. They were time-consuming to create and maintain. I needed to use a combination of VBA and crazy functions to relate the data together so I could report on it.
That was the time I decided to âtestâ Power Pivot, to see if it could save me time from writing another VBA routine. As with most tools, there is an âeasyâ side to Power Pivot and an âadvancedâ side. The easy side was all I needed for that report. With just a few drag-and-drops and a few clicks my report was done.
No VBA, no formulas! It was that easy!
I was so excited by the possibilities that I went on to learn DAX which is the formula language of the Data model. With DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) you can create your own custom functions and KPIs. It all turned out to be so much easier than Iâd imagined.
Today, Iâd like to invite you to bridge the gap between fetching data and presenting it.
Introducing:
The Mastering Power Pivot & DAX Course
This step-by-step online course helps you quickly create reports others might find impossible to do.
- No longer will you run out of steam after importing your data.
- No longer will you be asking, âWhatâs next?â, once you have your dataset prepared.
- No longer will you struggle with VLOOKUPs, multiple pivot tables, merging datasets, and the many other problems faced by Excel users who havenât learned PowerPivot.
"Working for my client, a multinational manufacturing company, the head of procurement asked me to make a model to track the steel prices, as steel is a large component of their cost. I have worked for the past 10 years as a management consultant and am considered an Excel expert by virtually all my clients and colleagues. My initial model was built without Power Query/PowerPivot. It took me at least 21 man-days to build as client requests changed and the model became increasingly complex.
In the final days of making the model, it became clear that although it worked, it was hardly sustainable: it took me 4 hours (I've got the recordings) to explain to the client how the model works and needs to be updated.
Around the same time, I started Leila's DAX and PQ course. Based on her teachings, I agreed with the client to rebuild the model, generating the same output but through PQ/DAX. It took me 10 full working days to set it up - including at least 70% of time just waiting for PQ to load the data, while I followed the courses. The result: a virtually fully automated report that was more dynamic than the first one.
After this second iteration, and being much more comfortable with PQ/DAX, I decided to build the same model with everything else Leila taught me while I was making the second iteration of the model. Now, using locally stored representative snippets of the client files (to avoid long loading times) I built an even better version of the report in under a day.
Bottom line: from a 21-day unusable model to a 1-day fully dynamic and automated report thanks to Leila. A steep learning curve, but I'll never use Excel in the same way again."
- Paul B.
Enroll in our Power Pivot & DAX course today and youâll:
- Get up and running with Power Pivot in just an hour or two
- Get 14 hours of video tutorials spread over 120 videos and 18 modules
- Choose your starting point: Essentials, Advanced, or Pro
- Get 60 practice Excel workbooks to test-drive your new skills
- Create two business dashboards which include smart Excel tricks you probably haven't seen anywhere else
- Test your knowledge with quizzes and challenges at the end of every section
- Download your course notes so you don't forget important takeaways from each section
- Ask questions and get answers from our helpful teaching assistants
Plus, you get lifetime access, so you can go through this course at your own pace.
You can view the detailed curriculum below.
Course Curriculum
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PreviewImagine this... (5:24)
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StartWhat it Costs You When You Don't Know DAX (or Data Model) (10:59)
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StartWhat Happens When You Know About the Data Model (6:54)
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StartMore Benefits: Convert Pivot Table to Formulas & Show Filtered Totals (7:36)
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StartBest Combination for Data Modelling: Power Query & Power Pivot Together (7:16)
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StartWhen to Use Pivot Tables Vs. Power Pivots (Become Pro) (5:12)
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Start3 Quick (Power) Pivot Table Tips
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Startđ€ Quiz - Power Pivot vs. Pivot Table
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Startđ Key Takeaways: When to Use a Data Model
Hereâs something important to keep in mindâŠ
Itâs a big curriculum â I know. But you donât need to watch every second of every video to begin to see benefits.
Start with just a few lessons. Do one challenge exercise. Then, your next day at work, put what you learned into action.
