Who is this program for?

<text variant="body1">This program is for you: <text variant="body1">· If you want to start or switch to a career in the field of business analysis. <text variant="body1">· If you are interested in the field of business analysis, just beginning to work with business analyst solutions and services. Earning a Microsoft Business Analyst certificate can help advance your career or help you address gaps in your knowledge, skills, and abilities.

What background knowledge is necessary?

You don’t need any background knowledge to take this Professional Certificate. Whether you’re just starting out or a professional in a relevant field, this program can be the right fit for you.

What is the main benefit of a Professional Certificate?

Whether you’re looking to start a new career or change your current one, Professional Certificates help you become job ready. Apply your new skills on hands-on projects that showcase your expertise to potential employers and earn a career credential to kickstart your new career.

What does a business analyst do?

Business Analysts play a crucial role in guiding organizations through data-driven decision making. They analyze, interpret, and document business processes and data, providing insights to shape strategic decisions.

What jobs can I get with business analysis skills?

Prepare for a career in the high demand field of business analysis. The business analysis skills you learn in this program prepare you for an entry-level role as a business analyst. This program also prepares you for a variety of entry-level roles that require data-driven problem-solving and strategic planning.

Will I be able to complete this course online?

This course is completely online. You can access your lessons, readings, and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.

Do I need to take the courses in a specific order?

Yes. We highly recommend taking the courses of each certificate program in the order they are presented. The content in the courses builds on information from earlier courses. The final course contains a practice exam that assesses your knowledge of the content covered in the previous courses. As such, it makes the most sense to take the courses in the order they are presented.

How long does it take to complete the professional certificate?

It typically takes 3 months to complete the 6 courses. But some learners may go through the content faster.

What will I be able to do upon completing the Professional Certificate?

<text variant="body1">When you complete this Professional Certificate, you’ll have an understanding of the fundamental concepts of business analysis and how they apply to an enterprise environment including: <text variant="body1">· Proficiency in identifying, analyzing, and documenting business issues with diverse techniques. <text variant="body1">· Skills in business process modeling and data visualization using Microsoft Excel. <text variant="body1">· Capability in conducting assessments and validating solutions against requirements. <text variant="body1">· Effective communication and change management strategies. <text variant="body1">You’ll also be prepared to take the Microsoft PL-900 exam: Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals.

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

What will I get if I subscribe to this Certificate?

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Certificate, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Data and Business Process Modeling with Microsoft Visio

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Data and Business Process Modeling with Microsoft Visio

This course is part of Microsoft Business Analyst Professional Certificate

Instructor: Microsoft

18,133 already enrolled

Included with

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4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

134 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule

2 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

89%

Most learners liked this course

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

134 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule

2 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

89%

Most learners liked this course

What you'll learn

Learn to identify and navigate the user interface of Microsoft Visio.
Gain insight into how to use Microsoft Visio for creating diagrams effectively.
Comprehend business process and data modeling roles in analysis, applying concepts via Microsoft Visio models.

Skills you'll gain

Tools you'll learn

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

26 assignments

Taught in English

91%

of learners achieved a positive career outcome

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Build your Business Strategy expertise

This course is part of the Microsoft Business Analyst Professional Certificate

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Professional Certificate.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate from Microsoft

There are 4 modules in this course

This course is designed to equip you with essential skills in business process and data modeling using Microsoft Visio. Throughout this program, you will delve into various facets of business analysis and data modeling. Using Microsoft Visio learners will create insightful business processes and data models, and apply these skills to enhance your capabilities in business analysis.

After completing this course, you’ll be able to:  • Identify and navigate the user interface of Microsoft Visio • Explain how to use Microsoft Visio to create diagrams • Explain the role of business activity and process modeling in a business analysis context • Create business process and activity models in Microsoft Visio • Explain the role of data modeling in a business analysis context • Create data models in Microsoft Visio

Module details

In this module you’ll explore how Microsoft Visio empowers business analysts in understanding and visualizing key aspects of a business. You’ll learn to capture and present stakeholders' ideas using Visio effectively. You’ll discover its versatile features for creating insightful business process flowcharts, case diagrams, project schedules, and flowcharts.

