The Dashboard Effect

In this episode of The Dashboard Effect, hosts Brick and Caleb explore the essential steps to building efficient and reliable data pipelines. They discuss the critical factors in moving data from transactional systems to data lakes, highlight the importance of simplifying pipelines, and share practical strategies for handling pipeline failures, API connections, and ensuring scalability. Whether you're a data professional or a business leader looking to enhance your data processes, this episode offers valuable insights to guide you.

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Don't miss out on expert tips to help you optimize your data strategies!

Blue Margin increases enterprise value for PE-backed, mid-market companies by building and managing their data platforms. Our strategy, proven with over 250 companies to-date, expands multiples through data transformation, as presented in our book, The Dashboard Effect. 

For a free, downloadable copy click https://bit.ly/3RmBGWQ, or buy a hardcopy or Kindle version on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3UTvTLm).

Get more episodes of The Dashboard Effect podcast on your favorite podcast app or at https://podcast.thedashboardeffect.com/

Visit Blue Margin's library of additional BI resources here: https://bit.ly/3fwNmcg

In this episode of The Dashboard Effect, Brick and Caleb explore the pressing challenges of assembling and sustaining a robust data team in today’s volatile tech landscape. With tech turnover rates on the rise, developing strategies to attract and retain top talent is more critical than ever. They share insights on the importance of redundancy, effective documentation, and keeping solutions simple to ensure your data team stays strong. Join us to learn practical approaches to future-proofing your data team.

Subscribe to our channel for more insights on data analytics and team management.

Blue Margin increases enterprise value for PE-backed, mid-market companies by serving as their fractional data team. We advise on, build, and manage data platforms. Our strategy, proven with over 300 companies to-date, expands multiples through data transformation, as presented in our book, The Dashboard Effect.

For a free, downloadable copy click https://bit.ly/3RmBGWQ, or buy a hardcopy or Kindle version on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3UTvTLm).

Get more episodes of The Dashboard Effect podcast on your favorite podcast app or at https://podcast.thedashboardeffect.com/

Visit Blue Margin's library of additional BI resources here: https://bit.ly/3fwNmcg

In this episode of The Dashboard Effect Podcast, hosts Brick and Caleb dive into the often-overlooked advantages of outsourcing data platform management. They explore why mid-market companies should consider this option, discussing the challenges of in-house management, the importance of expertise in data integrity and security, and how outsourcing can free up your team to focus on core business analytics.

Whether you're a growing company struggling with data management or an executive looking to optimize your data strategy, this episode offers valuable insights into making your data work for you without the headaches of platform management.

Blue Margin increases enterprise value for PE-backed, mid-market companies by serving as their fractional data team. We advise on, build, and manage data platforms. Our strategy, proven with over 300 companies to-date, expands multiples through data transformation, as presented in our book, The Dashboard Effect.

For a free, downloadable copy click https://bit.ly/3RmBGWQ, or buy a hardcopy or Kindle version on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3UTvTLm).

Get more episodes of The Dashboard Effect podcast on your favorite podcast app or at https://podcast.thedashboardeffect.com/

Visit Blue Margin's library of additional BI resources here: https://bit.ly/3fwNmcg

Welcome to The Dashboard Effect Podcast! In this episode, Brick and Caleb discuss the world of generative AI analytics, reflecting on the initial excitement and the current state of the technology. They share their insights and personal experiences, examining the progress made since the Microsoft Build Conference 2023 and evaluating whether generative AI tools are living up to their expectations. 

Visit our website https://BlueMargin.com for more insights and resources. 

Episode Highlights: 

- Initial Excitement and High Expectations: Brick and Caleb reminisce about the excitement surrounding the Microsoft Build Conference 2023 and the potential they saw in tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft's Power BI Copilot. 
- Current State of Generative AI: Despite the initial hype, Brick shares his observations on the current limitations of generative AI tools, particularly in producing reliable and accurate results. 
- Data Quality and Reliability: Caleb highlights the ongoing challenge of ensuring high-quality data input to achieve meaningful outputs, emphasizing the old adage, "garbage in, garbage out." 
-Machine Learning vs. LLMs: The conversation differentiates between traditional machine learning techniques and the newer large language models, exploring their respective strengths and weaknesses. 
- User Interface and Semantic Layer: The importance of building effective data models and semantic layers is discussed, with real-world examples of the complexities involved. 
- Future of AI: Brick and Caleb speculate on the future developments in AI, including the possibility of re-architecting LLMs and the timeline for achieving truly reliable generative AI tools. 

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Watch the episode here: https://youtu.be/D5_WqaI_LNo

Thanks for watching, and we'll see you in the next episode of The Dashboard Effect Podcast!

In this episode of The Dashboard Effect Podcast, we tackle the complex world of multi-currency reporting in Power BI. Whether you're a BI professional or a business analyst dealing with international data, this episode is packed with valuable insights to enhance your reporting capabilities.

Brick and Caleb dive deep into:

• Effective strategies for displaying different currency symbols
• The power of dynamic formatting in Power BI
• An innovative approach using a "concatenated fact table"
• Best practices for handling currency conversion rates
• Balancing data duplication and compression for optimal performance
• Real-world examples of multi-currency implementation for global businesses

The hosts share their expert knowledge on structuring data models, optimizing queries, and creating user-friendly interfaces for multi-currency reports. They also discuss the pros and cons of various approaches, helping you make informed decisions for your specific reporting needs.

By the end of this episode, you'll have a solid understanding of how to implement robust multi-currency functionality in your Power BI reports, enabling you to deliver more meaningful and flexible global business intelligence.