My bet? Youâll say to yourselfâŠ
âI canât believe I was doing
things the old way!â
Itâs true. Excel users have this bad habit of getting so comfortable in the old way of doing things, we donât even pause to consider there might be a faster path.
Power Pivot is your invitation to the fast lane, and this course is your on-ramp.
Hey, you deserve credit just for reading this page. It shows youâre open to learning. Now, take the next step and enroll in the course.
Weâve made it even more of a no-brainer by including a few great bonuses and new features.
Bonus 1:
Complete Power Pivot and DAX Manual
I personally learn best when I watch AND read. Obviously not at the same time. Usually I prefer to watch first and later read about the same topic. This helps me make sense of new concepts and double-check my understanding.
Thatâs why Iâm giving you this 346-page detailed reference guide as a bonus. It covers the course topics in written form. It will be released 30 days after you enroll. If you need it earlier, just send us an email.
Bonus 2:
Create a Dynamic
Excel Dashboard from Scratch
Your mission, should you choose to accept itâŠ
Youâll assume the role of a data analyst working for an office supply store in Southern California.
Youâve just been promoted, hurray! But now, youâre facing a hairy new challenge. Along with your hefty salary bump comes a bump in responsibility.
Youâre no longer just responsible for your companyâs stores in California, but for all your stores across the United States and Europe.
Yikes!
And just today, upper management has asked you to create a dynamic dashboard which shows sales trends across your e-commerce websites.
Are you up to the task? Tackle this bonus project, and letâs find out!
Bonus 3:
New! Earn CPD Credits
Iâm excited to announce this Power Pivot course is now CPD certified. The Continuing Professional Development is a top global accreditation, trusted by companies and industries worldwide.
When you complete this course, youâll get a special certificate with the official CPD stamp. You will earn 14 CPD hours with the course.
By earning CPD credits, youâre showing that you continue to learn and develop, keeping your skills and knowledge up to date with certified, quality content.
Get a Certificate of Completion
When you finish the course, youâll get a certificate of completion. You can send it to your boss, upload it to LinkedIn or just add it to your own person library of learning achievements.
Enroll Now in Mastering Power Pivot and DAX
Itâs time to bridge the gap between fetching data and presenting it.
Itâs time to stop relying on VLOOKUP, copy/pasting, creating multiple PivotTables or just Power Query. Itâs time to enter the Excel fast lane.
Click the button below to begin the easy check-out process & start your Power Pivot training today.
"An awesome approach from Excel perspective for DAX users.
Leila really took her time to dissect and explain what was happening behind the scene with the DAX functions in Power Pivot where she uses slicers and other tools to clearly explain the behavior of the functions.
The Filter and Row context as well as Evaluation Context and Context Transition has been well explained with visuals that make you grasp this difficult DAX concept. A 5 Star Rated Course."
- Shadrack Awunyo
"Thank you, Leila, for a truly informative course. The individual modules were very understandable and 'digestible', with lots of useful examples. The overall course was really well structured and interlinked. Well worth every cent!"
- Aaron Holmes
Itâs Like Three Courses in One
This course is more like three courses in one. Why?
Because PowerPivot, DAX, and Dashboards work together like a 3-person sports team.
You might be wondering, âWhat the heck is DAX?â
DAX stands for Data Analysis Expressions. DAX formulas are like standard Excel formulas â but on steroids. You can do all sorts of powerful calculations you couldnât do otherwise.
(My favorites are the time intelligence functions. If you work with data that is spread out over days, months, or years â youâll fall in love with these DAX formulas.)
You also learn how to combine your data model with "standard" Excel features to create dynamic dashboards that solve real-life challenges.
Finally, if you have aspirations of using Power BI, you must know DAX and the data model. Itâs a pre-requisite for taking advantage of Power BI.
Beam Me Up, Scotty!
Jump into the Topic You Need â Fast
As a Star Trek fan, I was always in awe of the transporter technology. It blew my mind how Captain Kirk could spot a nearby planet, then instantly transport his team to that exact location.
I want your experience inside our course to be just as instantaneous.
Thanks to a new tool we created here in our XelPlus âlaboratory,â now, when you want to find a topic, you can do so instantly.
