NetSuite Project Management with Power BI Integration Impact

Project Management & Resource Planning

1 March, 2024

Naba Ijaz

Introduction

As a leader, making your businesses stand out and be successful requires more than just a robust ERP solution; it demands a knack for analytics and seamless data visualization. For this reason, ERP users often hit a wall as they implement the solution to centralize overall business operations. Reporting and analytics (in too many cases) are treated peripherally, instead of being prioritized. As a result, the ERP system ends up handling core business operations quite well, but when it comes to in-depth data analytics impacting executive decision-making, the operationally focused ERP solution falls flat. For NetSuite customers, solutions like NetSuite Advance Analytics and Microsoft Power BI offer an excellent gateway into solving the analytics challenges they counter. With these two solutions, NetSuite can make all the difference for businesses aiming to enhance their advanced analytics capabilities. Read this article to unwrap the synergy of NetSuite Project Management with Power BI integration and NetSuite Advance Analytics. Learn why businesses should choose Power BI over the NetSuite Advance Analytics module. And how a Power BI integration with NetSuite Project Management can address your analytics challenges and transform them into strategic opportunities for your business.

Introduction to NetSuite Project Management

The NetSuite project management module is an integrated Project Management suite that enhances process efficiency, streamlines operations, and optimizes resource allocation. Its advanced capabilities give the user real-time visibility into project financials, progress, and resource management. This empowers project managers and teams to complete projects within time and budgetary constraints.

To give you a better idea of how NetSuite Project Management suite can benefit, here is a breakdown of key project management capabilities:

Feature	What it can do for you
Manage Multiple Project Types	With this feature, users can manage multiple types of projects with time, budget, and resource constraints.
Automate Job Creation	You can automate job creation and bulk-create jobs with one click. Identify service items that will require a job; then go into a queue where you can assign ID and project manager, and voila, it's done.
Streamline Tasks	Organizes tasks, calls, and events, linking them to specific projects. Information regarding clients is managed in one place, so resource tracking is simple and can be segmented and leveraged to create a smarter client experience.
Project Dashboard	The Project Dashboard gives project managers a visual and graphical analysis of the status of specific projects. Project managers can briefly see important key performance indicators (KPIs), such as which projects are on time, under budget, and destined for success. For projects that are behind, you can use the dashboard to drill down and identify the root cause quickly.
Project Center	With Project Management, you can assign project resources to a standard consultant role with access to the Project Center. It provides a convenient way for consultants and project managers to view summary information about their projects and quickly enter transactions against those projects.

Explore the Capabilities of Power BI and NetSuite

Our expert team at AlphaBOLD is ready to guide you through the seamless integration process, demonstrating how you can leverage the robust analytics and reporting capabilities of Power BI, combined with the comprehensive ERP solutions of NetSuite.

Request a Demo

Gaps in NetSuite PM & The Need for Advanced Data Analytics

While NetSuite is considered a top-tier project management solution,using it for in-depth analytics is another story. Some of the key NetSuite Project Management gaps that we have identified while working as a NetSuite implementation partner are:

Difficulty in exploring data and reporting interactive insights to management.
The lack of strategic risk assessment (market volatility, competitive pressures, and regulatory changes).
Absence of a unified view that aligns financial, operational, and customer data to drive performance improvements.
No customized reports or scaling analytics, which are necessary for accommodating larger data sets.

Addressing these challenges requires a multifaceted approach to enhancing data integration capabilities. By tackling these issues, C-suite executives can leverage NetSuite’s data, driving more informed decision-making and ensuring long-term business success.

NetSuite’s Advanced Analytics Module

To counter the above-mentioned challenges, NetSuite offers a built-in Advanced Analytics module that stretches its core functionalities with more sophisticated data analysis capabilities. With the Advanced Analytics module, users can perform complex analyses, including enhanced data visualization and predictive analytics, which enables them to handle large datasets effectively.

When this solution is directly integrated with NetSuite Project Management, users will have access to real-time data across all aspects of their business operations. As a result, they can make informed decision-making based on comprehensive analytics.

Despite all these benefits, this module has a cost limitation. The pricing structure of the NetSuite advanced analytics module includes additional costs for advanced features that also require higher levels of customer support. For SMBs, this additional cost can look like a substantial investment on top of NetSuite’s primary cost. Due to capital constraints, subject matter experts (SMEs) have to explore alternativesto enhance advanced analytics capabilities within their budget.

