Have you ever wished you had a crystal ball to help you gain critical data insights for your business? That crystal ball is here – in the form of Power BI. And, unlike most things that sound too good to be true, this powerful tool is the real deal.

But here’s the best part: your team doesn’t need to be technical geniuses to master it!

Power BI is a business analytics solution that, in the words of Microsoft, “lets you visualize your data, share insights across your organization, or embed them in your app or website.”

It’s a powerful combination of business intelligence (BI), reporting, and data visualization tools and services that can increase the effectiveness of people and teams.

In addition to connecting with other Microsoft products and services, Power BI sets itself apart with streamlined publication and distribution tools. But is it the best choice for your business?

How does Power BI help companies with data insights?

Every industry’s market (and each organization within it) is distinct, with unique issues and challenges. As a result, companies use a variety of selling and marketing strategies to offer a range of services and goods.

Systems in every industry produce a range of data in sizes ranging from terabytes to exabytes. Business intelligence (BI) is how organizations evaluate this data and deliver information that informs decisions. These business intelligence-based decisions are essential to the company’s performance.

BI is a rapidly expanding technology that now permeates every industry worldwide. The success of BI services in providing clients with a personalized experience is very high. Businesses are utilizing the potential of this technology by using a large variety of BI Services. Power BI is one such tool that facilitates making complex business decisions.

Why use Power BI?

Microsoft’s cloud-based business intelligence service, Power BI, is a product of the company’s extensive experience with relational databases, including Access, SQL Server, and others. An effective business intelligence platform enables organizations to thoroughly clean data before turning it into useful information. It extensively examines data and imparts insightful knowledge.

The Gartner Magic Quadrant for Analytics and Business Intelligence Platforms places Microsoft in the leaders’ quadrant, making it the dominant vendor in the market. Gartner considers Power BI a go-to platform based on its vision of completeness and capacity to implement BI solutions.

Here are the top 6 reasons why Power BI is best-in-class:

1. Usability

Power BI’s interface is straightforward and user-friendly. Utilizing Power BI doesn’t require any programming knowledge. It features built-in intelligence that guides your choice of attributes for your reports by recommending the most appropriate reporting component.

Example: When you choose sales and category after selecting the appropriate data source, it will automatically determine the proper column chart for you. Similarly, if you choose sales and location, the map chart will be recognized automatically.

It connects to the data source via a simple user interface (UI). When choosing a data source, you can select attributes for your reports by dragging and dropping them.

QA is one feature where you can type a question, and Power BI will respond with a value or graph depending on the inquiry, among other capabilities. For instance, asking, “What was this year’s revenue by month” will provide a diagram showing your revenue broken down by month.

2. Simple to Learn

Power BI is built on the foundation of Excel and creates reports similarly. It makes it easy to learn because Microsoft Excel is a commonly used and widely accepted piece of software.

The principles of Microsoft SQL Server and the Microsoft Access database are the sole foundation for data modeling. As a result, Power BI’s data modeling is straightforward for consumers and programmers to embrace.

The Power BI website provides many learning resources to help you understand its impact and flexibility.

3. Easy to Work With

Power BI offers tools that make it simple to collaborate. Users can work with colleagues in “app” workspaces to produce interactive reports and dashboards. Users can combine dashboards and reports with apps that the user can share with a broader audience. When you have a small audience, Power BI makes sharing dashboards or reports a breeze using the mobile app.

The report can be exported as a PowerPoint Presentation and printed by the user. They can even post reports and dashboards on open websites for viewing and interaction by anybody worldwide.

4. Value for Money

The user can create simple and complex reports and dashboards using the free Power BI desktop. Power BI’s pro licenses are reasonably priced (USD 10 per month). Power BI includes a premium version that enables you to tailor costing based on your audience usage if you have a larger audience.

