- International Fees
International fees are typically 3.25 times the domestic tuition. Exact cost will be calculated upon completion of registration.
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. They will be prepared to move on to the next level COMP 3156 –MS Power BI Optimization and COMP 3157–MS Power BI Advanced Data Visualization.
Domestic fees
$387.88 - $407.37 See individual course offerings below for actual costs.
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
Fall 2025
Below are two offerings of COMP 2156 for the Fall 2025 term.
CRN 51980
Dates
Oct 24 - Nov 28 Loading
- CRN 51980
- $387.88 Domestic fees
Class meeting times
| Dates | Days | Times | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 24 - Nov 28 | Fri | 18:30 - 21:30 | Online |
Duration
6 weeks
Instructor
Lorin Gaertner
Course outline
Important information
- Internet delivery format.
- Departmental approval needed
- Important course information will be sent to you prior to your course start date. Check your myBCIT email account to access this information.
- International fees are typically 3.25 times the domestic tuition. Exact cost will be calculated upon completion of registration.
- 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 synchronous online classes. 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.
Status
CRN 48138
Dates
Oct 27 - Dec 01 Loading
- CRN 48138
- $407.37 Domestic fees
Class meeting times
| Dates | Days | Times | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 27 - Dec 01 | Mon | 18:00 - 21:00 | Downtown DTC Rm. 371 |
Duration
6 weeks
Instructor
Wouter De Raeve
Course outline
Important information
- Departmental approval needed
- International fees are typically 3.25 times the domestic tuition. Exact cost will be calculated upon completion of registration.
- 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.
Status
Winter 2026
Below are two offerings of COMP 2156 for the Winter 2026 term.
CRN 87599
Dates
Jan 07 - Feb 11 Loading
- CRN 87599
- $387.88 Domestic fees
Class meeting times
| Dates | Days | Times | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 07 - Feb 11 | Wed | 18:30 - 21:30 | Online |
Duration
6 weeks
Instructor
Ahmad Chamy
Course outline
Course outline TBD — see Learning Outcomes in the interim.
Important information
- Internet delivery format.
- Departmental approval needed
- Important course information will be sent to you prior to your course start date. Check your myBCIT email account to access this information.
- International fees are typically 3.25 times the domestic tuition. Exact cost will be calculated upon completion of registration.
- 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 synchronous online classes. 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.
Status
CRN 88333
Dates
Feb 23 - Mar 30 Loading
- CRN 88333
- $407.37 Domestic fees
Class meeting times
| Dates | Days | Times | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 23 - Mar 30 | 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
- Departmental approval needed
- International fees are typically 3.25 times the domestic tuition. Exact cost will be calculated upon completion of registration.
- 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.
Status
Programs and courses are subject to change without notice.