COURSE 6 – CREATIVE DESIGNING IN POWER BI

Module 3: Dashboard Design and Storytelling

MICROSOFT POWER BI DATA ANALYST PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE

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INTRODUCTION – Dashboard Design and Storytelling

This week, you will engage in a comprehensive comparison between designing a dashboard and designing a report, delving into the distinct methodologies, tools, and purposes associated with each. This exploration will involve understanding the unique features and functionalities that dashboards and reports offer, as well as their respective roles in data presentation and analysis.

Additionally, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the principles of data storytelling, learning how to effectively communicate data insights in a compelling and coherent manner. Through this, you will gain a deeper appreciation of how to craft narratives that not only present data but also resonate with and engage your audience.

Learning Objectives

  • Identify the differences between report and dashboard design
  • Apply advanced dashboard features such as embedding media and QR codes
  • Explain the process and impact of data storytelling

SELF-REVIEW: OPTIMIZING A DASHBOARD

1. True or False: When you go back to the desktop layout of your dashboard, the mobile optimized layout is deleted, and you need to create it again next time you log in to Microsoft Power BI service?

  • True
  • False (CORRECT)

That’s correct! Power BI automatically save the changes to the mobile layout, and you can navigate between the two versions without losing the optimization you have done.

2. From the generated report, which of the following is the most profitable product category?

  • Bikes
  • Accessories
  • Components (CORRECT)

Correct! The combo chart of the report shows the most profitable product category is components with $47K in profits.

3. Based on the dashboard, how many units have been sold?

  • 370
  • 6,560 (CORRECT)
  • 10,234

That’s correct. The dashboard shows that 6,560 units have been sold.

4. True or False: Both Microsoft Power BI dashboards and Microsoft Power BI reports can have multiple pages or tabs.

  • True
  • False (CORRECT)

That’s correct! A dashboard in Power BI is a single page canvas designed for a high-level overview of data.

5. Adventure Works Customer Service manager wants to visualize an overview of customer satisfaction every Monday morning. As a principal data analyst, you need to design a dashboard, which elements you should include in your dashboard? Select all that apply. 

  • Customer support ticket volume (CORRECT)
  • Total return volume (CORRECT)
  • Top performing products volume
  • Customer satisfaction rate (CORRECT)

That’s correct! Customer support ticket volume provides real-time insights into customer complaints about the product sold.

That’s correct! Return of products is a critical KPI providing an insight into the reason for return and thereby devising a remediation. 

That’s correct! Customer satisfaction rates also provide an important KPI about the company’s overall performance.

6. What component of the Power BI ecosystem is needed to create and optimize dashboards for smartphones?

  • Power Query
  • Power BI Desktop
  • Power BI Service (CORRECT)

That’s correct! You can only create and optimize dashboards in Power BI Service based on your Power BI reports.

KNOWLEDGE CHECK: IMPROVING DASHBOARD DESIGN

1. What are the key characteristics of Microsoft Power BI report design? Select all that apply.

  • High level KPIs
  • Drill through functionality (CORRECT)
  • Interactive filtering (CORRECT)
  • Single page layout

That’s correct! Drill through capabilities in your reports, enable users to dig deeper into your data.

That’s correct! You can create interactive filtering in your Power BI reports pages using slicers and drill down functionality.

2. What is the primary goal of creating a dashboard in Power BI?

  • Displaying detailed data exploration.
  • Providing high level insights about the data. (CORRECT)
  • Providing a summary of the data with drill through to the details analysis.

That’s correct! Power BI dashboards aim to provide a quick, high-level insight into the data for decision makers.

3. True or False: Once you publish your Power BI report to Power BI service, you can still edit and make changes to any chart of your report in the Power BI service.

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

That’s correct! Power BI service has an interface like Power BI desktop where you can edit, make changes, and add or delete any chart to your report.

4. When you publish a Power BI report to Power BI service, which of the following components are also published to the service? Select all that apply.

