Official companion repository for Teach Yourself VISUALLY Power BI by Alexander Loth (Wiley).
Use these sample datasets and.pbixfiles to follow along, experiment, and adapt the book’s examples to your own data.
Buy the book: Wiley · Amazon · More info on the companion site
- What’s Included
- Quick Start
- Prerequisites
- Repository Structure
- Chapter & File Index
- Compatibility Notes
- Troubleshooting / FAQ
- About the Author
- How to Cite
- Contributing & Issues
- License
- Power BI project files (
.pbix) — ready-to-open reports that match specific tasks in the book. - Sample datasets (
.xlsx,.csv) — source files used throughout the chapters to practice end-to-end.
Option A — Download ZIP (recommended):
- Click the green
<> Codebutton. - Choose Download ZIP, then unzip locally and open the
.pbixfiles in their chapter folders.
Option B — Git users:
git clone https://github.com/aloth/power-bi-book-resources.git- Microsoft Power BI Desktop (Windows, free): https://powerbi.microsoft.com/desktop/ Installation is covered in Chapter 1 of the book.
As a reader of the book, you get access to special offers from our partners. Check out the link below for exclusive deals designed to enhance your learning journey.
➡️ View Exclusive Partner Offers
power-bi-book-resources/
├─ Data Sets/
│ ├─ Financial Sample.xlsx
│ └─ Retail Analysis Sample.pbix
├─ Chapter 1/
├─ Chapter 2/
├─ Chapter 3/
├─ Chapter 4/
├─ Chapter 5/
├─ Chapter 6/
├─ Chapter 7/
├─ Chapter 8/
├─ Chapter 9/
├─ Chapter 10/
└─ Chapter 11/
Click to expand the full mapping
| Chapter | Key Task / Section | Corresponding File(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 📂 Data | General data sets used across multiple chapters | Data Sets/Financial Sample.xlsxData Sets/Retail Analysis Sample.pbix |
| 📖 1 | Deeper Concepts: Licenses & Storage | Chapter 1/README.md |
| 🔌 2 | Connecting Power BI to Your Data | Uses Financial Sample.xlsx (no specific start .pbix) |
| 🧹 3 | Remove Duplicate Values | Chapter 3 - Remove Duplicates.pbix |
| Replace Values in a Column | Chapter 3 - Replace Values.pbix |
|
| Split a Column Using a Delimiter | Chapter 3 - Split Column.pbix |
|
| Group Data | Chapter 3 - Group Data.pbix |
|
| Add a Calculated Column | Chapter 3 - Calculated Column.pbix |
|
| Add an Index Column | Chapter 3 - Index Column.pbix |
|
| 🏗️ 4 | Create Dimension Tables | Chapter 4 - Dimension Tables.pbix |
| Create a Hierarchical Schema | Chapter 4 - Hierarchical Schema.pbix |
|
| 📊 5 | Create a Bar Chart | Chapter 5 - Bar Chart.pbix |
| Apply Filters to Visuals | Chapter 5 - Apply Filters.pbix |
|
| Format the Y-Axis of a Bar Chart | Chapter 5 - Format Y-Axis.pbix |
|
| Format the X-Axis of a Bar Chart | Chapter 5 - Format X-Axis.pbix |
|
| Add and Format the Data Category | Chapter 5 - Data Category.pbix |
|
| Move a Bar Chart's Legend | Chapter 5 - Bar Legend.pbix |
|
| Add a Zoom Slider and Update Bar Colors | Chapter 5 - Zoom Colors.pbix |
|
| Add Data Labels to a Bar Chart | Chapter 5 - Data Labels.pbix |
|
| Add an Image to the Plot Area | Chapter 5 - Plot Image.pbix |
|
| Create a Line or Area Chart | Chapter 5 - Area Chart.pbix |
|
| Format the Axes of a Line/Area Chart | Chapter 5 - Area Axes.pbix |
|
| Add a Legend to a Line/Area Chart | Chapter 5 - Area Legend.pbix |
|
| Move Legend and Add Gridlines | Chapter 5 - Area Gridlines.pbix |
|
| Add Zoom Slider and Steps | Chapter 5 - Area Zoom.pbix |
|
| Add Data Markers and Labels | Chapter 5 - Area Markers.pbix |
|
| Format Data Labels of a Line/Area Chart | Chapter 5 - Area Labels.pbix |
|
| 📐 6 | Create and Format a Gauge Chart | Chapter 6 - Gauge.pbix |
| Create and Format a KPI Visual | Chapter 6 - KPI.pbix |
|
| Create a Matrix Visual | Chapter 6 - Matrix.pbix |
|
| Format a Matrix Visual | Chapter 6 - Matrix Format.pbix |
|
| Format Values and Column Headers | Chapter 6 - Matrix Values.pbix |
|
| Format Row Headers | Chapter 6 - Matrix Rows.pbix |
|
| Format Subtotals and Grand Totals | Chapter 6 - Matrix Totals.pbix |
|
| Format Specific Column and Cell Elements | Chapter 6 - Matrix Elements.pbix |
