Power BI

What Can Power BI Do for My Business?

Power BI can arguably provide benefits in one way or another to pretty much any type of organisation. Providing you have data flows that contribute in some way to decision making within your company, there is something to offer. Your specific environment and data requirements will determine the extent to which you use Power BI and the functionality within, here are some of features you can expect to use if you choose Power BI - 

• Data Connectivity -

  Power BI allows users to connect to a wide range of data sources, including databases, spreadsheets, cloud-based services and online services. This connectivity enables users to retrieve data from multiple sources and then use it for reporting and analysis purposes.

• Data Transformation and Modelling -

  Users can format, clean and model their data using Power BI's tools, such as Power Query and Power Pivot. This ensures that the data is in the most relevant format for analysis and reporting.

• Visualisation -

  One of the most popular features in the Power BI tool set is the dashboards and reporting. They offer a rich set of visualisation options which allows users to create interactive and informative reports and dashboards. Users can choose from a wide range chart/graph types, tables, maps and custom visuals to represent data without the need to build each type from scratch.

• Ad Hoc Reporting -

  Power BI provides fast reporting capabilities in that it allows users to explore and analyse data in real time providing they have an internet connection so the data can sync. With features like drag-and-drop visualisations and interactive filtering, users can quickly generate insights without depending on pre-built reports.

• Scheduled Data Refresh -

  Power BI Service allows for scheduled data refresh, ensuring that reports and dashboards are updated with the latest data automatically at time intervals to suit the user. This feature is crucial for maintaining the relevance and accuracy of reports.

• Sharing and Collaboration -

  Because Power BI is a cloud-based service, users can publish, share, and collaborate on reports and dashboards. This allows teams to work together and can help reduce the instances of work duplication.

• Integration with Other Tools -

  As part of the Microsoft family, Power BI can integrate with other Microsoft tools and services, creating a unified ecosystem for data analysis. It can also be integrated with a wide range of third-party applications and services to enhance its capabilities.

Whilst reporting is a significant component of Power BI, it encompasses the entire process of data preparation, modelling and visualisation. This holistic approach makes Power BI a powerful business intelligence platform that allows users to make data-backed decisions based on well-designed and interactive reports and dashboards with real-time data. In addition, it is regarded as relatively easy to navigate and use, even for beginners.

Implementing Power BI

Many companies have some type of Business Intelligence (BI) tool(s) already, however, many companies also do not understand how to leverage said tools to their fullest extent rendering them somewhat, or wholly useless.

The complexities can start at implementation which can be a technical and laborious process. without the right know how, it is likely to take you longer than it needs to in order to set up the platform to retrieve data from all of the required sources and even moreso, to use said data to create relevant and easy to interpret reporting and dashboards. We strongly suggest that in the absence of your own specialist resource that you seek out an individual or company who has expertise in the Power BI platform to get you started.

How Can We Help?

At Cool Code Company we can make sure that the Power BI Dashboards work in a way that is relevant and beneficial to your business. Often, businesses implement these tools without understanding their potential and knowing how to make it work properly for them. Our UK-based team can connect all of your relevant data streams, produce the reports & dashboards you need with the right tools in place and even offer training to your wide team so they can comfortably navigate and use the platform.

We pride ourselves on your business getting exactly what it needs. This is all within our expertise, so talk to us to find out how we can get working for you.

FAQs

Q) Is Power BI a reporting platform?

A) Yes, Power BI is often described as a reporting platform, but it goes beyond traditional reporting to provide a comprehensive business intelligence solution.

Further Reading

What are the best ways to build a dashboard in Power BI?

What is the difference between Power BI reports and dashboards?