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14 Proven Fixes for Slow Power BI Dashboards (By a Developer) 

While Microsoft Power BI is an effective tool for business intelligence and data visualization, it can cause a few concerns. Here, we’ll discuss the reasons for slow Power BI dashboards and proven ways to fix the issues as provided by a certified developer.  Microsoft Power BI is a business intelligence and data visualization platform with a global client base. Statistics show that around 54,978 companies use Power BI. It enjoys 13.28% of the global market share in the data visualization market, with Tableau, D3js, and Heap Analytics as its competitors.  Many startups, SMBs, and multinational organizations use Power BI for various purposes. From the sales teams to finance departments, everyone in the enterprise uses the platform to analyze business data and generate reports to make data-driven decisions. The visualizations on the dashboards are attractive, interactive, and informative. However, some businesses have issues with slow Power BI dashboards. The reports are not generated in real-time, or take too many resources to deliver the output.  This leads to questions like, Why is my Power BI dashboard loading so slowly? How can I fix this issue? And so on!  Is there an answer to these questions? Absolutely!  Slow dashboards can be due to various reasons. It can be resolved by identifying the core problem. Sometimes, it’s a combination of reasons. In such instances, you will get better results by hiring a Power BI consulting company to resolve the issue.  Here, we’ll look at the causes of slow Power BI dashboards as well as how to improve report performance in Power BI by making a few strategic and technical changes to the process.  Potential Causes for a Slow Power BI Dashboard  Power BI performance depends on various factors like the existing IT infrastructure, internet network, hardware, third-party software, employee efficiency, and much more. That’s why it’s recommended to work with a Power BI service provider to perform an audit of your systems and create a comprehensive plan to revamp the entire data architecture and infrastructure if required. Even if it sounds like an expensive and complex project, it ensures seamless performance and fast results. It also provides high ROI and makes it a worthy investment.  A few common reasons for slow Power BI dashboards are as follows:  Outdated Architecture  Data architecture refers to the blueprint of how you manage your business data. It includes data collection, cleaning, storing, transformation, etc., as well as how the data is used to derive meaningful insights. Having a robust data architecture will ensure seamless data flow within the organizations. However, when you use outdated department silos and older software with Power BI, the platform cannot work effectively. For example, connecting Power BI with SQL Server databases might be easy but the results will be greater if you connect it to Amazon Redshift or Azure. This requires technical expertise.  Mismatch of Technologies  Though many third-party tools can be integrated using APIs or other means, it is important to choose the ones that are more compatible with each other and don’t cause glitches. Moreover, using older technology with the latest ones can reduce overall efficiency. Power BI can have a few issues working with the distributed nature of the cloud. So, dealing with large datasets can be a concern if the connections are not set up properly. This slows the Power BI dashboard and limits real-time decision-making. You can improve Power BI speed by choosing supporting tools and technologies with care.  Data Complexity and Volume  There’s no lack of data in today’s times. If anything, it’s the opposite. Businesses often have too much data, with more being generated every hour. However, not all of it is useful. Additionally, creating data relationships can be complex and confusing. When such highly complex datasets are connected to Power BI, the tool can take extra time to analyze the data and provide an output. It results in computational overheads while reducing responsiveness. Knowing how to store complex data and use it for analytics can resolve the issue.  Poor Data Modeling and Management  Data modeling is the creation of a visual representation of data and its relationship within the database. It streamlines the ETL (extract, transform, load) process by reducing uncertainties. However, if your data modeling and management processes are not clearly defined or optimized, you will end up with poor data quality and glitches, which ultimately slow down the entire system. Power BI dashboards will be less efficient in analyzing the data to deliver insights. On the other hand, robust data modeling makes it easier to automate the process using AI tools and speeds up the Power BI dashboards.  Excess Visualization in Reports  Data visualization is the graphical representation of data and insights using charts, graphs, diagrams, infographics, and animations. These reports are interactive and unique, and make it easy to understand complex insights. Power BI dashboards are used to create dynamic visualizations. However, you should be careful not to overdo this. Adding multiple visuals to the same page can overload it and slow down the dashboard. This results in lower efficiency and delayed insights. Think about whether you really need a dozen visuals on the same page or if you can use only a few to share the same information. Power BI dashboard optimization includes personalization of the visuals to balance efficiency and speed with user-friendliness.  Overloaded Report Architecture (DAX calculations) DAX stands for Data Analysis Expressions and is used for queries and calculations. It is different from SQL, which works seamlessly with Power BI. Translating DAX to SQL queries can result in slow processing and inefficiencies. When the data operations become more complex, it further affects the platform and causes a lag. Optimizing the report architecture instead of overloading it is a comprehensive solution to overcome the challenge. This can be done by certified Power BI experts. Hire reputed Power BI services to rewrite the formulas, remove unwanted high-cardinality fields, and optimize the process.  14 Proven Fixes for Slow Power BI Dashboards Power BI optimization can speed up slow dashboards. This

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Power BI in Ecommerce – Top 11 Companies Shaping Analytics

