Power BI is Microsoft's business intelligence platform that transforms data into interactive visualizations and actionable insights. As a Microsoft Partner, EBM integrates Power BI with Catalyst to deliver secure, always-current dashboards built directly on your Catalyst data. This introduction explains what Power BI is, how EBM uses it to power your analytics, and how to get started with dashboards for your organization.
Power BI is a business intelligence platform that connects to your data, transforms it into meaningful visualizations, and delivers insights where you need them. EBM integrates Power BI with Catalyst to provide secure, interactive dashboards that stay synchronized with your business data—no manual updates or version control issues.
What is Power BI?
Power BI is Microsoft's comprehensive business intelligence platform consisting of three main components that work together to deliver insights:
| Component | What It Does | Who Uses It |
|---|---|---|
| Power BI Desktop | Windows application for building reports with visuals, charts, and calculations | Report creators, analysts, developers |
| Power BI Service | Web-based platform (app.powerbi.com) for publishing, sharing, and viewing reports | All users—creators and viewers |
| Embedded Reports | Interactive dashboards embedded directly in websites and applications | End users viewing in Catalyst |
Power BI connects to various data sources, cleans and transforms that data into a structured model, then creates interactive charts and graphs for analysis. Users can filter, drill down, and explore data in real-time without needing technical expertise.
🎯 Key Concept
Think of Power BI as three layers: Desktop for building, Service for publishing and collaboration, and Embedded for delivering insights directly where users work—in this case, your Catalyst website.
Why Power BI for Your Organization
As a Microsoft Partner, EBM leverages Power BI's enterprise capabilities to deliver dashboards that provide immediate value to your organization.
Core Benefits
🔄 Always Up-to-Date
Auto-refreshed data eliminates manual updates or version issues. Dashboards stay synchronized with your Catalyst data automatically.
🔗 Centralized & Connected
One central location for recurring dashboards and analysis, accessible through your Catalyst website with proper security controls.
📊 Interactive Insights
Drill down, filter, and explore data in real-time. Make better decisions with dynamic visualizations rather than static reports.
☁️ Built on Azure + EBM
Secure, scalable Microsoft Azure infrastructure managed by EBM, ready to integrate seamlessly with your Catalyst dataset.
Additional Advantages
| Improved Decision-Making | Real-time insights and trend analysis enable informed, data-driven decisions |
| Scalability | Dynamically updates with data changes, growing data volumes, and expanding user bases |
| User-Friendly | Non-technical users can view and interact with dashboards; technical users can build custom reports |
| Microsoft Integration | Export reports to Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF; integrate with other Microsoft 365 tools |
How Power BI Works with Catalyst
Understanding the data flow from your source systems to interactive dashboards helps you appreciate the security and reliability built into the integration.
The Complete Data Journey
Data Ingestion
Data enters Catalyst from your ERP system (via automated integrations) or through manual uploads. It's standardized and securely stored in Microsoft Azure Data Lake.
Analytical Models (Catalyst Cubes)
Catalyst organizes data into Azure Analysis Services (AAS) tabular models—often called "cubes." These support all in-app Catalyst analysis and Excel connections.
EBM Semantic Model
EBM maintains and publishes a shared semantic model (dataset) in Power BI that mirrors your Catalyst cubes. This ensures consistent structures, naming conventions, and automatic security alignment.
Visualization & Access
Reports built on the semantic model are published to your EBM Power BI workspace and embedded into your Catalyst website for secure, governed viewing.
Security Note: Row-level security configured in Catalyst applies automatically to all Power BI dashboards. Users only see data they're authorized to view, with no additional configuration required.
For a detailed technical explanation of this architecture, see the Complete Guide to Power BI for Catalyst.
Available Dashboard Packages
EBM offers pre-built dashboard packages across all major business functions, plus custom development for specialized needs.
Dashboard Packages by Function
💡 Remember: We can visualize anything you can think of—as long as the data exists in Catalyst or can be integrated. If additional data needs to be layered in, we'll work with you to make it happen.
Two Ways to Build Dashboards
Choose the approach that fits your team's resources, technical capabilities, and timeline.
🛠️ Self-Built DashboardsWhat to Expect
Advantages
Considerations
|
🧩 EBM-Built DashboardsWhat to Expect
Advantages
Considerations
|
EBM Dashboard Service Advantage
Built by Experienced Experts
Professionally built by EBM's analytics team, with experience across hundreds of dashboard builds and use cases
Fully Managed Delivery
No technical work required on your end. EBM handles everything from data modeling to embedding dashboards in Catalyst
Always Current & Maintained
Dashboards stay aligned with Catalyst data refreshes and include ongoing maintenance for reliability and performance
The Engagement Process
When you choose EBM-built dashboards, we follow a structured four-phase approach:
Scope (1-2 weeks)
We define success together—identifying key KPIs, calculation logic, and dashboard visuals that will drive the most value. It's really about getting agreement on what "good" looks like before we ever start building.
