Business Intelligence Consulting and Power BI
Our business intelligence consulting turns data from your ERP, CRM, and operational systems into dashboards built on one definition of every metric, so every team works from the same numbers. We build on the BI tools you already own, such as Power BI and Tableau.
Row-level security on
- SalesSalesLive
- InventoryInventoryLive
- FinanceFinanceBuilding
- OperationsQueued
- Ad hoc exportsQueued
ONE SEMANTIC MODEL
Data warehouse
One source of truth
What Is Business Intelligence?
Business intelligence is the data, models, and reports a company uses to see how it is performing and decide what to do next. Business intelligence consulting helps you design that system, from where the data comes from to how each metric is defined and which dashboards each team needs.
Good BI is mostly agreement. The data can be the same but in a different format, and when reports don't agree, people lose trust in them. Most of the work is making every report draw on one definition of each number.
Power BI vs. Tableau vs. SSRS
Power BI fits companies on the Microsoft stack and connects directly to Microsoft Fabric. Tableau is strong for visual exploration. SQL Server Reporting Services suits fixed, printable operational reports. The right choice depends on the tools you own and who reads the reports.
WHEN TO ACT
Signs Your Reporting Needs Help
Reporting problems show up as arguments over numbers long before anyone calls them a BI problem. These are the common signs.
Teams bring different numbers
Finance and operations report different revenue for the same month, because each team calculates it its own way.
People stop trusting the dashboards
When the numbers don't agree, people go back to their own spreadsheets and the dashboards sit unused.
One person holds the knowledge
Only one person knows how the main report is built, and it breaks when they're out.
Every new question is a ticket
The BI team has a backlog of report requests, and simple questions wait weeks for an answer.
Power BI licenses, Excel habits
You pay for Power BI, yet most reporting still happens in exported spreadsheets.
No control over who sees what
Everyone sees every row, or sensitive reports get emailed around, because the model has no row-level security.
OUR APPROACH
How We Approach Business Intelligence
We fix the data and the definitions first, then build the dashboards. Senior US-based engineers lead our builds, with nearshore support available for ongoing work.
Dashboard-first project
- Charts built on unreconciled data
- Each team defines its own metrics
- One person holds the knowledge
- Licenses bought, habits unchanged
Data-first project
One definition per metric
We agree on how revenue, margin, and other key numbers are calculated, and build those definitions into one semantic model.
Fix the pipeline, not the chart
When numbers disagree, the cause is usually upstream. We clean and reconcile data in the pipelines, so every report inherits the fix.
Use the tools you own
We build on the BI tools you already pay for, such as Power BI or Tableau, and recommend new ones only when they earn their cost.
Built for your team to run
Whatever we build, you own. We document the model and train your team, so new reports don't depend on us.
BI TOOLS
Choosing a BI Platform
Most companies choose among a few BI platforms. The best fit depends on the systems you run and who reads the reports.
| PLATFORM | WHAT IT IS | WHEN IT FITS |
|---|---|---|
| Power BI | Microsoft's BI tool for dashboards, semantic models, and self-service reports | You run Microsoft 365, Azure, or Microsoft Fabric |
| Tableau | A BI tool known for visual data exploration | Analysts explore data visually across many sources |
| SQL Server Reporting Services | Microsoft's tool for paginated, printable reports | Operations needs fixed reports on a schedule |
| Custom dashboards | Charts built into your own application | Customers or partners need reports inside a portal |
How we choose the platform
We start with the tools you already license and the people who read the reports. Power BI usually fits companies on the Microsoft stack, and Tableau often stays where analysts already rely on it. Whatever the tool, the semantic model and the data underneath matter more than the charts on top.
WHAT WE BUILD
BI and Power BI Services
Our BI work covers the full reporting stack, from the pipelines that feed it to the dashboards people open every morning.
Power BI dashboards and reports
Power BI consulting for dashboards, paginated reports, and self-service reporting on a shared semantic model. For an industrial distributor, we rebuilt an Access-based inventory system on Microsoft Fabric and Azure SQL Server, with self-service Power BI reporting.
Semantic models and metric definitions
One semantic model that defines each metric once, so every report uses the same revenue, margin, and inventory numbers.
Row-level security
Access rules in the model itself, so each person sees only their region, branch, or accounts, through the identity system you already run.
Data visualization
Our data visualization consulting services pick the few charts each audience needs and lay them out around the decisions that audience makes.
