Data is the new gold – provided you can utilize it. Power BI makes business intelligence accessible for every company and enables data-driven decisions without expensive specialized software or data science teams.
What is Power BI?
Power BI is Microsoft's business intelligence solution that transforms data from various sources into interactive visualizations. The platform consists of Power BI Desktop (for report creation), the Power BI Service (for publishing and collaboration), and Power BI Mobile (for access on the go). With over 100 native connectors, Power BI connects to Excel, SharePoint, SQL databases, Dynamics 365, SAP, and many other systems.
Benefits for SMEs
Self-Service BI
Departments can create and customize their own reports without IT support. The intuitive drag-and-drop interface and natural language queries with Q&A allow even non-technical users to analyze data. DAX formulas provide powerful calculation options for advanced analyses – such as rolling averages, year-over-year comparisons, or weighted KPIs.
Cost Efficiency
Power BI Pro is already included in many Microsoft 365 licenses or costs only CHF 10 per user per month. Compared to enterprise BI solutions like Tableau or Qlik, Swiss SMEs save significant licensing and implementation costs. Power BI Premium per Capacity becomes worthwhile from about 500 users.
The Most Important Dashboard Types
Executive Dashboard
Displays the most important company KPIs at a glance: revenue, EBITDA, number of employees, customer satisfaction, and order intake. Automatic data refresh ensures that management always sees up-to-date figures.
Sales Dashboard
Pipeline overview, conversion rates, revenue per region and customer group – sales managers immediately recognize where action is needed. Integration with Dynamics 365 or Dataverse provides real-time data.
Financial Dashboard
Liquidity forecasts, cost center comparisons, and budget vs. actual analyses assist financial managers in steering the company. Row-level security ensures that department heads only see their own cost centers.
HR Dashboard
Personnel headcount, turnover, sickness rate, and open positions are clearly displayed. Particularly relevant for Swiss companies: evaluations by canton and language region.
Best Practices
Define clear objectives and the right KPIs before creating the dashboard. Use simple, meaningful visualizations – a bar chart is often more effective than a complex 3D chart. Implement a data model with a star schema for optimal performance and use bookmarks and drillthrough pages for interactive analyses. CNEXT supports Swiss SMEs in the design, implementation, and training around Power BI.