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Power BI for Manufacturing: OEE and Production Dashboards

Build a shift-wise OEE dashboard in Power BI, from downtime and production exports to a report a plant head can read.

Power BI for Manufacturing: OEE and Production Dashboards is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for automation engineers working with plant data. It has 13 modules and takes about 12.4 hours, with written notes, a practice task per module, a practical project and a final assessment of 15 questions (pass mark 60%). Learning costs nothing and needs only a free account. The optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code, is a one-off US$23.99 for you; it is not a vendor credential. Updated 1 November 2026.

  • Free
  • Beginner
  • 12.4 hours
  • Self-paced
  • Certificate optional
  • Lab practice in your browser
See what you learn

No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$23.99, optional.

Who it is for
Automation engineers working with plant data
Jobs
Roles that use this skill: data analyst, data engineer, reporting analyst and business intelligence developer. No course guarantees a job.
Tools
Power BI Desktop, a free download from Microsoft, Windows only. Excel for the sample files. Every module can be completed on Desktop alone, without a Power BI service licence. Hardware: A Windows PC or laptop. Nothing on the plant side.
Updated
Power BI for Manufacturing: OEE and Production Dashboards course cover
Power BI for Manufacturing: OEE and Production Dashboards course cover

After this course you can

By the end you will be able to:

  • Load plant data with Power Query using steps that rerun
  • Split a flat production sheet into a fact table and dimensions
  • Write DAX measures for availability, performance, quality and OEE
  • Build a downtime Pareto and a reject-rate view
  • Set up refresh, publishing and a handover note

Who it is for, and what you need first

Who it is for

Automation engineers working with plant data.

Level: Beginner. Beginner. Comfort with Excel helps, no coding needed. Power BI Desktop is free but runs on Windows only.

What you need

Software: Power BI Desktop, a free download from Microsoft, Windows only. Excel for the sample files. Every module can be completed on Desktop alone, without a Power BI service licence..

Hardware: A Windows PC or laptop. Nothing on the plant side.. What to download, and how.

How this course works

  1. Watch the lessons

    Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.

  2. Read the notes

    Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.

  3. Practise in the 3D labOptional

    Try the module in the free 3D lab, in your browser.

  4. Check yourself

    Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.

  5. Final assessment

    Pass the final once you have been through the modules.

  6. Certificate, if you want oneOptional

    Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.

What you learn

13 modules in order, at your own pace. 12.4 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.

  1. 1What Power BI does on an engineer's desk24m
  2. 2Your first report, start to finish38m
  3. 3The same workflow, taught a second way36m
  4. 4Power Query and the star schema, with lab practice: 50m
  5. 5DAX: writing the measures54m
  6. 6Choosing visuals a plant head can read38m
  7. 7Report layout, tooltips and interaction32m
  8. 8OEE: availability, performance and quality57m
Show the other 5 modules
  1. 9Downtime Pareto and reject analysis, with lab practice: 35m
  2. 10A full build watched end to end1h 9m
  3. 11Plan against actual: targets and variance, with lab practice: 55m
  4. 12Refresh, publish and hand over43m
  5. 13Final assessment

Software you need

What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.

Every module can be completed in Power BI Desktop alone, without a Power BI service licence.

Show what to download (2 tools)

Required

  1. 01

    Power BI Desktop

    Microsoft

    Free
    Runs on
    Windows 10, Windows 11 or Windows Server 2016 and later, 64-bit
    Account
    None needed
    Size
    about 662 MB download for the installer from the Download Center

    Power BI Desktop is a free download for building data models and reports on your own PC. Sharing reports through the Power BI service needs a Power BI licence.

    Official download pagemicrosoft.com

Optional

Useful, not needed to finish the course.

  1. 02

    Microsoft Excel

    Microsoft

    Free web version with limits
    Runs on
    Excel for the web in any modern browser; desktop apps for Windows and macOS with a Microsoft 365 subscription
    Account
    A free Microsoft account

    Excel for the web is free with a Microsoft account and 5 GB of cloud storage. The desktop app comes with a paid Microsoft 365 subscription, which offers a free trial. Python in Excel is not available on free licences, and fuller Copilot features need an eligible paid plan.

    Official download pagemicrosoft.com

    Alternatives

Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.

Practise in the 3D lab

Practise the data half of the course in the lab: clean a messy downtime export with steps that run again next week, then rank losses and compare lines to target. You build no dashboards or DAX there.

Train and testWatch

Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.

Course project, about 16 hours

One OEE definition for three plants: a Power BI dashboard from shift logs to row-level security

Build the OEE and production dashboard for a three-plant auto-parts company: a star schema, a DAX measure chain, a downtime Pareto and plan against actual. Then add plant-level row security, a refresh plan and a handover procedure, with your own measure register and validation report.

This project at a glance
  1. 7documents in the pack
  2. 9steps to follow
  3. 6things to hand in
  4. 16 hof work, at your pace
  • URSUser Requirements: Group OEE and Production Dashboard
  • SDSSoftware Design Specification: OEE Dataset and Report
  • RegisterMeasure Register: DAX Definitions and Validation References
  • HMI specPage Specification: Hierarchy, Visuals, Filters and Roles
  • Test reportValidation Report: Load, Model, Measures Against Source, Pages, Security and Refresh
  • ProcedureProcedure: Publishing, Refresh, Row-Level Security and Maintenance

The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.

After the course, your next step

Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.

