Accelerated Data‑Engineering & Visualization Learning Plan
A top‑down, link‑rich roadmap to get you ready for Databricks + Azure data pipeline and Power BI dashboard in just two weeks.
Week 1 — Data‑Engineering Core
| Day |
Goal |
What to Do |
Instant Resources |
| 1 (AM) |
Understand the Lakehouse |
Skim the Medallion (Bronze‑Silver‑Gold) diagram & watch a 10‑min overview video. |
Medallion Architecture — Databricks |
| 1 (PM) |
Spin‑up Databricks |
Open a free Community workspace; install and run the retail CDC pipeline demo (dbdemos.install("lakehouse-retail-c360")). |
dbdemos repo |
| 2 |
PySpark 101 |
Work through the first Databricks Quickstart notebook (load → transform → Delta). Keep the PySpark cheat‑sheet open. |
Databricks Quickstart |
| 3 |
Azure plumbing |
Create a free Azure subscription; complete the Copy Data with Azure Data Factory quickstart (CSV → Data Lake). |
ADF Copy‑Data Quickstart |
| 4 |
Glue ADF ⇄ Databricks |
In ADF, add a Databricks notebook activity that triggers yesterday’s pipeline; verify tables in Azure Synapse. |
Retail ADF Pipeline Example |
| 5 – 6 |
Mini project |
Build a micro‑pipeline: ingest sample retail CSV → Lake → clean with PySpark → write Delta Gold → query with Databricks SQL → expose to Power BI. |
Retail Lakehouse Demo |
| 7 |
Checkpoint & certify |
Sit the free Databricks Lakehouse Fundamentals accreditation (≈3 hrs). |
Lakehouse Fundamentals Accreditation |
Week 2 — Visualization & Storytelling
| Day |
Goal |
What to Do |
Instant Resources |
| 8 |
Power BI crash course |
Install Power BI Desktop; connect to Azure Databricks with Partner Connect. |
Connect Power BI ⇄ Databricks |
| 9 |
First retail dashboard |
Clone a ready‑made Retail Power BI repo, swap in your Gold table, rebuild visuals (sales vs store, YoY growth, stockouts). |
Retail Dashboard Repo |
| 10 |
DAX & polish |
Add DAX measures (Total Sales, % Margin, 12‑Mo Rolling Avg); apply Chanel‑style theme (muted palette, luxury font). |
Sales Dashboard w/ DAX |
| 11 |
Real‑time flair (optional) |
Read the Databricks blog on streaming → Power BI; test with a tiny Kafka simulator. |
Real‑time Streaming to Power BI |
| 12 |
Dry‑run demo |
Craft a 5‑slide deck (Problem, Architecture, Pipeline, Dashboard live tour, ROI). |
— |
| 13 – 14 |
Cert prep & wrap |
Skim study guides: PL‑300 (Power BI Data Analyst) & DP‑203 (Azure Data Engineer). |
PL‑300 · DP‑203 |
Cheat‑Codes (Top‑Down Shortcuts)
| Need it fast? |
Shortcut |
| Architecture slides |
Re‑label the Lakehouse Build a Simple Pipeline PDF from Databricks. |
| Code snippets |
Re‑use cells from the Retail_DLT_CDC_Python notebook inside dbdemos. |
| Dashboard inspiration |
Browse screenshots in the Power BI retail repos for layout ideas. |
| Video refreshers |
YouTube playlist: Master Databricks & Spark |
Resume‑Ready Badges (Next 30 Days)
| Badge / Cert |
Why it Helps |
Effort |
| Databricks Lakehouse Fundamentals |
Shows Lakehouse basics. |
3–4 hrs |
| Microsoft PL‑300 (Power BI) |
Validates dashboard & DAX chops. |
1 week study |
| Microsoft DP‑203 (Azure DE) |
Deep Azure pipeline mastery. |
3–4 weeks |
When You Have More Runway
- Automation / MLOps — explore Databricks Workflows & Delta Live Tables for scheduled refreshes.
- dbt on Databricks — clone the dbt‑Databricks C360 demo for modular SQL models.
- Advanced visuals — try custom visuals like Deneb or Charticulator inside Power BI for high‑fashion storytelling.
Pro tip: keep a single Notion page with these links and one‑sentence takeaways; check items off as you go. Two weeks from now you’ll have a live Lakehouse pipeline and a polished dashboard ready to impress Chanel.