Reporting requirements
Agree the questions each report must answer, who reads it and how often.
Power BI reporting on Odoo and ERP data
Odoo’s built-in reports cover a lot, and I use them first. Power BI earns its place when you need to combine ERP data with other sources, track trends over longer periods, or give management a small set of dashboards that refresh without anyone copying data into spreadsheets. I earned Microsoft’s Power BI Data Analyst Associate certification in 2024 and pair it with knowledge of how the underlying ERP data is created.
Problems this solves
- Month-end reports take days of exporting and pasting, and are out of date when they arrive.
- Sales, stock and purchasing figures disagree depending on who prepared them.
- Management can’t see slow-moving stock, margin by product or late supplier deliveries without asking someone.
A good fit if
- Your operational data already lives in Odoo or another ERP, and you know which decisions the reports should support.
- You have, or can arrange, Power BI licences for the people who will view reports.
Probably not the right fit if
- Odoo’s own reporting and spreadsheets would answer the question; I’ll say so rather than add a tool.
- The underlying ERP data is unreliable; fixing that comes first.
Scope
Data model
Connect to the ERP data, define measures such as stock value, margin and supplier lead time, and document how each is calculated.
Dashboards
A small set of focused dashboards for sales, inventory, purchasing or production, built for the people who use them.
Refresh and access
Scheduled refresh and access rights so the right people see current figures.
What you receive
- Agreed report definitions, including how each measure is calculated.
- Published Power BI dashboards with scheduled refresh.
- A short guide on reading the reports and where the numbers come from.
How the work runs
- Questions first. List the decisions the reports should support and the measures needed.
- Check the data. Confirm the ERP data behind each measure is complete and consistent.
- Build and review. Build a first version, review it with the people who will use it, and adjust.
- Publish. Publish, schedule refresh, set access and hand over.
What I need from you
- Access to the ERP data, read-only where possible.
- A person who can confirm what each figure should be, for example matching a known month-end report.
- Power BI licensing decided for report viewers.
Experience behind this service
- Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate (earned April 2024).
- Data warehousing and reporting as part of my ERP consultant role at Master Software Solutions since October 2024.
- Writing on dashboards for growing businesses and Odoo reporting mistakes.
You work with me directly: I'm Sajjal Bajaj, an Odoo ERP consultant and project manager at Master Software Solutions in Mohali, India. Read about my background or see my CV.
? Frequently asked questions
Do I need Power BI if I use Odoo?
Not always. Odoo's reporting views and spreadsheets answer many day-to-day questions. Power BI is worth adding when you combine ERP data with other sources, need longer trend analysis, or want management dashboards that refresh on a schedule.
Can Power BI read data from Odoo?
Yes, though the connection method depends on your hosting and setup, and some approaches need technical work. We agree the approach during requirements so access is reliable and secure.
Which reports are most useful for manufacturers and distributors?
Usually stock value and ageing, slow-moving items, sales and margin by product or customer, supplier on-time delivery, and production output against plan. The right set depends on the decisions you make each week.
Spending days on reports?
Tell me which reports you produce today, where the data comes from and who reads them. I'll suggest whether Odoo's own reporting is enough or Power BI is worth it.
Discuss your project