Modern Power BI and Microsoft Fabric Training, Delivered UK-Wide
Power BI training for the Fabric and Copilot era. Microsoft Certified Trainer-led courses for analysts, IT teams, and data leaders — covering PL-300, DP-600, semantic models, Copilot in Power BI, governance, and data storytelling. Delivered remote-first, on-site UK-wide, or as private cohorts shaped around your data.
From £495 per delegate · Private cohorts from £4,500 · Fixed price, agreed upfront, no surprises.
Delivered by Gethyn Ellis and a small, hand-picked team of Microsoft Certified Trainer associates — never freelancers, never a marketplace.
MCT-qualified · Microsoft Certified Trainer · 20 years in the Microsoft data stack · UK-based, remote-first delivery
At a glance
What is Power BI training, and who is it for?
Power BI training teaches you how to connect to data, model it, build interactive reports, and publish them to the Power BI Service. In 2026, modern Power BI training also covers Microsoft Fabric integration, Copilot in Power BI, and proper governance for enterprise rollouts. It is designed for analysts, report developers, IT teams managing the platform, and business leaders making decisions about adoption.
Three groups benefit most:
- Analysts and report developers who need to build reports that get used, not ignored.
- IT leaders and platform owners who need to keep Power BI governed, performant, and secure.
- Business leaders and L&D managers who need to choose, fund, and roll out training that actually changes how their organisation uses data.
Why Most Power BI Training in 2026 Is Teaching the Wrong Thing
The big UK Power BI training providers all teach the same thing: import data with Power Query, model it, write DAX, publish to the Service. Useful in 2019. Increasingly incomplete in 2026.
What is missing from most syllabi:
- Microsoft Fabric integration. Power BI now sits inside Fabric. Semantic models, DirectLake, OneLake, and semantic link change how reports are built and where the data lives.
- Copilot in Power BI. Now generally available, Copilot changes how reports are authored, how DAX gets written, and how end users interact with reports. Most providers offer a 30-minute taster at the end of an advanced course. That is not training.
- PBIP, TMDL, and source control. Modern Power BI development is pro-code. Power BI Project format and Tabular Model Definition Language make Power BI work with Git, branches, and pull requests. This is how serious teams build Power BI now.
- Deployment pipelines. Dev, Test, and Production workspaces with promotion rules. Standard practice in any IT shop running software. Largely absent from Power BI training.
- Semantic model architecture. Star schema, role-playing dimensions, aggregations, composite models, calculation groups. The difference between a Power BI report that breaks at 10GB and one that scales to 100GB lives here.
If your training provider isn't covering these, you're paying for a 2022 syllabus at 2026 prices. This page exists to fix that.
Three Learning Pathways. One Outcome: Your Team Delivering With Power BI.
Most training catalogues list courses by skill level — Introduction, Advanced, DAX. That suits the provider, not the buyer. The pathway that matters is your role, because that determines what success looks like.
Analyst Pathway
For people who build reports and need to be trusted by the business.
You're a Power BI report developer, data analyst, or finance analyst who already lives in the tool or is about to. Your priority is producing reports that decision-makers act on. The Analyst pathway covers PL-300 certification, data storytelling, DAX from foundations through performance tuning, and Copilot in Power BI.
Engineer Pathway
For people who own the data platform.
You're a data engineer, BI developer, or platform owner. Power BI is one consumer of a wider Fabric estate. Your priority is building semantic models, managing Lakehouse and Warehouse data, and exposing it to Power BI reliably. The Engineer pathway centres on DP-600 and the strategic Fabric guide.
Leader Pathway
For the people who fund and govern adoption.
You're a Head of Data, Director of Analytics, IT Director, or CIO. You don't need to write DAX. You need to make confident decisions about licences, governance, rollout, and ROI. The Leader pathway combines a strategic Fabric overview with Power BI governance and administration content.
Power BI Training for Analysts and Report Developers
Analysing Data with Microsoft Power BI (PL-300)
The Microsoft official PL-300 course, mapped end-to-end against the current exam. Structured content covering data preparation, modelling, DAX, visualisation, and deployment. Delegates leave able to sit the exam with confidence and ship reports the same week.
Data-Driven Storytelling with Power BI
A focused workshop on the part most providers skip: making reports that actually communicate. Visual hierarchy, narrative structure, the psychology of dashboard design, and how to translate a finance brief into a report a CFO will use.
