Shows
The Dashboard EffectMaking Data Work for Small Firms Without a Big BudgetThink you need a big BI team and a big budget to get value from your data? Think again. In this episode, Brick Thompson and Landon Ochs share how small professional services firms can start using data effectively—by focusing on one meaningful problem, starting simple, and iterating over time. Hear practical tips, common pitfalls, and a real-world success story that added millions to the bottom line.At Blue Margin, we help middle-market companies turn their data into a competitive advantage. As a Microsoft Gold Partner specializing in Power BI, we build simple, actionable dashboards that give le...
2025-09-2208 minThe Dashboard EffectChoosing the Right Data Platform for Your Business: Fabric or Snowflake?Choosing between Microsoft Fabric and Snowflake? In this episode of The Dashboard Effect, Brick Thompson and Landon Ochs break down when, why, and how to choose the right data platform for your organization. From ecosystem compatibility and AI capabilities to cost management and developer experience, we unpack the real-world trade-offs we see every day at Blue Margin.Whether you're building from scratch or evaluating a transition, this conversation will help you make a smarter, more informed decision.Don’t forget to subscribe for more data strategy insights!
2025-07-0712 min
Beyond Electric SheepIs Your Job Doomed?In this thirteen-minute Episode 34, Brick Thompson and Ed Daniels discuss a new trend of CEO’s warning their employees that they need to learn how to use AI. Brick and Ed discuss Fiverr CEO Micha Kaufman’s letter to his employees about AI. Brick reads a quote “If you do not become an exceptional talent at what you do, a master, you will face the need for a career change in a matter of months. I am not trying to scare you….I am talking about your ability to stay in your profession in the industry. Are we all do...
2025-06-1213 minBeyond Electric SheepAI EvolutionIn this eleven-minute Episode 33, Brick Thompson and Ed Daniels discuss Google’s new AlphaEvolve, an evolutionary coding agent developed by Google DeepMind. AlphaEvolve uses an LLM to generate different versions of the target algorithm’s code, and then applies an evolutionary algorithm to evaluate and select the most promising code version.Ed and Brick riff on how this tool could be used in the business world to improve business processes. They also speculate on how humans fit into this approach. Do we still have a role to play? Brick and Ed wrap it up by spinning off into...
2025-06-0511 minBeyond Electric SheepE32 Bottom RungIn this 13-minute Episode 32, Brick Thompson and Ed Daniels discuss AI's impact on employment and how the ‘Bottom Rung’ jobs may be going away…replaced by AI Agents. Brick notes that this will present a problem for companies where typically new talent is brought in at an entry level, and as new employees gain experience, they advance up the career ladder. Without the Bottom Rung jobs, experienced people will not be available to fill the next level of jobs as managers advance up the ladder and, eventually, retire. Ed notes that new college graduate...
2025-05-2813 minThe Dashboard Effect5 Key Metrics for Middle Market CompaniesIn this episode, Brick and Kate break down the five most impactful metrics for middle-market companies to focus on when implementing Business Intelligence (BI). These metrics help businesses not only measure performance, but also take strategic action based on real-time insights.Whether you're in services, manufacturing, or another industry, this conversation dives into practical examples and key considerations for tracking performance across the organization.Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more insights on data-driven business strategies.
2025-05-0809 minBeyond Electric SheepRobotsIn this 12-minute episode, Ed Daniels and Brick Thompson talk about how large language model AI technology is about to facilitate a huge advancement in robotics. Ed recently rewrote his science fiction novel "The Last of the Firefighters" where robotics invades the profession of firefighting. Brick and Ed talk about the various scenarios portrayed in Ed's novel. https://thelastofthefirefighters.com/ We also discuss robot vacuum cleaners, self-driving cars, and other advances in robotics. The name of this podcast, "Beyond Electric Sheep," is a reference to the novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K...
2025-04-2212 minThe Dashboard EffectIf You Build It, Will They Use It? Culture’s Role in BI SuccessRolling out a new BI system or dashboard? It's not just about the data; it's about the people. In this episode of The Dashboard Effect, Brick and Landon dive into the hidden influence of company culture on BI adoption. From Excel loyalty to leadership modeling and psychological safety, they unpack the human side of digital transformation.Learn how to overcome resistance, build trust, and drive lasting engagement with your dashboards.Need help getting your dashboards adopted? Visit us at https://bluemargin.com
2025-04-1709 minBeyond Electric SheepNotebookLMIn this nine-minute Episode, Brick Thompson and Ed Daniels discuss Google’s NotebookLM, a fascinating new tool that generates a podcast from one or up to 50 source documents. All the Google user needs to do is to drag the intended files into the NotebookLM window and instruct the application to generate an audio podcast. After some thinking, the one male and one female synthetic characters interact for ten to thirty minutes having an informative and entertaining conversation about the source documents. It must be tried to be believed!Brick discusses how he used it to help his da...
