01
A retailer
Which channel is actually making money?
Put sales beside costs and returns. Compare online and in-store performance without confusing revenue with profit.
Power BI · Clarity from your data
Stop rebuilding the same report.
When every number needs an explanation, a dashboard should help you find it. Bring sales, costs, capacity and performance into a reporting view that tells your team where to look next.
Discuss your reportingWeekly sales overviewSales, with the margin in view.
Sales£42,600134 orders
Gross profit£10,750Sales minus direct costs
Gross margin25.2%Direct costs: £31,850
Put it in the context of your work
Picture this in your business.
Different businesses. Familiar problems. Here are a few useful places to start.
02
An operations team
Can we deliver next week’s plan?
Bring orders, staffing and capacity into one view. Spot a busy day before it becomes a missed commitment.
03
A business owner
Why is the headline number different?
Agree the definitions behind each measure, trace the source and investigate differences instead of debating spreadsheets.
The problem
The report should explain the work, not add to it.
If every meeting starts with rebuilding a spreadsheet, the reporting process needs attention. If two reports show different totals, the definitions need attention. And if a dashboard looks impressive but nobody acts on it, the questions need attention.
We start with what you need to know: what changed, where performance differs, what is causing the difference and what should happen next.
What we can build
From raw records to a useful reporting view.
- Data preparation and modelling. Organise source data, relationships and calculations around consistent definitions.
- Dashboard design. Build clear views of the measures that matter, with filters and comparisons that help people investigate.
- Existing report improvements. Review confusing visuals, unreliable measures, slow models and repetitive preparation.
- Operational reporting. Explore forecasts, capacity, staffing, production performance, quality checks and other business measures.
- Refresh and handover. Plan how data reaches the report, how access works and how the team maintains it.
How it works
A reporting project starts with a question.
We agree the decisions the report should support, inspect the available data and define the measures. A first reporting view is then checked against known records before the layout and interactions are refined.
The handover explains the definitions, source limitations and refresh process. Microsoft licensing and sharing requirements are reviewed as part of the scope.
How this service works
From separate exports to a margin you can explain.
A retailer wants to compare online and in-store margin.Follow the example through five stages, with a clear output at each step.
01Understand
Follow the number back to its source.
We inspect order exports, cost records and the report you use today. We agree how returns, dates and channel names are recorded before deciding which measures belong in the dashboard.
What you take away
A source inventory and a clear reporting question.
The starting pointStart with the inputs.
01Online orders
02Till export
03Direct costs
The question to resolveWhich channel is making money?
02Agree
Agree what the measures mean.
For the first view, revenue minus direct costs is gross profit. Gross margin is gross profit divided by revenue. We agree the date range, filters and exclusions, alongside access and Microsoft sharing requirements.
What you take away
A reporting scope, measure definitions and sharing requirements.
The agreed scopeA focused first result.
- Revenue and direct costs by channel
- Five-day sales view
- Agreed gross-margin definition
Keep the boundaries clear
Stock valuation and cash-flow forecasting are separate questions.
Confirm access, dependencies and costs before work starts.
03Build
Build a view your team can investigate.
A first report puts sales beside costs, then lets the team compare channels. You review the layout with the questions you ask in a real meeting, rather than approving charts in isolation.
What you take away
A reviewable report and an agreed data model.
A view to reviewMake the work visible.
First working view
01All channels · £42,600 sales
02Direct costs · £31,850
03Gross profit · £10,750
Review together → refine the important details
Check it against the purpose
Does this view make the next decision clearer for the person using it?
04Test
Reconcile the view with the records.
We check totals, channel filters and refresh behaviour against known inputs. Missing costs should be visible; they should not quietly become zero and make the margin look better.
What you take away
Reconciliation checks and visible data-quality exceptions.
The checks that matterThe condition changes the decision.
The input or condition£42,600 − £31,850
Expected result£10,750 gross profit
Both channel totals reconcile to the combined view.
Agree the check. Inspect the result. Keep exceptions visible.
05Hand over
Explain the numbers and the refresh.
The handover covers measure definitions, source limitations, refresh ownership and access. The team can see where a number comes from and what to check when an input changes.
What you take away
A definitions guide, refresh instructions and clear ownership.
Ready for everyday useThe result comes with context.
Measure dictionary
Revenue, direct costs, gross profit and margin, with the agreed exclusions.
Refresh & access
Source locations, refresh ownership, permissions and licensing requirements.
A change in the data
How to identify a failed refresh or a changed source column and raise it for review.
The next stepKnow how to use it.
Know who owns it.
Know who owns it.
Maintenance and continuing support are agreed around the project.
See the wider approach to scope, collaboration and handover.
How we work togetherA few useful answers
Questions before
the first conversation.
Can you improve an existing Power BI report?
Yes. We can review its model, calculations, usability and refresh process, then agree which changes will be most useful.
Can you work with SQL and spreadsheets?
Yes. Those are familiar starting points. The exact connection and refresh approach depends on where the data lives and how access is provided.
What if our data is inconsistent?
We identify the gaps before presenting the report as dependable. Some projects need source cleanup or clearer definitions before dashboard development.
Will the dashboard replace our planning application?
A dashboard is designed to analyse information. If your team needs to enter plans, assign work or manage records, a custom business application may be the better fit.
The next useful conversation
What would you like your reporting to explain?
Tell us which questions are difficult to answer and where the data currently lives.
Discuss your reportingStart with what needs to changeA report I keep rebuildingA task I keep repeatingA website we’ve outgrownSomething else entirely