Jet and Power BI - Better Together

Navigating the options for reporting and analytics tools can be challenging for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central or Dynamics NAV users. Popular choices include Jet Reports, Jet Analytics, and Power BI.

Each tool serves a unique purpose, tailored to different aspects of reporting and analysis. The best choice depends on your organization’s specific needs.

Interestingly, a combination of Jet Reports or Jet Analytics with Power BI often provides the most comprehensive solution, leveraging the strengths of each tool to offer superior business analysis and reporting capabilities. This integrated approach ensures that you get the best of all worlds, enhancing data accuracy, visualization, and real-time insights.

Understanding Microsoft Dynamics ERPs

Microsoft Dynamics ERP systems, including Dynamics 365 Business Central and Dynamics NAV, are robust platforms designed to manage various business processes. These systems handle everything from financials and supply chain management to customer relationships and operations. While Microsoft Dynamics provides a solid foundation for business operations, extracting meaningful insights from the data it holds requires advanced reporting and analytics tools.

Comprehensive Reporting Solution

Jet Reports provides a robust reporting solution within Excel, allowing users to create detailed financial and operational reports with ease. Jet Analytics enhances this capability by providing a solid data foundation, including a data warehouse and pre-built cubes. Power BI adds an extra layer of sophistication with its advanced visualization and interactive dashboard capabilities. Together, these tools offer a comprehensive reporting solution that meets the diverse needs of any organization.

Jet Reports is a powerful reporting solution that integrates directly with Microsoft Dynamics ERPs. It allows users to create, manage, and distribute financial and operational reports using Excel. Jet Reports offers real-time data access, eliminating the need for complex coding or IT assistance.

Jet Analytics is an advanced business intelligence (BI) solution that provides a comprehensive data warehouse and pre-built cubes for Microsoft Dynamics ERPs. It is designed to transform raw data into actionable insights through powerful data modeling and visualization capabilities. Jet Analytics enhances the reporting capabilities of Jet Reports by providing a solid foundation for data analysis.

Power BI is a business analytics service by Microsoft that provides interactive visualizations and BI capabilities with an interface simple enough for end users to create their own reports and dashboards. It connects to a wide range of data sources, including Microsoft Dynamics ERPs, and offers powerful tools for data analysis and visualization. 

Seamless Integration

Combining Jet Reports, Jet Analytics, and Power BI provides a seamless integration that enhances the overall reporting and analytics experience for Microsoft Dynamics ERP users. The integration between these tools ensures that data flows smoothly from the ERP system to the reporting and analytics platforms, minimizing the risk of data silos and inconsistencies.

Real-Time Data Access and Analysis

One of the key advantages of using Jet Reports, Jet Analytics, and Power BI together is the ability to access and analyze real-time data. Jet Reports connects directly to Microsoft Dynamics ERPs, ensuring that reports are always based on the latest data. Jet Analytics provides a data warehouse that consolidates data from multiple sources, while Power BI offers real-time data visualization. This combination ensures that users have access to the most current information for decision-making.

Advanced Analytics and Insights

With Jet Analytics providing pre-built cubes and custom data models, users can perform advanced analytics and gain deeper insights into their data. Power BI's AI-powered features and advanced visualizations further enhance these capabilities, allowing users to uncover hidden patterns and trends. This combination of tools empowers organizations to make data-driven decisions with confidence.

Scalability and Flexibility

As organizations grow and evolve, their reporting and analytics needs may change. The combination of Jet Reports, Jet Analytics, and Power BI offers scalability and flexibility to meet these changing needs. Jet Analytics' data warehousing and modeling capabilities allow for the creation of custom data models, while Power BI's connectivity options ensure that new data sources can be easily integrated. This scalability ensures that the reporting and analytics solution can grow with the organization.

Cost-Effective Solution

Investing in a comprehensive reporting and analytics solution can be costly. However, the combination of Jet Reports, Jet Analytics, and Power BI offers a cost-effective solution for organizations using Microsoft Dynamics ERPs. These tools leverage existing investments in Microsoft technology, reducing the need for additional software and infrastructure. Additionally, the user-friendly interfaces and seamless integration reduce the need for extensive training and IT support, further lowering costs.

Jet and Power BI - Better Together

The combination of Jet Reports, Jet Analytics, and Power BI creates a comprehensive, powerful solution for financial reporting and business intelligence for Microsoft Dynamics ERP users. Each tool brings unique strengths: Jet Reports offers real-time data access and ease of use within Excel, Jet Analytics provides robust data warehousing and pre-built cubes for deep data analysis, and Power BI delivers advanced visualization and interactive dashboard capabilities. Together, these tools enhance data accuracy, provide real-time insights, and support advanced analytics, empowering organizations to make data-driven decisions with confidence and efficiency. Whether for financial reporting, operational analysis, sales and marketing analytics, multi-company reporting, or regulatory compliance, this trio offers a scalable, cost-effective solution that grows with your organization and maximizes your investment in Microsoft technology.

If you're unsure which combination is right for you, we invite you to watch the informative webinar on Jet and Power BI. Register here.