Editor’s note: This video was published in May of 2017 and has been reviewed for accuracy and comprehensiveness as of April, 2020.

Everyone is looking for easier ways to gain greater insights using the data they have access to. One of the best ways to provide these insights in a digestible way is data visualization. This often takes specific tools that aren’t available in normal software packages. These tools have been historically expensive. Because of this, companies have often had to hire out these skills. But, what businesses often don’t know, is that they already have powerful tools for data visualization that they aren’t leveraging effectively.

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Excel has been around for a long time. While it’s traditional uses are well-known, the program has many hidden talents. As a place that already stores data, using live tables and equations within a sheet can help bring your data to life. Linking columns across sheets can let entire workbooks become visualizations. This is a simple program that allows for heavy variation, although it can take a while to learn. Using this to your advantage allows your business to impress clients and operate more effectively.

Power BI

Another option is Power BI. This program is similar to Excel but less complicated to learn. Where Excel takes a data-focused program and creates visualizations from it, Power BI makes data visualization beautiful. Focusing more on the aesthetic of your visualizations, Power BI allows multiple charts with cleaner lines than Excel. The program also has features for those without extensive UX skills. On top of that, Power BI has intuitive cloud features for sharing and collaboration.

This video is an overview of a number of tools from the Power BI suite to help introduce you to what is possible when the tools are no longer the obstacle to gaining insights into your data. If you have further questions or would like to learn more about Power BI, contact SUCCESS Computer Consulting at 763.593.3000