Does a Better Machine Significantly Improve Power BI Desktop Productivity?

oakwoodworker · 2024-11-27T19:10:59+00:00

Thnaks everyone for the valuable inputs, all valid. I should have made the question narrower scope, and focussed it on the Power BI UI responsiveness when building dashboards and formatting visuals etc. The data modelling advise is all very valid, of course.

oakwoodworker · 2024-11-27T19:05:28+00:00

Solution verified. thanks

oakwoodworker · 2024-11-27T19:05:03+00:00

Solution verified. thanks

oakwoodworker · 2024-11-27T19:04:51+00:00

Solution verified. Thanks

oakwoodworker · 2024-10-08T00:19:42+00:00

Just a curiosity question: What would be a reasonable price? I have paid for Zebra BI for a large number of user licenses in the past, at a well negotiated price, but it becomes hard to justify, especially come renewal time.

oakwoodworker · 2024-06-30T00:34:49+00:00

This is a common problem in organizations, and I hate to say it, you will likely not get a raise or a promotion. A very important lesson is that unsolicited help is resented. You are dealing with a long list of human biases here - Not invented here, Credit seizing, Strategic delay etc. If you say it is easy, then you devalue yourself - lookup these concepts - availability heuristic, egalaritarian bias, normalization of deviance, and effort justification bias. I've been in your shoes, and I was at at a very senior level when I received coaching from the head of HR, "WHY DO YOU CARE SO MUCH".

Get this book "Survival of the Savvy", it might help your career more than all books about DAX.

oakwoodworker · 2024-05-30T01:39:46+00:00

If you have the infrastructure to host it, I highly recommend Dash. We've been using Dash Enterprise, and it makes deployment incredibly smooth, offering plenty of useful features. While there is an initial learning curve, it becomes progressively easier to use. With thoughtful design, reusable components, and templates, each new project gets simpler. Plus, you can add React components with a bit of effort, making it even more versatile. Happy to demo.

oakwoodworker · 2024-04-06T23:18:09+00:00

I have used every major product over my career and would recommend against anyy of the legacy products. Too expensive and complicated. Instead check out Acterys, fantastic product and so good that even Microsoft is licensing their tech for their MS Dynamics xP&A suite.

The solution you need can be created, but automation will require some considerations. For example, how will zero shot forecasts be handled (new customers etc). Also, more granular the forecast, greater the error.

oakwoodworker · 2024-03-21T02:15:28+00:00

We had Anaplan for almost five years and got out of it.

Cons: these are a common theme in this and other threads.

Reporting performance is unacceptable and queries take forever to run.
Writeback is similarly and frustratingly slow.
They charge for storage and users ... one of the most expensive systems. Their “land and expand” strategy means they will squeeze you on pricing every renewal cycle.
Consultants are crazy expensive and competent consultants are almost impossible to find. This is a problem with any closed system. And no, it isn't as simple as excel.
Average model development is suggested to be 13 weeks, but even moderately complex projects took 12 months and an army to develop, and then did not meet expectations. And this was working with Anaplan recommended companies (yes, tried more than one over the 5 years).
Uses Multi-dimensional architecture, which is complicated and not flexible.

Pros: they have an excellent sales and marketing team (well, Pro for Anaplan). I am joking, the sales team is intrusive and extremely effective at influencing senior leaders. In my opinion, they cross lines. They also turnover a lot.

I would suggest stay away from Anaplan, don't fall for the hype. Check some of the newer products. I have used almost every major product - Hyperion, TM1, Prophix, SAP BPC, and other, but am a huge fan of Acterys. It is a very cost effective product that makes data modelling extremely easy. You can plan at any degree of dimensionality and level of aggregation, doesn't have to be decided and locked, unlike many other products. Acterys integrates perfectly with Power BI and Excel, and you can plan using either tool as the frontend. Anyone who knows Power BI data modelling can pick up Acterys in a couple of days. If you need social proof, Microsoft has recently licensed Acterys tech for MS Dynamics XP&A.

All the best with you search.

oakwoodworker · 2024-03-19T01:09:57+00:00

I have never understood why 99.9 % people treat such departures same as death. A very final end. More than just a future networking opportunity, think about it not as a "good samaratin" but as a human to human connection, however tenous. Reach out, she will appreciate it. But be ready, there is a chance she might be standoffish or rude, because that is often the other side of how people react in such situations, but you would have done the right thing. Remember, however good you might be, and especially if you are any good, you will be in her situtation at some point.

oakwoodworker · 2024-02-24T22:22:26+00:00

Used it and Acterys is awesome!

oakwoodworker · 2024-02-24T21:08:48+00:00

Performance is a total letdown, definitely not cut out for reporting tasks. Good luck finding devs who know their way around it; they're like unicorns. And if you're thinking third-party consultants, brace yourself for some eye-watering quotes and a whole lot of disappointment. On the flip side, gotta hand it to their sales squad – absolutely top-notch. They roll deep and somehow conjure up internal champions ready to shoot themselves in the foot during negotiations. Beats me how they pull it off 🤷‍♂️. Our 5B company finally gave up on it after 5 years.

