In today’s data-driven world, the ability to transform raw numbers into meaningful insights is more valuable than ever. “Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI: How to Design Savvy Dashboards” by Alex Kolokolov and Maxim Zelensky is a comprehensive guide that helps professionals bridge the gap between complex data and actionable intelligence.
A Practical Guide for All Skill Levels
Whether you’re a seasoned data analyst or a professional in finance, sales, or marketing, this book offers something for everyone. It doesn’t just touch on the basics; it delves deep into best practices specifically tailored for Power BI. With over 400 vibrant pages and 25 detailed chapters, the authors guide you through creating effective visualizations and building dashboards that truly communicate your data’s story.
What makes this book stand out is its hands-on approach. Each chapter is filled with beautiful chart examples and specific use cases, coupled with step-by-step instructions on setting up visuals in the app. You’ll also find data preparation tips and tricks that can save you time and enhance the quality of your visuals. To ensure the concepts stick, quizzes are included at the end of sections to consolidate your learning.
Exploring Classic and Advanced Visuals
The book is thoughtfully divided into three parts:
Part I: Classic Visuals
Here, you’ll learn how to choose the right charts for basic analysis while avoiding common pitfalls. The chapters focus on familiar visuals like bar charts, line charts, and tables within the context of Power BI. Using a single dataset throughout this section, you’re guided to build a cohesive dashboard, reinforcing learning through practical application. A quiz at the end helps you test your understanding and readiness to move forward.
Part II: Trusted Advanced Visuals
This section delves into more complex charts and diagrams like waterfall, bullet, Gantt, tornado, funnel, and Sankey diagrams. You’ll learn not only how to create these visuals but also how to prepare your data accordingly. By comparing alternative options and highlighting pros and cons, the book helps you make informed decisions about which visuals to use in different scenarios. Quizzes are again included to help solidify your grasp of the material.
Part III: Risky Advanced Visuals
Here, the authors take a candid look at eye-catching charts that might confuse the average user. They examine specific use cases and offer guidance on how to avoid common mistakes or suggest simpler alternatives. This honest approach ensures you not only know how to create stunning visuals but also understand when and how to use them effectively, preventing potential miscommunication with your audience.
Why This Book Stands Out
One of the standout features is its exclusive focus on Power BI—a tool many professionals use but few fully leverage for data visualization. While there are plenty of books on data and visualization separately, this is the first to marry the two specifically within the Power BI ecosystem. It’s like getting two resources in one: data visualization best practices based on over 15 years of industry experience, and technical expertise from developing over 300 dashboards.
The book also explores 40 visuals from the AppSource gallery, ranging from default options to advanced custom visuals. This breadth means you’re not limited to basic charts; you can explore a wide variety to tell your data’s story effectively.
Meet the Authors: Pioneers in Data Visualization
Alex Kolokolov brings over 15 years of experience in the business intelligence industry. As the founder of Data2Speak Inc., he has a passion for dashboard design and development. Beyond writing, he’s made substantial contributions to the data visualization community by organizing international DataViz conferences and establishing the “Make Your Data Speak” award to recognize excellence in the field. His previous books, “Dashboards for Executives” and “Make Your Data Speak,” have already made significant industry impacts.
His co-author, Maxim Zelensky, complements this expertise, adding depth to the technical and creative aspects of data visualization. Together, they’ve crafted a resource that reflects their deep understanding of turning complex data into compelling visual narratives.
A Resource for Everyone
For managers and non-technical business users new to Power BI, this book serves as an excellent introduction. If you’re familiar with PowerPoint presentations or Excel pivot tables, you’ll find many features intuitive. The book helps you understand how Power BI works through the lens of the final visual output, making the learning curve less steep.
Data professionals will find immense value as well. Design aspects can often be tricky for analysts, and anticipating client needs is a common challenge. Each chapter is supplemented with examples and explanations of why a particular visualization suits a specific case, making it easier to make informed decisions. You don’t have to memorize all the details; you can refer back to relevant chapters and checklists whenever you need a refresher.
Final Thoughts
“Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI” isn’t just another technical manual; it’s a journey toward making your data speak volumes. With its blend of best practices and technical expertise, it empowers you to create insightful data stories, not just reports. As Alex Kolokolov aspires to inspire people worldwide to use Power BI for more than just reporting, this book is a significant step toward that vision.
This book is a worthy addition to any data enthusiast’s library. If you’re looking to unlock the full potential of Power BI and elevate your data visualization skills, this book might just be the key. Dive in and start transforming your data into compelling stories today.
We had the privilege of interviewing Alex Kolokolov. Here are excerpts from the interview.
Hi Alex, It’s great to have you with us today! Please share about yourself with our readers.
Hi, I’ve been creating dashboards for over 15 years, and it’s still a passion of mine. After all these years, I still haven’t tired of it because, with each project, I find a new angle to explore professionally.
I’ve established myself as a significant figure in the business intelligence industry, specializing in transforming complex data into intuitive dashboards. My passion for dashboard design and development has helped organizations make sense of vast information, turning data into actionable insights.
As the founder of Data2Speak Inc., I lead an agency dedicated to providing top-tier BI services and training. My expertise is also shared through the authorship of influential books: Dashboards for Executives (2019) and Make Your Data Speak (2023), both of which have been well-received for their practical guidance and clarity. My latest book, Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI (2024), is already highly reviewed by professionals looking to enhance their skills with this powerful tool.
