Workshop

Advanced Data Visualisation

Master Tableau and Power BI in a hands-on workshop that transforms your ability to build interactive dashboards, craft compelling data narratives, and drive decisions through visual storytelling.

Duration 2 Days Format In-Person / Virtual Level Intermediate
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2Days Hands-On
8Dashboard Projects
2Tools Mastered
16CPD Credits

Table of Contents

  1. Workshop Overview
  2. Who Should Attend
  3. Day-by-Day Agenda
  4. Hands-on Projects
  5. Learning Outcomes
  6. Prerequisites
  7. Tools Required

Workshop Overview

Data without visualisation is noise. The ability to transform complex datasets into clear, interactive visual stories is one of the most impactful skills a professional can develop. A well-designed dashboard can surface insights that spreadsheets hide, align teams around shared metrics, and give decision-makers the confidence to act quickly.

This intensive two-day workshop takes participants beyond basic charting into the advanced techniques that separate effective dashboards from truly exceptional ones. Day 1 focuses on Tableau — from calculated fields and level-of-detail expressions to interactive filtering, parameter actions, and dashboard design best practices. Day 2 shifts to Power BI — covering DAX measures, data modelling with relationships, custom visuals, and the art of building data narratives that resonate with non-technical audiences.

The workshop is built around eight hands-on projects that mirror real-world business scenarios. You will work with provided datasets covering sales analytics, operational performance, customer behaviour, and financial reporting. Every concept is taught through doing, with instructors available throughout to provide guidance and feedback on your work.

The goal of data visualisation is not to make data beautiful — it is to make data understandable. When you achieve both, you have something truly powerful.

Who Should Attend

This workshop is designed for professionals who already work with data and want to elevate their ability to communicate insights visually. It is ideal for:

Day-by-Day Agenda

Day 1 — Tableau Deep Dive

The first day immerses you in Tableau's powerful analytical capabilities. The morning session begins with a rapid refresher on Tableau fundamentals — connecting to data sources, understanding dimensions versus measures, and building core chart types — before quickly progressing to intermediate and advanced techniques.

You will learn how to write calculated fields that go beyond simple arithmetic, using table calculations for running totals, moving averages, and percent-of-total analyses. Level-of-detail (LOD) expressions are covered in depth, teaching you how to compute aggregations at different granularities within a single view — a technique that unlocks insights impossible to achieve with standard aggregations alone.

The afternoon focuses on interactivity and dashboard design. You will build dashboards with parameter actions that allow users to dynamically change what they see, filter actions that link multiple views together, and set actions for comparative analysis. Design principles are woven throughout — you will learn how to use colour strategically, eliminate chart junk, guide the viewer's eye through visual hierarchy, and design for both desktop and mobile consumption.

Day 1 session breakdown:

Day 2 — Power BI & Data Narratives

Day 2 begins with Power BI, covering the full workflow from data import and transformation in Power Query through data modelling with relationships and hierarchies to report building and publication. You will learn how Power BI's data model differs from Tableau's and how to leverage star schemas and role-playing dimensions to create efficient, scalable reports.

DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) is covered with a practical, pattern-based approach. Rather than memorising syntax, you will learn the most commonly needed DAX patterns — time intelligence calculations (year-over-year growth, moving averages, year-to-date totals), context transition with CALCULATE, and iterator functions for row-level logic. Each pattern is taught through a hands-on exercise that you can adapt for your own datasets after the workshop.

The afternoon brings both tools together under the theme of data narratives. You will learn how to structure a dashboard as a story — with a clear beginning (context and key metrics), middle (analysis and drill-downs), and end (insights and recommended actions). Techniques include annotation layers, guided navigation, executive summary pages, and the use of natural language generation features in both tools.

The day concludes with a showcase session where participants present their final dashboard project to the group, practising the critical skill of narrating data insights to an audience of peers.

Day 2 session breakdown:

Hands-on Projects

Each project uses a realistic dataset and a defined business scenario. You will build the following dashboards during the workshop:

  1. Sales Performance Dashboard (Tableau) — A multi-view dashboard tracking revenue, units, and margin by region, product category, and time period with drill-down capabilities and dynamic top-N filtering.
  2. Customer Segmentation Explorer (Tableau) — An interactive tool using LOD expressions to segment customers by purchase behaviour, lifetime value, and recency, with parameter-driven threshold controls.
  3. Supply Chain Operations Monitor (Tableau) — A real-time-style dashboard displaying inventory levels, fulfilment rates, and delivery performance with alert indicators and trend sparklines.
  4. Executive KPI Scorecard (Tableau) — A clean, high-level dashboard designed for C-suite consumption, featuring bullet charts, conditional formatting, and a mobile-optimised layout.
  5. Financial Reporting Suite (Power BI) — A multi-page report with income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow views using DAX time intelligence for period comparisons and variance analysis.
  6. Marketing Campaign Analyser (Power BI) — A dashboard connecting campaign spend to conversion outcomes, with attribution modelling visualisations and ROI calculations using DAX measures.
  7. HR Workforce Analytics (Power BI) — An employee analytics dashboard covering headcount, attrition, diversity metrics, and compensation analysis with role-level security demonstrations.
  8. Data Narrative Capstone (Power BI) — A story-driven dashboard on a topic of your choice that demonstrates the full narrative arc — context, analysis, insight, and recommended action — presented to peers.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this workshop, you will be able to:

  1. Build advanced Tableau dashboards using calculated fields, LOD expressions, table calculations, and interactive actions that go well beyond basic charting.
  2. Create Power BI reports with a well-structured data model, DAX measures for time intelligence and complex business logic, and polished visual design.
  3. Apply data visualisation best practices — choosing the right chart type, using colour and layout strategically, eliminating clutter, and designing for your audience.
  4. Structure dashboards as narratives that guide viewers from context through analysis to actionable insight, increasing the likelihood that your work drives decisions.
  5. Design dashboards for multiple audiences and form factors, including executive scorecards, operational monitors, and self-service exploration tools for analysts.
  6. Present data findings verbally with confidence, using your dashboards as visual aids to tell a clear, persuasive story to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Prerequisites

To make the most of this workshop, participants should have:

Tools Required

Participants must have the following software installed and tested before the workshop begins:

Technical setup support is available via email in the week leading up to the workshop. We strongly recommend testing both tools with the provided datasets beforehand so that the workshop time is spent learning, not troubleshooting installations.