INTRODUCING POWERBI INTEGRATIONS
One of the best ways you can expand your signage capabilities is through third-party integrations. Many manufacturing plants utilize third-party apps for scheduling, KPI’s, calendar events, traffic routes, and other user data. Depending on the type of app or integration, this may require you to reach out to your REACH account manager to scope out the project. While this is great as REACH’s flexibility allows you to utilize other software, this can cost time depending on the urgency of your requests. However, there is an integration already built out in your REACH CMS that you can utilize immediately for free. If you have a Microsoft PowerBI account, you can pull information from this application for display through manufacturing-based digital signage. As a result, you can see significant boosts in the efficiency and cohesion of your business. Using this integration requires no set up from you or REACH, allowing you to immediately dive in through a synchronization process. Whether presenting the data in full-screen mode or using infographics to supplement other announcements, PowerBI is a valuable tracking tool that helps businesses reach their goals and keep employees on task. Haven’t taken the plunge yourself on digital signage? Click here to begin your journey, or click the button below to talk to an expert.
WHAT IS POWERBI?
PowerBI is a software service that helps you take services, apps, and other connectors to work in tandem to provide you stunning infographics and useful insights. Of course, how you specifically use PowerBI will be dependent on your business, role, and objective. Ultimately, you will be using PowerBI to create and visualize reports, graphs, and charts to glean important information. You can edit your PowerBI account through a desktop app, online software, and through the mobile app. Once the information is ready, you can begin presenting it through your displays. This works on both portrait and landscape layout formats, allowing you to share information across different screens. You can also share this information between facilities so the same information is cohesive across your organization. If you do not have a PowerBI account, setting up a standard account is completely free! However, to display it through digital signage, you will need a PowerBI Pro or PowerBI Premium based on your needs. In addition to allowing you to embed your charts, these options come with alternative features that will expand the information available to you, as well as more advanced customization options.
HOW TO INTEGRATE IT INTO YOUR SIGNAGE
If you already have your PowerBI and REACH accounts set up, this guide will show you how to synchronize the two so your PowerBI information appears through REACH. To get started, you will want to create a layout zone and select the PowerBI app from the “Graphs/Form” tab.
From here, navigate to the “PowerBI Settings” tab and select what type of account you will be pulling. Unless you are a government entity, you will want to choose the “General” option. Then, click “Link Account” and follow the rest of Microsoft’s authentication process. Once finished, go back to your PowerBI settings. You can now select whether to embed a report or dashboard, and then select which one you want displayed through the layout.
There are some things to be aware of when presenting PowerBI information through digital signage. PowerBI reports natively support refreshing data whereas dashboards do not. To account for that, dashboards are refreshed by reloading the entire app. The refresh interval can be set by entering a value in the Report Refresh Interval. PowerBI reports can be filtered in two ways, by URL or by JSON. Below are the links to the official documentation:
URL Filtering: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/service-url-filters
JSON Filtering: https://github.com/microsoft/PowerBI-JavaScript/wiki/Filters
The two filter expressions are advanced options that allow the reports to be filtered based on the setup of the report. Each filter will vary based on the user’s setup since each report is unique. These filter expressions require scoping and development time as it requires familiarity with the report. Lastly, some PowerBI reports have multiple pages or tabs that can be set to automatically switch in regular intervals. Very easy to set up, simply follow the steps above to connect your account. Once connected, click on the checkbox that says, “Enable Automatic Page Switching”. This should list all the pages/tabs in the report. As a default, each page displays for 60 seconds before switching. The report itself refreshes every 3600 seconds. However, users have the flexibility to adjust these settings.
HOW POWERBI BENEFITS YOU
PowerBI can transform your manufacturing plant to become an efficiency powerhouse! Through PowerBI integrations, you can present production metrics, deadlines, efficiency charts, ROI graphs, sales over time, and so on. Really, any sort of metric you want to organize within PowerBI can be displayed through your signage solution. Additionally, our team of professional designers can do custom work for your company to ensure these infographics match your brand standards. Having this information readily accessible helps your staff remain on task, prioritize certain projects, and adjust strategy based on information and insights.
ABOUT REACH
REACH acts as both a hardware and software provider for digital signage. When you partner with REACH, you join a network of industry professionals committed to your success. A strong belief in evolving technologies runs throughout the company, resulting in robust digital solutions. To begin your digital signage journey, click the button below to request a free demo from REACH today!
