Restaurant equipment manufacturer increases data efficiency with Power BI

Client background

This company is a manufacturer of high-quality countertop restaurant equipment. They specialize in portion control dispensing and point-of-use holding of ambient, heated and chilled food products. They help food service operators control costs, improve operational efficiency and maintain food quality and consistency. Some of their products include ketchup dispensers for burger restaurants, hot fudge dispensers for ice cream shops and holders for warm soups and sauces.

The business challenge

The client’s sales reporting was done once a week and data was being manually extracted via Structured Query Language (SQL) into Excel. Due to the inconsistency and lack of formal procedures within their existing approach, reporting needs varied each week and Excel files were constantly being changed, hindering team productivity as everyone needed to continually learn the functionality Excel was providing.

Strategy and solution

Baker Tilly worked with the VP of Sales to identify actionable insights within the raw data. Through this approach, the client was able to:

• Automate the entire solution in Power BI, no manual refreshes and consistent up-to-date data
• Build a user interface in Power BI, including on-screen help for end-users
• Ensure reports focus on actionable information
• Provide a complete and extensible dimensional data model that power users can use
• Deliver technical training and documentation to IT and end-users

Baker Tilly was able to implement a new process for the client to better organize, understand and leverage their data. This framework will allow the client to identify factors that are driving growth year-over-year and ultimately perform more efficiently.