The Ecommerce sector can vastly benefit from using business data to derive actionable insights and make data-driven decisions through real-time dashboards. Here, we’ll discuss the top 11 Power BI companies in the Ecommerce industry and their services.  Ecommerce is among the fastest-growing industries in the global market. With millions of people buying products online, there is high demand and supply for a plethora of goods. Be it medicines, apparel, electronics, or groceries, numerous products can be purchased online directly from the manufacturer, distributor, or online retailer.  Statistics show that 2.77 billion people are estimated to shop digitally. This represents 33% of the global population. With over 28 million Ecommerce stores in the market, there is high competition between businesses to capture more customers and retain them. In such instances, data analytics and business intelligence help businesses get a clear understanding of the market trends, sales, customer behavior, competitors, etc. By implementing platforms like Microsoft Power BI, Ecommerce businesses can make quick and effective data-driven decisions to stay ahead of competitors and achieve their targets.  In this blog, we’ll read more about the role of Power BI in Ecommerce and the top eleven companies that offer the required services to benefit from the platform’s solutions. How is Power BI Used in Ecommerce? Power BI is a business intelligence and data visualization platform developed by Microsoft. It can be integrated with diverse data sources to collect business data and analyze it to provide in-depth insights and reports through the dashboards. Employees from different departments use the insights and visualization reports for real-time decision-making. By using Power BI in Ecommerce, a business of any size can streamline its operations and enhance customer experience.  While businesses can implement Power BI on their own, partnering with a service provider will ensure accurate and seamless results. Moreover, the company offers long-term support and maintenance services to troubleshoot and upgrade the platform whenever necessary.  Here are a few ways to use Power BI services to boost Ecommerce business.  Customer Segmentation  Customers are vital in Ecommerce. How a business reaches out to its target audiences, how it promotes the products, customer behavior, purchase patterns, demographics, etc., determines its success. With Power BI, the business can analyze customer data to derive in-depth insights. Based on these, the business can sort and filter customers into different segments and send customized target promotions accordingly.   Inventory Management  How many products should the business stock? Which item is in more demand? When will customers buy a certain product more? Power BI can be used to derive such insights. This helps maintain inventory levels and handle fluctuating demands without worrying about low stock. Similarly, the business can avoid overstocking a product.  Supply Chain Management  After inventory, supply chain management and logistics are other crucial aspects of an Ecommerce business. With help from Power BI companies, businesses can streamline all parts of the supply chain, reduce risk, and make alternate arrangements in advance to prevent delays and disruptions.  Sales and Revenue Analysis  The sales data gives plenty of insights into Ecommerce businesses. It can be used to measure progress, identify weak areas, understand growth opportunities, etc., for different products, regions, durations, and so on. With real-time Power BI dashboards, the sales team can get instant inputs and take corrective steps before it is too late. This also enhances customer experience.  Marketing and Promotions  Power BI can also be used to analyze data from websites, ads, social media platforms, and marketing campaigns to provide a clear picture through the dashboard. With this information at their fingertips, Ecommerce businesses can track metrics like click-through rates, conversion rates, acquisition costs, and many more to increase ROI from marketing.  Predictive Analytics  Predictive analytics are a type of advanced analytics that process historical data to predict future trends for the business. By using Power BI to forecast sales and understand market fluctuations, the Ecommerce business can be ready to tackle seasonal fluctuations and changes in customer behavior.  Real-Time Reporting  Ecommerce analytics through Power BI dashboards can be used for real-time reporting. Employees can send a query and get an instant outcome to make a decision or complete the task. Whenever businesses have to make quick decisions, they can use real-time reporting and stay at the top of the game instead of relying on outdated and old reports. Power BI in Ecommerce – Top 11 Industry Players DataToBiz DataToBiz is an end-to-end AI company offering tailored services to implement solutions for Power BI in Ecommerce. As a certified Microsoft Gold Partner and Microsoft Power BI Showcase Partner, the company has the required expertise and experience to build, deploy, integrate, and customize Power BI dashboards as per clients’ requirements. It works with startups, SMBs, MSMEs, and large enterprises from across the globe. The company has in-depth knowledge of various industry standards and knows how to help businesses align their process with their mission and achieve the desired goals. As one of the leading business intelligence companies, DataToBiz has worked on several data visualization Power BI projects. The professionals build custom dashboards and provide the necessary support to ensure seamless integration with third-party tools. Ecommerce businesses can use real-time visualization reports to track their sales, marketing campaigns, customer experience, targets, etc., and make data-driven decisions.  ScienceSoft  ScienceSoft is a global IT consulting and software development company offering retail analytics solutions through Power BI dashboards. The company’s services are customized to meet the varied requirements of clients and help them implement advanced solutions with ease. It assists retail and Ecommerce businesses in converting raw data into valuable insights to make real-time decisions and capture more audiences. The company also works with businesses from several sectors by offering industry-specific services. It has been a Microsoft Solutions Partner for years and has ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications to ensure quality solutions. The company has won The Americas’ Fastest-Growing Companies by the Financial Times thrice in a row. ScienceSoft has experienced Power BI developers who create diverse dashboards for KPIs and set up the

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How to Make Your BI Dashboard Actionable – 8 Insider Tips

