Power BI Projects for a Portfolio: 6 Dashboards With Public Data

Last updated: 13 October 2026 · By the Asuraa Team

Quick answer: A Power BI portfolio should prove a clean star schema, correct DAX and a readable report page. Six public-data projects: Microsoft's Financial Sample profitability report, an AdventureWorks DW star schema with time intelligence and RLS, a World Bank India scorecard (its API needs no key), an OWID CO2 explorer, a MoSPI eSankhyiki CPI tracker and a Census 2011 district map. Three of these cover most entry-level BI skills.

Key takeaways

• Reviewers judge Power BI projects on data modelling, DAX measures and report readability, often opening the model view before the visuals.
• Microsoft's Financial Sample workbook contains sales and profit data by market segment and country and can be loaded from inside Power BI Desktop.
• Microsoft publishes AdventureWorks in OLTP, data warehouse and lightweight versions; the DW version suits star-schema Power BI work.
• The World Bank Indicators API no longer requires an API key, so Power BI can pull India indicators through the web connector.
• MoSPI's eSankhyiki portal covers CPI, IIP and national accounts with a macro indicators time-series module, downloads and APIs, per a PIB document.

Which Power BI projects should go in a portfolio?

A Power BI portfolio should show three things a hiring team checks: clean data modelling (a star schema), correct DAX measures, and a report page a manager can read in one minute. The six dashboards below use public data, and each one adds a different Power BI skill, so building three of them covers most of what entry-level BI roles test.

Power BI Desktop is a free download for Windows, so all six can be built without a paid licence; publish screenshots and the .pbix file to GitHub, or share through the Power BI service if you have access.

What does each Power BI project involve, step by step?

Each project lists a goal, steps, what it proves and an example resume bullet. Bracketed parts are placeholders for your own results.

1. Profitability by segment

Goal: a one-page report showing which segments and countries are most and least profitable. Dataset: Microsoft's Financial Sample workbook, a table of sales and profit data by market segment and country, which can also be loaded from the sample data option inside Power BI Desktop.

1. Load the Financials table and check data types in Power Query.
2. Write measures for total sales, total profit and profit margin %.
3. Build a matrix of segment by country with conditional formatting.
4. Add slicers for year and product, plus KPI cards.

Shows: the basic report-building workflow. Example resume bullet (example only): "Built a one-page Power BI profitability report with [n] DAX measures; highlighted [segment] as the lowest-margin segment in [country]."

2. Sales star schema with time intelligence

Goal: a multi-page sales report on a proper star schema. Dataset: AdventureWorks; Microsoft publishes OLTP, data warehouse (DW) and lightweight versions, and the DW backup is the right choice for BI.

1. Restore AdventureWorksDW to SQL Server Express or Developer edition.
2. Import the internet sales fact table with date, product, customer and territory dimensions.
3. Mark the date table and write year-to-date, same-period-last-year and YoY % measures.
4. Add row-level security so a regional manager sees only their territory.
5. Document the model with a diagram screenshot.

Shows: dimensional modelling, DAX time intelligence and security. Example resume bullet (example only): "Modelled AdventureWorksDW as a star schema in Power BI with YTD, SPLY and YoY measures and row-level security for [n] territories."

3. India development scorecard

Goal: compare India with peer economies on growth, health and connectivity indicators. Dataset: the World Bank's India page, which offers CSV, XML and Excel downloads, and the Indicators API, which no longer needs an API key.

1. Pick six indicators, such as GDP growth, life expectancy and internet users.
2. Pull them for India and four peers through the web connector.
3. Unpivot year columns in Power Query and build a country dimension.
4. Show latest values in cards and trends in small multiples.

Shows: connecting to an API and reshaping data. Example resume bullet (example only): "Connected Power BI to the World Bank API to benchmark India against [n] peers on [x] indicators, with refreshable queries."

4. Emissions explorer

Goal: an interactive report on CO2 emissions per capita, by source and over time. Dataset: Our World in Data CO2 data, with one row per country and year, a codebook, and a CC BY 4.0 licence.

1. Import the CSV and the codebook.
2. Use a field parameter so users can switch between total, per-capita and cumulative emissions.
3. Build report-page tooltips that show a country's trend on hover.
4. Add a country-group slicer and a note crediting OWID.

Shows: handling a wide dataset and modern interactivity. Example resume bullet (example only): "Built a Power BI emissions explorer on OWID data with field parameters and tooltip pages covering [n] countries."

5. Inflation tracker

Goal: track all-India consumer price inflation and its components. Dataset: MoSPI's eSankhyiki portal; according to the PIB launch document, it covers products including CPI, IIP and national accounts, with a macro indicators module of time series data and downloads and APIs for users.

