How to Get Power BI Certification: Expert Insights for 2024!

Importance of Knowing Power BI

Candidates with a better understanding of Power Business Intelligence (BI) can perform multiple responsibilities consistently to achieve efficient business solutions and organizational goals. An in-depth understanding of Power BI helps candidates in data visualizations, data integrity, business intelligence, data security and governance, Microsoft backing, customized dashboards, effective collaboration, uncovering data insights, scalability, handling big data and cost-effective solutions, and more. These can be performed without technical support or reliability if the candidate owns a Power BI certification.

What Is Power BI Certification?

Certification that validates the candidate’s expertise in utilizing a Microsoft-created powerful business analytics tool, ‘Power BI,’ refers to Power BI Certification. These certifications work as proof that the candidate is efficient in data visualization, report creation, and data modeling, leading to making data-driven decisions for effective business profitability and productivity. 

Value of Power BI Certification

Power BI certification enhances career growth and advancement, making it a top choice over uncertified candidates in a competitive job landscape. Here are reasons why Power BI certifications hold value in a candidate’s career path:

1. Salary Potential: Power BI-certified candidates are in a strong position to land high-paying jobs. The certificate demonstrates their capabilities and commitment to mastering crucial skills and professional development. 
2. Marketability: Candidates with Power BI certification stand out in interviews for highly competitive jobs. They showcase that they hold proven expertise that is highly preferable for the analytical field and can help the company better. Companies easily recognize your performance in comprehensive data visualization and self-service analytics, as well as deploy and configure solutions for consumption.

Preparing for Power BI Certification

Here is step-wise guidance that you can pursue while preparing for Power BI certifications.

Step 1: Understanding Prerequisites/Requirements 

Familiarity with data repositories and processing concepts, as well as practical experience managing and deploying Power BI assets, are important. A Power BI training course requires an undergraduate degree or high school diploma.

Step 2: Explore Study Resources

People often wonder how to get a Power BI certification. While online resources for Power BI preparation are available, Microsoft-aligned resources are recommended. Both paid and free resources provide a comprehensive understanding of Power BI's foundations.

Step 3: Join the Certification Course

Enroll in reputable platforms like Simplilearn for online courses and training sessions to prepare for Power BI certification. Simplilearn offers unique skills, study resources, strategies, and insights into opportunities, challenges, and trends, making it an excellent choice for those seeking to excel in the field.

Step 4: Practice Using Power BI with Real World Data Sets

To enhance their analysis process, candidates should find relevant datasets, clean and prepare them, and explore, analyze, and develop reports and dashboards using advanced features, such as DAX formulas.

Step 5: Review Sample Questions and Appear for Practice Exams

Understanding the exam structure, common question types, and consistent practice is recommended to identify and address weak areas for improved preparation. Regular practice exams can help simulate exam conditions, enhance knowledge and performance, and teach new techniques, ultimately leading to certifications and a competitive edge in the job market.

Power BI Skills Covered

The organizations have different skill requirements, even for Power BI. Skills vary with different Power BI certifications taught by authorized platforms. However, crucial skills remain the same, including the following:

• Data Modelling
• Data Visualization
• Desktop Layout 
• Dashboard Creation
• Data Model Performance Optimization
• MobileSpecific Data Visualization
• Reports and Dashboards
• DAX Commands and Functions
• Builtin Aggregations 

How to Register for the Power BI Exam? 

You can register yourself either on the official Microsoft learning platform or industrial-recognized platforms. The registration process varies with numerous platforms. Here are the steps to register yourself via the official website.

Step 1: Visit Microsoft Learning's official website

Step 2: Create an account using your email ID. If you have already signed in, log in with your credentials.

Step 3: Look for the Power BI certification exam.

Step 4: Pick an exam type and choose the ‘schedule exam.’

Step 5: Select the delivery method of the exam, i.e., in-person or digitally proctored.

Step 6: Choose a date and time suitable for you.

Step 7: Click on ‘Next’. Make sure you have thoroughly reviewed all the details you have filled.

Step 8: Complete the registration method by filling in the other necessary information required

Step 9: Pay fees to confirm your registration for Power BI certification.

Candidates can even opt for industry-recognized platforms for Power BI certifications, as they don't prefer vendor-specific certifications due to fees or other factors. To register, visit the platform's official website and follow their instructions.