BI helps examine large datasets to understand trends, patterns, and correlations. It is useful in deriving accurate insights for various requirements. Here, we’ll discuss the top tips for creating tailored, actionable BI dashboards for data-driven decision-making.  Business intelligence (BI) is a set of tools, technologies, and processes used to collect, clean, and convert raw data into actionable insights. The insights are used to develop business strategies, streamline operations, optimize resources, enhance customer service, and increase profits. The analytics derived by BI help a business unlock its full potential and gain a competitive edge in the global market.  Statistics show that the BI market is estimated to increase by $18.56 billion at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 10.7% between 2024 and 2029. It can be used in any industry and by a business of any size or volume. BI tools like Power BI can be hosted on-premises and on cloud platforms. They can be integrated with data sources, repositories like data warehouses and data lakes, and other third-party software. The dashboards that provide data visualization reports are the core of the Power BI adoption process.  These dashboards enable users (employees, management, stakeholders, etc.) to access data in real-time, derive insights, generate reports, and collaborate with others from the same interface. However, for this to happen seamlessly across the enterprise, the dashboards have to be actionable and optimized.  In this blog, we’ll share insider tips to make your Business Intelligence dashboards actionable and achieve the expected results from your Power BI journey.  What Makes a BI Dashboard Actionable? Actionable BI dashboards are user-centric and provide clear insights relevant to each user/ employee’s job. Business intelligence dashboards can be built using tools like Microsoft Power BI, Tableau, etc. Power BI is among the top three dashboards used by organizations from different industries and regions. It can be personalized to create interactive dashboards that generate meaningful reports for employees in just a few clicks. While many enterprises use business intelligence, not everyone achieves the desired results. That’s because the dashboards have to be optimized to deliver actionable insights, preferably, in real-time.  So what makes a dashboard actionable and efficient?  It is an improved BI dashboard that focuses on finding solutions to the following questions:    In short, an actionable dashboard is fully aligned with the business vision and objectives while providing customized and interactive solutions to employees who use it for daily activities. Integrating the dashboard directly into the workflow also makes it actionable, though the delivered insights have to be useful, meaningful, up-to-date, and accurate for employees to make data-driven decisions.  Though the initial setup is a one-time process, BI dashboard best practices have to be monitored continuously to ensure the process is in sync with your organizational requirements. That’s why most businesses partner with Power BI service providers for integration and maintenance services.  Insider Tips to Make BI Dashboards Actionable  A well-designed dashboard is useful in tracking business intelligence KPIs, generating data visualizations, and sharing the latest insights with team members, stakeholders, and others. However, creating this dashboard requires technical expertise, planning, and a clear understanding of what your business wants.  Clear Purpose and Objectives Be clear about the purpose of creating BI dashboards. Also, understand the difference between a dashboard and a report. A business intelligence dashboard provides a real-time view of critical metrics and KPIs. It allows you to interact with the interface by adjusting the filters or changing the visuals as required. This enables quick and real-time decision-making. A BI report is a document with in-depth analysis of a given situation that often uses historical context and helps identify trends, patterns, etc. It is generated as per a pre-determined schedule or whenever necessary and used for auditing, compliance, and more.  Start by defining the exact purpose of building actionable BI dashboards. What do you want to track, monitor, or measure? What are the benchmarks against which you will measure your performance? What do you intend to achieve and by when? What are your goals and objectives for the short-term and long-term?  Best Practices:  Keep it Simple Power BI dashboard reports and interfaces should not be cluttered or filled with countless visuals. Packing too much information is easy, but it can be overwhelming for users and counterproductive when they have to make data-driven decisions. Cluttered dashboards make it hard to collaborate and communicate with others, as they can increase confusion or misunderstandings. At the same time, a simple dashboard doesn’t have to be static, boring, or unappealing. Achieve the right balance between simplicity and efficiency.  Best Practices: Understand BI Dashboards Dashboard insights can be actionable when you understand what the interface can deliver and how the insights can be used. For example, strategic dashboards are used by C-level executives, analytical dashboards by most employees in the enterprise, tactical dashboards by mid-level managers, and operational dashboards by department heads or team leaders for highly specific data. Each of them serves a different purpose aligned with what the user wants.  Best Practices: Choose the Best Visualizations  Data visualizations come in various types. There are several varieties of charts, graphs, diagrams, maps, etc., like line charts, pie charts, bar graphs, tree graphs, heat maps, and many more. However, not every visual is suitable for every type of data or insight. Similarly, a single type of visualization cannot be used for every purpose or requirement. For example, a pie chart shows the % ratios between different elements, while a line chart can be used to compare the progress of the elements across a timeline or a measurement. The idea behind using visualization instead of text is to present more information in a simpler format.  Best Practices: Web-Based Data Sharing  In today’s world, data and insights should be accessible at the fingertips, no matter where your employees are. No doubt, Power BI Desktop is useful when working on-premises. However, the web version can be used on most devices and from any location as long as there’s an internet connection. Power BI Mobile works

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Power BI and Python Integration: Transforming Analytics

Unlock the potential of Power BI and python integration. Seamlessly integrate scripts, follow the step-by-step guide, and explore these best practices for transformative data analysis. Microsoft Power BI provides organizations with robust tools to transform raw data into actionable insights. With its intuitive interface and seamless integration capabilities, Power BI helps create compelling visualizations, dashboards, and reports, facilitating a comprehensive understanding of their data. Power BI’s core strength lies in its ability to streamline complex datasets into visually appealing and easy-to-understand representations. Whether it’s tracking KPIs, identifying trends, or exploring patterns, Power BI offers a versatile platform for data visualization. The significance of this tool extends beyond mere reporting; it catalyzes informed decision-making and strategic planning. As the demand for deeper insights and predictive analytics continues to grow, combining Power BI with ML emerges as a transformative union. Integrating machine learning algorithms into Power BI opens new dimensions for data analysis, enabling organizations to move beyond descriptive analytics to predictive and prescriptive analytics. Understanding Power BI with Python Integration The synergy between Power BI and Python has become a game-changer in advanced analytics, elevating data analysis to new heights. Power BI’s native integration with Python introduces a seamless collaboration between a powerful business intelligence tool and the versatility of a leading programming language. One of the pivotal features of this integration is the incorporation of Python scripts within Power BI, enabling the creation of robust machine learning (ML) models. The Python script function in Power BI allows users to develop ML models directly within their reports, leveraging Python’s extensive libraries for statistical analysis and machine learning. What distinguishes this integration is its independence from the Power BI desktop, ensuring that ML models remain autonomous entities capable of automatically updating and generating predictions on live data whenever the model is executed or the dataset is refreshed. How to Integrate Machine Learning in Power BI with Python The integration of ML into tools like Power BI has become a pivotal milestone in business intelligence. Here are the steps to integrate Machine Learning in Power BI with Python: Milestone 1: Integration of Python in Power BI Milestone 2: Running ML Model in Power BI Desktop Limitations: Milestone 3: Installation of Personal Gateway Milestone 4: Trying simple Python script and publishing on the PBI Service  Milestone 5: Running Basic ML Queries Note: Benefits of Using Python for Machine Learning in Power BI The decision to harness Python for machine learning within Power BI has multiple benefits.  Extensive Libraries and Ecosystem Python’s vast array of libraries, such as NumPy, Pandas, and Scikit-learn, equips Power BI users with a rich set of tools for data manipulation, analysis, and model development. This amalgamation of Power BI’s visualization capabilities with Python’s libraries creates a potent environment for crafting sophisticated ML models. Seamless Integration with Power BI The native integration of Python in Power BI is designed for simplicity and efficiency. Users can seamlessly embed Python scripts into their Power BI reports, fostering a cohesive workflow that integrates advanced analytics effortlessly. This synergy allows analysts and data scientists to work within a familiar environment while leveraging the diverse functionalities of Python. Real-Time Predictions and Updates A critical advantage lies in the ability to generate real-time predictions. The ML models, once integrated, operate independently, providing instant insights as soon as new data is fed into the system. This real-time responsiveness adds a layer of dynamism to data-driven decision-making processes. Best Practices and Tips for Integrating Machine Learning in Power BI Using Python Adopting best practices and leveraging key tips becomes critical for businesses targeting a seamless and effective integration of machine learning within Power BI using Python. Here are some of the best practices and tips: Optimizing Performance To enhance the performance of machine learning models in Power BI, consider optimizing your scripts and queries. Aim for efficiency in data processing, and minimize unnecessary computations. Additionally, choose the appropriate algorithms and techniques that align with the scale and nature of your data. Efficient Handling of Large Datasets When working with large datasets, implement strategies for efficient data handling. Utilize Power BI’s native features for data modeling and aggregation, and consider pre-processing steps to reduce the volume of data without compromising the integrity of your analysis. Version Control for Python Scripts Establish a version control system for your Python scripts within Power BI. This ensures traceability and facilitates collaboration among team members. Having a version history enables you to track changes, revert to previous states, and maintain a structured development environment. Data Security and Compliance Prioritize data security and compliance when integrating machine learning in Power BI. Ensure that sensitive information is handled appropriately, implement encryption protocols, and adhere to regulatory requirements. Regularly update security measures to mitigate potential vulnerabilities. Documentation and Knowledge Transfer Thoroughly document your machine learning models, scripts, and data sources within Power BI. This documentation is invaluable for knowledge transfer within teams, aiding in troubleshooting, and facilitating future enhancements or modifications. Clear documentation fosters collaboration and ensures the sustainability of your analytics solutions. Regular Model Monitoring and Maintenance Implement a robust monitoring system for your machine learning models post-integration. Regularly assess model performance, identify deviations, and update models as necessary. This proactive approach ensures that your models remain accurate and relevant in dynamic business environments. Testing and Validation Before deploying machine learning models in a production environment, conduct thorough testing and validation. Validate the accuracy of predictions against historical data, assess the model’s generalization to new data, and ensure that it meets the desired performance criteria. Rigorous testing minimizes the risk of inaccuracies in real-world applications. Wrapping up As we stand at the intersection of Power BI’s robust data visualization capabilities and the predictive prowess of Python-based machine learning, the future of data intelligence is both exciting and transformative. The road is marked by continuous evolution and innovation powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning. The demand for deeper insights and real-time predictions from machine learning companies and Power BI service providers will drive further enhancements

