Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak at a public event about Power BI and how it can be used to realise the real value of Data Analytics.
I know Power BI has become very popular in the Data and Analytics community and probably there is not much to say to convince people any further in using it.
Nevertheless, the following are the ideas I wanted to share with this presentation:
1. Power BI is more than a visualisation tool
The point I wanted to make clear with this presentation is that Power BI is primarily a visualisation tool. But, to appreciate the real value of the tool, we have to look at its ability to connect to multiple on-premises and cloud based data sources; its ability to transform and shape datasets into rich data models; its ability to integrate natively with analytics technologies such as R scripts and visuals; and the list can go on. The real power of Power BI appears when using it in conjunction with the ecosystem of other data and analytics technologies.
2. Power BI: The evolution of the data insights and the data platform
For many organisations, the data platform started with SQL Server, and in most cases, this platform still resides on-premises.
With the latest release of SQL Server 2016, the data platform extends to the cloud and now relies on Azure to scale both data storage and processing power. Also, other features such as the inclusion of R scripting in SQL Server and the availability of Machine Learning in Azure, make enterprise-level analytics a reality for everyone.
With all these technologies, Power BI is the perfect fit to visualise a) stored data, from SQL Server, Azure SQL Database or Azure SQL Data Warehouse; b) processed data, as the result of applying machine learning algorithms; or c) streaming data, from Azure IoT hubs, just to provide a few examples.
3. Seamless integration with Office 365 and Azure
For companies already investing in Office 365 and Azure, it makes sense to include in this investment Power BI for their data and analytics.
Office 365 provides the platform for people to collaborate around data and insights. Office 365 Group App Workspaces are the entry point to sharing files on OneDrive for Business, conversations in Exchange, shared calendar and tasks, and so on.
In addition, Azure and Power BI have the native connectivity to scale the simple or complex tasks required for real-time insights. In reality, the opportunities to build applications using Azure data services and Power BI are endless.
4. The best way to start is by using Power BI
From personal experience, I soon realised that by having data in my hands I was better positioned to make timely decisions. Being the manager for a consultancy practice, I have regular meetings with clients. It makes a difference when I can use a Power BI report to show the Customer the information that matters to them. By using Power BI, I use a report that provides a complete view of projects and resources; and on the spot, we can make decisions to execute these projects better.
Once you understand the value that Power BI can bring to your business, you will find that is much easier to talk to other people about the tool and convince them to use it. You cannot promote the adoption of a particular technology if you don’t believe in it.
Power BI is yet another visualisation tool, but its real value resides in combining it with other technologies to produce useful insights to gain the competitive advantage needed to lead the market.
Technology is available for everyone.Innovation happens when architecting the solution is done in such a way that the produced value makes our lives easier and us better.
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