DP-605: Develop Dynamic Reports with Microsoft Power BI
A skills-based course for analysts who need to go beyond static reports. Bookmarks, drillthrough, dynamic formatting, calculation groups, and the design patterns that make a report feel built rather than assembled.
Microsoft Fabric Training for Data Engineers and Platform Teams
DP-600: Microsoft Fabric Analytics Engineer
The certification track for the modern Power BI and Fabric professional. Lakehouse and Warehouse, semantic models, T-SQL and PySpark, Dataflows Gen2, real-time intelligence, and deployment pipelines. For people who need to own the platform, not just build reports on it.
Leveraging Microsoft Fabric — A Strategic Guide
The leadership and architecture briefing, not the hands-on course. One day or half-day, designed for senior data and IT leaders evaluating Fabric, planning a rollout, or deciding what stays in Power BI Premium versus moves to Fabric. Includes a capacity-sizing framework and a build-versus-buy decision tree.
Power BI Governance and Administration for IT Teams
Power BI Governance and Administration
Built for IT teams who own the Power BI tenant but didn't ask for it. Tenant settings, capacity management, workspace structure, row-level security, deployment pipelines, audit logs, and the practical bits of Microsoft Purview that actually apply to Power BI.
The training the rest of the market skips because it doesn't sell to analysts. It matters because most failed Power BI rollouts fail here.
How Training Is Delivered
Four delivery formats, all of which can be combined:
Live online
UK timezone, default for most engagements. Smaller groups, real interaction, screen-shared exercises, recordings provided.
On-site, UK-wide
For cohorts of six or more where being in the same room moves faster. Travel costed transparently, no hidden margins.
Private cohort
Your team only, syllabus shaped around your data and your business questions. Bring-your-own-data is the default, not an upsell.
Public open cohort
Scheduled programmes where individuals can join a wider group. Best for solo learners on the Analyst or Engineer pathways.
Every engagement starts with a 20-minute discovery call to confirm the right pathway. Every cohort ends with a 90-day follow-up — one structured check-in at 30 days and one at 90 days — to make sure the training is actually being used.
Why Work With an Independent MCT Instead of a Corporate Training Firm
Honest comparison, because the question deserves it.
Large training firms have real strengths: scheduling depth, multiple venues, accredited apprenticeship routes, frameworks for government procurement. If you need any of those, a QA or a Learning Tree is the right call.
An independent MCT is the right call when you want:
| What you need | Typical corporate training firm | Gethyn Ellis |
|---|---|---|
| Who delivers | Salesperson sells it, anonymous freelancer pool delivers it | Gethyn Ellis or a hand-picked MCT associate — small team, no marketplace, every trainer personally vetted |
| Currency of syllabus | Annual board-cycle updates — lags the platform | Updated every release cycle — Copilot and Fabric current |
| Tailoring | Change request, days of turnaround | A conversation. Bring-your-own-data is the default |
| Trainer credentials | Generic MCT pool | MCT plus 20 years in the Microsoft data stack — SQL Server, Power BI, Fabric |
| Beyond training | Training only — implementation is a separate sale | The trainer is also the consultant who could implement what you learn |
Gethyn Ellis is a Microsoft Certified Trainer, founder of GRE Solutions Ltd, and CIO of NICS CIC — a community interest company supporting non-profits with technology and data. That mix means training engagements run on commercial discipline but stay grounded in how organisations of every size actually use Power BI.
What Your Team Will Be Able to Do After Training
Outcomes, not topics. By the end of the relevant pathway, your team will be able to:
After the Analyst Pathway
- Build a star-schema semantic model from scratch in under an hour
- Write performance-tuned DAX measures, not just measures that work
- Use Copilot in Power BI to accelerate authoring without losing control of the output
- Sit and pass PL-300 with confidence
- Tell a clear, persuasive data story to a non-technical audience
After the Engineer Pathway
- Design and build a Lakehouse architecture in Fabric
- Create and govern semantic models that scale to enterprise data volumes
- Manage deployment pipelines, source control, and PBIP-based development workflows
- Sit and pass DP-600 with confidence
After the Leader Pathway
- Make a confident build / buy / migrate decision about Fabric
- Estimate Fabric capacity and Power BI Premium costs for your organisation
- Set governance policy that's actually enforceable
- Brief a board on the business case for the platform
Fixed Price. Agreed Before We Start.
