Microsoft Power BI

With more and more data available, the struggle to process it increases. Microsoft Power BI can help. You can quickly, effectively and economically access, analyze, report on, share, and collaborate on your mission-critical information.

Power BI, a component of the Microsoft Power Platform–which also includes Power Apps, Power Virtual Agents, and Power Automate (formerly known as Microsoft Flow)–is a collection of software services, apps, and connectors that turn unrelated data sources into coherent, interactive insights. Regardless of your data’s location—cloud, on-premises, or a hybrid warehouse—you can easily connect all your sources to:

• Transform data into visuals and share them with anyone on any device
• Visually explore and analyze data from anywhere in one view
• Share and collaborate on customized dashboards and interactive reports

Power BI can be simple and fast, letting you quickly create insights from Excel or another database, but it should not be underestimated: It’s built for intensive modeling and deep, real-time analytics. It can also be custom-developed, so it can play the role of personal report/visualization tool, as well as an analytics and decision engine for groups, divisions, or entire organizations.

What a Power BI flow looks like

Power BI consists of these components:

• Power BI Desktop
• Power BI Service
• Power BI mobile apps for Windows, iOS, and Android devices
• Power BI Report Server

The first three components help users create, share, and consume business insights in the way that works best for them or their role. Power BI Report Server allows you to publish reports to an on-premises report server.

Here is a common flow illustrating the first three components:

1. Connect to data sources and build a report in Power BI Desktop
2. Publish that report from Power BI Desktop to the Power BI service
3. Share the report so users in the Power BI service and mobile devices can view and interact with it.

If you’re not ready for the cloud, you can create, deploy, and manage Power BI mobile and paginated reports on premises with Power BI Report Server. You deploy Power BI Report Server behind your firewall, then deliver reports as appropriate for each user—web browser, mobile device, email, etc. When you’re ready to move the cloud, there’s no problem: Power BI Report Server is compatible with Power BI in the cloud.

Discover what the Power Platform can do for your business with a Proof of Concept engagement

A proof of concept is an efficient, low-risk approach that lets you see for yourself what the Power Platform can do for you. In a 5- to 10-day engagement, we work with you to re-imagine a challenge or goal. It stimulates the ideation process, but it also provides deliverables that identify the value you can expect when you move forward with a Power Platform project. Learn more about HSO’s Proof of Concept offering.