Data · · 2 min read
Power BI for small businesses: what to know before you start
Power BI isn't just for large corporations. Here's what it is, what you need to use it and the most common mistakes when starting out.
I work with Power BI every day and I'm certified in it. It's often associated with large companies, but it also fits small businesses that want to stop depending on manual reports.
What Power BI is
It's a Microsoft tool for connecting data from different sources, transforming it and presenting it in interactive reports. You can view it in the browser or on your phone, or embed it in other applications.
What you need
- Data somewhere accessible: Excel sheets, a database, your invoicing software or cloud services.
- Power BI Desktop, the free application for building reports.
- Licences for sharing: if several people will view published reports, you usually need paid licences. It's worth checking at the start to avoid surprises.
Common mistakes when starting out
Connecting messy data
Power BI doesn't fix badly structured data on its own. If the source has duplicates or mixed formats, the report will inherit them. Tidy first, visualise second.
One report per question
It's better to build one good data model with several reports on top than dozens of separate files nobody maintains.
Filling the page with charts
More charts doesn't mean more information. Each page should answer one clear question.
Not automating the refresh
A report you have to refresh by hand every morning ends up abandoned. Scheduled refresh is part of the job, not an extra.
Where to start?
Pick one specific process, such as sales or inventory, and build a small, useful first report. That quickly shows whether the tool fits the way you work.