- KPI Definition
- Calculation Logic
- Dashboard visuals
Build (2-4 weeks)
Our analytics team configures the dashboards, runs QA, and collaborates with your stakeholders through iterations. You'll see the dashboards evolve in real time, so there are no surprises at go-live.
- Configure and refine
- QA & Testing
- Stakeholder review
- 2x Iterations
Deploy (1-2 weeks)
We bring the dashboards into your Catalyst environment, train your team, and make sure everything's running as expected. Now, you're live and ready to use your dashboards.
- Go-live and training
- Launch
- Training
Maintain (Ongoing)
One of the most important steps—we continue to monitor performance, ensure version compatibility with Microsoft and Catalyst updates, and handle any issues that come up as your data evolves. That's what makes this different—it's not a one-time build; it's an ongoing partnership.
- Performance monitoring
- Issue resolution
- Version compatibility
💡 Tip: Even if you plan to build your own reports, contact EBM Support first to verify workspace and dataset access are active.
Power BI vs. Excel
Both tools have their place in your analytics toolkit. Understanding when to use each helps maximize efficiency.
| Aspect | Power BI | Excel |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Use Case | Recurring analysis and real-time monitoring | Ad hoc analysis and detailed investigations |
| Data Refresh | Automatically refreshed daily (or as configured) | Manual refresh required |
| Distribution | Centralized in Catalyst—one location for all users | Distributed via shared drives, subject to version control issues |
| Interactivity | Drill down, filter, and explore in real-time | Limited interactivity; requires rebuilding for changes |
| Processing Power | Strong—handles complex analyses seamlessly (PVM, churn, anomaly detection) | Limited—complex analyses can be cumbersome |
| Best For | Executive dashboards, KPI monitoring, trend analysis | Detailed data exploration, custom calculations, one-time reports |
The Typical Workflow
- Start with Power BI: Use dashboards for recurring analysis and high-level insights
- Spot something interesting? Drill into specific data points within the dashboard
- Need deeper analysis? Export to Excel for detailed investigation and custom calculations
- Share findings: Present insights using Power BI dashboards or Excel reports
💡 Pro Tip: Power BI dashboards often reveal questions that need deeper exploration. That's when you pivot to Excel—export the data, run your specific analysis, then return to Power BI for ongoing monitoring.
Getting Started
Ready to bring Power BI dashboards to your organization? Here's what you need to prepare.
Before You Begin
| What to Prepare | Details |
|---|---|
| Dashboard Ideas | What insights do you need? Which KPIs matter most? What questions do you want answered? |
| Build Approach | Will your team build dashboards (self-service) or have EBM build them (managed service)? |
| Data Source | Which dataset should feed the dashboard? (Financial, Sales, Operations, Custom, etc.) |
| Calculation Logic | Any specific formulas, comparisons, or metrics that need custom logic? |
| Audience | Who will use these dashboards? What's their security level and access needs? |
Next Steps
📞 Contact Your EBM Team
Reach out to your EBM point of contact or submit a support request to discuss your dashboard needs.
📚 Explore Documentation
Review the complete Power BI integration guides to understand the process and technical requirements.
🎯 Define Your Goals
Think about what success looks like—which metrics drive decisions and what questions you need answered daily.
👥 Identify Your Audience
Determine who will use these dashboards and what level of detail each user group needs for their decision-making.
✅ Remember: If you can think it, we can find a way to visualize it. We can only report on data that exists in Catalyst, but if additional data needs to be integrated, we'll work with you to make it happen.
Complete Power BI Documentation
This introduction provides an overview of Power BI and Catalyst integration. For detailed technical guidance, explore the complete documentation series:
📖 Technical Integration Guides
Complete Guide to Power BI for Catalyst
Comprehensive end-to-end tutorial covering the entire integration process from data architecture to embedded dashboards
Access & Connect to Your EBM Power BI Workspace
Prerequisites, licensing requirements, and step-by-step workspace access for Power BI Service and Desktop
Building Reports in Power BI with Catalyst Data
Connecting to datasets, designing visuals, best practices, and saving your work for self-built reports
Embedding Power BI Reports in Catalyst
Publishing reports to your workspace and embedding them in Catalyst's Visualizations menu
👥 End User Guides
Viewing and Editing Catalyst Visualizations
How to access, interact with, and make simple filter updates to your embedded dashboards
Subscribing to Catalyst Visualizations
Automate report delivery via email with scheduled subscriptions in PDF, PowerPoint, or URL format
🔧 Support & Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting Catalyst Power BI Integration
Solutions for common issues including workspace access, authentication, data refresh, and performance problems
🔗 External Resources
Microsoft Power BI Documentation
Official Microsoft documentation for Power BI features, DAX formulas, and visual customization
Questions?
Whether you're ready to get started or just exploring what's possible with Power BI and Catalyst, we're here to help.
💬 Contact EBM Support
For workspace access, dashboard builds, data questions, or integration support
📖 Microsoft Resources
For Power BI product features, design guidance, DAX formulas, or platform questions
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