2025-04-1508 minThe Dashboard EffectVanity Isn’t Strategy: Smarter Metrics for Smarter TeamsAre you chasing metrics that look good but don’t do good?In this episode of The Dashboard Effect, Brick Thompson and Landon Oaks dive into the common trap of vanity metrics, those flashy numbers that don’t actually move the needle. They explore how to identify the right metrics, involve the right stakeholders, and why iteration is key to building dashboards that drive real results.Whether you’re building your first dashboard or refining a mature BI strategy, this episode will help you shift from data that decorates to data that delivers.Learn...
2025-04-1008 minBeyond Electric SheepEpisode 29 - Deep ResearchIn this eleven minute Episode 29, Brick Thompson and Ed Daniels discuss AI's new Deep Research capabilities. Deep Research is a new capability that allows the AI user to pose a question or suggest a topic area, and ask the AI model to spend 5 - 10 minutes researching via the web before composing a full report. Sometimes these reports can be 10 to 15 pages in length complete with footnotes, explanations and web links. Brick talks about how he uses ChatGPT Deep Research from OpenAI as part of his daily business and personal workflow. For example, he queues up research queries o...
2025-04-0711 minBeyond Electric SheepEpisode 27 - Book WritingIn this ten-minute Episode #27 - Book Writing, Brick Thompson and Ed Daniels talk about Ed’s latest adventures in book writing. This was a topic of two previous podcasts, and now Ed is nearing his final product and has continued to learn a lot about how to use – and how to not use – AI in this process. Ed and Brick also discuss the current flood of AI-written books and talk about how the right amount of AI contribution can improve the quality of writing. But Brick and Ed aren’t ready to entirely turn over writing...
2025-03-2310 minBeyond Electric SheepE28 - Just Buy It!In this ten-minute Episode #28, Just Buy It! Brick Thompson and Ed Daniels talk about whether it makes sense to buy a premium subscription to ChatGPT or Claude or Gemini. Brick argues it is important for all of us, young and old, to keep up with this new technology. Ed argues that these premium-levels help the AI models remember you and tailor their responses to your preferred style. Both podcasters agree that, if you can afford it, you should subscribe to one or two premium-level AI services.- OpenAI https://openai.com/chatgpt/pricing/ - A...
2025-03-2309 minBeyond Electric SheepEpisode 26 - Not UBIIn Episode 26 - Not UBI, Brick Thompson and Ed Daniels discuss Ed’s concept of the Citizen Ownership Dividend. It is a bold idea in response to AI-caused job displacement. The implementation of Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Robotics (AI+Robotics) will have a significant impact on employment in the United States and worldwide. AI can already speak, create text, and generate images on par with skilled human writers and artists. With these capabilities, AI will soon be able to perform the jobs of many office workers — including managers. Meanwhile, humanoid robots are being prot...
2025-03-2211 minThe Dashboard EffectRevenue Reporting: It's Not as Simple as It SeemsRevenue seems like a simple metric—just add up the sales, right? Not so fast! In this episode of The Dashboard Effect Podcast, Brick and Landon dive into the complexities of defining revenue. Every business calculates revenue differently, whether due to trade discounts, loyalty programs, rebates, or industry-specific rules.We explore why even CEOs, CFOs, and sales leaders might have different definitions of revenue and how companies can align on a single, accurate metric. If you're dealing with financial reporting, business intelligence, or analytics, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss!...
2025-02-2705 minThe Dashboard EffectRole Based Security: Keeping Data in the Right HandsWho should see your business data and who shouldn’t? In this episode of The Dashboard Effect, hosts Brick and Landon break down the essentials of role-based security and data access control.Learn how businesses can ensure the right people have access to the right data while keeping sensitive information secure. We cover:- The importance of defining roles & hierarchies- How to structure access control in ERP, HR, and security systems- Best practices for implementing role-based access in BI reporting- Common pitfalls (li...