Power BI: Overview

Power BI is Microsoft’s all-in business intelligence solution. It offers unique BI features such as data visualization, modeling, and customized and interactive dashboards.

Moreover, Power BI has an intuitive user interface (UI) that helps create comprehensive reports and dashboards. Managers can share these dashboards and reports with stakeholders or the entire organization. There is no harm in saying that Power BI can be the best tool in an executive’s stack, helping them pot chances for expansion and productivity gains and successfully manage risks. Now the question is:

Why Choose Power BI against NetSuite's Advanced Analytics Module?

The pricing edge: Power BI is way more cost-effective than the NetSuite advanced analytics module. From a free-of-cost desktop version to a fully featured Pro version at a relatively low monthly cost per user, its pricing can fit a wide range of budgets.
Integration Capabilities: While NetSuite’s Advanced Analytics module works perfectly fine in its ERP ecosystem, Power BI offers unique integration capabilities with multiple cloud-based services and on-premises data sources.
Advanced-Data Visualization: No tool or solution can beat Power BI in offering interactive data visualization options and dashboards. Power BI can meet diverse business needs more flexibly than NetSuite’s built-in options.
User-Friendly Interface: Unlike the NetSuite advanced analytics module, Power BI has a low learning curve when it comes to the user interface and experience of the solution. This results in broader adoption across every business level.

Considering all the listed factors, businesses looking to enhance their analytics capabilities can find Power BI to be one of the most compelling alternatives to NetSuite’s Advanced Analytics module. To connect Power BI with their core ERP or CRM solution like NetSuite, businesses need a Power BI connector – BOLDSuite analytics.

BOLDSuite Analytics: Your Quick Fix for NetSuite Project Management with Power BI Integration

While considering the substantial benefits of integrating NetSuite with Power BI, needing the expertise of a seasoned solution provider becomes invaluable. Solution partners like AlphaBOLD possess hands-on experience in leading integration projects like these.

So, the next question in your head might be, how can AlphaBOLD help in NetSuite Project Management with Power BI Integration to optimize your NetSuite experience fully? The answer to that question lies within our NetSuite Power BI connector – BOLDSuite Analytics. 

NetSuite Project Management with Power BI Integration: What is BOLDSuite Analytics (BSA)?

BOLDSuite Analytics is a powerful NetSuite Power BI connector reinventing how businesses interact with their data. BOLDSuite Analytics helps companies to extract maximum value from their NetSuite investment. In simple words, it enhances NetSuite’s analytical and reporting capabilities through integration with Microsoft Power BI.

Under our BOLDSuite Analytics solution stack, there is a custom Power BI-infused NetSuite reporting feature – BSA Project Management report, which can make project management a breeze.

What Does BOLDSuite Analytics Project Management Report Do?

Tracks actual labor hours vs. labor estimated hours
Tracks actual costs vs. estimated costs
Tracks actual profit vs. estimated profits
Pre-defines filters for projects, customers, and financial projections
Distributes project data by status, project manager, and customer.
Breaks down comprehensive sales order details and employee activity.

Map your Power BI Integration Journey with AlphaBOLD!

Whether you’re looking to enhance advanced analytics capabilities or data accuracy, know that with AlphaBOLD, you’ve got a seasoned solution partner on your side.

Request a Demo

BOLDSuite Analytics: Making Businesses Suffer from Success

To address this integration’s transformative impact, we’ll walk you through the success story of Netronix Integration, Inc. Netronix struggled with manual report creation and lacked a unified approach in NetSuite. By partnering with AlphaBOLD and utilizing BOLDSuite Analytics, Netronix revolutionized its project management process. The BOLDSuite Analytics Project Management dashboard provided them with detailed breakdowns of project data, real-time tracking of KPIs, and the ability to analyze trends and discrepancies effectively. This significantly contributed to the company’s overall growth and progress.

Read Full Story!

Conclusion

Incorporating data visualization solutions like Power BI and NetSuite’s Advanced Analytics into core ERP system can set the businesses for drastic growth. However, Powe BI’s competitive pricing model positions it as the platform of choice for business of all sizes. The potential of NetSuite project management with Power BI integration can completely alter how businesses approach data analytics and decision-making.

While addressing the prevalent challenges of advanced data analytics in NetSuite, this duo also elevates the decision-making process to a new zenith. Additionally, strategic partnership with solution providers like AlphaBOLD, leveraging BOLDSuite Analytics, can be the best towards achieving competitive advantage.

Visit our official website to further explore our Power BI Consultant services