Developed by Microsoft, Power BI is one of the leading data visualization and business intelligence tools globally. It helps professionals convert raw data to actionable insights. It also has a user-friendly interface, advanced analytics, and real-time dashboards. With these features, Power BI enables businesses to make more informed decisions.
In Canada, organizations across sectors are transforming digitally. As such, they have a high demand for Power BI experts. This is evident from the fact that Power BI skills can earn you a good salary, such as CAD 73,000 on average per year in North America.
Employers seek professionals who can analyze complex datasets, enhance decision-making processes, and produce interactive reports. This is where Power BI can be such a valuable pathway for aspiring data analysts, IT professionals, and business managers. It can also help them advance their careers effectively in today’s competitive markets.
This blog will provide a detailed explanation of what Power BI is and also discuss the reasons why it enjoys such high demand among Canadian employers.
Source: Payscale
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What Is Power BI and Why It Matters in Canada
If you are looking to obtain a Power BI certification, you must have some prior knowledge to make an informed decision for your career.
Definition of Power BI
Power BI is a suite of software tools and services developed by Microsoft. It helps you transform raw data into interactive visualizations, dashboards, and reports that provide actionable business insights.
It enables you to connect to various data sources, clean and model the data, and create interactive dashboards and reports to support organizations in making data-driven decisions.
Also read: Learn Tableau or Power BI Online
Core Features of Power BI
Power Query is one of the most integral features of the software suite. It helps you connect to various data sources, including Excel, big data, and the cloud. This, in turn, lets you clean, transform, and shape your data for modeling and analysis.
Power Pivot, a crucial data modeling and analysis feature of Power BI, enables you to create complex data models and relationships using expression languages. This, in turn, helps you analyze various data pieces.
The other core features of Microsoft Power BI may be enumerated as follows:
| Broader Area | Specific Features |
| Data Connectivity and Transformation | Dataflows |
| Data Modeling and Analysis | Power Q&AAI-Backed Features |
| Report Visualization and Creation | Power BI DesktopCustom VisualsReport Themes |
| Collaboration and Sharing | Power BI Service Apps and Workspaces Subscriptions and Scheduled Refresh |
| Accessibility and Mobile | Power BI Mobile AppEmbed Reports |
| Governance and Security | Row-Level SecuritySensitivity Labels |
How Businesses Use Power BI in Canada
Power BI offers Canadian businesses a centralized platform for visualizing data from multiple sources. This helps them make decisions quickly and with greater confidence. This is because they are making decisions based on facts and data, rather than any hunch.
Businesses can utilize Power BI to track key performance indicators and monitor significant trends across various departments. For this, they can utilize interactive dashboards that enable them to make proactive adjustments and monitor in real-time.
The following are the other main ways in which businesses in Canada use Power BI:
- Improved Marketing and Sales
- Streamlined Operations
- Financial Analysis
- Competitive Advantages
Also read: The Future of Data Science in Canada
Benefits of Using Power BI
Power BI can help you connect with a massive range of data sources. This includes platforms such as on-premises and cloud-based databases, as well as Excel. Such centralized data also enhances analysis.
With Power BI, you can create customized and interactive reports and dashboards using its convenient drag-and-drop interface. This allows you to uncover hidden patterns by delving deeply into the data.
The other significant benefits of using Power BI for businesses may be enumerated as follows:
- Artificial Intelligence Capabilities
- Sharing and Collaboration
- Real-Time Access to Data
- Governance and Security
- User-Friendly Interface
- Scalability
- Microsoft Integration
- Cost-Efficacy
- Regular Updates
Why Power BI Is Popular in Canada
Many businesses in Canada already use other Microsoft products, such as Azure and Excel. This makes it easy for them to adopt Power BI, and it’s a natural option as well. Such familiarity also means that they do not have to deploy a lot of new software or extensively train their employees in using these solutions.
The intuitive design and drag-and-drop interface of Power BI lets businesses create impactful dashboards and reports. The best part of this is that you don’t need high-level design or coding skills for it.