  • Underlying dataset (CORRECT)
  • The data model and relationships (CORRECT)
  • Only report page
  • All measures you created. (CORRECT)

That’s correct! Each report is published to the Power BI service along with its underlying dataset.

That’s correct! The data model with all data table relationships is also published to the Power BI service along with the report.

That’s correct! All measures you created using DAX were also published to the Power BI service.

5. True or False:You have created a dashboard in Power BI service and when you select mobile layout, all the visual elements automatically appear in edit mobile layout pane?

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

That’s correct! When you select the mobile layout, all the visual elements of your dashboard are automatically populated into the mobile screen.

6. You have multiple graphs and charts in your Power BI report. One of the charts shows real-time data about the click trough rates (CTR) of the company’s website. Which of the following is the best dashboard to include this tile?

  • Sales dashboard
  • Marketing dashboard (CORRECT)
  • Customers dashboard

That’s correct! Click through rates and conversion rates are marketing metrics to monitor the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.

KNOWLEDGE CHECK: ADDITIONAL DASHBOARD ELEMENTS

1. You are designing a dashboard for the Adventure Works inventory management team. The team needs real-time access to the inventory levels while inspecting the warehouse. What is the most appropriate way to include this information in the dashboard?

  • Create a separate report for the inventory- levels of products and share it with team members.
  • Optimize the dashboard for mobile so each team member can access the information while inspecting the warehouse.
  • Create a QR code of the tile containing the inventory level of products and use the code as an email attachment, orattachment or display it in a common area of your office. (CORRECT)

That’s correct! You can create a QR code for the inventory level of products tile from the dashboard that can be shared with everyone on the inventory management team.

2. What file types are supported in a Microsoft Power BI dashboard? Select all that apply.

  • PNG (CORRECT)
  • JPG (CORRECT)
  • BMP (CORRECT)
  • SVG

That’s correct! You can place a PNG file after publishing it online in Power BI dashboards.

That’s correct! After you publish the JPG file online, you can place the image in your dashboards.

That’s correct! After you publish the BMP file online, you can place the image in your dashboards.

3. True or False: In Microsoft Power BI service, you can pin a visual element from one dashboard to another dashboard.

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

That’s correct! You can pin any tile from one dashboard to another in Microsoft Power BI service.

4. In Microsoft Power BI, which media types can you add to a dashboard using Edit > Add a tile. Select all that apply.

  • Spreadsheet
  • Video (CORRECT)
  • Image (CORRECT)
  • Web content (CORRECT)

That’s correct! You can place any video hosted on YouTube or Vimeo on your dashboard.

That’s correct! In Add a tile, image is also a type of media you can add to your dashboards.

That’s correct! Web content is the fourth type of media that can be added to Microsoft Power BI dashboards.

5. What live streaming data is stored in Microsoft Power BI memory?

  • PubNub streaming data
  • Streaming dataset
  • Push dataset (CORRECT)

That’s correct! A Push dataset is stored in Microsoft Power BI, and you can use it to create reports like any other dataset.

6. Your junior colleague designed a dashboard in Microsoft Power BI service, shared it with you, and requested that you duplicate and edit the dashboard. True or False: You cannot make a copy of the dashboard and apply any changes.

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

That’s correct! Since you are not the creator of the dashboard, you cannot duplicate and apply any changes.

7. Which live streaming dataset is stored in Power BI service to support full report functionality?

  • PubNub streaming dataset
  • Push dataset (CORRECT)
  • Streaming dataset

That’s correct! A Push dataset is stored in Power BI service and supports full report functionality.

8. Which media types are supported by Microsoft Power BI service? Select all that apply.

  • An image published online. (CORRECT)
  • A video hosted on Vimeo. (CORRECT)
  • A YouTube playlist. (CORRECT)
  • An image from your local computer.

That’s correct! Microsoft Power BI service allows you to add images that are published online and have no security credentials.

That’s correct! A video hosted on Vimeo can also be added to the dashboard media tile.

That’s correct! You can add a YouTube playlist as hyperlink to your Microsoft Power BI dashboard.

