Unit 6 Assignment: PowerBI Lab Assignment Purpose In this hands-on lab, you will apply what you’ve learned about artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics to business data. You’ll use Power BI to load, transform, and visualize data, then interpret insights using advanced AI visuals. This assignment helps you demonstrate your ability to: Use statistical and analytic techniques to explore business data. Derive and interpret insights, trends, and anomalies. Communicate data-driven recommendations through clear, interactive visualizations. Associated Skills Loading, cleaning, and transforming data in Power BI. Creating calculated columns and measures (for example, profit margin, growth rates). Using AI-enhanced visuals: Key Influencers, Decomposition Tree, Anomaly Detection, and Q&A Visuals. Designing an interactive, professional dashboard that communicates insights effectively. Writing short narrative explanations that interpret your findings. Dataset and Resources Data to use: sales_data_sample.csv Walkthroughs / Tutorials (optional but recommended): Influencers Decomposition Tree Anomaly Detection Key Influencer Visual (Video) Microsoft Learn: Decomposition Tree Anomaly Detection (Video) Q&A Visuals (Video) What You’ll Do Step 1: Data Ingestion and Preparation Open Power BI Desktop and import the dataset (sales_data_sample.csv). Review your data and clean any issues: fix data types, rename columns, and ensure date and category fields are formatted correctly. Create calculated columns or measures to add business meaning (for example, Profit Margin = Profit / Revenue or Year-over-Year Growth). Save your file frequently as you work (YourLastName_U6.pbix). Step 2: Build Your AI Visuals Key Influencers Visual Choose one main metric (for example, Sales, Revenue, or Profit). Use the Key Influencers visual to identify which factors most strongly influence that metric. Review the results and note which categories or fields drive performance. Decomposition Tree Visual Add a Decomposition Tree to your report. Use it to break down your chosen metric (e.g., Sales) by different categories such as Region, Product Category, or Time Period. Enable users to explore the data interactively by drilling down into details. Anomaly Detection Create a time-series visual (line or area chart). Apply anomaly detection to highlight unusual spikes, drops, or deviations. Observe which events or time periods show anomalies and hypothesize potential causes. Q&A Visual (Natural-Language Exploration) Add the Q&A Visual to your dashboard. Test it by typing a few natural-language questions, for example, "What product category had the lowest sales last quarter?" Make sure your dataset is well-labeled so queries return meaningful answers. Step 3: Create Your Dashboard Combine all four visuals (Key Influencers, Decomposition Tree, Anomaly Detection, Q&A Visual) into a single, clean dashboard layout. Add titles, legends, labels, and brief annotations so each visual is easy to understand. Use consistent colors and formatting to make your dashboard professional and clear. Step 4: Interpret Your Insights In a short summary (approximately one page of notes or text box within your Power BI report): Describe at least three key insights from your visuals (e.g., factors that drive sales, unexpected trends, or anomalies you discovered). Explain what these findings could mean for a business decision maker. Suggest one or two simple, data-driven recommendations based on your analysis. Submission Guidelines Submit one Power BI (.pbix) file. Include your visuals and short narrative interpretations. Include the original dataset (sales_data_sample.csv). Save your file as: LastName_FirstName_U6_PowerBI.pbix.