Weâve gone through every second of every lesson and pulled out the key words & topics. Then, we created an interactive agenda which allows you to quickly locate exactly what youâre looking for.
Once you find your topic, itâs simply a matter of saying âBeam me up!â (not actually required). Click the link and youâll instantly be transported to the correct lesson and timestamp.
No more wasting hours searching. Find what you need, then get back to work.
Warning: This course is only for you
if you like things to be easy
If you enjoy pain, do not take this course!
Maybe youâre one of those sidewalk warriors who marches around wearing a weighted-vest.
Maybe youâre of those people I see parking at the very back of the store parking lot.
If thatâs your cup of tea, this course isnât for you!
Okay, I get there are health benefits to making things more physically challenging.
But is there a good reason to make your workday more challenging than it needs to be?
Let me be clear: This course will make your Excel life easier.
It will allow you to automate your Excel workday, so that your day glides by like a breeze.
You can be working on your first Power Pivot Challenge in just 15 Minutes
How much does doing things the current way costing you? How often have you been frustrated handling large data in Excel? Have you missed any opportunities because of your current skill level?
A lack of skill might be costing you a great deal!
As you read this page, Excel users across the world are logged into our course area, watching lessons, and completing challenges.
Join them! The doors are open and youâre invited to come inside.
Itâs a warm, friendly environment. And even though our students come from all different backgrounds, they have one thing in common: Theyâre determined to get better at Excel.
Click the button below, and weâll see you inside.
â Frequently Asked Questions
When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
Is this too advanced for me?
You should be familiar with the general functionality in Excel (Formulas and Pivot Tables). If you've taken our Excel Essentials course, then you can directly jump in to this one. You might be intimidated by words like âPower Pivotâ and âData Model.â Donât be.
Sure, Excel masters love these power tools. But these tools offer plenty of fun for beginners, too. You simply need the right start so you can get the most benefit with the least effort.
When I first saw DAX, I made the mistake of viewing the advanced features. It scared me off.
It took a while to realize there were more beginner-friendly features available.
I use Power Query. Do I still need this course?
đđŒ Congratulations! You've already moved up to the power side of Excel.
Power Query can solve many data transformation challenges but not all. This course will show you how to combine both Power Query and the data model to create efficient reports.
I've already taken Power Pivot and DAX classes before. Can I still benefit?
DAX is not easy to teach. I struggled finding a good teacher when I was learning it myself. I'm a visual person and I need to see the processes to understand them. I had to go through multiple books and courses to make sense of some of the concepts. Finally I managed to create a visual model that made sense to me. Slowly everything started to fall into place. I'll be sharing that model with you in the course.
Plus here are some the topics our more advanced members enjoyed:
- How to optimize your data model with smart decisions
- The Power of the CALCULATE function
- Understand Row Context and Context transition once and for all
- Difference between VALUES and ALL functions
- When to use RELATED and when to rely on the relationships in the model
- How to handle many to one & many to many relationships
- More complex functions like CONCATENATEX, TOPN and RANKX
- Time intelligence functions for YTD and previous period calculations, running totals and moving averages.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund.
What if I have questions about the lessons? Can I get those answered?
Yes! Most online courses leave you on your own, but not here at XelPlus.
We have a team of helpful teaching assistants (TAâs) ready to answer your questions about each lesson. Below each lesson, youâll find a comment section where you can ask a question about the topic. Our TAâs will chime in and do their best to help you.
Whatâs required for the course?
This course is designed for Excel on Windows - Power Pivot is currently NOT available in native Mac.
You should have Microsoft Excel 2016 standalone or higher (Recommended: Office 365 / Office 2021) - Power Pivot is a part of Excel 2013 standalone but it's quite buggy. It's recommended to use the later Office versions. Check out this link to find out if your version has Power Pivot or not.
Any other questions?
Send us an email to [email protected] and a member of my team will get back to you ASAP.
"Very thorough and paced well. I appreciate all the hard work that went into this resource."
- Phillip Bronson