Where Is Your Data?

Before you can build a dashboard, you need to know where your data actually lives—and for many wholesale businesses, that’s not always clear.

Your ERP system likely holds your core data:
✔ Sales orders
✔ Customer accounts
✔ Stock levels and movement
✔ Purchasing history

This is often stored in an on-premises SQL Server, especially in older or more traditional setups. But that’s not the only place data lives. Website traffic might be in Google Analytics, email stats in Mailchimp, and delivery tracking with your courier partner.

If you want to create useful dashboards in Power BI (or any other tool), start with this simple exercise:

1. List the key metrics you want to track – Sales by region, pick accuracy, repeat customer rate, etc.
2. Identify where each piece of data is stored – ERP, website, CRM, courier portal, etc.
3. Check who has access – You’ll need read access to connect Power BI.

It’s easy to jump ahead and start designing a flashy dashboard, but without knowing where your data is—and how to access it—you’ll hit a wall.

📌 Start with visibility. That’s the first step to insight.