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9 Business Intelligence Challenges with Solutions

Business intelligence empowers an enterprise to make data-driven decisions in real time. It has several advantages and will be a part of major businesses in the future. However, you should overcome business intelligence challenges to get the desired results. We’ll discuss the issues and ways to convert the disadvantages to benefits.  Running a business requires hard work and smart work. It is important to find a balance between legacy systems and advanced applications. Similarly, the transition from traditional decision-making methods to data-driven decisions is filled with challenges. While the past generations made decisions based on observations and intuition, the current businesses have to rely upon something more tangible.  Business intelligence is where the tools/ applications use their ‘intuition’ in analyzing data and generating insights. The digital age demands the latest technology, like business intelligence and artificial intelligence. BI is one of the in-demand technologies in the global market. Reports show that the global BI market will touch $33.3 billion by 2025.  However, this is easier said than done. Adopting BI in a business requires planning and expertise. You should hire business intelligence companies to implement digital transformation in your organization. The Covid-19 pandemic has increased the adoption rate. Another study says that one-third of large enterprises will use decision intelligence by 2023.  Yet, the road to BI adoption is not smooth. Enterprises have to overcome a few challenges to become successful. But what are some potential barriers to business intelligence system success? How can a business solve the issues effectively and use BI for day-to-day decision-making? Let’s find out.  What are the Characteristics of Business Intelligence? Business intelligence provides actionable insights to make decisions based on data analytics. It is a combination of strategies and technologies that collect, process, and analyze data (historical and real-time) to provide reports in graphical/ visual formats. BI has the following characteristics:  Where is Business Intelligence Used? Business intelligence helps high-level executives, mid-level managers, team leaders, etc., to make decisions based on data-driven insights. Business intelligence is used in many areas and plays a role in every department in the enterprise. So how does business intelligence help companies? Here’s how:  Data Mining Data mining is the technique of identifying patterns in large data sets. The data collected by the organizations is cleaned, formatted, and transformed to prepare it for analytics.  Marketing From identifying prospective leads to creating a promotional campaign, the insights provided by BI help the sales teams plan and implement their marketing strategies.  Competition Understanding competition is vital to succeeding in today’s competitive scenario. BI tools can provide insights to analyze competitors’ strategies, campaigns, products, decisions, etc. Finance Businesses have to make major investment decisions. Should you invest in a new product or redesign an existing one? How to optimize resources and increase returns? BI provides answers to such questions.  Risk Management Risks are an integral part of the industry. That said, you should be proactive and have a risk management strategy to avoid losses. BI helps with fraud detection, market trend prediction, and much more.  Customer Relationship Customers are vital for a business to survive. Understand what your customers want and where to find new customers. Know what brings to your business and how to inspire brand loyalty.  What is the Business Intelligence Cycle? The BI cycle can have different stages based on the organization. However, the major stages of business intelligence are as follows:  What are the Benefits of Business Intelligence? Why do organizations need business intelligence in today’s world? Should small businesses also invest in BI tools? How can BI help an organization achieve its goals? The following are some benefits of BI/ reasons to use business intelligence in your enterprise.  Increase Productivity Automation, digitization, and collaboration streamline business processes to increase productivity.  Higher ROI  BI helps you make the right decisions and reduce the risk of losses. You get better returns when your increase operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Identify Market Trends Understand the market conditions to identify trends and make the most of opportunities.  Optimize Resources Don’t waste business resources or invest additional finances to generate resources. BI analyzes inefficient areas and provides solutions to overcome wastage.  Manage Inventory Know how much inventory to maintain, when to move the stock, and how to manage logistics using BI insights.  Decision Making Business intelligence can be used for everyday and long-term decision-making in the enterprise. Make decisions based on actionable insights.  What are the Challenges of Business Intelligence? Business intelligence has several benefits to offer. Nevertheless, it has its share of drawbacks or disadvantages. Digital transformation fails because businesses don’t properly deal with the issues when implementing data-driven models.   Let’s look at the disadvantages of Business Intelligence and find out how to overcome the challenges.  Data Breach Collecting data is easy, but you need to be careful about securing the data and preventing cyberattacks. A data breach can compromise your business position in the market. Multiple Data Sources With so much data available from external sources, you have to choose the most relevant sources for your business. Data Quality Raw data is of poor quality. Using this will result in wrong or faulty insights that can affect your business decisions. Recurring Costs BI systems have to be maintained and constantly upgraded. This increases the costs for a business. Employee Resistance Digital transformation is not always appreciated by employees. It can be hard to integrate advanced systems with business processes if employees are unwilling to use them. Self-Servicing Analytics Self-servicing analytics requires technical knowledge. Employees should be trained to use the dashboards. Incorrect KPIs Finalizing wrong KPIs can lead to incorrect assessments, thus providing a false report of the business position. No BI Strategy You require a specific BI strategy for your business. There may be a difference between what works for your competitors and what works for you. Mobile BI Though mobile intelligence is becoming common, it is still not easy to set up the systems for it. How to Overcome the Challenges of Big Data and Business Now that you know the

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Power BI vs SAP BI- The better business intelligence solution?

