Power BI: Improving Business Insights for Dynamics 365 Users

29.10.24

According to a study by EY, 93% of businesses expressed plans to continue increasing their investments in data and analytics.

As part of this increase in data analytics investment, companies are now looking to analytical tools such as Power BI to help drive business success.

But what makes Power BI so effective, and how can it transform how companies operate when integrated with Dynamics 365? Let’s explore…

What Is Power BI?

Simply put, it is a powerful analytics tool developed by Microsoft for businesses, that enables users to visualise data, uncover insights, and make data-driven decisions.

But what is Power BI used for? From building interactive dashboards to generating reports with real-time data, it empowers you to take control of your business data without needing to be an expert in data science.

The key advantage is its ability to bring all your data into one place. Whether it's financials, sales, or inventory, the business intelligence platform connects to multiple data sources, including Dynamics 365 and Business Central, allowing businesses to analyse and report on data from various departments seamlessly.

Dynamics 365 Power BI reports can help you make smarter, quicker decisions by presenting data in a visually engaging way. With AI assistance, you can easily find patterns in your data and create reports instantly.

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How Does Power BI Work with Dynamics 365?

Power BI works seamlessly with Dynamics 365, enhancing how you view and analyse data from this robust ERP system. By connecting Power BI to Dynamics 365, users can extract real-time data, transforming it into comprehensive, role-based dashboards and detailed reports. The integration of Power BI and Dynamics 365 allows users to explore critical data in detail, monitor KPIs, and track trends over time.

For example, a sales team using Dynamics 365 can use it to visualise sales performance, customer data, and forecasts, making it easier to identify opportunities for growth or areas that need attention. A 360-degree view of each customer can be seen in customer-specific dashboards, with data from various Dynamics 365 applications, helping sales and service teams provide top-class customer service.

Marketing teams can benefit from Dynamics 365 Power BI reports by tracking cross-channel campaigns, website and social analytics and for clear insights into spending, engagement, conversion rates, and performance.

Your finance department can use Power BI dashboards withing Dynamics 365 Finance to monitor costs, get projections for financial planning and track expenses across the organisation.

Microsoft Dynamics 365

How Does Power BI Work with Business Central?

For businesses using Dynamics 365 Business Central, Power BI offers powerful analytics capabilities that enhance business intelligence. Connecting to Business Central is straightforward and allows you to analyse financial data, supply chain performance, and more in real-time.

Dynamics 365 Business Central Power BI integration provides deeper insights into operational efficiency and financial health. With this powerful business intelligence software, data points can be visualised through easy-to-understand dashboards, providing actionable insights that can optimise processes and improve decision-making.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

What Can Power BI Help Businesses Achieve?

Power BI’s value goes beyond just data visualisation. It can drive meaningful change within manufacturing and distribution industries by improving operational efficiency and uncovering growth opportunities.

In manufacturing, it can help businesses analyse production line performance, monitor machine downtime, and track output efficiency. This enables you to pinpoint inefficiencies and make informed decisions on how to optimise production.

For distribution companies, it can help track the movement of goods across supply chains, offering visibility into order processing times, stock levels, and delivery performance. This level of insight helps you to identify bottlenecks, reduce delays, and better meet customer demand.

The power of Power BI integration with Dynamics 365 lies in its ability to turn raw data into actionable insights, helping you to streamline operations and boost profitability. It brings the whole organisation’s data together, allowing for better communication and collaboration between teams. You can also share reports in your other Microsoft platforms, including Teams, PowerPoint and Excel.

4 Benefits of Using Power BI

When you connect Power BI to Dynamics 365 or Business Central, you unlock several key advantages that go beyond just reporting.

1. Real-Time Insights

One of the standout features of Power BI is its ability to provide real-time data visualisation. This means that decision-makers no longer have to wait for the end-of-month reports. Instead, they have access to up-to-date information that reflects the current state of the business.

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2. Customisable Dashboards

Power BI dashboards are highly customisable, allowing users to focus on the metrics that matter most to them. Whether it's tracking financial performance or monitoring customer service metrics, each user can tailor their dashboard to display the data they need.

3. Collaborative Reporting

Power BI makes sharing insights across teams simple. Users can easily create reports and share them with others in the organisation, ensuring everyone is working from the same information. This kind of collaborative reporting encourages better decision-making and greater alignment across departments. Plus, the report builder is very user friendly.

4. Scalability

Whether you're a small business or a large enterprise, Power BI grows with you. It can scale to meet your needs as your business evolves, offering more advanced analytics capabilities as required. It also integrates with a wide range of data sources, from on-premises systems to cloud-based services, ensuring it fits seamlessly into your current technology stack.

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Why Choose Power BI for Your Business?

As industries become more competitive, staying ahead requires more than just intuition. Businesses need to make data-driven decisions, and Power BI offers the tools to help you do just that.

By combining Power BI and Dynamics 365, you can harness the full potential of your data, leading to improved productivity, optimised processes, and better outcomes.

If you're a business owner in manufacturing or distribution, using Power BI with Dynamics 365 or Business Central will give you insights to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase profits, and you'll be empowered to make smarter, faster decisions backed by data.

Ready to leverage the power of Power BI?

Get in touch with us to learn more about how Power BI integration with Dynamics 365 can take your business to the next level.

Further Information

Microsoft Dynamics 365

Syscom can help you transform how you run your business using Microsoft’s suite of cloud-based, intelligent business applications - Dynamics 365.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Microsoft Dynamics 365

Microsoft Business Central

Business Central is an affordable ERP software solution, you can choose a licensing option that suits your business on a per-user per-month basis.

Microsoft Business Central Microsoft Business Central

Customise Dynamics 365 with ISV Solutions

Third-party applications from an ISV (independent software vendor) available from App Source can help you to enhance its functionality and extend the capabilities significantly.

Learn More About ISV's For D365 Learn More About ISV's For D365

Need a New Microsoft Dynamics Partner?

Our 'Dynamics Medic' programme is designed to help businesses struggling to get their version of Dynamics AX, NAV or 365 working correctly and are paying for a system that's not serving its intended purpose.

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