Making Power BI Sing (tactics for standing out)

I have a healthy hatred for the default fonts DIN and Segoe UI (seriously, though, just change them).

Power BI is an indispensable tool for businesses that want to harness the power of data-driven decision-making, so why not make it look good and use it differently? Learning to use Power BI in unconventional ways can lead to unexpected insights, improved efficiency, and a more engaged team.

The outcome: a more agile and successful organisation.

Unfortunately, many people don't fully explore the potential of Power BI, missing out on its transformative impact.

The primary reason is a lack of awareness of the tool's versatility.

Other reasons people don't learn how to use Power BI in innovative ways or struggle to make actionable progress include the following:

• Reason #1: Sticking to basic features and standard templates
• Reason #2: Lack of creativity in data visualisation
• Reason #3: Not integrating Power BI with other tools
• Reason #4: Failing to embrace a data-driven culture within the organisation

So, let's change that; read on to explore how to innovatively utilise Power BI to gain a competitive edge and save you from sending your end-users to sleep.

Here's how step by step:

Steps to stand you out from the competition

Step 1: Think beyond the default

Explore custom visualisations. Custom visuals allow you to create more interesting, insightful, and tailored reports that better serve your organisation's unique needs.

For example, create a custom word cloud to analyse customer feedback or develop an interactive map to display regional sales data. By going beyond the default visualisations, you'll uncover insights that may have otherwise remained hidden.

Some great custom visualisations:

• Mapbox (I don't use anything else for maps)
• Deneb (Advanced)
• Scroller by Fredrik Hedenström
• Inforiver Charts
• Note on custom visuals. It's best practice to use Microsoft and third-party visuals with Power BI Certification (Look for "PBI Certified").

Step 2: Integrate Power BI with external tools

A common mistake is not leveraging the full extent of Power BI's integration capabilities. Power BI can connect to various data sources and tools, allowing you to consolidate and analyse data from multiple platforms.

For instance, integrate Power BI with social media platforms to monitor brand sentiment or track website analytics to optimise your digital marketing strategy.

Other great connectors available out of the box are:

• Azure Cost Management - Monitor your Azure spending in Power BI.
• Google Analytics - get your website stats visualised properly
• SharePoint - great if your team stores files on SharePoint
• Access Database - Dealing with some old-school access databases? Drag them into the modern day with Power BI

Think outside the flat file box and explore the connectors available to you.

Step 3: Get creative

Power BI doesn't have to be serious all the time (it has a personality, you know).

Why not try to mix it up by:

• Tracking fantasy football stats
• Designing a virtual escape room
• Building a wellness tracker (you know, with all that data from your smartwatch)
• Showcasing visual art
• Creating a culinary exploration dashboard

Early in my Power BI career, I learned the best dashboard and reports were the ones where people saw them and asked, "How did you build this?"

From then on, one of my main aims is to make Power BI look less... well, Power BI-ey.