5. Broad Data Source Coverage

Microsoft Excel, SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, IBM DB2, IBM Netezza, IBM Informix, PostgreSQL, Sybase, SAP Hana, Amazon Redshift, Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Data Warehouse, Azure Analysis Services database, Azure Blob Storage, MailChimp, Facebook, GitHub, Salesforce, and many other data sources are just a few of the data sources for which Power BI has connectors.

6. Effective Visualization 

Thanks to Microsoft, the Power BI visualization is SDK (software development kit) available, along with a sizable library for unique visualization. This feature allows users to modify the UI to suit their needs.

A tool called Query Editor, which is incredibly powerful and flexible and has a ton of functionality, is provided by Data Shaping Power BI. The fact that it is self-documenting is the most significant feature. It also allows you to learn more about the DAX language.

Data Modeling

Any well-developed BI solution is robust. Based on knowledge of the SQL database and Cube technology, Power BI offers a variety of highly effective data modeling solutions.

Power BI’s rivals who provide comparable functionality include several others, including ZOHO Reports, IBM Watson Analytics, Sisense, and Google Analytics, to mention a few. However, the ease of use and quick response time of Microsoft Help made Power BI stand out in the industry.

Conclusion

Power BI and other business intelligence tools give you the tools you need for better strategic analysis of how to consolidate your data streams, improve accessibility, and gain more intelligent insights. They also enable you to analyze your data and keep your business operating efficiently.

It’s simple to understand why Power BI is popular among businesses seeking better insights, dynamic dashboards, and robust reporting. 

Time to consider Power BI?

Liberty Grove Software can help you use many tools and services to help you achieve a successful Power BI implementation that will enhance data insights throughout your organization.

Contact Liberty Grove Software for a complimentary consultation on how Power BI can give you the data insights you need to improve decision-making and compete at a higher level.

Related reading:

Everything You Need to Know about the Gifts of Microsoft Power BI – Liberty Grove Software

Liberty Grove Software is an established Microsoft Partner that focuses on providing customers with sales, service, and support for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central/NAV solutions and training and upgrades.

Over more than 25 years, Liberty Grove has assisted hundreds of customers with businesses ranging from small to mid-sized to Microsoft Partners in implementing, training, customization, and upgrading Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions.

The organization is one of only a few companies worldwide that Microsoft recognizes as qualified to provide Business Central/NAV Upgrade Service Centers.

We have started this blog with a question because we know you have questions about BI (Business Intelligence). And we’re going to continue with a few more questions that might help you understand the power of BI. Here goes…

Question #1: What is BI?

Answer: Business Intelligence (BI) refers to the procedural and technical infrastructure that collects, stores, and analyzes the data produced by a company’s activities.

Question #2: Why Is BI (Business Intelligence) Critical for Your Food Industry Business?

Answer: The simple answer is that BI takes your food industry business to the next level.

Question #3: How do modern BI tools, such as Microsoft Power BI take you to that next level?

Answer:  BI will take your food industry business to the next level by parsing all the data generated by a business and presenting that data in easy-to-digest reports, performance measures, and trends that inform management decisions.

Question #4: What are the critical elements of a modern BI program?

Answer: Here’s the “short” list:

·         Business planning

·         Data mining

·         Analysis

·         Strategy

·         Measurement

·         Benchmarking

·         Reporting

·         Data management

·         Data warehousing

·         Process analysis

·         Descriptive analytics

We could go on, but won’t because we have already given you a LOT to chew on, mull over, and formulate questions that we would be more than happy to answer. Contact us with your BI questions.

Questions are important because we live in the Information Age. But all of the information that bombards us through the IoT (Internet of Things), the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), sensors, and countless other sources, is only worthwhile if we can parse it and ultimately use it to our advantage in an organized way.

That’s what Microsoft Power BI does for us, along with the other tools that are incorporated in the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Power Platform and integrated into your Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central ERP.