Whether you’re a decision-maker in the business world seeking clarity or simply interested in the business intelligence landscape, this summary offers insights into the crucial distinctions between Power BI vs SAP BI. Use this information to make a well-informed choice when selecting the ideal BI solution for your enterprise. Power BI and SAP BI are two prominent players in the competitive space of business intelligence solutions. According to the reports, Microsoft Power BI has a market share of 14.31% in the global business intelligence (BI) market, while SAP Business Objects has a market share of 5.51%,  each offering unique features and capabilities to help organizations derive meaningful insights from their data.  Power BI, developed by Microsoft, is a user-friendly and highly accessible tool known for its intuitive interface and integration with other Microsoft products. It empowers users to easily create interactive reports and dashboards, making it a preferred choice for small to mid-sized businesses and individuals looking for a self-service BI solution.  On the other hand, SAP BI, part of the SAP BusinessObjects suite, is lauded for its robustness and scalability. It’s a trusted choice for larger enterprises that require complex data modeling, extensive data governance, and high-level security. Both solutions have pros and cons, and the choice between Power BI and SAP BI ultimately depends on your organization’s specific needs, size, and IT infrastructure. In the upcoming sections, we’ll delve deeper into these differences to help you decide when selecting the best business intelligence solution for your enterprise. Challenges in opting for SAP BI For SAP BI users, navigating the world of business intelligence comes with its own set of challenges and It’s essential for organizations to assess if the advantages of SAP BI are worth the complexities it brings before deciding to adopt this powerful business intelligence solution. These hurdles include: Challenges in opting for Power BI While Power BI offers numerous advantages, understanding these challenges helps organizations make informed decisions regarding the adoption of Power BI, ensuring it aligns with their specific business needs and constraints. Power BI vs SAP BI- The right choice? Data Integration Power BI offers robust data integration capabilities and supports a wide range of data sources, including SAP systems. It provides seamless integration options, allowing users to connect to various databases, cloud services, on-premises data, and more. Power BI also offers Power Query, which enables users to transform and shape data from different sources. SAP BI, being part of the SAP ecosystem, naturally integrates well with SAP data sources and systems. It is optimized for accessing data from SAP applications and SAP HANA. However, its connectivity to non-SAP data sources may require additional configurations and connectors. Visualizations Power BI is known for its rich set of interactive visualizations and customizable dashboards. Users can create visually appealing reports using various chart types, graphs, maps, and custom visuals. Power BI also has a vast library of community-created visualizations available through its marketplace. SAP BI offers a range of visualizations, but it may not be as extensive or as user-friendly as Power BI in terms of customization and interactivity. It is more focused on traditional enterprise reporting and analytical templates. Self-Service Analytics Power BI empowers business users with self-service analytics capabilities. Users can create their own reports, dashboards, and analyses without heavy reliance on IT or data experts. The intuitive interface and natural language query feature make it accessible to a wide range of users. While SAP BI has self-service analytics features, it may require a steeper learning curve compared to Power BI. It often involves more complex data modeling and may be better suited for users with some technical background or training. Scalability Power BI supports building a scalable ecosystem that allows for enterprise-wide adoption. It offers cloud-based and on-premises deployment options to meet the needs of organizations of all sizes. The Power BI service enables collaboration, sharing, and distribution of reports and dashboards within the organization. SAP BI is designed for scalability and can handle the demands of large enterprises. It seamlessly integrates with other SAP solutions and can be part of a comprehensive SAP landscape. However, it may involve higher initial implementation costs and more complex configurations, which could make it better suited for large organizations. While both Power BI and SAP BI have their merits, Power BI provides distinct advantages in terms of user productivity, adaptability, collaboration, and cost-effectiveness. These advantages make Power BI an appealing choice for organizations, especially smaller to mid-sized ones, looking to maximize their business intelligence capabilities while keeping costs in check. However, the choice between the two still depends on specific business needs, existing IT infrastructure, and user expertise, as well as the scale and complexity of the organization’s data and reporting requirements. Conclusion When evaluating BI tools for an enterprise, it’s essential to consider various factors like the existing architecture, user expectations, data sources, fulfillment of requirements, and training complexity. Both SAP Analytics Cloud and Power BI have their strengths and are best suited for specific scenarios.  But considering the discussed factors, it’s quite clear that Power BI is the top choice for existing Azure and MS SQL customers, as well as situations involving numerous data sources other than SAP. It’s also the preferred option when an organization primarily relies on non-SAP sources, values visually appealing presentations, permits data replication, and needs data transformation using DAX expressions. On the other hand, SAP Analytics Cloud is the ideal pick when your reports are primarily based on SAP data sources, necessitate real-time data, and require authorization and role structures to be set up at the source. Hence, the choice between Power BI and SAP Analytics Cloud hinges on the unique characteristics and requirements of your organization, ensuring that you can leverage the right tool to maximize your business intelligence capabilities.