9. There is a shared dashboard in your Power BI workspace. You cannot edit it because you are not the creator. True or False:  You can generate a QR code for any tile of the shared dashboard.

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

That’s correct! You can generate a QR code in any dashboard even if you cannot edit it.

SELF-REVIEW: THE ELEMENTS OF A DATA STORY

1. You have presented a story as a Power BI report for the sales team. Your manager needs to have a QR code for the entire report for easy distribution among the team members. What is the best option you can opt for to fulfil your manager’s needs?

  • Publish report to Power BI service and generate a QR code of the report. (CORRECT)
  • Publish report to Power BI service, create a dashboard and pin report visuals to the dashboard and generate QR code.
  • Publish report to Power BI service, pin entire report to dashboard and generate QR code.

That’s correct! You can publish your report to Power BI service and generate a QR code for the entire report.

2. Which alternative chart type can you use instead of a column chart to display current revenue and revenue from the previous year without losing clarity?

  • Line chart
  • Bar chart (CORRECT)
  • Pie chart

That’s correct. The bar chart just changes the orientation of the graph from horizontal to vertical. It shows the same information without losing clarity.

3. How does your storytelling approach help to present the company’s growth more engagingly and understandably? Select all that apply.

  • By choosing the correct chart type for visualization (CORRECT)
  • By crafting a clear narrative (CORRECT)
  • By designing a logical canvas layout (CORRECT)
  • By managing appropriate relationships between tables

That’s correct! A correct chart type to display the relevant data is key to showing accurate information in a clear way.

That’s correct!  A clear narrative is the most significant phase in data storytelling. For instance, an analyst in Adventure Works may design a report containing data and visuals that all support and explain the narrative of how the company has expanded and grown in the period 2017 to 2020.

That’s correct! A logical layout of visuals on the canvas guides viewers’ eyes through the story you are presenting.

4. True or False: You have crafted a growth story for Adventure Works, based on the scenario presented. Both you and the CEO of the company are characters in this data story.

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

That’s correct! The CEO of Adventure Works is directly involved in crafting the narrative and provides input in the analysis and design process. As a result, you are both characters in the data story.

5. What term describes an important benefit that data provides to help the audience interpret your data story?

  • Context (CORRECT)
  • Visualization
  • Modeling

That’s correct! Contextualization is critical in designing a narrative to support enlightenment.

6. Who can be a character in the data story? Select the correct option.

  • A loyal customer
  • A CEO (CORRECT)
  • A data analyst (CORRECT)
  • A marketing manager (CORRECT)

That’s correct! The company’s CEO has a unique role in all components of data storytelling.

That’s correct! An analyst is the primary character of the data story.

That’s correct! Marketing manager can provide valuable input while crafting a narrative of the data story.

7. What are benefits of effective visualization in data storytelling? Select all that apply.

  • Improve audience engagement (CORRECT)
  • Remove errors
  • Reveal patterns and trends (CORRECT)
  • Provide context (CORRECT)

That’s correct! A well-crafted dashboard helps grasp audience attention.

That’s correct! By visualizing data via appropriate chart type, you can reveal hidden patterns and trends in your data.

That’s correct! Data visualization provides context so that it can be easily comprehended and drive necessary actions.

KNOWLEDGE CHECK: PRINCIPLES OF DATA STORYTELLING

1. What is the role of a business analytic tool such as Microsoft Power BI in the data storytelling process?

  • It assists in the selection of an appropriate chart type for the data type.
  • It helps in data source optimization.It increases understanding of the narrative by providing context throughout your data story. (CORRECT)

That’s correct! The use of a business analytic tool to provide key insights and understanding of the narrative helps provide the needed context of your data story.

2. In the context of data storytelling, what does the term conflict refer to?

  • A central issue or challenge that the data analyst aims to resolve. (CORRECT)
  • A technical error in the data.
  • A distraction from the main narrative of the story.