Sample EDWartens Certificate of Completion for Power BI for Manufacturing: OEE and Production Dashboards

Sample. The issued certificate carries your name, your final score, a certificate ID and a QR code that opens its verification page.

Optional

A certificate you can verify

Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$23.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.

Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.

Two people at laptops over a table covered with pie charts and printed results.
Free · 4 weeks · free certificate

Data Science and Analytics

Eight short weeks of data analysis from spreadsheets to Python, SQL, dashboards and a first model: notes, diagrams, a few videos and worked exercises. Finish weeks 1 to 4 and the final, then claim a free Internship Completion Certificate with your real dates and study hours, and a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.

See the internship

More free courses

Roles that use this skill

  • Data analyst
  • Data engineer
  • Reporting analyst
  • Business intelligence developer

These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.

Plain notes

  • Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
  • Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Engineer-verified internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
  • No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
  • Lessons by: Chandoo, Learn Skills Daily, CQE Academy, PK: An Excel Expert, Havens Consulting. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.

Chandoo · Learn Skills Daily · CQE Academy · PK: An Excel Expert · Havens Consulting. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@edwartens.com.

Practise what you learn in the free 3D lab

Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.

See the 3D lab
  • Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
  • The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
  • Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.

Why learn with EDWartens

What you get with this course, and what comes after it.

  • Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
  • Practice in a free 3D lab in your browser, with nothing to install.
  • Video lessons with written notes and a project.
  • An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
  • Free internships to keep practising afterwards.

Common questions

Is the Power BI for Manufacturing course really free?

Yes. All twelve modules, the practice tasks, the notes and the assessments are free. You create an account so your progress is saved and the final assessment can be marked. The certificate is the only paid item, and only if you want one.

What certificate does the Power BI for Manufacturing course give?

An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you have finished every module and passed the final at 60 percent, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a Microsoft credential and is never described as one.

Who made the video lessons in the Power BI for Manufacturing course?

Chandoo and Learn Skills Daily, on their own YouTube channels, credited at the foot of the course page. EDWartens did not make the videos and neither creator is affiliated with EDWartens. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the OEE material, the practice tasks and the assessments.

Do I need to buy Power BI?

No. Power BI Desktop is a free download from Microsoft and every module can be completed on it. Note that Desktop runs on Windows only, so a Mac needs Windows in a virtual machine. Publishing and sharing through the Power BI service needs a licence, which your employer usually already holds inside its Microsoft 365 tenant.

Is this the same as the Microsoft PL-300 certification?

No. PL-300 is Microsoft's paid exam. This course is neither that exam nor a substitute for it. It is preparation and practice. It covers Power Query, modelling, DAX and report design on manufacturing data, which is the same ground. The certificate you receive is an EDWartens Certificate of Completion.

Do I need to know Python or SQL first?

No. This is the no-code route. If you can build a pivot table in Excel you have enough. The SQL and Python courses in the track sit beside this one, not before it.

What if my plant has no OEE data yet?

That is the normal starting point. The practice tasks are written for one machine and one shift on paper, so you can work through the whole course with a downtime register and a production log. The course also covers what to do when the reason codes are free text, which is the usual problem.

Who is the Power BI for Manufacturing course for?

Automation, maintenance, quality and production engineers who currently report in Excel. It is also for anyone who has been asked to put the daily production numbers on a screen. The engineer who builds the OEE dashboard tends to become the one who presents it in the morning meeting.

Do I have to use the lab?

No. The lab is optional practice. You can skip it whenever you like, and it never blocks your progress, the final assessment or your certificate.

Is the lab free?

Yes. Every lab level for this course opens in your browser, free, with nothing to install.

What topics does the Power BI for Manufacturing course cover, module by module?

The Power BI for Manufacturing course has 13 modules. It opens with "What Power BI does on an engineer's desk", goes through "Your first report, start to finish", "DAX: writing the measures", "Downtime Pareto and reject analysis" and "Refresh, publish and hand over" and ends with "Final assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.

What can I do after the Power BI for Manufacturing course?

After the Power BI for Manufacturing course: Clean a downtime or production export in Power Query with steps that rerun on next month's file; Split a flat shift sheet into a star schema and set cardinality and filter direction correctly; Write production measures in DAX with SUM, DISTINCTCOUNT, DIVIDE and CALCULATE. These are the practical outcomes the course is written around, and the final assessment of 15 questions checks them.

What software and hardware do I need for the Power BI for Manufacturing course, and does it cost anything?

For the Power BI for Manufacturing course, software: Power BI Desktop, a free download from Microsoft, Windows only. Excel for the sample files. Every module can be completed on Desktop alone, without a Power BI service licence. Hardware: A Windows PC or laptop. Nothing on the plant side. The course itself is free.

Is the Power BI for Manufacturing course suitable for me, and what level is it?

Power BI for Manufacturing is rated beginner. Beginner. Comfort with Excel helps, no coding needed. Power BI Desktop is free but runs on Windows only. It is written for automation engineers working with plant data, and takes about 12.4 hours at your own pace.

Which jobs use the skills from the Power BI for Manufacturing course?

Skills from the Power BI for Manufacturing course (for example: clean a downtime or production export in Power Query with steps that rerun on next month's file) are used in roles such as data analyst, data engineer, reporting analyst and business intelligence developer, and in data engineer work. The course gives you practical evidence of the skill; it does not promise a job, and employers decide on experience and interview.

Start free today

Power BI for Manufacturing: OEE and Production Dashboards, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.