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7 Strategies for Effective Implementation of Power BI in Large Enterprises

Microsoft Power BI helps harness the power of data analytics and data visualization to help businesses achieve sustainable growth. Here, we’ll discuss the top seven strategies to effectively implement Power BI in large enterprises. Business intelligence helps organizations process vast amounts of data to run analytics and derive in-depth insights for decision-making. Statistics show that the global BI market is expected to touch $33.3 billion by 2025, while the analytics and BI application market could reach $18.5 billion by 2026. Similarly, the mobile business intelligence market is estimated to have a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 22.43% between 2021 and 2026.  Microsoft Power BI is among the top BI applications in the international market. It is an effective business intelligence suite for large enterprises. In this blog, we’ll find out the best strategies for implementing Power BI in large enterprises and its benefits.  How Power BI is a Game Changer in Large Enterprises Power BI provides a suite of software and technologies to collect, store, clean, format, and analyze large datasets. It is also a data visualization tool with an interactive dashboard that can be customized for different requirements. Microsoft Power BI is an indispensable tool for decision-makers. Large enterprises can implement Power BI to unlock the potential of data and analytics in making real-time, data-driven decisions.  Strategic Steps for Successful Power BI Implementation Implementing Power BI requires a comprehensive strategy to understand the business needs, objectives, goals, etc., to know how to effectively use the IT infrastructure.  Needs Assessment and Goal Definition Understand the need for business intelligence and the organization’s goals before implementing Power BI. Large enterprises have vast business operations and departments. Assessing the needs of each department and aligning them with the overall business vision, mission, and goals will provide a clear picture of what to do and how to implement Power BI. It also forms the basis for customizing the dashboards.  Data Integration and Engineering Data engineering and integration are key components of Power BI implementation. Data engineering is the process of collecting, cleaning, transforming, and modeling data to prepare it for analytics. Data integration is the process of combining data from multiple sources by seamlessly integrating third-party apps and databases with one another. Both methods ensure the enterprise uses varied data to derive insights and make decisions.  Data Visualization and Reporting Data visualization is considered the heart of Microsoft Power BI. It helps large enterprises create personalized dashboards for versatile requirements. This allows employees to access data analytics in real-time and generates graphical reports with a couple of clicks. Data visualization enables non-tech employees and stakeholders to understand the analytical reports and make faster decisions. Graphs, maps, charts, trees, etc., can be added to the reports using Power BI’s visualization interface.  Training and Education Even though Power BI is user-friendly, employees will need basic training to effectively utilize the business intelligence tool for day-to-day work. Hence, large enterprises should include training and education as a part of the Power BI implementation process. A well-trained staff will find it convenient and stress-free to use the dashboards in real-time and enhance their productivity. Consulting companies offering Power BI implementation services also tend to provide training programs to empower your employees.  Performance Monitoring and Optimization Large enterprises should also have a long-term plan to regularly monitor and optimize Power BI in their establishment. This ensures that the analytical reports derived are accurate and useful to the decision-makers. Constant monitoring increases system responsiveness and reduces load times. It also promotes cost-effectiveness in the long run by making sure the application remains responsive, reliable, and efficient.  Staff Augmentation and IT Outsourcing Staff augmentation is a key strategy for Power BI implementation. Even large enterprises don’t always have the in-house talent to adopt BI tools. Staff augmentation provides a readymade and temporary team to provide end-to-end services and roll out Power BI in the enterprise. Similarly, they can also outsource the project to third-party and offshore data analytical companies with expert Power BI developers. It is a cost-effective solution and delivers good results in the long run.  Change Management and User Adoption Like most technological adoptions, Power BI also impacts the work culture. Employees will have to go through a cultural shift, which can be overwhelming if they are not prepared and trained for it. The top management has to establish clear two-way communication to reduce the pressure on employees. Involving employees in Power BI implementation by sharing regular updates and addressing their concerns will speed up the adoption rate and increase productivity.  Benefits of Leveraging Power BI in Large Enterprises Large enterprises can hugely benefit by implementing Microsoft Power BI to derive business intelligence reports.  Data-Driven Decision Making It empowers decision-makers at all levels by providing real-time insights and analytical reports. This allows employees to make informed decisions quickly.  Improved Productivity Employees will be more productive when they have access to the necessary reports and insights. The user-friendly data visualization dashboards of Power BI simplify analysis and report generation.  Higher Efficiency Power BI streamlines data collection, storage, sharing, analytics, and reporting. It creates seamless data flow in the enterprise and automates analysis to minimize the risk of human error.  Competitive Advantage Large enterprises can give a tough fight to competitors by being proactive and ready to make the most of market opportunities.  Conclusion In today’s big data world, Power BI is a critical tool to gain a competitive edge in the local, national, and global markets. Large enterprises need to stay one step ahead to retain and grow their market share. They should prioritize Power BI implementation to thrive in the ever-changing business landscape.   A well-crafted Power BI implementation strategy combined with data engineering services can bring greater scalability, flexibility, and efficiency to large enterprises. Staff augmentation and IT outsourcing play a major role in successfully implementing Power BI and increasing business ROI. 

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How to Hire BI Consultants in Australia