|
| Create a Waterfall Chart | Chapter 6 - Waterfall.pbix |
|
| Format a Waterfall Chart | Chapter 6 - Waterfall Format.pbix |
|
| Format X-Axis and Legend | Chapter 6 - Waterfall Legend.pbix |
|
| Add and Format Breakdowns | Chapter 6 - Waterfall Breakdown.pbix |
|
| Create, Format, and Label a Funnel Chart | Chapter 6 - Funnel.pbix |
|
| Create a Pie or Donut Chart | Chapter 6 - Pie.pbix |
|
| Format a Pie or Donut Chart | Chapter 6 - Pie Format.pbix |
|
| Create a Treemap Chart | Chapter 6 - Treemap.pbix |
|
| Format a Treemap Chart | Chapter 6 - Treemap Format.pbix |
|
| 🗺️ 7 | Create a Proportional Symbol Map | Chapter 7 - Proportional.pbix |
| Create a Choropleth Map | Chapter 7 - Choropleth.pbix |
|
| Create an Isarithmic Map | Chapter 7 - Isarithmic.pbix |
|
| Create a Skyscraper Map | Chapter 7 - Skyscraper.pbix |
|
| 🧮 8 | Advanced DAX Concepts Guide | Chapter 8/README.md |
| SUM | Chapter 8 - Add.pbix |
|
| DIVIDE | Chapter 8 - Division.pbix |
|
| IF | Chapter 8 - Condition.pbix |
|
| COUNT | Chapter 8 - Count.pbix |
|
| AVERAGE | Chapter 8 - Average.pbix |
|
| CONCATENATE | Chapter 8 - Concatenate.pbix |
|
| Apply Conditional Formatting | Chapter 8 - Format.pbix |
|
| 🔬 9 | Identify Outliers | Chapter 9 - Outliers.pbix |
| Find Groups by Clustering | Chapter 9 - Clustering.pbix |
|
| 📑 10 | Start a Report and Add a Title | Chapter 10 - Start Report.pbix |
| Add Visuals to a Report | Chapter 10 - Report Visuals.pbix |
|
| Add Slicers to a Report | Chapter 10 - Slicers.pbix |
|
| Control Visual Interactions | Chapter 10 - Interact.pbix |
|
| Enable Drill-Through Actions | Chapter 10 - Drill-Through.pbix |
|
| Split a Page into Sections | Chapter 10 - Sections.pbix |
|
| Add Bookmarks and Navigation | Chapter 10 - Bookmarks.pbix |
|
| 🔒 11 | Advanced Sharing & Security Guide | Chapter 11/README.md |
| Ask Questions About the Data (Q&A) | Chapter 11 - Ask Questions.pbix |
|
| Publish a Report | Chapter 11 - Publish.pbix |
|
| Set Up Row-Level Security | Chapter 11 - Security.pbix |
- Use the current monthly version of Power BI Desktop for best results.
- If a file prompts to upgrade when opened, choose Yes. After saving, the file may not open in older versions.
- Some visuals (e.g., maps) require setting Data category (Country/Region, State/Province, etc.) for fields to geocode correctly.
-
Numbers import as text or wrong decimal Check File > Options and settings > Options > Regional Settings. Ensure the model or your OS locale matches the dataset’s decimal separator.
-
Privacy level prompts / blocked merges Go to File > Options and settings > Data Source Settings. Set appropriate Privacy levels (e.g., Private/Organizational) to enable transformations.
-
Map visuals not plotting Assign Data category to location fields (e.g., Country/Region, City). If needed, provide Latitude/Longitude columns.
-
Row-Level Security testing After defining roles, use Modeling > View as to validate filters before publishing.
Alexander Loth is a Data Scientist and Digital Strategist with over 15 years of experience in AI, Data & Cloud.
His career began at CERN and includes leadership roles at Microsoft, Tableau, and SAP. Today, he advises companies and organizations on their digital transformation journeys and is the author of several bestselling books.
If you reference the book or materials, please use the following BibTeX entry to cite the book:
@book{loth_2023_powerbi,
title = {Teach Yourself VISUALLY Power BI},
author = {Loth, Alexander},
year = {2023},
publisher = {John Wiley \& Sons, Inc.},
isbn = {978-1-119-90377-2},
url = {https://alexloth.com/power-bi-book/}
}You can also link the companion site: https://alexloth.com/power-bi-book/.
This repository serves as a learning resource for the book.
- Found a problem or have a question? Open an issue.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Thanks to John Wiley & Sons and to the Power BI community for continued inspiration and contributions.
⭐ If these resources help you, consider starring the repo and following the social links above to get updates and share your work!