Tune in to level up your Power BI skills and transform the way you handle international financial data!

Watch the video on our YouTube: https://youtu.be/pcyUvGVHAY0


Blue Margin increases enterprise value for PE-backed, mid-market companies by serving as their fractional data team. We advise on, build, and manage data platforms. Our strategy, proven with over 300 companies to-date, expands multiples through data transformation, as presented in our book, The Dashboard Effect.

For a free, downloadable copy click https://bit.ly/3RmBGWQ, or buy a hardcopy or Kindle version on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3UTvTLm).

Get more episodes of The Dashboard Effect podcast on your favorite podcast app or at https://podcast.thedashboardeffect.com/

Visit Blue Margin's library of additional BI resources here: https://bit.ly/3fwNmcg

In this episode of The Dashboard Effect Podcast, hosts Brick Thompson and Caleb Ochs discuss the pros and cons of emailing reports in business intelligence. They explore why the common practice of sending daily Excel sheets or PDFs is limiting and outdated, and offer better alternatives using modern BI tools like Power BI.

We cover in this episode...

- The limitations of static, emailed reports
- Power BI's subscription feature as an improvement
- The importance of live, interactive data
- Alternatives for users who need raw data access
- Storage concerns with emailed reports

Learn how to move beyond inbox-clogging data dumps and empower your team with real-time, interactive dashboards. Whether you're a BI professional or a business leader, this episode offers valuable insights on modernizing your reporting practices.

Blue Margin increases enterprise value for PE-backed, mid-market companies by serving as their fractional data team. We advise on, build, and manage data platforms. Our strategy, proven with over 300 companies to-date, expands multiples through data transformation, as presented in our book, The Dashboard Effect.

For a free, downloadable copy click https://bit.ly/3RmBGWQ, or buy a hardcopy or Kindle version on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3UTvTLm).

Get more episodes of The Dashboard Effect podcast on your favorite podcast app or at https://podcast.thedashboardeffect.com/

Visit Blue Margin's library of additional BI resources here: https://bit.ly/3fwNmcg

#BusinessIntelligence #PowerBI #DataReporting #Analytics

In the latest episode of The Dashboard Effect Podcast, Brick and Caleb discuss a common challenge businesses face when trying to extend their data for reporting purposes using Excel files to categorize or group data in ways not supported by the original system.

While this approach may seem simple and straightforward, it can lead to several problems down the road, such as:

• Difficulty matching numbers between the transactional system and the reporting tool (e.g., Power BI)
• Inconsistencies in categorization when new data is added
• Maintenance overhead and potential for errors as the Excel file grows

The golden rule, as emphasized in the podcast, is to handle as much data categorization and grouping as possible within your transactional systems. While it may seem like a pain to make updates there, it will save you time and headaches in the long run.

Watch the full Youtube episode.

Blue Margin increases enterprise value for PE-backed, mid-market companies by serving as their fractional data team. We advise on, build, and manage data platforms. Our strategy, proven with over 300 companies to-date, expands multiples through data transformation, as presented in our book, The Dashboard Effect.

For a free, downloadable copy click https://bit.ly/3RmBGWQ, or buy a hardcopy or Kindle version on Amazon.

Get more episodes of The Dashboard Effect podcast on your favorite podcast app.

Visit Blue Margin's library of additional BI resources.

#DataReporting #TransactionalData #Excel #PowerBI #BusinessIntelligence

Brick and Caleb get technical this week with a special focus on delta loading. They break down the concept of delta loading and highlight its benefits over traditional full loading techniques in terms of speed and resource efficiency. Caleb covers the typical obstacles faced when implementing delta loading, including issues with legacy systems and API limitations. He also shares strategies for effective delta loading, with practical tips and workarounds that you can apply directly to your operations.

Watch this episode on our YouTube channel.

Blue Margin increases enterprise value for PE-backed, mid-market companies by serving as their fractional data team. We advise on, build, and manage data platforms. Our strategy, proven with over 300 companies to-date, expands multiples through data transformation, as presented in our book, The Dashboard Effect.

Subscribe here to get more episodes of The Dashboard Effect podcast on your favorite podcast app.

Visit Blue Margin's library of additional BI resources.

Brick and Caleb share the essentials of performant Power BI reports. They discuss the ideal loading performance benchmarks, the implications of load times on user trust, and helpful strategies for debugging and optimizing data models and DAX measures.

Watch this episode on our YouTube channel.

Blue Margin increases enterprise value for PE-backed, mid-market companies by serving as their fractional data team. We advise on, build, and manage data platforms. Our strategy, proven with over 300 companies to-date, expands multiples through data transformation, as presented in our book, The Dashboard Effect.

Subscribe here to get more episodes of The Dashboard Effect podcast on your favorite podcast app.

Visit Blue Margin's library of additional BI resources.

Brick and Caleb discuss the importance of data modeling and good DAX in Power BI, highlighting common mistakes that can lead to poor report performance. For fast and efficient reporting, you need a sound data model that contains the right level of detail, dimensions, and relationships, avoids snowflake schemas, and uses simple (and standardized) naming conventions.

Watch this episode on our YouTube channel.

Blue Margin increases enterprise value for PE-backed, mid-market companies by serving as their fractional data team. We advise on, build, and manage data platforms. Our strategy, proven with over 300 companies to-date, expands multiples through data transformation, as presented in our book, The Dashboard Effect.

Subscribe here to get more episodes of The Dashboard Effect podcast on your favorite podcast app.

Visit Blue Margin's library of additional BI resources.