Launched and introduced in 2015 as the successor of Excel based plugins, businesses across industry verticals are now actively using Microsoft Power BI to turn raw data into useful insights. These insights help businesses to manage and measure numbers much needed to make real-time and critical business decisions.
Microsoft Power BI is a cloud based analytics platform comprising of features like data manipulation and warehousing. These features when used correctly enable businesses to pull out, connect and then visualize data from a variety of sources and systems on premises or cloud. But there is more to it than meets the eye. To get the most out of it, you need to have an in-depth and solid understanding of it features. This is possible through ITSM training or by completing SQL server 2016 certification.
However, to get started here’s what you can do:
Visualize All the Services Your Company Uses
Microsoft Power BI has hundreds of templates, integration and content packs for different data services, applications and even services that use visualizations and pre-set reports. And you know what that means? This means that you can use MS Power Business Intelligence to visualize the data in those particular services. For example if you use K2 Cloud or MailChimp or Google Analytics, you can easily leverage MS Power BI for data visualization in those services. Wait there’s more! You can also create reports and unify them into a custom dashboard.
Furthermore, you can set-up the on premises gateway to use MS Power BI for exploring different data sets on your servers. In this way, you can easily compare your site users with sales, or evaluate the performance of new promotions. All this provides you with insightful information which you can use for better decision making.
Use Data for Story Telling
Though bar charts and pie charts are great for displaying numerical information however, if you want to show the changes in data and development over the years, take advantage of Timeline Storyteller option. This feature provides custom visuals. For example you can create linear data lists or lay them in circles, grids, or any other shape. Furthermore, you can show a chronological list or logarithmic scales to tell about the business developments over the years or the history of your company.
Unlock its Power to Explore the what if Scenarios
Simply drag the slider bar and add new parameters to create what if scenarios. Do this by setting parameters like setting the data type, maximum, increments and minimums, and then test different scenarios. This is a great way to try and test different situations and evaluate outcomes for better decision making and risk mitigation.
Put Data Extraction & Report Creation on Automation
ITSM training will help you optimize processes and leverage tools like MS Power BI to maximum business productivity. To make the most out of MS Power BI automate extraction of data and creation of reports. As data and insights help make decisions, you most certainly don’t want to have incorrect or skewed data. Extracting data manually from different sources, transforming them, loading and then visualizing all data not only is a time consuming task but susceptible to human error. You can easily avoid this by using MS Power Bi to automate data extraction and report creation.
Ask Questions in Real-Time
Another way to tap the true power of MS Power Business Intelligence tool is to use the feature of natural language to ask questions and get answers in the form of visualizations. It gives you the power to specify your data presentation and layout. You can pin the visualization to your dashboard which makes it easy to create further visualizations for a data set.
This feature works in the iOS Power BI app and Power BI website. However, it can also work in the Excel table.
Simplify Data Using KPI Custom Visualization
Though managers and analysts may require plenty of details, if you’re an executive already tracking 20 to 30 key metrics for multiple areas and regions, then use the Power KPI visualization option to combine multiple reports into a single tile. In this way it’ll be easier to present information in a simple format rather than complex visualizations.
From an ITSM perspective, MS Power BI is a great tool to integrate in your business environment. Data visualization and charts can be crucial for real time decision making much needed to deliver better services to clients, and manage and tackle problems before they even occur. With MS Power BI, you can stay informed, instantly know when your organization needs attention. It’s fast and real-time problem solving approach integrates well with information technology service management approach. You can seize opportunities as they arise and end chaos organization wide.
By tapping the full potential of Power BI, you can empower your team to make quick and confident decisions, thereby mitigating risks, finding solutions to problems before they happen and tapping new opportunities before others do.
To learn more about MS Power BI, consider SQL server 2016 training, or enroll in an MS SQL server certification program. Remember knowledge is power. Quality training will help you understand business intelligence in a better way and take advantage of its features for best results, and service delivery. Currently, it has 5 million subscribers. So, what are you waiting for? Join the league and start taking advantage of it now.