2025-01-3008 minBeyond Electric SheepEpisode 25 - AI Adoption at WorkIn this episode, Brick Thompson and Ed Daniels discuss how AI should be used in the work environment. Brick explains the steps he is taking to encourage his employees to use AI in a safe and secure manner. Working individually and together, his team is learning how to produce results faster and better. Brick explains some specific use cases like in sales where they use AI more intensively. A specific AI tool, gong.io, helps coach salespeople, track, and measure steps in the sales process. Brick’s advice for fellow CEOs about how to promote adoption of AI...
2025-01-2710 minThe Dashboard EffectHow to Build Smarter Reports with Power BIIn this episode of The Dashboard Effect, Brick and Landon discuss the importance of truly understanding your data before diving into report building. Whether you’re an analytics engineer or using Power BI, this conversation is packed with actionable insights for making better decisions and creating impactful dashboards.Key Moments:[02:15] Why understanding your data source improves report outcomes.[05:30] How Power BI simplifies data visualization and decision-making.[08:45] Common pitfalls in analytics and how to avoid them.Thank you for tuning into The Dashboard Effect Podcast! Subscribe for more insights on data, BI, an...
2025-01-0309 minThe Dashboard EffectIs Raw or Aggregated Data Better for Analytics Decisions?Knowing when to use raw data or aggregated data can make or break your analytics strategy. In this video, Brick and Landon explain the key differences between raw and aggregated data, how each affects decision-making, and the best times to use them. Whether you’re managing transactional data or scaling analytics for your business, this discussion has you covered.Tune in to learn how these data strategies can impact your reporting, analytics, and overall business performance.If you found this episode helpful, don’t forget to hit the like button and subscribe to our channel for...
2024-12-0507 minThe Dashboard EffectSchema on Write vs. Schema on Read: What’s Faster for Your Business?In this episode of The Dashboard Effect Podcast, Brick and Landon break down the differences between schema on read and schema on write. They discuss when to use each approach, the pros and cons, and real-world applications for businesses of different sizes. If you're navigating the complexities of data lakes, data warehouses, or lakehouses, this episode will give you clarity.Tune in to learn how these data strategies can impact your reporting, analytics, and overall business performance.If you found this episode helpful, don’t forget to hit the like button and su...
2024-11-2106 minThe Dashboard EffectUnderstanding Semantic Models and Data Lake House LayersIn this episode of The Dashboard Effect Podcast, host Brick Thompson and Blue Margin’s Director of Solutions, Landon Ochs, dive into the nuances of semantic models and the bronze, silver, and gold layers within a data lake house. They explain the roles of each layer, how data is transformed at each stage, and why collaboration with business users is essential for accurate and actionable BI reporting.Through this episode, you'll learn why different layers serve different purposes—from storing raw data to pre-joining tables for efficiency to creating finalized data ready for reporting. They also discuss how...
2024-11-0710 minThe Dashboard EffectNetSuite Data Pipeline: Surprising API Challenges & ODBC SolutionIn this episode of The Dashboard Effect, Brick chats with Landon, Director of Solutions at Blue Margin, about a surprising challenge faced while extracting data from NetSuite. Despite NetSuite’s well-developed API, handling massive datasets proved problematic. Landon shares how they solved the issue using an unexpected solution—the ODBC connector.They discuss the limitations of the API, how ODBC outperformed it for large data sets, and the unconventional yet effective workaround using a virtual machine. If you’re working with NetSuite or other cloud-based systems and experiencing similar challenges, you’ll want to hear this episode....
2024-10-2307 minThe Dashboard EffectHow Bad Data Models Can Sabotage Your ReportsIn this episode, Brick Thompson and Caleb Ochs discuss the critical role of good data models in making business intelligence tools like Power BI efficient and scalable. They cover the pitfalls of poor data models, including delayed reporting and data category issues, and offer insights into designing flexible, transactional-level data models that can grow with your business needs.Key Moments:- Example of a Bad Data Model- The Benefits of Transactional-Level Data- Why Developers Take Shortcuts- Common Data Model MistakesBlue Margin increases enterprise value for...
2024-10-1010 minBeyond Electric SheepE23 - AI and Hiring - Beyond Electric Sheep - A Podcast on AIIn this episode of the Beyond Electric Sheep Podcast on AI, Brick Thompson and Ed Daniels discuss AI and Hiring. How is AI being used to help you get a job? For employers, how can AI help you hire the best people? Our discussion extended into other related matchmaking topics such as dating. You can see the similarities, using AI to match a prospective employee with an employer, and using AI to match two people for a date and a possible relationship. One possible AI workflow for this is having “my people talk to your people” where ‘people’ are AI agent...