Business intelligence helps organizations make the best of their data and use visualization reports for effective decision-making. Hiring the right consulting company can boost your business in several ways. Here, we’ll discuss how to hire BI consultants in Australia. Business intelligence is a suite of applications, processes, and technologies to collect, store, and analyze data to derive actionable insights for decision-making. BI helps organizations use historical and real-time data to make effective decisions quickly and gain a competitive edge in the market. Statistics show that the global BI market will touch $33.3 billion by 2025.  Enterprises around the world are adopting business intelligence tools to make fact-based decisions. In fact, according to a report, 70% of organizations think that data discovery and data visualizations are crucial to detecting trends and patterns when making important business decisions. Establishments from the government, public, and private sectors in Australia are eagerly investing in data analytics and business intelligence to increase profits and become industry leaders.  However, many aspects should be considered when hiring BI experts to work with your business. In this blog, we’ll read more about what business intelligence consultants do and how to hire the best BI consulting company to help you achieve your goals.  What Does a BI Consultant Do? The BI consultant has many responsibilities in an organization. They help streamline internal processes to increase efficiency and optimize the use of resources. BI experts also help understand customer behavior, market trends, competitors’ moves, etc., for a business to make proactive decisions and stay one step ahead.  A BI consultant is responsible for collecting data analytical reports, managing data storage, documenting the process, and tracking the outcomes of various analytics. Other roles include:   Business intelligence consultants handle multiple tasks and systems simultaneously to ensure that real-time analytics are accessible. They use tools like Microsoft Power BI, Tableau, Qlik, etc., to set up analytics and customized dashboards for data visualizations.  It’s vital to hire experienced BI consultants to ensure seamless data flow and accurate analytics in the enterprise. That’s why many businesses in Australia (and around the world) prefer to hire BI consulting companies instead of building an internal team from scratch.  How to Hire BI Consultants in Australia Identify Business Needs When hiring a BI consultant for your business, you should start by identifying your organization’s needs. Do you want to adopt data analytics across all departments? Will you start small with a pilot project and scale it over time? What are your priorities? How do your existing legacy systems work? Which areas do you want to improve by using BI?  The top management and C-level executives should have a clear picture of the organization’s past and present. Understand your business goals to know what to expect by adopting the data-driven model in the enterprise.  Prepare a Budget Do you have the budget to make the necessary changes in your business processes? Paying BI consultants is just one aspect of the project. Consider the bigger picture. The BI specialist will recommend changes to the systems and processes. This costs money and can go out of control if you don’t have a definite budget and funds allocated to it.  This point is crucial for SMBs and emerging businesses with limited finances. Discuss your budget with the BI consultant. Select the processes you want to revamp using BI. Customer service, sales, and marketing are the three most common areas where businesses adopt analytics.  Freelancer Vs. Company Building an in-house team is very expensive and can easily multiply your costs. However, you can choose between a freelance Power BI consultant and a consulting company. A freelancer usually works alone and has limited resources, while a company has a team of experts and uses its resources to help your business.  Furthermore, partnering with a full-fledged BI company allows you to hand over the entire responsibility to them and focus on your core business. They offer end-to-end solutions and long-term maintenance services to upgrade the systems whenever necessary. Since the company will be familiar with your systems, it becomes easier to detect errors, minimize risks, and increase ROI over time.  Research and Shortlist Consulting Companies Before partnering with a BI consulting company, make sure to read more about the leading service providers and create a shortlist of the ones that suit your business. For example, a small business may not be able to afford the prices of a multinational BI company. In such instances, SMBs can research service providers who specialize in working with growing businesses.  Furthermore, your industry and market are also important. Does the consulting company have experience in the niche and understand the local and national market conditions?   One-to-One Meetings Once you shortlist the BI companies, schedule a meeting with their experts. The meetings can be in-person or virtual but make sure you talk face-to-face to determine which company is the best fit. You can have more than one meeting before making the final decision.  Be sure that the BI consultants can understand your business from your viewpoint and offer a fresh perspective. Your thoughts and goals for the business have to be aligned to eliminate future complications. Finalize the service provider only after careful consideration.  Choose the Right BI Tool The market has many BI tools with extensive features. Many of these can be used as desktop versions, cloud services (SaaS), and mobile apps. However, its the time to select the one that suits your business processes.  For example, Microsoft Power BI is a popular business intelligence tool used by several enterprises, financial institutions, manufacturing companies, healthcare centers, etc. That way, you can hire a Power BI developer when finalizing the consulting company. The specialist will set up Power BI and integrate it with other software in your business. They will create and customize dashboards based on your requirements.  Reasons to Hire Power BI Consultants Another Perspective of the Business When you hire outside consultants, they bring a fresh perspective to look at your business and find effective solutions. Furthermore, an experienced consultant will have better domain knowledge and a good grasp of industry

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Business Intelligence Reporting: A Comprehensive Guide

Business intelligence reporting provides the enterprise with the latest information about the overall performance of the business. We’ll discuss the need for BI in today’s scenario and the types of reports an organization can generate using BI tools.  In today’s digital world, technology is a must-use in every business, big or small. Companies should sustain market competition using advanced technologies like business intelligence, artificial intelligence, data science, etc.  It’s no surprise that business intelligence is being widely adopted across all industries. Statistics show that using analytics can increase the decision-making speed by 5x times. 67% of businesses already have access to BI tools. According to the reports, cloud BI is the fastest growing market around the world. Among the regions with the highest adoption rates is Asia Pacific. Countries like India, China, and Japan use BI, AI, IoT, etc., to streamline business operations.   Many enterprises hire business intelligence consultants to integrate BI into their existing systems and processes. This ensures they have access to expertise and minimize the risk of failure. Setting up BI tools requires an in-depth understanding of the business and the necessary technologies to achieve the goals.  In this post, we’ll discuss business intelligence reporting in detail and look at the types of BI reports to use in an establishment. We’ll also get a brief glimpse into the leading BI tools used in the global market.  Why is Business Intelligence Important? Business intelligence is a collection of tools, technologies, strategies, applications, and practices that collect, format, store, process, and analyze data from internal and external sources. BI gives intelligence reports (data analytics) that help establishments make better decisions.  BI provides a business with actionable insights using historical and real-time data. These insights give a micro and macro view of the business performance, thus helping employees and the top management with decision-making. BI can be used in any department, such as HR, finance, sales and marketing, production, quality control, inventory management, customer service, etc.  Business intelligence is important as it provides the following to an organization:  Actionable Insights It’s vital to make business decisions based on solid insights. BI provides these insights by processing vast amounts of information in a quick time. A business doesn’t have to rely on guesswork or past trends to make present and future-related decisions.  Gain More Customers The ultimate success of a business lies in how many customers it can attract and retain. BI reports provide details on where and how the enterprise can improve to gain more customers. From analyzing the target market to audience segmentation and understanding customer feedback, BI helps streamline the process.  Better Transparency Maintaining transparency in the internal systems and processes gives the top management and employees more control. It helps standardize the procedures and reduces the time taken to read through pages of complex data. BI reports make it easy to identify areas for improvement. Business intelligence empowers the enterprise to become proactive instead of reactive.  Streamline Business Processes Are there business procedures that aren’t delivering the expected results? Does the enterprise use legacy systems and spend more money/ resources on running the business? BI reports will provide answers to these questions and more. The top management can streamline the internal processes to optimize the use of resources.  Sales and CRM Optimization Sales, marketing, and customer relationship management continue to be primary areas where business intelligence reports are used. Track customers (their purchases, likes, preferences, etc.), market trends (to manage demand and supply), and effectively predict/ forecast sales using BI tools.  Competitive Advantage The top management of a business should always be aware of the competitors and the changing market conditions. It is vital to stand out from the rest and increase business credibility and awareness to attract more customers. BI gives the organization a competitive edge against businesses with no BI. The accuracy of the insights will further strengthen the market position of the enterprise.  Higher Productivity and Revenue Business intelligence reports give a clear picture of the strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise. This data is presented in an understandable format and forms the basis for strategic changes to the systems and processes. The management can optimize resources, invest in advanced technologies, train employees, and create a comprehensive plan to improve productivity. This, in turn, increases revenue and brings profits over time.  What are the 5 Stages of Business Intelligence? The core purpose of business intelligence is to transform raw data into analytics and understandable reports. BI can be divided into five stages listed below.  Gather Data from Sources The first step is to gather data from multiple external and internal sources. This is raw data that will be cleaned, structured, formatted, and processed. The data is stored in a centralized database on the premises or cloud.   Data Analysis The second stage is where the collected data is synthesized to gather useful knowledge. The data is then analyzed to derive actionable insights and predict future trends. Various models are used to understand the data and fill the gaps. This stage of data analysis is also termed data mining.  Situational Awareness The next step is where unwanted information is filtered. Only the relevant information is used for analytics. This is also known as situational awareness (where the system knows which data is necessary for decision-making). The algorithms are developed to automatically filter information and derive insights.  Assessing Risk Factors BI is crucial in assessing risk and minimizing losses for the business. It gives the best possible ways to handle a situation and make the most of the market conditions. Furthermore, it gives a clear picture of the advantages/ disadvantages of choosing one action over the other.  Support Decision-Making The biggest role of business intelligence is to help with day-to-day and long-term decision-making. This is the final stage where mid-level and top management uses BI reports to determine when to release a new product, take over other businesses, etc.   Methods to Gather Your Business Intelligence Requirements BI works when there is data to process. But how can an

