Course Overview
Power BI is a Microsoft collection of tools and an analytics service for data visualization and business intelligence reporting. BCIT Computing offers a series of MS Power Bi courses. COMP 2156 is a hands-on intro course designed for database professionals, data analysts, business analysts and managers. It follows on from COMP 2362 or COMP 2364, it assumes that students have an understanding of statistics for data analysis and advanced functions of MS Excel. Students begin with a brief introduction to the building blocks of Microsoft Power BI and its related services. They are shown how to get a variety of data into the Power BI Desktop from multiple sources. In class labs and exercises focus on how to model, explore, clean and transform simple data for business reports. Topics include: Data Analysis Expressions, DAX, relationships and Data Visualization. Labs and assignments are designed to provide best practices that can be transferred to the workplace. Participants must provide their own current model PC capable of running Windows 10 and MS Excel, with an i5 or higher equivalent processor, 8 GB minimum RAM, and 256 GB minimum storage. High-speed internet access is needed for online sections and for homework. COMP 2156 is an elective in several BCIT Computing credentials including the CST Diploma (FLEX), and a required course in the Applied Data Analytics Certificate (ADAC). By the end of this course successful students will be able use the Power BI unified analytics platform to build and publish high quality dashboards to the web. This course will be offered in May 2026 for the last time and will be replaced along with COMP 3156/3157 with one new combined 12-week course COMP 2456 Microsoft Power BI, starting in the Fall (September 2026) term.
Registration requirements
Departmental approval is required to register for this course. Departmental approval is required for this course. You will not be able to register without it.
Domestic fees
$407.37
International fees are typically 3.25 times the domestic tuition. Exact cost will be calculated upon completion of registration.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Describe MS Power BI and its components.
- Explore different data connections to multiple sources, local, and online.
- Extract, Load & Transform Data into Power BI Desktop using Power Query.
- Describe at a foundational level how Power BI data models are created.
- Create and understand different visualizations and dashboards in MS Power BI.
- Tell the data story to engage stakeholders to bring insights from data visualizations.
- Publish MS Power BI dashboards to a Power BI Service.
Effective as of Spring/Summer 2022
Related Programs
Introduction to Microsoft Power BI (COMP 2156) is offered as a part of the following programs:
- Indicates programs accepting international students.
- Indicates programs eligible for students to apply for Post-graduation Work Permit (PGWP).
School of Computing and Academic Studies
- Applied Computer Information Systems (ACIS)
Associate Certificate Part-time
- Applied Data Analytics
Certificate Part-time
- Applied Database Administration and Design
Associate Certificate Part-time
- Computer Systems
Diploma Part-time
- Data Visualization with MS Power BI
Microcredential Part-time
Course Offerings
Spring/Summer 2026
Below is one offering of COMP 2156 for the Spring/Summer 2026 term.
CRN 68022
Dates
May 11 - Jun 22 Loading
- CRN 68022
- $407.37 Domestic fees
Class meeting times
| Dates | Days | Times | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 11 - Jun 22 | Mon | 18:00 - 21:00 | Downtown DTC Rm. 360 |
Duration
6 weeks
Instructor
Wouter De Raeve
Course outline
Course outline TBD — see Learning Outcomes in the interim.
Important information
- Please email cstflex@bcit.ca for Departmental approval. Include your Student number (A0#) and COMP__ and preferred CRN __ and Program Declaration____. Course is 18 hours on campus. BCIT Computing is primarily a Microsoft Windows environment. Students must provide their own current model Windows-compatible PC with microphone and video camera. i5 or higher equivalent processor, with 8 GB of RAM minimum, and 256 GB minimum storage. Highspeed internet access is needed for online sections and for homework. Mac users must have the ability to manage and support their iOS computer. They may need to create a virtual Windows environment using Parallels or VMWare Fusion. COMP instructors may not be able to assist Mac users with software compatibility issues. BCIT does not provide access to Parallels or support for students to use a Mac to run Windows. Late registration is not permitted. No class May 18 (Victoria Day).
Confirmation
Required
To proceed with registration and add this course to the cart, please confirm:
No approval yet? Request approval Departmental approval is required for this course. You will not be able to register without it.
Status
If you have any questions about this course, please contact us.
Programs and courses are subject to change without notice. Find out more about BCIT course cancellations.