PowerBI and SQL: Pillars of Data-Driven Project Management
Combining PowerBI’s interactive dashboards with SQL’s ability to query and structure data helps project managers automate status reports, monitor milestones, and take smarter actions. By establishing direct connections between databases, such as SQL Server and MySQL, teams can gain real-time visibility on project KPIs, budget use, resource allocation, and risk management. Practical Example 1: Project Sales and Inventory Dashboard Scenario: A retail project manager wants to track sales trends and stock levels across multiple store locations. The initial data is stored in a MySQL database with tables for Products, Sales, Suppliers, and Inventory. Steps: - Use SQL to summarize sales across each location: ```sql SELECT store_id, product_id, SUM(quantity_sold) AS total_sales FROM sales GROUP BY store_id, product_id; ``` - Clean and format tables as needed. Export to CSV if necessary. - Connect PowerBI directly to the MySQL database or import the cleaned tables. - Create visuals...