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7 Top Power BI Companies in UAE

Microsoft Power BI is a suite of BI apps and services that allow enterprises to convert raw data into meaningful visualizations and reports. Here, we’ll discuss the role of the top Power BI companies in the UAE and the Middle East.  Data analytics and business intelligence are prominent in today’s world. Startups, SMBs, large enterprises, and multinational brands require data-driven insights to make better decisions for their business. Statistics show that the global data analytics market is worth more than $100 billion in 2023.  There is an increasing demand for data visualization tools like Microsoft Power BI to present insights in appealing graphical reports to the end user (employee). The latest news article shows that the Middle East is experiencing a rapid digital transformation. Many companies use data and technology to make effective decisions and overcome challenges. The various analytical and AI-based events happening in Dubai, UAE, and other Middle Eastern countries are examples of this development.  UAE-based businesses are partnering with consulting firms from around the globe to adopt technologies like Power BI for day-to-day decision-making. In this blog, we’ll read about Microsoft Power BI in brief and find out which company is best for Power BI consulting services.  What is Microsoft Power BI? Power BI is a business intelligence package with a collection of software tools, apps, connectors, and services that streamline the data flow and convert raw data into actionable insights, which are presented to the end user in a visual or graphical format. Power BI connects multiple data sources and runs analytical queries to identify patterns, trends, etc., in real-time. It has five major components that work together to deliver the necessary insights and data visualizations to employees.  Microsoft Power BI is a robust business intelligence and data visualization tool with an interactive interface and easy-to-use features. An employee at any vertical can use Power BI to access data and insights and stay up-to-date. Every team and department can customize the dashboard to align the KPIs with business goals and derive real-time analytics.  Power BI Companies are offshore consulting firms that partner with Microsoft and have experts who create and customize data visualization dashboards. A handpicked team from the company will understand your business requirements and create a strategy to build and deploy data pipelines, connect multiple systems and applications, and set up Power BI integrations. The team will also create customized dashboards for each department or vertical as required by the enterprise.  This reduces the time, cost, and resources spent by the brand in building an entire system from scratch and testing it in different environments. Enterprises can start using Power BI in less time, and that too without any disruptions.  What are the Top Power BI Companies in the UAE? 1. DataToBiz DataToBiz is one of the leading Power BI companies with years of experience in offering personalized services to businesses worldwide. The company has many clients from the Middle East and has helped brands adopt the data-driven model and unlock the power of data using advanced visualization tools. It is one of the top Power BI companies worldwide, with 71% of clients leveraging the platform for analytics and insights.  The offshore BI solution provider offers comprehensive end-to-end services to digitally transform an enterprise and increase ROI, customer satisfaction, and performance. A few services by the company are as follows:  DataToBiz creates customized Power BI dashboards for businesses from varying industries like manufacturing, healthcare, retail, transportation, supply chain, sales, oil & gas, eCommerce, FinTech, EdTech, entertainment, government, and many more. The company is a certified partner of Microsoft, AWS, and Google and has a 97% project satisfaction rate.  2. Euclidz.ai Euclidz.ai offers state-of-the-art products and services to help businesses adopt the latest technology to transform their processes to achieve their goals. The company combines artificial intelligence and human intelligence to help organizations align their systems with their vision and KPIs. It works with businesses from various industries and helps implement digital transformation in all verticals.  The company has offices in Dubai and India to assist businesses in gaining a competitive edge in the market. It aims to provide brands with the necessary IT infrastructure and support services to leverage different kinds of data and derive insights in a quick time. The following services are offered by the company:  Euclidz.ai delivers self-servicing business intelligence solutions through Power BI implementation. It helps unify the enterprise data scattered across various systems and create secure connections to cloud storage servers. The company builds business dashboards to facilitate access to data and encourage collaborations.  3. TechMantra TechMatra is a strategic IT consulting company that designs and deploys complex IT solutions to help businesses overcome their challenges and achieve the desired results. It provides innovative services to assist enterprises in dealing with the constantly changing market requirements and trends. The company works with clients from UAE, Gulf countries, and India to increase productivity, security, efficiency, and reliability.  The global consulting and outsourcing company aims to make lives simpler and drive success using technology. It provides seamless collaborative services to businesses from many industries and builds client-specific solutions to enhance ROI. The company offers the following services:  TechMantra sets up Power BI for desktop or mobile phones to ensure that employees have access to data at all times. The company works with different third-party platforms to develop custom integrations in an enterprise and provide real-time data visualizations.  4. Business Experts Bemea is a Microsoft Gold Partner that offers comprehensive solutions to help businesses use Microsoft Dynamic tools to streamline finance, operations, and other internal processes. The company provides business cloud solutions for enterprises to revamp their systems and become successful in competitive markets. It has experience in different industries and provides customized solutions, multi-site ERP implementations, vertical add-ons, etc., to boost a business.  The company has a presence in Middle East and South Asian countries and works with many SMBs and enterprises in the UAE. Its services include the following:  Bemea implements Power BI in enterprises to help the management discover the hidden patterns and trends using business intelligence to make

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