The Business Intelligence Process

Written By Yany Siek

The Business Intelligence process can in five key steps:

🔍 1. Understand the Business Need

  • Meet with stakeholders to clarify goals.

  • Identify the key questions the dashboard should answer.

  • Define success criteria and expected outcomes.

📁 2. Identify and Gather Data Sources

  • List all data sources (e.g., Excel, databases, APIs).

  • Get access credentials and permissions.

  • Perform initial data exploration to assess quality and relevance.

🔄 3. Prepare and Transform Data

  • Load data into Power BI using Power Query Editor.

  • Clean and transform data (remove duplicates, fix formats).

  • Create calculated columns and conditional logic as needed.

🧠 4. Build a Data Model

  • Define tables and relationships (use star schema when possible).

  • Create measures using DAX (e.g., totals, averages, YoY changes).

  • Optimize performance with proper data types and relationships.

📊 5. Design the Dashboard

  • Choose the right visuals for each metric (bar, line, map, card, etc.).

  • Apply consistent formatting (colors, fonts, layout).

  • Use slicers and filters to enhance interactivity.

  • Add tooltips, titles, and labels for clarity.

🔐 6. Apply Data Security (if needed)

  • Set up Row-Level Security (RLS) if different users should see different data.

  • Ensure sensitive data is masked or excluded if necessary.

🚀 7. Publish and Share

  • Publish the report to the Power BI Service.

  • Set up scheduled data refreshes.

  • Share with stakeholders using apps, links, or embedding.

📈 8. Monitor and Maintain

  • Track report usage and performance in the Power BI Service.

  • Gather user feedback for improvements.

  • Regularly update the dashboard as business needs or data evolve.

Downloadable Business Intelligence Process Summary File:

Our team is preparing a downloaded Microsoft Word and PDF file for your use. Stay tuned!

Yany Siek
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Prioritize defining the business need