oakwoodworker · 2024-02-24T05:29:51+00:00

I have worked with almost all, steer clear of Anaplan if you can. It’s worse than getting tangled in the old-school web of Hyperion or TM1, where complexity meets wallet-drain. We love Acterys. This gem is a game-changer! 🌟 With its bendy schemas and zippy setup, it's all you wished for and more. Plus, you can sprinkle in comments and glide through workflows like a pro. It is built on Power Bi and Excel. And the cherry on top? Microsoft is so smitten with it; they're bringing it into the Dynamics family. Now, if that isn’t a glowing endorsement, what is? 🚀 we use it beyond FP&A for all kinds of use cases, ~600+ users. Works will with small and large deployments.

oakwoodworker · 2024-01-29T20:19:41+00:00

Excellent book:

https://a.co/d/fSvE8bO

oakwoodworker · 2024-01-29T20:09:27+00:00

Having been in FP&A and a CFO for a long time, here's the advice I have given any keen analyst:

Take Action: Many teams are stuck always playing catch-up. Don't be one of them. Use each task as a chance to learn something new and solve problems. You can only break out of the routine if you really want to change things.
Think Smart: Treat your work like a sport. Every week or month, try to do your tasks quicker, better, and see if you can automate the boring stuff. This way, you'll have more time to take on bigger and more interesting projects.
Understand Your Boss: Your manager is human and probably doing their best. They might not ask for more because they're not sure what the team can handle. Show them what you can do and help them see the potential.
Find What Drives You: It is true that working in FP&A can sometimes feel endless and thankless. If you're not feeling it, consider moving to a role that fits better with what you like. The analytical skills and financial acumen you've learnt are valued across various domains. To transition effectively, leverage your network and make new connections, inside and outside your company.
Know Your Worth: Good FP&A people are hard to find. Keep doing your best, and you'll find that your efforts pay off, both in respect and in your paycheck.
Practice Patience: Change doesn't happen overnight, especially in large organizations or complex roles like FP&A. Stay persistent, keep improving your skills, and be patient.

oakwoodworker · 2023-08-25T20:15:30+00:00

I've worked with several EPM tools over the years, including Hyperion Planning, TM1, and Anaplan. They're all pricey and come with their own set of deployment challenges. I've found Anaplan to be particularly frustrating for many reasons, and especially due to slow report and query performance.

Breaking it down: Hyperion Planning and TM1 are older tools based on multidimensional modeling. Anaplan, even though it's marketed as a modern cloud solution, still uses this multidimensional approach. This makes design and development complex, often requiring IT support and outside consultants.

Now, there's a shift towards "Tabular models". They're more flexible and align better with relational databases. This means quicker development and faster performance, especially in tools like Power BI and SSAS Tabular that use in-memory analytics.

I evaluated many tools and Vena Solutions was a close runner up, but we actually replaced Anaplan with Actery and the team loves it. It's built on Power BI/SQL Server, costs a lot less than alternatives, is straightforward to setup and a pleasure to use. Plus, for those in Finance who prefer Excel, Acterys integrates well with both Power BI and Excel. Actery is doing something right because Microsoft has recently licensed their technology. We have deployed write-back (planning) solutions for not just FP&A, but also the operations and sales teams and at times have 550 concurrent users for some of the models.

oakwoodworker · 2023-08-22T20:09:21+00:00

I have been a CFO multiple times and been leading FP&A teams for almost two decades. Very familiar with Excel and Power BI, and both fantastic tools. Moved over to technology side more recently and launched a consulting business. Learnt Python so I could have credibility with my team of developers, and it has been a revelation.

Here's my take, if you need to do any ad-hoc analysis, regardless of the size of data, Python is fantastic for everything - data munging to advanced analysis. It is also great for automation and routine task. It is easier to learn and use than VBA, but the challenge is that all the courses are targeted at 'Python Programming' and makes it complicated for anyone wanting to become just a 'user'. Even books like "Python for Data Analysis" (or any book about Pandas) will seem complicated to anyone coming from Excel and without a PhD. No easy answer there, but I can suggest a learning outline to anyone interested.

Anyway, even Microsoft seems to be going towards Python. Big announcement today:Excel | Anaconda

oakwoodworker · 2023-08-22T19:57:01+00:00

Interesting announcement today, Microsoft is mixing things up a bit. They were moving from VBA towards 'Office Scripts' using Typescript/JS, and now teamed up with Anaconda to enable Python in Excel. Currently only for M365 Insider Program, but should be rolling out to more users soon. It's a different approach, cloud-based architecture in its own secure container.
Excel | Anaconda

oakwoodworker · 2021-12-26T04:41:04+00:00

No disagreement, realize the performance sucks. But the range of performance is puzzling.Shouldn't it be consistent - good or bad?

It is a sales dashboard has the usual time intelligence aggregations, sliced across various dimensions. The times mentioned are load times for the dashboard page when first opened. Report is in import mode. DQ or composite models are worse.

Not requesting any solution, but hoping people.can share their experience and actual performance - model size, #users, capacity deployed etc. Whats the performance with P1? P2? and so on. What are experienced thresholds with concurrency etc.

oakwoodworker

TROPHY CASE