Power BI Certification Exam Format

How to get Power BI certification becomes a big question when it comes to understanding the pattern/format of the certification exam. The certification exam assesses a candidate's proficiency in Power BI tools and features, using multiple-choice questions (MCQs) for comprehensive evaluations of dataset management, visualization, security measures, report design, publishing, etc. In addition, the candidate will also be tested for their knowledge of data connectivity, DAX formulas, and data modeling.

Once the candidate passes the exam and gets certified, it demonstrates their advanced knowledge and grasp of the Power BI, which will help them secure a good job in the future.

Passing Score for Power BI Exam Certification 

Your scores determine your achievement level in understanding Power BI. To successfully complete the certification, the candidate must score 700 out of 1000. Reaching higher scores requires practice on DAX formulas, data modeling, visualization, and more to enhance the chance of scoring a passing score in the Power BI certification exam. 

Validity of Power BI Certification

Power BI certifications are valid for a specific duration. The Power BI certification can be renewed before expiration, so monitoring updates and expiration dates is crucial to ensure validity. Follow the steps below: 

Step 1: Visit the official website of Microsoft

Step 2: Search for the Power BI certification page

Step 3: Review certification details to check the validity of your certification

Step 4: Note your expiration date for the Power BI exam certification

Step 5: Renew the certification before it expires

Career Opportunities in Power BI

There are multiple career opportunities in Power BI. Some of the job roles you can consider based on the skill requirements.

1. Power BI Developer: They craft interactive reports and dashboards through Power BI. They collaborate with those sources to produce quality data, design data models, and write DAX expressions. In addition, they are also responsible for managing and troubleshooting performance issues.
2. Power BI Architect: They design and evaluate the deployment of Power BI solutions aligned with the organizational goals. They create data models and best practices to optimize the data pipelines. In addition, they strategize the performance to ensure data governance and compliance.
3. Power BI Business Analyst: They are responsible for gaining in-depth insights into data via Power BI. They explore and uncover insights, trends, and patterns. This helps organizations gather, clean, and prepare data for evaluation, build impactful visualizations and exploration, and collaborate with business teams. 
4. Power BI Consultant: They are responsible for guiding BI strategies in the organization. Consultants evaluate requirements, advise suitable BI tools and solutions, and offer training and support to excel in consulting and project management.
5. Power BI Specialist: They have an excellent niche in data modeling and visualization and offer guidance and collaboration with teams to provide insights on enhanced processing and the latest updates in Power BI.
6. Power BI Report Developer: Their work is closely with data engineers and analysts to evaluate whether the data is correctly extracted, transformed, and loaded (ETL) in Power BI. They mainly focus on designing and developing interactive reports and dashboards.
7. Power BI Trainer: They conduct workshops, training programs, and certifications to impart knowledge and skills to aspiring professionals and make them experts in Power BI. 

Conclusion

It is recommended that you join courses that effectively provide interactive sessions to learn complex concepts easily. Simplilearn, a trusted educational platform, offers an industry-leading Power BI course covering opportunities, challenges, trends, tools, and technologies.

FAQs 

1. Is Power BI Certification free?

Different platforms have different schemes. For instance, Microsoft charges $165 for the certification exam, while industry-specific platforms offer certification courses for both free and paid. Simplilearn offers free Power BI certification to give you a competitive edge in the job market.

2. Who is eligible for Power BI certification?

Different platforms offer different eligibility criteria with respect to the level of certifications. However, the common eligibility criteria remain the same, i.e., the candidate must have a strong hold on the foundation of power BI.

3. What are the different levels of Power BI certification available?

Microsoft offers multiple certification levels for Power BI, such as

• Analyzing Data with Power BI: Foundational level
• Microsoft Certified: Data Analyst Associate: Intermediate level
• Microsoft Certified: Solutions Architect Expert: Advanced level

4. What are the best resources or platforms to study for Power BI certification?

Some of the best platforms and resources to study for Power BI certification are Microsoft Learn, Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals, and Simplilearn. 

5. Can I get Power BI certified online, and if so, how?

Yes, you can get your Power BI certification online. Simplilearn's Power BI certification training covers every essential Microsoft Power BI concept, and you get an industry-recognized certificate after course completion.