Report rebuilds and migrations
Legacy reports rebuilt on a modern platform. For a post-acute care provider, we rebuilt five legacy reports and added ten new ones on Tableau, backed by one data warehouse.
Data pipelines and warehouses
The data engineering and data warehouse work underneath the dashboards, so reports refresh on schedule and the numbers reconcile.
HOW IT WORKS
How a BI Project Runs
A BI project runs in five steps, from the decisions leaders make to dashboards your team can maintain.
STEP 1
Questions and metrics
We list the decisions each team makes and the metrics behind them.
STEP 2
Data audit
We trace each metric to its source and find where the numbers disagree.
STEP 3
Model
We build the semantic model with one definition per metric and row-level security.
STEP 4
Dashboards
We build dashboards in stages, starting with the reports leaders use most.
STEP 5
Handoff
We train your team and document the model so they can add reports.
Self-service without chaos
Self-service BI works when people build reports on a shared, certified semantic model instead of their own data extracts. We set up the shared model, the workspace rules, and the access controls, then train report builders to use them.
What your team gets at handoff
Whatever we build, you own, including the model, the pipelines, and the reports. Services we can provide at handoff include knowledge transfer sessions and documentation covering the semantic model, the data sources, and how to add reports. Ongoing support is also available.
RESULTS
Business Intelligence Results
For a post-acute care provider, JBS Dev unified four separate systems into one data warehouse, rebuilt five legacy reports, and added ten new ones. For an industrial distributor, JBS Dev moved inventory reporting off a Microsoft Access database onto Microsoft Fabric and Power BI.
4
Systems unified into one data warehouse
Healthcare
One Data Warehouse for a Post-Acute Care Provider
Challenge: Four systems ran in isolation, and analysis depended on Excel pivot tables.
Result: A unified data warehouse with Tableau became one source of truth, with five legacy reports rebuilt and ten new ones added.
Read the post-acute care case studyOn demand
Customer reports, no longer emailed
Food Safety
Automated Reporting Warehouse for Food Safety Net Services
Challenge: Reports were emailed to users, and nothing was available on demand.
Result: A Kimball-design data warehouse and customer portal automated reporting and made new client onboarding easier.
Read the FSNS case study"JBS feels more like an extension of our internal team than a traditional vendor relationship."
Senior IT Leader, AmeriVet Partners
THE BI STACK
From Source Systems to Dashboards and AI
A BI stack has three layers, and each one can break the numbers. Pipelines bring data in from ERP, CRM, and spreadsheets. A data warehouse and a semantic model define every metric once. Power BI or Tableau shows the result.
Once the model is clean, AI can sit on top. Power BI Copilot and AI-powered analytics answer plain-language questions from the same numbers your dashboards show.
SOURCE TO DASHBOARD
ERP, CRM, spreadsheets
Semantic model
Power BI dashboards
WHAT READS IT
Every team
Same numbers, own view
AI analytics
Answers from the same model
Working with Microsoft Fabric
Microsoft Fabric brings data engineering, warehousing, and Power BI into one platform. For companies on the Microsoft stack, a Fabric lakehouse with Bronze, Silver, and Gold layers can feed the Power BI semantic model directly, with no separate copy of the data.
When Tableau or SSRS stays
Not every report has to move. Tableau dashboards and SSRS reports that people already trust can stay, reading from the same warehouse, while new reporting goes into Power BI.
COST AND TIMELINE
What Drives BI Project Cost and Timeline
BI cost and timeline depend mostly on how many sources feed the reports and how much the numbers disagree today. Six factors drive most estimates:
- 01Number of data sources
- 02Data quality and reconciliation
- 03Number of dashboards and reports
- 04Security and access rules
- 05BI licensing
- 06Training and support after launch
How the timeline is set
Timelines depend on the sources and the state of the data, and the assessment sets them. We build in stages, starting with the dashboards leaders use most, so trusted numbers arrive before every report has moved.
How cost is set
We don't quote a number before we understand your sources and reports. The assessment turns the factors above into an estimate for each stage, including licensing. Building on the BI tools you already own often keeps the total down.
ENGAGEMENT MODELS
Ways to Work With Us
Each model stands alone or leads into the next. Compare all the ways to work with us.
Assessment & Strategy
For companies that need clarity before committing to a build.
Start here if you're not sure what to change first. We review the system component by component, weigh difficulty against business impact, and recommend a path for each part, including what to leave alone. You get a roadmap you can act on with us or on your own.
