Inquiry on Learning Power BI and SQL for Dynamics 365 Business Central Without Work or Organization Email

Question

Dear Microsoft Learn Community,

I hope this email finds you well.

I am a recent master's graduate, and I am looking to become a business consultant/analyst. I’ve learned that developing skills in Business Intelligence (BI) and SQL, particularly in using Power BI for Dynamics 365 Business Central, is essential for my career path. Since I am new to this field, I want to learn how to create datasets for Power BI reports within Business Central and understand the process of using Power BI for reporting.

However, I do not have access to a work or school email, nor am I affiliated with any organization that uses Dynamics 365 Business Central. As a result, I am unable to access some of the resources and services typically provided through a corporate or institutional email address.

Could you please advise on how I can still proceed with learning these tools without a professional email? Specifically, I am looking for:

How to use the assisted reporting setup in Business Central to expose existing queries and reports as web services.

How to develop custom datasets for Power BI to enable easy reporting for Dynamics 365 Business Central data.

Any free or accessible resources or trial options available to users without a corporate email.

Learning these skills is crucial for me as they will directly contribute to my employment prospects and growth as a business consultant/analyst. I would greatly appreciate any guidance or recommendations to help me get started.

Thank you for your time and support.

Best regards, Tanishq Shah

This question is related to the following Learning Module

Answer 1

Hi Tanishq Shah,

Thank you for reaching out to us on the Microsoft Q&A forum.

You can start learning Power BI and SQL for Dynamics 365 Business Central without a work or school email by using https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=58494, which is free and doesn’t require sign-in.

Create a Microsoft 365 account: If you don’t have a work or school email, you can sign up for a free Microsoft 365 trial https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/try. This will provide you with an organizational email that you can use to access Power BI Service.

You can also explore the https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/dynamics-365/, though some features may require a business email.

If you’re using Power BI Desktop, there’s no need for a work or school email—you can use the tool without signing in to the Power BI Service.

If you are still facing any issue, please let us know in the comments and where you are encountering this error along with the screenshot for reference. We are glad to help you.

If you found the information helpful, we would greatly appreciate it if you could acknowledge it by selecting the Accept Answer & Upvote options.

Thank you.