A well-designed report is only part of a Power BI implementation. The bigger questions are whether the figures can be trusted, whether the right people can use them and who looks after the solution once it goes live.
If you are choosing a BI consultant, start with a brief that makes proposals comparable. Here is how to define the first delivery, understand the cost drivers and ask useful questions before committing to a project.
Decide which decision the first report should support
“We need a better view of our finances” is a reasonable opening to a conversation, but a weak project brief. Try: “Each month, our finance manager needs to identify locations that are off budget and trace the difference to a cost category.” That tells us who needs the report, when they need it and how much detail it must provide.
Then define the sources, measures and users. For example, the first report might compare recorded actuals with budget by month and location. Forecasts, live sales pipeline and a new group-wide data warehouse become separate decisions. A smaller first delivery is easier to assess before extending it.
Ask for a quote that separates the data foundation from the reports
Two proposals with the same number of report pages can cover very different work. One might assume a clean database already exists. The other might include API retrieval, customer-key mapping, shared calculations and monitoring. Compare the work and responsibilities before comparing the totals.
| Area | Ask for a clear answer to |
|---|---|
| Sources and access | Which systems, companies, historical periods and APIs or exports are included? |
| Data model and measures | How are records connected, and who approves definitions and calculations? |
| Reports | Which views, filters, comparisons and levels of detail are part of the first delivery? |
| Access and sharing | Which users can see each company or location, and how will they access the reports? |
| Operations and handover | Who owns workspaces, source code and access, and who handles failures after launch? |
How much does a Power BI implementation cost?
The main cost drivers are the condition of your data, the complexity of the connections and your requirements for use and maintenance. A chart built on a clean table and a solution combining several companies, currencies and business systems are different projects, even when both appear in Power BI.
Ask for implementation, any licences and ongoing maintenance to be itemised separately. Microsoft's licensing and capacity requirements need checking against your users and sharing arrangements. Having Microsoft 365 alone is not enough reason to assume that every sharing requirement is already covered.
If access or data quality is uncertain, a bounded discovery phase may be more useful than a detailed quote built on assumptions. Its output should be a concrete proposal: what the first delivery covers, what it depends on and which questions still need investigating.
- Check the assumptions behind the price and how changes will be handled.
- Separate implementation from licences, data storage, hosting and support.
- Agree your contribution: access, budget data and someone who can validate the measures.
Write down how you will decide that the delivery works
“The report is finished” needs to mean more than being able to open it. Choose reference periods and reconcile the totals with a known source. Test credit notes, missing values, period boundaries and locations with no activity. Differences need explaining before the report becomes a basis for decisions.
Ask someone from each user role to try their normal questions. A location manager should be able to find the right location and period without asking the developer every time. Also verify that a restricted user cannot access other locations through the detail views or exports you make available.
Agree what happens when data is late. The report should show its latest update, and someone needs to hear about failed retrievals. Refresh requirements should follow the decision: monthly financial review rarely needs the same setup as day-to-day staffing.
Does Power BI fit, or do you need a custom dashboard?
Power BI is an option when you want an established analytics tool and can put sharing, skills and maintenance around it. If you already have a sound data model and reporting environment, extending that foundation may make sense.
A custom dashboard can be useful when users need a more tailored workflow, when analysis needs to sit alongside other functions or when you want full control over the interface. A custom solution still needs authentication, a data model, maintenance and someone responsible for it. Compare the complete arrangement against your requirements.
PVBC provides business intelligence development services using Power BI or a custom platform, depending on the project. An introductory conversation starts with the questions you need to answer and identifies which approach is worth investigating. The choice of tool follows the need.
Common questions
What should we send to get a useful quote?
Describe the decisions the report should support, your current systems, roughly how many people will use it and how often the data needs updating. An anonymised existing report or a prioritised list of measures is helpful. Keep passwords and sensitive business information out of the initial enquiry.
Can you extend or take over an existing Power BI solution?
We can start by reviewing the sources, calculations, reports, permissions and available documentation. That lets us assess what can be retained and what needs changing. The scope is agreed after that review.
How long does implementation take?
It depends on the scope, access to data and how quickly your team can validate the calculations. Ask for a plan with explicit dependencies and a first usable delivery. A credible schedule accounts for access and review, as well as development time.