2024-10-0907 minBeyond Electric SheepE24 AI use in Education - Beyond Electric Sheep - A Podcast on AIAI use in Education is the topic for this 13-minute episode of the Beyond Electric Sheep Podcast on AI. Brick explains the way we educate children today is the same way we educated them one hundred (or maybe even 1,000) years ago. Now AI has the potential to deliver individualized learning to every child. Brick acknowledges the work of Ethan Mollick, Associate Professor at Wharton who advocates for the use of AI in education. https://mgmt.wharton.upenn.edu/profile/emollick/ Brick and Ed also credit Salman Khan, a former hedge fund analyst with degrees from MIT and H...
2024-10-0911 minThe Dashboard EffectThe Blueprint for Rolling Out BI to Hundreds of UsersIn this episode of The Dashboard Effect, hosts Brick and Caleb discuss the challenges and best practices for rolling out Business Intelligence (BI) solutions to large audiences. With a real-life example of implementing BI across 600 retail locations, they dive into how to navigate common pitfalls, ensuring user adoption and success. Whether your rollout is for a small team or a large enterprise, these insights will help you optimize your process.Blue Margin increases enterprise value for PE-backed, mid-market companies by building and managing their data platforms. Our strategy, proven with over 250 companies to-date, expands multiples through data...
2024-10-0210 minThe Dashboard EffectSimplifying Your Data Pipeline for Maximum PerformanceIn this episode of The Dashboard Effect, hosts Brick and Caleb explore the essential steps to building efficient and reliable data pipelines. They discuss the critical factors in moving data from transactional systems to data lakes, highlight the importance of simplifying pipelines, and share practical strategies for handling pipeline failures, API connections, and ensuring scalability. Whether you're a data professional or a business leader looking to enhance your data processes, this episode offers valuable insights to guide you.Enjoyed the episode? Hit Like, subscribe to our channel, and tap the bell icon to stay updated on the...
2024-09-1216 minThe Dashboard EffectThe Data Team Dilemma: Strategies for Surviving High TurnoverIn this episode of The Dashboard Effect, Brick and Caleb explore the pressing challenges of assembling and sustaining a robust data team in today’s volatile tech landscape. With tech turnover rates on the rise, developing strategies to attract and retain top talent is more critical than ever. They share insights on the importance of redundancy, effective documentation, and keeping solutions simple to ensure your data team stays strong. Join us to learn practical approaches to future-proofing your data team.Subscribe to our channel for more insights on data analytics and team management.Blue Margin in...
2024-08-2908 minBeyond Electric SheepEpisode 19 – AI in Clinical Medicine - Beyond Electric Sheep - A Podcast on AIIn this 11-minute episode of the Beyond Electric Sheep Podcast on AI, Ed Daniels and Brick Thompson discuss an AI application that Ed recently discussed with a large healthcare company. This application is in production and helps clinicians interact with patients about their care. Brick and Ed talk about the stringent requirements for such a system and discuss topics like where the AI’s data comes from, how the AI fits into into the patient-clinician interaction, and how patient safety (and company liability) are protected. They also talk about potential AI bias that needs to be avoided. One interesting co...
2024-08-2010 minThe Dashboard EffectThe Strategic Edge of Outsourcing Your Data PlatformIn this episode of The Dashboard Effect Podcast, hosts Brick and Caleb dive into the often-overlooked advantages of outsourcing data platform management. They explore why mid-market companies should consider this option, discussing the challenges of in-house management, the importance of expertise in data integrity and security, and how outsourcing can free up your team to focus on core business analytics.Whether you're a growing company struggling with data management or an executive looking to optimize your data strategy, this episode offers valuable insights into making your data work for you without the headaches of platform management.
2024-08-1513 min
Beyond Electric SheepEpisode 20 - AI and ArtIn this 10-minute episode of the Beyond Electric Sheep Podcast on AI, Ed Daniels and Brick Thompson discuss AI and Art. Brick notes that he would pay more for human generated art as compared to AI generated art. Brick and Ed explore this feeling in more detail and compare and contrast AI versus human art. They wonder if the eventual perfect quality of AI art will actually make it worth less than human created art with all its flaws. How will these differences manifest themselves in all the various forms of art, including music, painting, dance, and other media...
