Harnessing the untapped potential of data for business success

Ever wondered how some businesses manage to turn a seemingly endless stream of data into a treasure trove of insights? The key lies in the hands of Power BI developers, who transform complex information into digestible, actionable knowledge.

In this article, we will discuss the role of Power BI developers in modern business and why they are critical in driving success. We will also explore the skills and responsibilities required of Power BI developers, the impact they have on business performance, and their potential for future growth.

With the increasing amount of data generated by businesses, there is a growing need for professionals who can process, analyze, and present that data in a meaningful way. The role of a Power BI developer is essential in this context, and the following sections will explore this further.

Power BI: turning raw data into a strategic asset

Power BI is a business analytics tool developed by Microsoft that enables businesses to transform their data into visually appealing reports and dashboards. Power BI developers, the creative minds behind these informative visuals, equip businesses with the insights they need to make informed decisions based on data-driven evidence.

The core competencies and responsibilities of power BI developers

Power BI developers possess a diverse array of skills and responsibilities, including:

• Profound understanding of data analysis concepts (data modeling, data mining, and data visualization)
• Expertise in deciphering large datasets to reveal trends, patterns, and insights
• Proficiency in the Power BI platform and related tools (DAX, SQL, and Microsoft Excel)
• Mastery of data warehousing concepts and programming languages (JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and scripting languages such as PowerShell)
• Outstanding communication skills to facilitate seamless collaboration with stakeholders (business analysts, data scientists, project managers).

Their broad range of responsibilities encompasses:

• Crafting data models, reports, and dashboards using Power BI's capabilities
• Attuning to stakeholders' needs, gathering requirements, and understanding their objectives
• Refining data models and reports for performance and scalability
• Troubleshooting challenges related to data, reports, and visualizations
• Cooperating with developers, data scientists, and analysts to maintain data consistency and accuracy
• Keeping pace with the latest developments in the Power BI platform and related tools.

In summary, Power BI developers play a critical role in enabling businesses to gain insights from their data and make informed decisions based on those insights. To be successful in this role, Power BI developers must possess a wide range of skills and have the ability to collaborate effectively with stakeholders.

Power BI developers: catalysts for business performance

By developing visualizations and reports that can be easily understood by stakeholders, Power BI developers enable businesses to make data-driven decisions that can have a significant impact on the bottom line.

Power BI developers help businesses identify new opportunities for growth, improve operational efficiency, and reduce costs. By providing real-time insights into business performance, they enable stakeholders to make quick decisions that can have a significant impact on the business. Power BI developers can also help businesses identify potential risks and threats by analyzing large datasets and identifying patterns and trends that might otherwise go unnoticed. This enables businesses to take proactive measures to mitigate these risks before they become a problem.

Moreover, Power BI developers enable businesses to be more agile and responsive to changes in the market. By providing real-time insights into business performance, they enable stakeholders to make quick decisions that can have a significant impact on the business. In addition, they can help businesses identify potential risks and threats by analyzing large datasets and identifying patterns and trends that might otherwise go unnoticed. This enables businesses to take proactive measures to mitigate these risks before they become a problem.

Power BI developers play a pivotal role in shaping business performance by designing easily understandable visualizations and reports that enable data-driven decision-making, positively influencing a company's bottom line. Key business benefits include:

• Uncovering new opportunities for growth
• Boosting operational efficiency
• Minimizing costs
• Delivering real-time insights for agile decision-making
• Identifying and mitigating potential risks and threats through extensive data analysis.

The rising demand for power BI developers

As the volume of data generated by businesses continues to soar, the demand for professionals who can process, analyze, and present data in a meaningful way will only increase. Consequently, the role of Power BI developers becomes increasingly crucial in driving business success.

The skills and responsibilities of Power BI developers are varied and require a wide range of technical and soft skills, including data analysis, technical and programming skills, and communication skills. They must collaborate effectively with stakeholders such as business analysts, data scientists, and project managers.

How can we help?

Having completed the theoretical part, I will now present example of my actions that helped in business. Once, when I was still at the beginning of my business intelligence journey, a colleague from the finance department asked me for help. It was about a report that they prepared for the company's management every month. It was the essence of sales data that showed the company's condition in black and white. For the finance department, it was a really time-consuming report that took my colleague the whole day to prepare. First, they extracted data by exporting it from various sessions of the ERP system. Then, data from many obtained tables were combined. Business logic, various types of data filtration, and calculations were added to it. Various pivot tables and charts were prepared from this prepared table. Approximately 10 visualizations that were required by the management. I would like to add that everything was done step by step in Excel.

We started with a few joint meetings so that I could understand the business logic. Next, using Power Query, I connected to the database from which I could extract data and made all the necessary data transformations and table connections using this tool. Then, thanks to Power BI, I recreated all the visualizations in a slightly more eye-pleasing form. I prepared two versions of the report. The first was dedicated to the management, refreshing itself with the financial closing of the month and automatically saving to PDF format. The second refreshed itself daily to keep track of sales data in real-time.

It took me only 16 hours, twice as long as my colleague took to prepare it, but looking at the scale of the year, she now had an additional 12 days that she could spend on other activities. I also know that this report is still used today, and several years have passed. We can see here how business intelligence solutions translate into time savings.

_{Author: Filip Czaboryk, Bi Developer, ASTEK Polska}

This article comes from magazine:
FOCUS ON Business #11 July-August (4/2023)