Harnessing CRM Data for Insightful Sales Reporting at MavenTech: Part 1
Welcome to our series on transforming CRM data into actionable insights! I’m here to guide you through the fascinating journey of creating a Power BI report for MavenTech, a dynamic company specialising in computer hardware sales to large businesses. This was part of a analytics challenge presented by Maven Analytics. My role is as a BI Developer at MavenTech and I’ve embarked on a mission to provide the sales managers with a comprehensive view of their team’s performance through a dynamic and interactive dashboard.
The Challenge at Hand
MavenTech has been diligently tracking sales opportunities using a new CRM system. Despite this, the visibility of this data beyond the basic CRM reports is nearly non-existent. The sales managers are somewhat navigating in the dark, making strategic decisions based on limited insights.
This is where the magic of BI comes in. My role in the Maven Sales Challenge is not just about making sense of data; it’s about turning it into a actionable insights. The goal? To empower the sales managers with an interactive dashboard that not only tracks but also analyses the team’s performance on a quarterly basis.
Understanding the Data
Before diving into the intricacies of Power BI and dashboard design, let’s unpack the dataset that will be the foundation of our reporting tool. MavenTech’s dataset comprises of detailed records pulled from the CRM database. It includes vital information on:
- Accounts: Who our clients are and their profiles.
- Products: The diverse range of computer hardware we offer.
- Sales Teams: The champions behind our sales, who they are, and how they perform.
- Sales Opportunities: Detailed tracking of interactions, sales stages, and outcomes.
This dataset provides a view of our sales operations, making it perfect for deep-dive analytics.
Reasons for setting up of a Windows VM using Azure
You might wonder why I’m setting up a Windows Virtual Machine (VM) on Azure to handle this project. Here’s why choosing a VM on Azure offers a significant advantage:
1. Compatibility: Power BI Desktop, a leading tool for creating reports and dashboards, runs natively on Windows. Using a VM ensures I get the full functionality of Power BI without any compatibility issues.
2. Flexibility: With Azure VM, I can scale my computing resources based on the project’s demand. This means during heavy data processing phases, I can ramp up the computing power and scale down when it’s not needed.
3. Accessibility: A cloud-based VM allows me to access my development environment from anywhere and anytime. Whether I’m at home or in a café, I can jump right into my work without any hassle.
4. Security and Backup: Azure provides built-in security features and regular backups, ensuring that our data and reports are protected against loss and theft.
Setting Up Your Azure VM
Here’s a quick guide on how I set up a Windows VM on Azure for this project:
- Log in to Azure Portal: Start by logging into your Azure portal.
- Create a New Resource: Select ‘Create a Resource’ and choose ‘Virtual Machines’.
- Configure the VM: Choose the Windows Server image, specify the size depending on your processing needs, and set up the administrator credentials.
- Network Settings and Security: Configure the network settings and ensure all necessary security measures are in place.
- Launch the VM: Once everything is set, launch your VM, connect to it, and start installing Power BI Desktop.
Connecting to Your VM via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)
Once your VM is up and running, you’ll want to connect to it using a Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). Here’s how to do it:
- Download a Remote Desktop Client: I use the Microsoft Remote Desktop client.
- Get the Public IP Address: Go back to the Azure portal, find your VM in the resources, and note the public IP address displayed.
- Open Microsoft Remote Desktop:
- Click on “Add PC” or “New” depending on your version of the client.
- Enter the public IP address of your VM.
- You may also configure additional options like friendly name, gateway, or screen resolution as per your preference.
4. Start the Session: Double-click on the saved desktop entry, enter the username and password you configured for the VM, and hit enter.
5. Access your VM: You should now be connected to your Windows VM and ready to work with all the features of a Windows environment right from your pc.
In the next articles, we will delve deeper into the world of data cleaning and data preparation with Power Query and constructing our sales performance dashboard in Power BI.
If you have any questions about setting up your VM or about the project in general, feel free to drop a comment below!
Next Article: Mastering Data Cleaning and Transformation with Power Query at MavenTech: Part 2
Articles in Series:
Mastering Data Cleaning and Transformation with Power Query at MavenTech: Part 2
Building the Foundation: Designing the Data Model in Power BI : Part 3