2024-08-0610 minThe Dashboard EffectGenerative AI Analytics: Hype vs. RealityWelcome to The Dashboard Effect Podcast! In this episode, Brick and Caleb discuss the world of generative AI analytics, reflecting on the initial excitement and the current state of the technology. They share their insights and personal experiences, examining the progress made since the Microsoft Build Conference 2023 and evaluating whether generative AI tools are living up to their expectations. Visit our website https://BlueMargin.com for more insights and resources. Episode Highlights: - Initial Excitement and High Expectations: Brick and Caleb reminisce about the excitement surrounding the Microsoft Build Conference 2023 and the potential the...
2024-08-0111 minBeyond Electric SheepE18 - Generating Code with Claude 3.5 SonnetIn this 9-minute episode of the Beyond Electric Sheep Podcast on AI, Ed Daniels and Brick Thompson discuss how Brick asked Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet to write the code for a Pong game. It did so and, after a few requests for modifications, produced a usable game. This capability has huge implications for software developers, and for the evolution of AI. Ed asked Brick if he would advise a young person to pursue a programming career given AI’s new code-writing capabilities. Brick concluded that, for the mid-term future, there will still be opportunities for work in requirements definition, qual...
2024-07-3009 minBeyond Electric SheepEpisode 17 - Using AI to Research a Personal Medical ConditionIn this 13-minute episode of the Beyond Electric Sheep Podcast on AI, Ed Daniels and Brick Thompson discuss how ChatGPT 4o helped Ed understand his optical migraines. Brick asks Ed about his condition and Ed explains why he decided to discuss his personal medical condition with an AI LLM. Ed elaborates on how he approached the conversation, what he learned, and what he did about it. Brick and Ed also cover the risks of using AI for medical advice, and how to safely act on the AI’s advice.The name of this podcast, Beyond Electric Sheep, is...
2024-07-1913 minThe Dashboard EffectHandling Multiple Currencies in Power BIIn this episode of The Dashboard Effect Podcast, we tackle the complex world of multi-currency reporting in Power BI. Whether you're a BI professional or a business analyst dealing with international data, this episode is packed with valuable insights to enhance your reporting capabilities.Brick and Caleb dive deep into:Effective strategies for displaying different currency symbolsThe power of dynamic formatting in Power BIAn innovative approach using a "concatenated fact table"Best practices for handling currency conversion ratesBalancing data duplication and compression for optimal performanceReal-world examples of multi-currency implementation for global businessesThe hosts share...
2024-07-1808 minThe Dashboard EffectModern Reporting with Power BI: Moving Beyond Email ReportsIn this episode of The Dashboard Effect Podcast, hosts Brick Thompson and Caleb Ochs discuss the pros and cons of emailing reports in business intelligence. They explore why the common practice of sending daily Excel sheets or PDFs is limiting and outdated, and offer better alternatives using modern BI tools like Power BI.We cover in this episode...- The limitations of static, emailed reports- Power BI's subscription feature as an improvement- The importance of live, interactive data- Alternatives for users who need raw data access- Storage...
2024-07-0308 minThe Dashboard EffectThe Pitfalls of Augmenting Transactional Data with Excel for ReportingIn the latest episode of The Dashboard Effect Podcast, Brick and Caleb discuss a common challenge businesses face when trying to extend their data for reporting purposes using Excel files to categorize or group data in ways not supported by the original system.While this approach may seem simple and straightforward, it can lead to several problems down the road, such as:Difficulty matching numbers between the transactional system and the reporting tool (e.g., Power BI)Inconsistencies in categorization when new data is addedMaintenance overhead and potential for errors as the Excel file grows...
2024-06-2009 minBeyond Electric SheepE16 – The Intersection of Stupid and Smart - Beyond Electric Sheep - A Podcast on AIPolitics are getting dumber. AI is getting smarter. What happens when they meet? In this 12-minute episode, Ed Daniels and Brick Thompson discuss Ed’s latest Medium.com article, “We Have Arrived at the Intersection of Stupid and Smart.” Today’s Multimodal Large Language Models are incredibly smart and are available for use by millions of people creating the potential for everyone in the United States to get smarter and smarter. On the other hand, politics in the United States seems to get stupider and stupider every day. What’s going to happen when we get to the interse...
2024-06-1812 minBeyond Electric SheepE14 Conference Follow-up - Beyond Electric Sheep - A Podcast on AIIn this thirteen-minute Episode, Ed Daniels and Brick Thompson discuss a conference on AI that Ed facilitated recently. We discuss the “Event Bot” that Ed created and how it was received by conference attendees. We also discuss the conference attendees, both AI experts and AI novices, and note how they responded to Ed’s update on the current state of AI. While concerned about privacy impacts, no one seemed worried about losing their job, or about the robots taking over Earth. Eventually, Brick and Ed note how business processes are speeding up due to AI, and what organizations need to do...
