Workshop reference

Power BI Workshop Handout

Internal Staff Workshop – Higher Education Reporting & Analytics

Presented by: Waleed Sulehri (CSM)(FCF-C)(AITECH)
Role: Graduate Assistant
Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Location: Room 6107

Printable reference — also on the workshop portal.

Workshop Overview

This workshop introduces Microsoft Power BI and demonstrates how university departments can use dashboards, analytics, and reporting tools to support operational decision-making.

The session focuses on practical higher education use cases including:

Graduate Admissions reporting
DSO operational dashboards
Student enrollment analytics
Student services reporting
Administrative KPI monitoring
Institutional reporting workflows

What is Microsoft Power BI?

Microsoft Power BI is a business intelligence and analytics platform used to:

Transform raw data into visual dashboards
Create interactive reports
Analyze trends and performance metrics
Support operational and strategic decisions

Power BI allows departments to replace static spreadsheets with dynamic, real-time reporting dashboards.

Common Higher Education Use Cases

Graduate Admissions

Applicant tracking
Acceptance and enrollment trends
Program performance analysis
Funnel reporting

DSO & International Student Services

Visa and compliance tracking
International student reporting
Status monitoring
Enrollment visibility

Student Services

Engagement tracking
Student support analytics
Retention monitoring

Administrative Reporting

KPI dashboards
Executive summaries
Departmental performance reporting
Operational metrics

Key Power BI Concepts

Concept	Description
Dashboard	A visual summary of key metrics and reports
Report	A detailed multi-page data analysis view
Dataset	The collection of imported data
Visualization	Charts, graphs, tables, and KPI visuals
Filter	Narrows displayed information
Slicer	Interactive filtering tool for dashboards

Benefits of Power BI

Faster reporting workflows
Real-time data visibility
Reduced manual spreadsheet work
Better operational insights
Interactive analytics
Improved collaboration
Easier executive reporting
Centralized reporting systems

Hands-On Workshop Steps

Open Power BI Desktop

Launch Microsoft Power BI Desktop
Review the interface:
- Home Ribbon
- Data View
- Report View
- Visualizations Panel
- Fields Panel

Import Data

Select: Home → Get Data

Supported sources include:

Excel
CSV
SQL Databases
SharePoint
Cloud Services

Example workshop datasets:

Student enrollment
Admissions metrics
Retention analytics
International student records

Clean & Transform Data

Use Power Query Editor to:

Remove duplicates
Rename columns
Filter records
Change data types
Prepare datasets for reporting

Building Visualizations

Common Visual Types

Visualization	Purpose
Bar Chart	Compare categories
Line Chart	Show trends over time
Pie Chart	Display proportions
KPI Card	Highlight important metrics
Table	Show detailed records
Map	Geographic analysis

Dashboard Best Practices

Keep dashboards simple

Avoid overcrowding with too many visuals.

Focus on key metrics

Every chart should support a reporting goal.

Use consistent formatting

Maintain readable layouts and design consistency.

Prioritize clarity

Dashboards should communicate information quickly.

Use interactive filters

Allow users to explore data dynamically.

Example Dashboard Metrics

Possible university dashboard KPIs:

Enrollment growth
Admissions conversion rate
International student count
Retention percentage
Graduation trends
Department performance
Student demographics

Reporting Workflow Example

Collect Data
Clean & Transform Data
Create Visualizations
Build Dashboard
Publish Report
Share Insights with Departments

Useful Power BI Features

Real-time dashboards
Scheduled refreshes
Interactive drill-downs
Role-based access
Cloud sharing
Export to PDF/PowerPoint
Mobile dashboard access

Additional Learning Resources

Microsoft Learn

Search: “Microsoft Power BI Learning Paths”

Power BI Documentation

Microsoft official documentation and tutorials

YouTube Learning

Workshop Notes

Your notes

Use this space during the session — or open the portal's Resources section for curated Microsoft Learn links.

Questions & Discussion

Thank you for attending the Power BI Workshop.

Participation certificates are available through the workshop portal after attendance registration (Register on the home page).