The ‘Power’ Behind Microsoft Power BI

Data is the driving force of today’s businesses, and we’re producing more of it than ever.

But accumulating loads of digital information isn’t much use unless organizations are able to make sense of it. That’s where business intelligence and data visualization software come in.

What exactly is Power BI?

Power BI, a Microsoft product, is a collection of software services, apps, and connectors that work together to turn an organization’s unrelated sources of data into coherent, visually immersive, and interactive insights. Data may be an Excel spreadsheet or a collection of cloud-based and on-premises hybrid data warehouses. Power BI lets users easily connect to corporate data sources, visualize and discover what’s important, and share that with anyone or everyone.

These dashboards can be utilized to get insight into the current state of your organization as well as forecast the future direction of a company’s operations. Dashboards and reports are automatically updated with the most up-to-date information, so there is no need to spend additional time updating the same reports again and over.

Because the Power BI Service is accessed through a web browser, reports can be accessed from any location at any time.

Power BI features and functions

Power BI enables users to view not only what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present, but also what may occur in the future, thanks to its predictive capabilities. Power BI has been equipped with machine learning capabilities, which means that it can recognize patterns in data and use those patterns to make informed predictions and conduct “what if” scenarios in real time. These projections enable users to develop forecasts and prepare themselves to meet future demand and other critical metrics by using these estimates.

Who should use Power BI?

Designed for enterprises that require greater reporting and analytical capabilities than Excel can provide, Power BI is the next step in the evolution of business intelligence. Businesses can compile, analyze, and visualize data from across the organization with Power BI, providing them with greater insight into their operations and performance and helping them to make more informed decisions based on real facts.

Below are some of the key benefits of using Power BI:

Businesses can input larger quantities of data into Power BI that many other platforms would struggle to process;
Built-in machine learning features can analyze data and help users spot valuable trends and make educated predictions;
Information can be visualized using powerful templates to allow businesses to better make sense of their data;
Power BI is cloud-based, so users get cutting edge intelligence capabilities and powerful algorithms that are updated regularly;
Powerful personalization capabilities allow users to create dashboards so they can access the data they need quickly;
Alerts can be set up on KPIs to keep users up to date on important metrics and measurements;
Power BI has an intuitive interface that makes it far more user-friendly and easier to navigate then complex spreadsheets;
The platform integrates with other popular business management tools like SharePoint, Office 365, and Dynamics 365, as well as other non-Microsoft products like Spark, Hadoop, Google Analytics, SAP, Salesforce, and MailChimp; and
With data security a massive talking point for modern businesses, Power BI ensures data is safe, offering granular controls on accessibility both internally and externally.

Power BI Versions

There are a few different Power BI editions to pick from, based on your budget, your requirements, and how you intend to use it in your organization. These versions range from light use to complete functionality, and from free to premium, allowing customers to choose the one that best matches their needs.

You can opt for a Windows desktop application called Power BI Desktop, an online SaaS (Software as a Service) service called the Power BI service, a mobile Power BI app available on iOS and Android phones and tablets, or an on-premises version known as Power BI Report Server.

Here’s a quick overview of the different versions:

Power BI Desktop — Free, intended for small to midsize businesses
Power BI Service
- Power BI Pro — Paid per-user license, needed to get access to advanced features and the ability to share reports
- Power BI Premium — Licenses by scale, intended for large businesses and enterprises
Power BI Mobile — Device-based app for phones and tables
Power BI Embedded — A white-label version of Power BI which Independent Software Vendors can embed in their own apps, rather than build their own analytical features
Power BI Report Server — An on-premise version of the Power BI Desktop app for businesses that need to keep their data and reports on their own servers

Power BI has been recognized as a leader in the analytics and Business Intelligence market by Gartner for the past 11 consecutive years and is often touted as the platform with the most complete vision in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant reports.

The Litcom Approach

Litcom offers variety of services regarding Power BI and analytics.

Designing and Creating Reports

We create easy-to-use reports which are clear to read and filled with visuals to help you to see what’s going on in your business. Our reports transform large datasets to actionable information. You don’t need to use your valuable time for creating and designing the reports, instead you can start analyzing your business data right away.

Automating Reporting

Many companies use lot of resources routinely generating and updating same reports. We can automate your reporting using Power BI. Then you can use your time for analyzing the reports and making decisions, instead of updating the reports and producing the numbers.

Comprehensive Reporting Development

Instead of engineers, our BI-team consists of business administration professionals with strong IT skills. We have strong understanding of business processes and have worked with companies which operate in various industries. We know how to develop your reporting so that it truly fulfills all your business needs.