2024-06-0713 minThe Dashboard EffectMastering Delta Loads: Caleb's Best Practices, Tips, and WorkaroundsBrick and Caleb get technical this week with a special focus on delta loading. They break down the concept of delta loading and highlight its benefits over traditional full loading techniques in terms of speed and resource efficiency. Caleb covers the typical obstacles faced when implementing delta loading, including issues with legacy systems and API limitations. He also shares strategies for effective delta loading, with practical tips and workarounds that you can apply directly to your operations.Watch this episode on our YouTube channel.Blue Margin increases enterprise value for PE-backed, mid-market companies by serving...
2024-06-0608 minThe Dashboard EffectA Speed-Trust Equation: Fast Power BI Reports Increase End User ConfidenceBrick and Caleb share the essentials of performant Power BI reports. They discuss the ideal loading performance benchmarks, the implications of load times on user trust, and helpful strategies for debugging and optimizing data models and DAX measures. Watch this episode on our YouTube channel.Blue Margin increases enterprise value for PE-backed, mid-market companies by serving as their fractional data team. We advise on, build, and manage data platforms. Our strategy, proven with over 300 companies to-date, expands multiples through data transformation, as presented in our book, The Dashboard Effect.Subscribe here to get...
2024-05-2309 minThe Dashboard EffectWatch Out for These Data Model Red FlagsBrick and Caleb discuss the importance of data modeling and good DAX in Power BI, highlighting common mistakes that can lead to poor report performance. For fast and efficient reporting, you need a sound data model that contains the right level of detail, dimensions, and relationships, avoids snowflake schemas, and uses simple (and standardized) naming conventions. Watch this episode on our YouTube channel.Blue Margin increases enterprise value for PE-backed, mid-market companies by serving as their fractional data team. We advise on, build, and manage data platforms. Our strategy, proven with over 300 companies to-date, expands...
2024-05-0909 minThe Dashboard EffectBlueprints for Building an Internal BI Team(This episode is a re-release, but the content is still just as relevant as it was the first time around!) Brick and Caleb discuss the complexities of building an in-house BI department. In addition to sharing their firsthand experience and insight from years of supporting mid-market companies, the duo discusses the potential benefits and pitfalls of moving from relying on external BI vendors to establishing internal teams. They explore why companies might want to bring these capabilities in-house despite the challenges and offer practical steps and advice for those considering this shift. Tune in to learn about the hiring...
2024-04-2515 minThe Dashboard EffectHow to Use Leading and Lagging Metrics for Better Business AgilityBrick and guest co-host Greg Brown explore the dynamic between leading and lagging indicators in BI reporting. They share challenges and strategies for integrating these metrics to enhance operational efficiency and financial performance. Greg shares anecdotes from his operations background to emphasize the need for timely and actionable data to adjust behavior before it's too late.Watch this episode on our YouTube channel.Blue Margin increases enterprise value for PE-backed, mid-market companies by serving as their fractional data team. We advise on, build, and manage data platforms. Our strategy, proven with over 300 companies to-date, expands...
2024-04-1812 minBeyond Electric SheepBuilding an Event Bot - Episode 13 - Beyond Electric Sheep Podcast on AIIn this 11-minute episode, Brick Thompson and Ed Daniels discuss a project Ed is working on to prepare for an AI workshop he is facilitating. He and the event host decided to build an “Event Bot” using an LLM that has knowledge of the upcoming event and can converse with and answer questions from the event attendees. To build the Bot, Ed used the https://youai.ai/ platform selecting the Claude 3 Opus LLM https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-3-family. Ed also built a separate Bot using the D-ID platform https://www.d-id.com/agents/ to create a spe...
2024-04-1811 minBeyond Electric SheepEpisode 11 - The Future of AI in Healthcare - Beyond Electric Sheep - A Podcast on AIIn this 12-minute episode, Ed Daniels and Brick Thompson consider the future of AI in the healthcare Industry. Their discussion includes the juncture of AI and telemedicine and how AI will help improve access to care. They talk about how AI could improve both the availability and quality of disease screening, how AI can help physicians manage the onslaught of data from personal devices and sensors, and the impact of AI on radiology and physician workload.The name of our podcast, Beyond Electric Sheep, is a reference to the novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by...
