LSI Business Intelligence Initiative

PROJECT GOALS Streamline the reporting process Consolidate SQL Servers Create self service data marts Setup framework for creating new reports Enable automated reports & dashboards; eliminate manual steps Consolidate SQL Servers Reduced license cost Reduced Infrastructure maintenance Determine and utilize the best tools for the job SSRS Excel Power Bi

SELF SERVICE REPORTING! PROJECT GOALS SELF SERVICE REPORTING!

Reporting Mix Business Forms Audit Reports Sales Order Acknowledgements Purchase orders Invoices Audit Reports Live, up to the minute data Item setup / BOM validation Kanban validation Shop Load

Reporting Mix Historical Reports / Dimensional data Excel Dashboards End of Day Data Used for Analysis History reports Subscription Reports Excel Dashboards Linked to multiple sources Manually entered into multiple linked spreadsheets Most data already contained within AX, but not utilized

REPORTING CHALLENGES Majority of report requests sent to IT Lack of understanding of the data Reports used for data extraction into Excel Excel reports / Dashboards linked to other manually updated excel reports Lots of “Cut and Paste” data Data silo proliferation No Source of Truth

Decision of tools SSRS Excel Power Bi Business forms and historical reports (AX Standard) Detailed audit reports Subscription reports Excel Historical reports / dimensional data requiring detailed analysis Power Bi Dimensional data requiring visualizations Dashboards and “at a glance” reports

Power BI Simple to use Great Visuals Users can Mash up data Create their own reports Do their own data analysis Multiple ways to pull in and join data

POWER BI Circle of Implementation Type Definition Tabular Live Live connection in Power BI Desktop to SSAS Tabular model. Tabular Import SSAS Tabular model imported into Power BI Desktop Model. MD Live Live connection in Power BI Desktop to an SSAS Multi-Dimensional OLAP cube. MD Import SSAS Multi-Dimensional OLAP cube imported into Power BI Desktop Model. Relational Live Live connection in Power BI Desktop to Relational Database objects. Relational Import Relational Database objects imported into Power BI Desktop Model. Tabular Live Tabular Imported MD Live MD Import Relational Live Relational Imported

Tabular and MD Live Pros Cons IT governance of data Handles large data sets (server dependent) Limits data silos Easy to use models Cons Lack of Tabular / DAX skill set Users cannot create new measures Users cannot mash up data or perform simple formatting Initial POC tested differently than the implementation Feature support changed

Tabular and MD Import Pros Cons Users can create new measures Users can mash up data or perform simple formatting Ready to go models Can handle multiple data sets Cons Reduced IT governance of data Lack of Tabular / DAX skill set Data Limited to 1gb Can increase data silos Imports as one large table Certain dimension sets cause too many cross joins and fails to import

Relational Live Pros Cons Handles large data sets (server dependent) User can create models as required Cons Reduced IT governance of data Can create data silos Limited creation of new measures Users can only mash up relational data Models can get out of sync with the database

Relational Import Pros Cons Users can create new measures Users can mash up data or perform simple formatting Ready to go starter models with the use of Power BI Templates Can handle multiple data sets Most flexible for the power user Cons No IT governance of data Data Limited to 1gb Can increase data silos Changes to underlying data can break Power BI model User learning curve for DAX File size can be large Refresh time dependent on model

POWER BI Wild West – Data Silo Proliferation Tabular Live Tabular Imported MDX Cubes Live MDX Cube Import Relational Live Relational Imported

Power BI Desktop Features/Limitations Comparability Matrix MD (Import) MD (Live) REL (Import) REL (Live) TAB (Import) TAB (Live) Measure Creation Yes No Limited DAX Compatibility Under development Large Datasets Small Datasets Maximum Dataset Size 1 GB Server Resource Limits IT Governance Poor Good Data Governance Data Silo Proliferation Full MD Feature Support NA Full Tabular Feature Support Model Readability Model Ease of Use Model Maintenance Multiple Data Sources (data mashup) Import Only Import/ Live (Relational Databases Only) (Multiple data sources can be used to create the server tabular model)

End Choice - Tabular Live Will fit 80% of our self service reporting requirements Models and permissions are better controlled by IT Better control over Power BI Gateway Consistent measures, naming conventions and documentation One source of truth New features currently being added for users to add measures https://ideas.powerbi.com/forums/265200-power-bi-ideas/suggestions/11685723-create-calculated-measures-on-top-of-a-live-ssas-c

OUR GOAL Data Warehouse Tabular Models Power User Measure Enhancements (available when Microsoft adds the planned feature) AX Data