That’s correct. In the context of data storytelling, conflict is the main challenge that data analysts need to address, and it sets the stage for the analysis.

3. True or False: You have received a donut chart showing the total sales broken down by 13 individual countries. In terms of data storytelling best practices, a donut chart is not an appropriate chart type to display this data.

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

That’s correct! Presenting 13 categories in a donut chart is not in keeping with best practices. It creates clutter in the chart, especially when a legend and data labels are included. This clutter creates confusion for the audience.

4. What purposes does data visualization have in data storytelling? Select all that apply.

  • To improve audience engagement. (CORRECT)
  • To provide context and interpret results. (CORRECT)
  • To display the data in visually appealing and colorful charts.
  • To explore and communicate data patterns effectively to the stakeholders. (CORRECT)

That’s correct! Analytically informative and visually appealing graphics and charts help engage your audience in the entire process of data storytelling.

That’s correct! A dashboard containing your significant findings provides a context to your story and helps the viewer to interpret the results.

That’s correct! Communicating the patterns and trends from your raw data is a major role of data visualization in storytelling.

5. You are analyzing the Adventure Works sales data for Australia. What is the best way to color code a map visual in the context of data storytelling in Power BI?

  • Add a single color with different saturation levels based on the sales amount. (CORRECT)
  • Add an individual color to each Australian state to create a divergent and colorful map.
  • Add product category to the legend well and allow Microsoft Power BI to auto-color each state.

That’s correct! Typically, in map visuals, you need to apply different shades of the same color family. The lighter shade represents the lower sales amount, while the darker shades show the higher sales values.

MODULE QUIZ: DASHBOARD DESIGN AND STORYTELLING

1. True or False: You cannot add an interactive slicer to your dashboard in the Microsoft Power BI service.

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

2. True or False. You can create and optimize a dashboard in Microsoft Power BI desktop.

  • True
  • False (CORRECT)

That’s correct! Microsoft Power BI desktop does not allow you to create and optimize a dashboard. You need to publish your reports to the Microsoft Power BI service, where you can create and optimize dashboards.

3. You are working in a fast-paced environment where you need to manage multiple reports and dashboards. What best practices can streamline your workflow? Select all that apply.

  • Creating media tiles
  • Copying dashboard tiles. (CORRECT)
  • Creating tiles from multiple reports
  • Duplicating dashboards. (CORRECT)

That’s correct! Copying a tile from one dashboard to another also helps you save time and allows you to share results faster.

That’s correct! You can duplicate a dashboard, rename it, and apply any changes you want. This way, you save the time and effort it takes to create a dashboard from scratch.

4. Which Microsoft Power BI component allows you to generate QR codes?

  • Microsoft Power BI mobile app
  • Microsoft Power BI service (CORRECT)
  • Microsoft Power BI desktop

That’s correct! You can only create QR codes from the Microsoft Power BI service.

5. True or False: You cannot upload a video directly to a Microsoft Power BI dashboard from your local computer.

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

That’s correct! Microsoft Power BI does not allow video uploads from your local computer.

6. Microsoft Power BI service supports three types of live-streaming datasets. Which of these live-streaming datasets allows you to build a report on top of the data?

  • Push dataset (CORRECT)
  • Streaming dataset
  • PubNub streaming dataset

That’s correct! In Push dataset, the data is physically stored in Power BI. As a result, it allows you to build reports out of the data and use any visual elements of the report as a dashboard tile.

7. In data storytelling, which component creates the connection between your narrative and your audience?

  • Context
  • Visualization (CORRECT)
  • Data

8. You are provided with a Microsoft Power BI report that contains a lot of connected data tables, calculated columns, and measures to display specific business metrics. You are asked to craft a data story in the form of a dashboard to show the impact of marketing efforts on sales of the company. What is the primary step you should take before designing a Marketing dashboard?

  • Data exploration to identify which fields are needed to support the story. (CORRECT)
  • Data transformation to clean the data and remove any errors before visualization.
  • Chart selection to determine which chart is appropriate for the given data type.