2024-04-1711 minThe Dashboard EffectBehind the Scenes in Power BI: Tips to Streamline Data ModelingThis week, Brick and Caleb get a bit technical and discuss how to improve Power BI report performance through effective semantic modeling and minimizing data transformation with Power BI. They unpack the challenges of managing data transformations directly within Power BI and highlight the advantages of using serverless SQL views instead. Their insights will help Power BI report developers avoid common pitfalls, streamline data processing, and improve Power BI report performance.Jump to a Section:0:40 How Blue Margin approaches semantic modeling with serverless SQL views1:45 Power BI is not an ETL tool, so use SQL...
2024-04-1108 minThe Dashboard EffectHow to Democratize Data and Avoid the Chaos of Data SprawlBrick and Caleb explore the balance between empowering analysts with data access and the governance required to prevent data sprawl and maintain integrity and consistency across reports. They provide strategies for enabling departments to independently use data for their own insights and how to use a centralized data team to review, refine, and distribute only the best individual reports to be used by the entire company. Watch this episode on our YouTube channel.Blue Margin increases enterprise value for PE-backed, mid-market companies by serving as their fractional data team. We advise on, build, and manage d...
2024-04-0408 minThe Dashboard EffectThe Human Side of AI Readiness - How to Prepare Your Team and Business LogicIn a continuation of their AI-readiness discussion, Brick and Caleb outline the importance of the human element in preparing for generative AI analytics. They share strategies for ensuring that your company's culture is ready to harness the power of AI, from how to start improving data literacy to defining clear and consistent business logic. Click here to watch this episode on our YouTube channel.Blue Margin increases enterprise value for PE-backed, mid-market companies by serving as their fractional data team. We advise on, build, and manage data platforms. Our strategy, proven with over 300 companies to-date, e...
2024-03-2809 minThe Dashboard EffectLaying the Groundwork for Gen AI in Business AnalyticsBrick and Caleb explore the steps businesses must take to prepare their data for the inevitable integration of generative AI analytics. They use this episode to explain the "why" behind data consolidation and semantic layers. What you'll learn:Why consolidating your data is the first step for AI-readinessThe challenges and solutions for dealing with data from disparate sourcesThe importance of a semantic layer in making data accessible for AI and business usersWhy you should take an agile approach when developing data infrastructureClick here to watch this episode on our YouTube channel.Blue M...
2024-03-2108 minThe Dashboard EffectThe Layman's Guide to Data Terminology: Part ThreeThis episode is the third installment of Brick and Caleb's series on breaking down data terminology. They cover foreign and primary keys, data lakes and data lakehouses, parquet and delta parquet files, ETL and ELT, and data pipelines, before concluding with Python, PySpark, and visualizations. Watch this episode on our YouTube channel.Blue Margin increases enterprise value for PE-backed, mid-market companies by serving as their fractional data team. We advise on, build, and manage data platforms. Our strategy, proven with over 300 companies to-date, expands multiples through data transformation, as presented in our book, The Dashboard E...
2024-03-1411 minBeyond Electric SheepEpisode 10 - Will AI make Healthcare Data Standards Obsolete?In this episode, Ed Daniels and Brick Thompson ask the question, “Will AI make healthcare data standards obsolete?” AI tools like GPT-4 can transcribe and “understand” doctors’ notes. Ed explains how they can generate standardized codes based on natural language. Will AIs eventually be able to code and exchange data on their own without using the data standards we have worked so hard to create? Check out this interesting discussion. For those who want to read about this topic, here is a link to a Medium.com article Ed wrote on this subject: https://medium.com/@edbdaniels/ais-impact-on-healthcare-data-standards-36b6347d70bb
2024-03-0711 minThe Dashboard EffectThe Layman's Guide to Data Terminology: Part TwoThis episode is the second installment of Brick and Caleb's series on breaking down data terminology. They cover Kimball data warehouse methodology, fact/dimensional tables, star vs. snowflake schemas, and data models vs. semantic layers. Click here to watch this episode on our YouTube channel.Blue Margin increases enterprise value for PE-backed, mid-market companies by serving as their fractional data team. We advise on, build, and manage data platforms. Our strategy, proven with over 300 companies to-date, expands multiples through data transformation, as presented in our book, The Dashboard Effect.Subscribe here t...
2024-03-0710 minBeyond Electric SheepAI in Healthcare - Episode 9 - Beyond Electric Sheep - A Podcast on AIIn this, our 9th episode, Ed Daniels and Brick Thompson discuss how AI is being adopted in many areas of the healthcare industry. Brick and Ed talk about how physician's notes and exam room dialogue are being transcribed and then parsed into standard codes. We also discuss how AI is being used in research and development and even in the surgical suite. It should be noted that there are United States Government Federal regulations about using AI in healthcare applications. Other local and country-level governments have also enacted or are considering laws and rules to regulate AI in healthcare.
