BI Reporting, Get the Right Data for Your Tableau, Power BI & Excel Dashboards
East Anglian Finance Director Support
You Already Know What Data You Need... But How Do You Actually Get it in Your Reports?
As a Finance Director, you probably already know you want that cash flow dashboard in Power BI, or those monthly reports automatically updating in Tableau or Excel or other business reporting software (e.g. Zoho Analytics, Sage X3). You've seen the demos, you know what good looks like.
The question isn't "what dashboard do I need?" - you already know that.
The real questions are:
- "How do I actually get my data from Sage/Xero/our ERP into Power BI reliably?"
- "Why does my current dashboard show different numbers than our accounts?"
- "How do I stop spending every Monday Morning or Friday afternoon manually updating reports?"
- "Where exactly should this data come from and how do I make sure it's right?"
You're not looking for someone to tell you what KPIs to track - you already know your business. You need someone who can actually connect the dots and get your data flowing properly.
How I Help (Suffolk) Finance Directors Get Their Data Working Properly
I don't sell dashboards or tell you what reports you need - you already know that. Instead, I solve the "how do I actually get there?" problem using my own Flow 7 methodology. This helps me :
- Understand the reporting you need - What dashboard/report are you trying to build and with what data. Where does this data actually live in your systems?
- Enable the repeatable ETL (Extract, Clean and Transform) processes to produce the reports - How do we get it out cleanly and reliably for your chosen BI reporting software and make sure its connected?
- Automate your reporting - How and when do we make this happen without you touching it?
- Validation - This is your domain and I iteratively test with you to ensure you are getting the the representative numbers you need.
What This Actually Looks Like:
"I Want a Cash Flow Dashboard in Power BI" Great! Let's work through it based on my Flow 7 process:
- Where's your cash data actually stored? (Sage, bank feeds, Excel forecasts?)
- What needs cleaning up first? (duplicate entries, coding errors, timing differences?)
- What are the end reports? How do we connect Power BI to pull this automatically?
- How do we extract it without breaking anything and manage the data sources ?
- How do we validate it matches your management accounts
"I Need Automated Monthly Reports" Perfect! Here's how we approach it:
- Which systems have the data you need?
- What's the best way to combine them?
- Where are the usual errors and how do we prevent them?
- How do we format it exactly how you want it?
- How do we deliver it when you need it?
"My Dashboard Numbers Don't Match My Accounts" This is the most common problem! Let's trace through Flow 7 to find where the disconnect is happening and fix it properly.
Why FDs Work With Me
Finally, Someone Who Actually Gets It" I understand you're not looking for a consultant to tell you what your business needs. You need someone who can take your vision and make it actually work with your real, messy data.
Practical, Not Theoretical
- No lengthy discovery phases or big strategy documents
- We start with the dashboard you already want
- Iterative approach - get something working, then improve it
- Focus on solving real problems, not creating perfect solutions
Works With Your Existing Tools You've probably already got Power BI, Excel, Tableau, or Zoho Analytics. I work with whatever you've chosen - no need to rip and replace anything.
Respects Your Budget Reality Small iterative projects that deliver value quickly. No massive upfront commitments or enterprise-scale implementations.
Common "How Do I Actually...?" Questions I Answer
"How do I get my Sage data into Power BI without it breaking every month?" This is usually about connection methods, data refresh timing, and handling Sage's quirks. We'll set up reliable automated extracts that just work.
"How do I combine data from three different systems for one report?" The trick is understanding where each piece should come from and how to join them properly. We map this out step by step using Flow 7.
"How do I make sure my dashboard shows the same profit as my management accounts?" Usually this comes down to timing differences, coding inconsistencies, or different calculation methods. We trace through both and align them.
"How do I stop my Excel reports taking half a day to update?" Often it's about changing where Excel gets its data from and automating the refresh. Sometimes it's moving to Sql server or BI platforms for the heavy lifting.
"How do I get this working for my team, not just me?" This is about proper setup, documentation, and training so anyone can use what we build.
How We Get Started: Your Reporting Project With Me..
Week 1: Understand & Map
- Quick call to understand exactly what you're trying to achieve
- Map out where your data currently lives
- Identify the main obstacles
Week 2-3: Extract, Clean & Connect
- Build the data connections
- Clean up any data quality issues
- Get your first version working
Week 4: Automate & Validate
- Set up the automation
- Test everything thoroughly
- Document how it works
Most first projects take 3-4 weeks and cost significantly less than you'd expect. Then we can tackle the next priority using the same approach.
Ready to Get Your Data Working Properly?
You know what dashboard you want. You know what reports would make your life easier. The question is just "how do I actually get there?"
Let's have a quick chat about your specific situation and I'll show you exactly how we'd approach it.
Call me or drop me a message - no sales pitch, just a practical conversation about how to get your data doing what you need it to do.