Let’s Take a Look at the Microsoft Power Platform

The Microsoft Power Platform is a toolset designed for non-technical business people to:

• build stunning dashboards
• create low-code apps
• set up relevant workflows
• allow chatbots to handle routine inquiries
• gain insights
• close financials faster

Incorporating BI into your ERP does not necessarily change how your organization functions. Instead, it will adapt to your current system and exponentially increases its output. By integrating the Microsoft Power Platform into your ERP, you are moving up to the next level where you can create a competitive edge by simplifying the way you work, saving time, and saving money.

Read more about the components of the Microsoft Power Platform, which are:

• Power BI
• Power Automate
• Power Apps
• Power Virtual Agents

There are countless scenarios for every type of business where BI tools can provide much-needed insight. Companies in the Food & Beverage Industry are perhaps top among them. With 25 years of expertise in the Food & Beverage Industry, Liberty Grove Software is ideally positioned to help your food or beverage company reap the benefits of BI.

To find out more…

Request an Executive Briefing or Request a Private Demo or just contact Liberty Grove Software by calling us at 630-858-7388 or emailing us at nav@libertygrovetech.com.

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How Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Support the Food & Beverage Industry

You can’t escape it. The unprecedented amount of data bombards you day and night, day in and day out. It’s a never-ending stream. Before establishing a practical shop floor data collection system, you must determine what data is essential for your business and what data is unimportant, merely a distraction.

Whether it’s data generated internally, data manually entered into your system, data from sensors, or data from the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), take a breath and decide what to keep and what to discard. Only then can you set up a shop floor data collection system that makes sense. Only then will your data collection system become practical.

The Benefits of a Practical Shop Floor Data Collection System: Your Data Tells a Story!

A practical shop floor data collection program will digitally transform your factory, allowing you to make data-driven decisions that will improve productivity based on real-time information, machine monitoring, and benchmark analysis.

You will gain real-time visibility with apps that collect data from the people, machines, and sensors throughout your operations. You will be able to optimize production by identifying and solving bottlenecks in real-time.

You will be able to calculate cycle time and first-pass yield data for a complete picture of your operation’s productivity. You will be able to minimize downtime by properly balancing work across stations.

You will uncover opportunities to improve operations along your production line. You will be able to build triggers and time-saving workflows by incorporating events and measurements recorded by devices and sensors. You will have the traceability you need for accountability.

You will be able to resolve issues and be proactive based on data, not guesswork.

Say Good-Bye to Manual Tracking

At Liberty Grove Software, the solution we recommend and offer our manufacturing clients is Shop Floor Insight, a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) add-on for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central that significantly reduces the labor costs and errors associated with manual data entry. Shop Floor Insight allows employees to use barcode scanners or touch screens to speed up shop data input for time, material, quality, etc.

The numerous benefits of a shop floor data collection system include, but are by no means limited to, the following twelve:

• Eliminate manual time entry with barcode scanning for Production Orders, Jobs, Service Orders, and Fixed Assets
• Capture operational data on the shop floor, including consumption, output, scrap, and quality
• Record and report on non-productive and rework time for better insight into lost productivity
• Record time and attendance based on employee shifts with exception reporting
• Quickly approve time with exception-based supervisor approvals
• Automatically calculate overtime and shift differentials for integration with payroll systems
• Streamline shop floor data capture
• Enhance data capture and management
• Significantly reduce rework
• Analyze job progression and costing
• Maintain a detailed production history
• Immediate notification to supervisors/chain of command

Shop Floor Insight ROI (Return on Investment)

Shop Floor Insight pays for itself in as little as three months. By automating your shop floor data collection, you will increase data accuracy, reduce unnecessary overhead costs, and improve the efficiency of your staff by enabling them to focus on value-added tasks to drive business performance.

The Shop Floor Insight ROI calculator will help you estimate the key financial benefits of the solution:

• How much overhead time can be saved by automating your shop floor data collection
• Savings gained from increased quality
• The increase in sales driven by improved efficiency and quality
• The payback period for Shop Floor Insight

Take the next steps…

Contact Liberty Grove Software by calling 630-858-7388 or emailing nav@libertygrovetech.com.

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