- Technical assessment
- Architecture review
- AI opportunity mapping
- Modernization roadmap
- Prioritized recommendations
Best when: You need to understand the opportunity, risk, architecture, or roadmap before investing in a larger build.
Projects
For companies ready to build or modernize a defined system.
For a defined scope, senior engineers lead delivery from architecture through release. We work in stages, write tests for core components, and ship through CI/CD. You own everything we build, plus knowledge transfer and documentation tailored to your team.
- Modernization projects
- Custom applications
- Cloud platforms
- Data systems
- Integrations
- AI agents
Best when: You have a clear business problem, workflow, or platform that needs to be built, modernized, or connected.
Teaming / Managed Delivery
For companies that need experienced delivery capacity.
When you need more than a single project, services we can provide include architectural guidance for your existing team, hands-on development, QA, and ongoing support. Senior US-based engineers lead our builds, and nearshore support is an option for ongoing work.
- Senior-led teams
- Embedded engineering
- Ongoing development
- Knowledge transfer
- Flexible support
Best when: You need reliable engineering capacity, technical leadership, or ongoing delivery support without adding unnecessary management overhead.
Project stalled with another vendor? Software Project Rescue
WHY JBS DEV
How to Choose a BI Consulting Partner
A BI partner should care more about your numbers than your charts. Ask these four questions before you choose, and here is how we answer them.
- Will they fix the data or just the dashboards?
- We fix the data. When reports disagree, we trace each number to its source and fix the definitions and pipelines, so every dashboard inherits the fix.
- Will they build on the tools you already own?
- Usually, yes. We are provider-aware rather than provider-locked. If Power BI or Tableau already runs your reporting, we build on it, and we recommend a new platform only when the one you have can't do the job.
- Can our team maintain it?
- Yes. We document the semantic model and train your report builders, so new reports don't depend on us. Existing BI and data teams can often run the platform without new specialist hires.
- Where is the team?
- Senior US-based engineers lead our builds, with nearshore support available for ongoing work. From the first call, you will know exactly who is modeling your data and building your reports.
JBS Dev is a senior-led custom software development company, founded in 1999, that builds, modernizes, and integrates enterprise systems around the technology clients already own.
FAQ
Business Intelligence FAQs
What does business intelligence consulting include?
It covers auditing your data sources, defining metrics, building the data warehouse and semantic model, designing dashboards, and setting row-level security. Ours ends with reporting your team owns and can extend, plus knowledge transfer and documentation. We build on the BI tools you already license, such as Power BI or Tableau.
What does a Power BI consultant do?
A Power BI consultant designs the semantic model, connects data sources, builds dashboards and paginated reports, and sets up workspaces and row-level security. Good Power BI work also covers refresh schedules, performance, and governance, so reports stay fast and trusted as more people use them. Microsoft Fabric adds data engineering and warehousing to the same platform.
Should we use Power BI or Tableau?
Use the one that fits the systems you run and the tool your people already know. Power BI suits companies on Microsoft 365, Azure, or Fabric. Tableau suits teams that explore data visually across many sources. Switching tools rarely fixes bad numbers, because the data model underneath matters more than the charts.
Why don't our reports match?
Usually because each report defines the same metric differently or pulls from a different copy of the data. The data can be the same but in a different format, and the totals stop agreeing. The fix is one semantic model with one definition per metric, fed by pipelines that reconcile the data.
How long does a BI project take?
It depends on the number of sources and the state of the data, and the assessment sets the timeline. We build in stages, starting with the dashboards leaders use most, so trusted numbers reach people before every report has moved. More reports follow on the same model.
How much does a BI project cost?
It depends on the number of data sources, data quality, the number of dashboards, security rules, BI licensing, and training. We don't quote a number before we understand your sources and reports. The assessment turns those factors into an estimate for each stage, including licensing, before you commit.
Do we need a data warehouse for BI?
Not always. A few clean sources can feed Power BI directly. Once reports pull from several systems, or the numbers need reconciling, a data warehouse gives every report one place to read from. See data warehouse consulting for how we build one.
Can AI work on top of our BI?
Yes, once the semantic model is clean. Power BI Copilot can summarize reports and answer questions inside Power BI, and AI-powered analytics can answer plain-language questions across systems. Both depend on clear metric names and row-level security, which is why the BI work usually comes first.