That’s correct! You need to identify the fields and measures from the dataset that support your narrative of data story.

9. You published a report to Microsoft Power BI service from your desktop and created a dashboard. You are unable to pin your company logo to the dashboard from your report. What possible solution could you use to add your company logo?

  • Publish the logo file online with an HTTPS connection and then add a URL to a media tile in the dashboard. (CORRECT)
  • Upload a logo file from your computer to the dashboard
  • Publish the logo to your company SharePoint and then add a URL to a media tile in the dashboard.

That’s correct! You need to publish the image file online without any security credentials and make sure the connection supports HTTP or HTTPS. The URL of the image file can be added to the media tile in your dashboard.

10. What are common mistakes to avoid when designing dashboards? Select all that apply.

  • Inconsistent labeling (CORRECT)
  • Not scaling your charts (CORRECT)
  • Using brand colors
  • Including unrelated data (CORRECT)

That’s correct! Inconsistent labeling on charts and graphs in the dashboard makes it difficult to understand and digest the information for end users.

That’s correct! You need to scale your charts on the dashboard to create not only a consistent look but also to make them analytically valuable. 

That’s correct! Including unrelated data or unnecessary data in your dashboard makes it confusing for the end users.

11. What are possible reasons to duplicate a dashboard in Microsoft Power BI service? Select all that apply.

  • You need to optimize a dashboard for mobile devices.
  • You need to create multiple dashboards with slight variations. (CORRECT)
  • You want to restrict access to the dashboard for your team.
  • You want to test the performance of the dashboard by applying a few changes. (CORRECT)

That’s correct! Creating multiple dashboards with slight variations is the best use case of dashboard duplication in Microsoft Power BI service.

That’s correct! You can duplicate a dashboard and test the performance by applying minor changes, which will save you time.

12. True or False: The Microsoft Power BI service does not allow you to add a video playlist to your dashboard.

  • True
  • False (CORRECT)

13. What is a critical factor of data in the context of data storytelling?

  • Data transformation
  • Data cleaning
  • Data context (CORRECT)

That’s correct! Context is the primary factor in interpreting the narrative of your story.

14. You are working as a Microsoft Power BI consultant in a big analytics company. What common issues could contribute to poor storytelling? Select all that apply.

  • Use of color gradients in charts.
  • A chaotic dashboard layout. (CORRECT)
  • Each tile of dashboard showing an independent story. (CORRECT)
  • Improper chart for the data type presented. (CORRECT)

That’s correct! Chart overload and random organization is another commonly observed poor storytelling approach.

That’s correct! In certain dashboards, although the chart types and organization of charts looks appealing, there is no connection between various visual elements, making the dashboard ineffective.

That’s correct! Wrong chart type is one of the most common issues found in poor storytelling dashboards.

15. What is the key consideration when determining the level of detail to include in a dashboard?

  • Include all available data to provide comprehensive information in the dashboard.
  • Focus solely on historical analysis to provide context.Prioritize the most valuable information and avoid presenting too much data. (CORRECT)

That’s correct! You need to explore the available data and prioritize which data is relevant to support your story and only include it in your dashboard. This way, the dashboard will not overload and looks clean.

16. You are a Microsoft Power BI report designer for a retail company that has a diverse portfolio of products. The marketing head of the company needs a quick overview of the impact of the most recent marketing campaign. Which Microsoft Power BI visualizations will you choose to present to the marketing manager?

  • A Microsoft Power BI report.
  • A dashboard (CORRECT)
  • A single visual in focused mode

That’s correct! Dashboards in Microsoft Power BI are designed to provide an overview of the data specific to the end user.

17. Once you select a tile on a dashboard (by clicking or tapping), what action is executed?

  • The tile is opened in focus mode
  • The source report of the tile is opened on the screen. (CORRECT)
  • An edit window appears on the screen where you can edit the tile.

That’s correct! Selecting a tile on the dashboard will open the underlying report from where the tile was pinned.

18. When crafting a dashboard for your story, what common issues could arise when incorporating colors into your visualization? Select all that apply.