Beyond my written work, I’ve made substantial contributions to the data visualization community. I organized the international DataViz conference, a gathering that fosters innovation and collaboration among industry leaders. Additionally, I established the “Make Your Data Speak” award, recognizing excellence in the field and inspiring others to push the boundaries of what’s possible in data storytelling.
Please tell us about what you do.
When my daughter was 8 years old, she asked me about it. And I said that I draw pictures. But pictures with numbers. And she was surprised.
‘Do they pay you so much for it?’
‘Yes,’ I said, ‘because adults can’t do it.’
But seriously, I have been designing and developing dashboards for 15 years, I visualize data and turn it into charts. But my ultimate goal is to make them understandable for business. My clients come to me with a request that they have too much data. I call myself an interpreter between business and IT. And I use it as a universal language of visual communication.
Please share your journey with our readers.
My journey began 15 years ago with a startup focused on data processing—specifically big data. Back then, it wasn’t a mainstream topic, but it held a lot of potential. I started looking for clients, I realized they had difficulty understanding what the final product would be. They couldn’t quite grasp the concept of a data engine that could produce reports. That’s when it struck me: the product needed a face—something memorable and visually engaging. That’s how I discovered dashboards and created my first infographic. When clients saw it, they were hooked, and that led to them buying our product.
Through trial and error, I developed my own intuitive rules and methods for data visualization, aiming for clarity and aesthetic appeal. It was only later that I read renowned books like ‘Say It with Charts’ by Gene Zelazny, and that’s when everything clicked—I built a framework in my mind.
Eventually, we had an honest moment of self-reflection and acknowledged that companies like Microsoft and other major vendors had advanced far beyond our startup’s capabilities.
Please tell us about your book about data visualization.
The book is the first on the market that delivers dataviz best practices precisely for Power BI. It has 25 chapters about different chart types; 40 visuals: from default to advanced from the AppSource gallery; 400 color pages of an exceptional quality. As I mentioned, the book is suitable for non-technical professionals as well as for experienced data analysts.
It consists of 3 parts:
1. Classic Visuals: Authors explain how to choose charts for basic types of analysis and avoid common mistakes. How to set up interactions and put visuals together on a dashboard.
2. Trusted Advanced Visuals: Different options and data requirements for waterfall and bullet charts, Gantt, tornado, funnel, Sankey, and others.
3. Risky Advanced Visuals: ‘Eye-catchy’ charts that may confuse the average user. We explain use cases and offer simpler alternatives.
Its key features:
– Beautiful examples, specific use cases for charts;
– Step-by-step guides on how to set it up in the app;
– Data preparation tips and tricks;
– Quizzes to consolidate the learning material.
What problem does your book solve?
The problem I aim to address, especially for Microsoft’s vast user community, is that Microsoft Power BI is still underrated. If you ask most business users which tool comes to mind for data visualization, they’ll say Tableau, which was founded by a team with design expertise, including former Pixar staff, so design excellence is embedded in its DNA. Power BI, on the other hand, has a different background, one focused more on data and tables. I want to show the world that it’s now an incredible tool—widely accessible, available in nearly every company, and even free for personal use.
Another issue I want to tackle is that even experienced professionals often produce poor reports and visualizations. They tend to deliver exactly what the client requests without challenging it. The problem is that many clients, often with a traditional Microsoft Excel background, envision tables or slides as they did 10 or 20 years ago. They want reports displayed in ways they’re familiar with—like requesting dashboards with ten dropdown filters that take up half the screen. But today, instead of ten slides, we can create one interactive dashboard—if we teach users to utilize filters, showing them that each column can act as a filter without cluttering the screen with dropdown lists.
This book provides clear explanations and methods so that specialists can engage in a constructive dialogue with their managers or clients, guiding them towards best practices and supporting their case with my insights.
This knowledge is what I hope to share with the masses.
Is your book suitable for ‘everyday users’ like managers and non-technical professionals?
I had to train business users who expected a self-service tool, almost like a simple builder. Even back then, around ten years ago, I realized that vendor instructions were written for technical specialists, not for finance or marketing professionals. With Microsoft’s vast ecosystem, the resources they provide are typically for tech specialists. Business users, however, often find this intimidating and confusing, especially without a Microsoft tech background. They make a few unsuccessful attempts, get frustrated, and then give up on using the tool altogether. So, I essentially had to reinvent the training approach to make it accessible to everyday users—not just advanced or tech-savvy users.
It was for these “everyday” users that I developed step-by-step guides, which became the foundation of my book. That’s its unique value—there are plenty of books about visualization, and even more about data in Power BI. But none of them address how to effectively visualize data specifically in Power BI, with clear instructions tailored for non-technical users, and featuring only the best practices.
So, does it implicate a Power BI for dummies manual?
Not quite. It’s for professionals—managers and specialists whose daily responsibilities are decision-making, not memorizing the intricacies of Power BI. I created clear, step-by-step guides with best practices so users can easily navigate to the relevant section for any chart and see which data is needed.
Additionally, my book is aimed at professional analysts who, while capable with Power BI, don’t focus primarily on visualization. This is just a small part of their work.
For more information, readers can check out the book on Goodreads or Amazon.
Thank you so much, Alex, for giving us your precious time! We wish you all the best for your journey ahead!