Project Details

Fabric-Driven Reporting Modernization for a Manufacturing & Engineering Firm

Client name and specific details omitted for confidentiality.

Project Overview

A globally recognized engineering firm relied heavily on Excel and SQL Server for daily and monthly operational reporting. Despite having Microsoft 365 E5 licensing, their reporting environment was siloed and slow. I led the modernization project by implementing Microsoft Fabric, enabling scalable, real-time analytics and reducing the firm’s dependency on spreadsheets.

Context & Opportunity
  • Heavy reliance on Excel and SQL Server for reporting and reconciliation.
  • Teams manually processed data with inconsistent update cycles.
  • Operational KPIs spread across disconnected sheets and files.
  • Existing E5 licensing underutilized for enterprise analytics.
  • Growing need for self-service BI and real-time insights.
Legacy Landscape
  • Manual report preparation using Excel macros and VBA scripts.
  • Data pulled from SQL Server on scheduled tasks.
  • No centralized dashboarding or semantic model in place.
  • Delayed insights led to reactive operations.
  • Ad hoc data sharing through email attachments.
Strategic Objectives
  • Leverage Microsoft Fabric and Power BI to streamline analytics.
  • Replace Excel-based processes with governed semantic models.
  • Empower departments with self-service dashboards and live KPIs.
  • Utilize E5 licensing fully to reduce additional software costs.
  • Ensure scalable data ingestion and lineage tracking with pipelines.
Measurable Outcomes
  • Cut reporting cycle time by over 60%.
  • Deployed centralized dashboards with live connectivity to SQL and OneLake.
  • Reduced Excel usage by 80% across departments.
  • Governed semantic models enabled consistent, reusable KPIs.
  • Data access became scalable, secure, and audit-ready.

This project successfully demonstrated how Microsoft Fabric can modernize traditional BI environments, unlocking real-time access and collaborative insights—without investing in new licenses.

It empowered business teams to move away from spreadsheets and adopt a modern analytics approach with better security, reliability, and performance. The outcome significantly improved operational responsiveness and data culture maturity across the organization.