  • Using too many colors makes it difficult for the viewers to understand the message. (CORRECT)
  • Using colors having little contrast. (CORRECT)
  • Using gradient colors makes it difficult to differentiate between data points.
  • Using colors without considering accessibility (CORRECT)

That’s correct! The use of too many colors in the design of a dashboard can confuse the message you want to convey and hinder the viewers’ understanding.

That’s correct! Random use of colors in your dashboard will often lead to poor contrast color combinations. If there is little contrast in the colors used, it is more difficult for the viewer to understand the dashboard content.

That’s correct! Improper and unplanned use of colors might end up in a dashboard that is not suitable for people with visual impairments

19. In the context of data storytelling, what is the primary advantage of using images and video in a Microsoft Power BI dashboard?

  • Images and videos create an emotional connection for audience engagement. (CORRECT)
  • Images and videos replace the need for any textual explanation.
  • Images and videos only provide visual appeal.

That’s correct!  Visual content, such as images and videos on a dashboard, can capture the viewers’ attention more effectively than non-visual content. If images and videos are thoughtfully selected, they can resonate with the audience and make the information more relatable and impactful. This emotional connection helps the audience to understand the data and insights presented.

20. What describes the characteristics of Microsoft Power BI reports? Select all that apply.

  • Reports are detailed and structured documents. (CORRECT)
  • Reports support filtering and drill-through. (CORRECT)
  • Reports typically contain a single canvas.
  • Reports typically contain high-level metrics and KPIs.

That’s correct! Reports in Microsoft Power BI are designed to show detailed and granular data, and each report may contain multiple pages.

That’s correct! You can incorporate Slicers and Filters in reports to add drill-through and drill-down functionality.

21. True or False: You can only optimize a dashboard in Microsoft Power BI service.

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

22. True or False: In Power BI, you can optimize both reports and dashboards for mobile devices.

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

That’s correct! Microsoft Power BI desktop and service allow you to optimize both reports and dashboards for mobile phones.

23. In Microsoft Power BI service, which live-streaming datasets store data in Microsoft Power BI memory?

  • PubNub streaming dataset
  • Push dataset (CORRECT)
  • Streaming dataset

24. True or False: Microsoft Power BI service dashboards cannot display images published online that require external authorization to view.

  • True (CORRECT)
  • False

That’s correct! Before publishing the image file online to display on your dashboard, you need to make sure no login or security parameters are required to access the image. In other words, the image should be public.

25. What should be the guiding principle when selecting a chart or graph to visualize your data in a report or dashboard?

  • Choose a chart that is visually appealing
  • Choose a chart that is appropriate for the data and the message. (CORRECT)
  • Choose the same chart type to maintain consistency throughout the dashboard.

That’s correct! Choosing a chart that matches the data type and conveys the message effectively to end users is the guiding principle in chart selection.

26. Which visualization elements can you generate QR codes for? Select all that apply.

  • A visual element of a report.
  • An entire report. (CORRECT)
  • An entire dashboard.
  • A tile from a dashboard. (CORRECT)

That’s correct! You can create a QR code for the entire report after you publish it to Microsoft Power BI service. 

That’s correct! A QR code can be generated for an individual tile from your dashboard.

27. Which live-streaming datasets can you use for report-building functionality, such as applying filters and slicers?

  • Push dataset (CORRECT)
  • PubNub streaming dataset
  • Streaming dataset

That’s correct! As the push dataset is stored in Microsoft Power BI memory, you can employ all the report-building functionality of Microsoft Power BI on top of this dataset.

CONCLUSION – Dashboard Design and Storytelling

In conclusion, this week’s activities will provide you with a robust understanding of the key differences and best practices in designing dashboards versus reports. Additionally, you will enhance your skills in data storytelling, enabling you to convey data insights more effectively and compellingly. By the end of the week, you will be better equipped to choose the appropriate data presentation method for various contexts and create engaging narratives that captivate and inform your audience.