What's included

9 videos6 readings8 assignments1 discussion prompt

9 videosTotal 40 minutes

Course introduction: Microsoft Visio - Data and business process modelling 4 minutes
Information visualization4 minutes
Introduction to Microsoft Visio5 minutes
Introduction to color theory5 minutes
Shapes and connectors5 minutes
Formatting, aligning and groups4 minutes
Optimizing diagrams: Image selection and performance5 minutes
Adding text and hyperlinks to a diagram5 minutes
Module summary: Introduction to Microsoft Visio3 minutes

6 readingsTotal 50 minutes

Course Syllabus: Microsoft Visio - data and business process modeling 10 minutes
Activity: Setting up: Microsoft Visio10 minutes
How to be successful in this course5 minutes
Quick links: Comparing Microsoft Visio for desktop and web5 minutes
More shapes and stencils10 minutes
Additional resources: Introduction to Microsoft Visio10 minutes

8 assignmentsTotal 115 minutes

Activity: Create a basic diagram10 minutes
Knowledge check: Creating a diagram15 minutes
Activity: Organize and format a diagram10 minutes
Activity: Working with themes10 minutes
Knowledge check: Diagram design15 minutes
Activity: Add media to a diagram10 minutes
Knowledge check: Media in diagrams15 minutes
Module quiz: Introduction to Microsoft Visio30 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

What do you hope to learn?10 minutes

In this module, you'll explore the core concepts of the business activity model (BAM), business process modeling notation (BPMN), and flowcharts and have the opportunity to apply what you have learned using Microsoft Visio.

What's included

9 videos5 readings9 assignments

9 videosTotal 44 minutes

What is a business activity model (BAM)?6 minutes
What is a business process?5 minutes
Service blueprints5 minutes
Introduction to business process mapping4 minutes
What is business process modeling and notation (BPMN)?5 minutes
More BPMN diagram types4 minutes
Using BPMN in business process improvement5 minutes
Decision trees5 minutes
Module summary: Business activity and process modeling5 minutes

5 readingsTotal 50 minutes

Types of business activity10 minutes
BPMN flow and connecting objects10 minutes
BPMN pools, lanes and artifacts10 minutes
As-is and To-be process states10 minutes
Additional resources: Business activity and process modeling10 minutes

9 assignmentsTotal 175 minutes

Activity: Business activity model in Microsoft Visio20 minutes
Activity: Service blueprint in Microsoft Visio10 minutes
Knowledge check: Business activity model15 minutes
Activity: Creating a BPMN diagram in Microsoft Visio20 minutes
Knowledge check: Business process modeling notation15 minutes
Activity: As-is and to-be process state in Microsoft Visio30 minutes
Activity: Create a decision tree20 minutes
Knowledge check: More flowcharts15 minutes
Module quiz: Business activity and process modeling30 minutes

In this module you’ll explore the key concepts of data ,odeling using Microsoft Visio to create an entity-relationship (ER) diagram, data flow diagram and data dictionaries.

What's included

10 videos4 readings7 assignments

10 videosTotal 49 minutes

Entities and relationships5 minutes
What is an entity-relationship (ER) diagram?5 minutes
UML Notation5 minutes
Cardinality6 minutes
What is a data flow diagram (DFD)?5 minutes
Logical vs physical DFDs5 minutes
What is a data dictionary?5 minutes
Active and passive data dictionaries6 minutes
Data catalogs and data dictionaries4 minutes
Module summary: Data modeling3 minutes

4 readingsTotal 40 minutes

ER Diagram Components10 minutes
Cardinality cheatsheet10 minutes
DFD levels10 minutes
Additional resources: Data modeling10 minutes

7 assignmentsTotal 140 minutes

Activity: Creating a UML diagram25 minutes
Knowledge check: Entity relationship diagrams15 minutes
Activity: Creating a data flow diagram30 minutes
Knowledge check: Data flow diagrams15 minutes
Activity: Creating a data dictionary10 minutes
Knowledge check: Data dictionaries15 minutes
Module quiz: Data modeling30 minutes

In this module, you’ll put your skills into practice. You’ll reflect on the key learning points that you reviewed during the course and complete the final assessment and hands-on activity.

What's included

2 videos3 readings2 assignments1 discussion prompt1 plugin

2 videosTotal 8 minutes

Course recap: Business process and data modeling with Microsoft Visio6 minutes
Congratulations2 minutes

3 readingsTotal 55 minutes

About the final project and assessment5 minutes
Final project: Improving a business process40 minutes
Next steps10 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 120 minutes

Self-review: Improving a business process30 minutes
Course quiz: Business process and data modeling with Microsoft Visio90 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

Reflect on learning10 minutes

1 pluginTotal 10 minutes

Exemplar: Improving a business process10 minutes

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Instructor

Instructor ratings

(35 ratings)

Microsoft

297 Courses2,540,068 learners

Offered by

Microsoft

Learner reviews

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4 stars
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3 stars
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2 stars
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1 star
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Showing 3 of 134

Reviewed on Nov 28, 2025

The introduction to Microsoft Visio, BPMN, BAM, DFDs, as-is and to-be process states was very useful in my work the ew Subject learning, such a great knowledge to gain.

Reviewed on Nov 22, 2024

new topic / subject learning, such a great knowledge to gain.

Reviewed on Jul 14, 2025

The introduction to Microsoft Visio, BPMN, BAM, DFDs, as-is and to-be process states was very informational.

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