2024-03-0409 minThe Dashboard EffectThe Layman's Guide to Data Terminology: Part OneThis episode is the first installment in a series of episodes that will serve as a primer on the key terms and technologies surrounding data management. Brick and Caleb begin with the fundamental differences between transactional and analytical databases, explaining concepts like OLAP, OLTP, normalization, and denormalization in an accessible way. They also clarify the essence of SQL, how it interacts with databases, and introduce the concept of Serverless SQL. Whether you're new to data or looking to deepen your understanding, this episode is a good place to start getting a handle on common data terminology. Click...
2024-02-2909 minThe Dashboard EffectA Case Study: Unifying Data Sources with Azure Data Lake and Serverless SQLBrick and Caleb discuss Blue Margin's use of Azure Data Lake for unified data management. Using a recent client project as an example, Caleb explains how he integrated multiple data sources using serverless SQL to create a single data repository with a semantic model to enhance consistency across projects and reports. They also discuss the current performance benefits of using a serverless SQL and the Microsoft Fabric OneLake updates they're waiting on before transitioning from Azure Data Lake.In this episode:Introduction to Azure Data Lake: Caleb kicks off the discussion with an overview...
2024-02-1510 minThe Dashboard EffectFrom Data Setup to Power BI Reports: Considerations for Your Data Model (Semantic Layer)In this episode, Brick and Caleb explain the distinctions of and interdependencies between data setup/data pipelines, data modeling, and reporting, emphasizing their individual roles within an effective approach to data analytics and BI. Starting by explaining the necessity of a solid data pipeline structure, this episode highlights how the specific requirements of a report influence the development of a corresponding data model (also known as a semantic layer) and concludes with a practical discussion on balancing the complexities of data models. Click here to watch this episode on our YouTube channel.Blue Mar...
2024-02-0710 minBeyond Electric SheepBeyond Electric Sheep - Episode 5: AGI, ASI, and Rapid TakeoffIn Episode 5, we discuss the advent of Artificial Superintelligence and talk about the risks associated with their implementation. We consider their “Alignment” with human values and human interests. Finally, we ask the question, "Will Alignment and consciousness have to be designed into AIs, or some form of ethical behavior just emerge from superintelligence?"Featuring Ed Daniels and Brick Thompson, the name of this podcast, Beyond Electric Sheep, is a reference to the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. That novel is the source for the movies Blade Runner (1982) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017). It expl...
2024-02-0611 minBeyond Electric SheepEpisode 4 - The Turing Test, AGI, and ASIIn Episode 4, Ed Daniels and Brick Thompson discuss the current state and short-term future of AI. In ten minutes, they discuss The Turing Test, Artificial General Intelligence, and progress toward Artificial Super Intelligence. The name of this podcast, Beyond Electric Sheep, is a reference to the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. That novel is the source for the movies Blade Runner (1982) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017). It explores the themes of artificial intelligence, empathy, and reality in a dystopian future where humans and androids coexist. The novel raises the question of whether androids c...
2024-02-0611 minBeyond Electric SheepEpisode 8 AI Enhanced Democracy - Beyond Electric Sheep - A Podcast on AIIn Episode 8 of the Beyond Electric Sheep podcast on AI, Ed Daniels and Brick Thompson spend 8 minutes discussing how AI could be used to enhance democracy. News broadcasts constantly talk about the negative effects of social media and AI on our society. But there may be ways to use AI to help citizens participate more effectively in government decision making. In the local context, AI meeting summarizers could transcribe neighborhood meeting discussions and extract key points and arguments. These key points and arguments would then be passed along to other neighborhoods as well as up to the city council...
2024-02-0607 minThe Dashboard EffectHow to Generate Realistic, Synthetic Data for Power BI with ChatGPTBrick and Caleb explain how Blue Margin is using ChatGPT for generating synthetic data to populate data models in Power BI reports. Caleb shares his insights on how this approach has streamlined the process of creating sample reports with fake, yet realistic data, to demonstrate work without compromising customer data privacy. They discuss the limitations of traditional data-generating tools and highlight how ChatGPT's ability to produce specific data sets, like email addresses or location codes, significantly eases the task of generating authentic-looking fake data for reports. They also explore other practical applications, such as anonymizing sensitive data, generating test...
2024-01-3112 min