All pricing is fixed and agreed upfront. No day rates, no scope creep, no invoice surprises. Final scope confirmed at the end of the discovery call.
Public Open Cohort
- Solo learners and small teams
- Joins a wider scheduled cohort
- Recordings and exercises included
- 30 days of email follow-up
- Best for Analyst and Engineer pathways
Private Cohort
- Your team only — 4 to 12 delegates
- Syllabus tailored to your data and workflows
- Bring-your-own-data exercises included
- 30 and 90-day post-training check-ins
- Recordings retained for your team
Strategic Briefing
- Boards and leadership teams
- Fabric strategic guide content
- Capacity-sizing and licensing framework
- Decision-stage, not hands-on
- Delivered remote or on-site
All prices exclusive of VAT. On-site delivery available UK-wide — travel costed transparently. Multi-cohort and rolling-programme pricing available on request.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this Microsoft Official training?
Some of it. The PL-300 and DP-600 pathways use Microsoft Official Curriculum delivered by a Microsoft Certified Trainer. The storytelling, governance, and Fabric strategic briefing are independent content built from real client engagements. Both routes are delivered by the same MCT.
Do I need to know Power BI before attending?
The Analyst pathway and Engineer pathway both start with foundations courses suitable for people who have never opened Power BI Desktop. The Leader pathway is designed specifically for people who don't use the tool day-to-day. Each pathway page lists prerequisites for individual courses.
How long does it take to learn Power BI properly?
For a working analyst, plan on six to eight weeks of part-time study to reach PL-300 standard, including the structured course and self-paced practice. For the DP-600 and Fabric pathway, plan on eight to twelve weeks. The Leader pathway is a single one-day or half-day briefing.
What is the difference between PL-300 and DP-600?
PL-300 certifies you as a Power BI Data Analyst — building reports, modelling data, writing DAX. DP-600 certifies you as a Fabric Analytics Engineer — owning the platform, designing Lakehouses, managing the wider Fabric estate. PL-300 is the analyst exam. DP-600 is the engineer exam. Most teams need both, in different people.
Do you cover Copilot in Power BI?
Yes, properly. Copilot is integrated through every Analyst pathway course, not bolted on at the end. Delegates learn what Copilot can do reliably, where it makes mistakes, and how to keep authoring control without losing the speed gains.
Can you train on our own data?
Yes, and it's the default for private cohorts. Before the engagement starts, a short scoping call identifies which datasets to use. Training exercises are then built around your real reports and your real business questions, which is the fastest way to move from "trained" to "delivering".
Gethyn Ellis & a Small Team of MCT Associates
Every course is delivered by Gethyn Ellis or one of a small, hand-picked team of Microsoft Certified Trainer associates. No marketplace. No anonymous freelancer pool. No "we'll find someone" booking model. Each associate has been personally selected by Gethyn, works to the same syllabus, and is accountable to the same quality bar.
You'll always know who is delivering before you book. For most engagements that's Gethyn directly. For some — particularly when scheduling demands it, or when an associate's specialism is a closer match — you'll be introduced to the named MCT before any commitment is made. Meet the instructor team →
About Gethyn Ellis: Microsoft Certified Trainer, founder of GRE Solutions Ltd, and CIO of NICS CIC. Twenty years in the Microsoft data stack, from SQL Server 2008 through Power BI and Microsoft Fabric. The trainer who could also be the consultant who implements what you've learned.
- Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT)
- Power BI — PL-300 qualified
- Microsoft Fabric — DP-600 / DP-603 qualified
- DP-605 dynamic reporting delivery
- SQL Server 2008–2022 hands-on
- Azure Data Platform experience
- Financial services, public sector, housing, non-profit
- UK-based, remote-first delivery
Meet the instructor team · Meet GRE Solutions · Read the blog · Listen to the podcast
Ready to Talk About Your Team's Power BI Training?
Two ways forward, depending on where you are in the decision. Still scoping — download the Training Readiness Guide. Ready to talk — book a 20-minute discovery call. It is a real conversation, not a sales process.
Fixed price · UK-wide delivery · MCT-qualified · No lock-in after delivery