As you may learn in a Power BI course, these are the other main reasons why these solutions have become so popular in Canada:
- Complete Data Connectivity
- Requirement for Data Skills
- Cost-Effective Solutions
- Real-Time Analytics and Actionable Insights
- Conducive Tech Environment
Also read: Top Short-Term Job-Oriented Courses for Professionals
Why Power BI Skills Are in High Demand among Canadian Employers
Organizations today are increasingly dependent on data to make informed and strategic decisions. Power BI enables them to gain meaningful insights from raw data. This is crucial for identifying trends, maximizing opportunities, and anticipating challenges.
The following are the other significant reasons why Canadian employers have such a high demand for professionals with Power BI training:
- Strong Data Visualization
- Resourceful Data Connectivity
- Speed and Efficiency
- Cross-Platform Accessibility
- Integration with Microsoft Ecosystem
- Cross-Industry Demand
Also read: Why Data Science Remains One of Canada’s Most In-Demand Careers
Power BI: Step-By-Step
An essential part of knowing what Power BI is is being aware of the various steps to use it.
One of the first steps that you can take in this regard is to download Power BI Desktop. This application is free and can be downloaded from the official website.
| Broader Area | Specific Steps |
| Setting up your environment. | Signing up for the Power BI Service. |
| Getting data and preparing it. | Importing Data.Transforming Data. |
| Modeling your data. | Creating relationships.Adding calculations. |
| Building dashboards and reports. | Creating visuals. Designing reports.Creating dashboards. |
| Exploring, collaborating, and sharing. | Exploring data.Publishing to service.Sharing your work. |
Power BI Desktop versus Power BI Service
Power BI Desktop is a free, Windows-based application that enables you to create and model reports with advanced data visualization and transformation tools. They are the best options for individual developers and data analysts.
On the other hand, the Power BI Service is a cloud-based platform that enables you to share, collaborate on, and access dashboards and reports from any location at any time. This is an excellent option for teams as it offers them enterprise-level scalability and access.
You can use the Desktop feature to create reports and then publish them to the Service to share with others.
Typical Job Roles and Industries Using Power BI in Canada
You already have a fair idea of what Power BI is. Now, it is time that you know more about the professional side of the software suite.
These industries use Power BI the most in Canada:
- Finance
- Marketing
- Operations
- Business Analytics
- IT and Technology
The following table enumerates the typical job profiles in Canada where you use Power BI and their salaries as well:
| Job Role | Annual Average Salary |
| Business Intelligence Analyst | CAD 81,141 |
| Power BI Developer | CAD 81,000 |
| Business Intelligence Consultant | CAD 75,000 |
| Power BI Data Analyst | CAD 67,359 |
| Data Visualization Specialist | CAD 61,000 |
| Reporting Analyst | CAD 59,000 |
Sources: Indeed, Glassdoor, and Payscale
How upGrad Helps You Build Power BI Skills for Canadian Employers
Studying the data science and analytics courses available through upGrad Canada enables you to acquire Power BI skills that can be highly valuable for Canada’s job market. These programs offer you industry-aligned certifications and hands-on projects. The curricula of these courses also cover essential subjects like data modeling, DAX, Power Query, and report creation.
- Master of Science in Data Science, Liverpool John Moores University
- Executive Diploma in Data Science and AI, IIIT Bangalore
- Post Graduate Certificate in Data Science & AI (Executive), IIIT Bangalore
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FAQs on Power BI
Power BI is used to extract raw data from different sources, transform and model it, and then create interactive media for actionable insights and informed business decisions.
Yes, you can use Power BI tools, such as Desktop and the Service, for free in Canada for personal use and individual learning.
The following are some of the most important features of Power BI:
1. Power Query
2. Power Pivot
3. Power BI Desktop
4. Power BI Service
5. Power BI Mobile App
The industries in Canada that use Power BI the most are:
1. Finance
2. Marketing
3. Operations
4. Business Analytics
5. IT and Technology
Neither of them is better than the other for Canadian businesses. Your choice here depends on your needs, current tech infrastructure, and budget.