1. Download CPI series from the macro indicators module.
2. Build a date table and a measure for year-on-year inflation.
3. Compare food and overall inflation on one line chart.
4. Annotate months with sharp moves and add a short narrative text box.

Shows: official statistics, time series measures and storytelling. Example resume bullet (example only): "Built a CPI tracker from MoSPI eSankhyiki data with YoY measures and annotated [n] inflation spikes."

6. District demographics map

Goal: a drill-down map of literacy, sex ratio and household amenities by state and district. Dataset: India Census 2011 on Kaggle.

1. Clean district and state names so the map visual geocodes correctly.
2. Write ratio measures such as literacy rate and sex ratio.
3. Build a state-to-district drill-down map and a ranked bar chart.
4. Add a decomposition tree to explore one indicator.

Shows: geospatial visuals and ratio measures done correctly. Example resume bullet (example only): "Mapped literacy and sex ratio for [n] districts from Census 2011 data with state-to-district drill-down."

How do you present a Power BI project to recruiters?

Show the result without asking anyone to install Power BI: a GitHub README with screenshots, a short screen recording, and the .pbix file for those who want it.

1. Add one screenshot per report page and one of the data model.
2. List every DAX measure with a one-line explanation.
3. State the data source, licence and refresh method.
4. Record a 60-90 second walkthrough and link it in the README.

The guide on how to build a portfolio for jobs covers hosting, and how to learn Power BI for jobs lists the skills to learn first. If you plan to certify, the PL-300 Power BI certification guide maps to the same skills, and Power BI interview questions will test them.

What do most guides on Power BI projects get wrong?

Most guides judge dashboards by how they look, but reviewers open the model view first. A flat, single-table report with calculated columns everywhere signals a beginner, however polished the visuals. A clean star schema with explicit measures signals someone who can maintain reports in a team.

Guides also overload pages. A report page should answer one question with four to six visuals, not fifteen. And many skip the date table, which breaks time intelligence; always build or mark one.

Lastly, sample data is fine, but say what it is. Labelling the Financial Sample as company data would mislead; calling it Microsoft's sample is honest and still impressive if the modelling is good.

Where do Power BI projects fit in a data portfolio?

Power BI projects are the presentation layer of a data portfolio, best paired with one SQL and one Python project. The projects and portfolio guide for India shows the mix, and Power BI vs Tableau for jobs helps if you are choosing a tool. Check your project bullets against a BI job description with the Asuraa resume reviewer.

Related guides

• Projects and Portfolio Guide for Freshers: Data, Software and AI
• Python Projects for Freshers: 8 Resume-Ready Ideas by Level
• Excel Projects for a Data Analyst Portfolio: 6 Ideas With Datasets
• SQL Projects for a Data Portfolio: 6 Projects With Free Datasets

FAQ

What is a good first Power BI project?

Start with Microsoft's Financial Sample workbook, which holds sales and profit data by market segment and country and can be loaded from the sample data option inside Power BI Desktop. Build a one-page report with profit margin measures, a segment-by-country matrix and slicers. Then move to AdventureWorks DW to practise a proper star schema.

How many Power BI projects do I need for a portfolio?

Three well-built projects are usually enough: one basic report, one star-schema model with time intelligence, and one using real public data such as World Bank or MoSPI statistics. Each should have screenshots, a model diagram, a list of DAX measures and a short walkthrough video, so reviewers can judge it without installing Power BI.

Where can I get Indian data for Power BI projects?

MoSPI's eSankhyiki portal offers official statistics including CPI, IIP and national accounts, with a macro indicators module, downloads and APIs. The World Bank publishes India indicators through an API that needs no key. Census 2011 district data is available on Kaggle. Always credit the source in the report.

Can I build Power BI projects without a paid licence?

Yes. Power BI Desktop is free on Windows and is enough to build every project in this list. Share your work through GitHub with the .pbix file, screenshots and a short recording. If your college or employer gives you access to the Power BI service, you can also publish there for an interactive link.

What DAX skills should a Power BI portfolio show?

Show basic aggregation measures, ratios such as profit margin, time intelligence such as year-to-date and same period last year, and at least one CALCULATE with filter changes. A marked date table is essential for time intelligence. Listing each measure with a one-line explanation in your README helps reviewers follow your logic.

How do I write a Power BI project on my resume?

Name the dataset, the modelling approach, the key measures and what the report reveals. An example only: Modelled AdventureWorksDW as a star schema in Power BI with YTD and YoY measures and row-level security for [n] territories. Link screenshots or the repository next to the project title and keep it to two bullets.

Final thoughts

Build one simple report, one proper star schema and one dashboard on Indian public data, and document each with screenshots and measure notes. That set shows both technical skill and judgement. When you start applying, look for BI and analyst openings on Asuraa jobs.