Well, here we are, fellow baseball fans. It's Opening Day of the 2018 season, and I've got one thing on my mind: Baseball.

So let's talk about the most valuable strategy all MLB organizations have in their lineup: Data analysis.

Think about it for a minute. How many various statistics do you hear during a game? Batting average, On Base %, Slugging %, ERA, Average amount of Sunflower seeds consumed per game, etc.

The point I’m trying to make is baseball has realized the benefits of taking the data at hand and utilizing it to achieve wins and make their organization more successful. For example, in a tight game a team may choose to pinch hit a lefty against a right-handed pitcher because his batting average is higher when facing right handed pitchers than compared to his fellow team mate. The same can be said for pitchers - a team may choose to only allow their ace to throw 100 pitches per game, as his performance greatly declines once reaching this threshold. These statistics go on and on…

Collecting and trending this data is how teams and players improve. If a player is dropping his hands when he swings the bat, the team gathers data, and in most cases videos, showing not only why, but also how the player needs to improve his swing so he can help the team achieve a victory.

To see first-hand how Power BI connects data and drives efficiency, watch our on-demand Power BI webinar.

This brings me to my main point in that businesses should follow baseball as an example by collecting and analyzing the data they have available and use it to make educational decisions that will inevitably drive success throughout their company.

How do they do this? Simple, Microsoft Power BI.

Microsoft Power BI - Consolidated Business Intelligence

Power BI is a business intelligence tool that allows companies to pull data from multiple data sources, from ERP, to CRM, to Marketing Automation and beyond, into one centralized platform in order to benchmark and trend overall performance.

Just like in baseball, successful companies are tracking and making key business decisions based off the metrics and analytical reports presented inside of Power BI; However, instead of batting averages and ERAs, these companies are looking at Real Time Cash Flow, YOY Sales trends, Revenue Growth %, Shipment Status, Production Throughput, and the list goes on.

At the end of the day we can put on our ‘rose colored’ glasses and go with a gut feeling, but the data speaks the truth. Microsoft Power BI is the tool to consolidate and present these truths so that we can succeed and drive business efficiency.

As we begin a new baseball season, only those with the the will, determination, and analytics will succeed to the playoffs. The same can be said for businesses. Those companies that are utilizing Power BI will have a better understanding of their company’s overall performance as they near the start of each fiscal quarter, and in turn will have the data and knowledge of how to grow their business.

If you're interested in Power BI, but not sure how to present it to your boss, download this free guide from Microsoft.

Contact Turnkey Technologies to learn more!

By Greg Gillespie at Turnkey Technologies, Inc. - Microsoft Gold Partner for Dynamics ERP and CRM, based in St. Louis, Missouri.