On this day in 2015, Microsoft gave birth to one of the most powerful data analytics platforms of the past decade. In many ways, it has reshaped the data analytics landscape as we know it.
Over the years, I’ve had a front-row seat to watch the platform evolve. I’ve worked alongside some wonderful clients and been part of hundreds and hundreds of Power BI projects. Project of all shapes and sizes. Many of these projects were successful, beyond our client’s wildest dreams. While others unfortunately missed the mark.
As we celebrate Power BI’s birthday today, I reflect on all these projects. Both the good and the bad. In this article I’ll share with you Five Key Reasons Why Power BI Efforts Fail.
1. Single Point of Failure
Many organizations build absolutely wonderful Power BI solutions - on top of a single point of failure. Most of these organizations have one individual who can “do it all.” Maybe you’ve heard this person referred to as a Power BI “Unicorn.”
These folks are magical, talented, and incredibly rare.
However, these same organizations end up a creek without a paddle - when these individuals eventually move on from the company. It’s painful and inevitable.
Not only do these individuals have all the technical knowledge - but they often have all the logic and business process imprinted on their brain. Much of which is virtually impossible to document for their successor.
Platinum PBI support helps create continuity across your team and ensures best-practices.
2. Ignoring Semantics
Your Power BI environment is like a ticking timebomb without a well-built semantic model. Sure, it’ll work for a while, and you’ll save a few bucks using duct-tape and chicken-wire.
Many companies choose to ignore this step against our best advice. Without a well-built semantic model (formerly named PBI dataset) it’s inevitable that you’ll encounter issues around performance, scalability, governance, and data integrity. A good semantic model is the foundation for promoting healthy self-service analytics across your organization.
It’s also a vital opportunity to bring your business together and have hard conversations to drive consensus across common definitions, data standards, and core business logic. It can also be a foundational step in cultivating a rich data culture.
Unfortunately, you cannot learn tabular/dimensional modeling by simply watching a couple of YouTube videos. It’s a skill that is honed over time with experience. Our team of experts have that experience and would love to help.
3. Moving Target
People get excited when the see the potential of Power BI in action. It’s a powerful platform with endless potential. Unfortunately, that excitement often leads to more stakeholders, more requests, more reports, more data sources, and more technical complexity.
We often see companies that struggle to start small and keep things “simple.” We often arm-wrestle with our clients just to help them prioritize the low hanging fruit that can produce greatest ROI and momentum.
Chasing a moving target(s) can lead to total disaster for many organizations trying to build a mature data analytics organization. Our Data Success Framework helps our clients focus on delivering iterative value back to the business and keep the target in focus.
A single Power BI report, with a clean semantic model, validated data, and 100% user adoption- is better than a dozen reports that are 80% complete with zero adoption. Without a trusted partner for accountability, many companies fall into the second bucket and lose sight of the target. Speak with Power BI expert on how to streamline these efforts.
4. Springing Leaks
When your toilet springs a leak - you call a specialist immediately and ask them to come help “as soon as possible!”
We call that specialist a plumber. Why don’t you watch YouTube videos and read DIY blogs to fix it yourself? It’s because some things are just better left to the experts.
The reality is your Power BI developers are spending hours-and-hours each week pursuing YouTube videos and technical blogs trying to troubleshoot issues. Many issues that could be resolved with a quick 15-minute call with an “expert”.
Business initiatives are put on hold. Key stakeholders are left waiting while your team wrenches on those reports. Sometimes the right move is to call in the specialists.
5. Is Everyone Really a Power BI “Expert”
“Oh, we have a Power BI Developer”, that’s the number one rejection we hear on a daily basis at Fulton Analytics. I’m sure you do, and I’m sure they are wonderful.
But let’s clear one thing up, building a Power BI report is easy. Building an end-to-end Power BI solution? Not so much. To build a full analytics solution requires 5-6 uniquely different skillsets. These skillsets are divided evenly between left-brain and right-brain. Even your Power BI “Unicorn” would probably prefer not to handle all six areas.
More often than not, we see Power BI developers asked to do things they shouldn’t. Embrace the 2-3 things they do well, and compliment those talents with the right type of support.
Power BI continues to change every month, and with the release of Microsoft Fabric, those changes are accelerated. It’s impossible for one individual to stay up to speed with all these updates.
As your Power BI environment continues to mature look to avoid these five common mistakes and ensure that you have the right support to thrive on your data-driven journey. Building a solid foundation and finding a trusted partner to lean on can make all the difference.
To learn more about Platinum Support plans (click) or custom data analytics solutions contact our team of experts at Fulton Analytics.
Robert Gerads is the CEO of Fulton Analytics, a data analytics strategy and consulting firm based in St. Paul, MN.
He is also the Founder of the Twin Cities Power BI Meetup.