Let’s talk about Power BI, one of the most popular tools in business intelligence today. It’s trending, in demand, and highly valuable. Power BI’s appeal is clear: its sleek visualizations, intuitive design, and centralization of data make it a game-changer. It’s easy to see why Power BI is such a big deal.
But for those of us who’ve been around for a few decades, particularly in the 1980s, this isn’t the first time technology has revolutionized how we process and present data. Let’s take a step back and look at how we used to work. Back then, computers outputted data to continuous paper with green lines—often called “music paper”—and we printed reports using dot-matrix printers. It wasn’t pretty, but it was predictable. Later, in the 1990s, we saw the rise of laser printers and desktop publishing, giving us crisp, impactful printed documents that we could proudly bring into boardrooms.
So, why am I talking about printers? What does this have to do with Power BI?
Power BI: The New “Laser Printer”
Power BI has essentially replaced the laser printer when it comes to how businesses distribute their reports and insights. Think about the modern financial reporting process. The month-end closing involves collecting, reviewing, and adjusting transactions—most of which happens in spreadsheets. It’s a laborious and messy process, with files flying back and forth through emails. But, eventually, we wrap it all up and send out our reports. In the past, those reports would have been printed and distributed. Today, they’re delivered through Power BI.
Here’s where Power BI shines. Instead of static, printed reports, it allows us to create interactive, live dashboards. These dashboards let users explore data dynamically—no ink, no paper. It’s a tremendous leap forward.
But Here’s the Problem…
While Power BI has revolutionized the final step of distributing insights, the messy, complicated work that leads up to it still happens in spreadsheets. All the grunt work of month-end processing—the manual entries, reconciliations, and analysis—still gets done through point-to-point collaboration in Excel. We’re sending spreadsheets to each other, making edits, passing them back, and it’s chaos.
Yet, no one seems to notice this glaring disconnect. While we celebrate Power BI’s efficiency in distributing data through a hub-and-spoke architecture (centralized data with user-friendly, interactive spokes), we somehow ignore the fact that we could—and should—be applying the same hub-and-spoke model to the messy pre-distribution work that’s still stuck in the 1990s workflow.
The Hub-and-Spoke Architecture: Power BI’s Secret Sauce
The true power of Power BI comes not just from its visuals but from its hub-and-spoke architecture. In this model, data is centralized, and reports are simply the spokes, pulling from this core data source. Users don’t pass around reports—they access them through a central hub. The efficiency comes from this centralization.
So, why don’t we apply the same concept to the messy, collaborative process of month-end reporting? Why are we still emailing spreadsheets back and forth when we could be working from a centralized data hub, just like Power BI does?
The Irony of It All
The real irony here is that Excel, the very tool we’re using to create this chaos, has had the capability to function as a hub-and-spoke system all along. Excel can connect to centralized data sources, much like Power BI. It can distribute work dynamically, allowing users to access and work from a single source of truth rather than passing spreadsheets around like hot potatoes.
But no one is flipping the switch. Just like a lightbulb needs someone to turn it on, Excel’s hub-and-spoke architecture needs someone to activate it. The feature is already built into Excel, but most users don’t know about it—or don’t bother using it.
Why the Disconnect?
So why hasn’t this caught on? I’ve asked many influential colleagues and Excel experts about this, and the general response is, “What are you talking about? Are you saying Power BI should do all the work?”
No, I’m not saying Power BI should replace Excel. What I’m saying is that Excel itself can operate with the same hub-and-spoke architecture that makes Power BI so powerful. The problem isn’t the tool—it’s the way we’re using it. Excel is agile, affordable, and ubiquitous. But we’re using it in a point-to-point, chaotic way when it could be centralized and streamlined.
Lessons from Innovation
Look at any major innovation throughout history—the wheel, for example. Once people saw the wheel on a wheelbarrow, it wasn’t long before they started using it on carts, carriages, and vehicles. Good ideas spread and adapt. The same principle applies here. We’ve seen how powerful a hub-and-spoke model can be in Power BI, ERP systems, and cloud-based financial planning tools. Why aren’t we applying that same architecture in Excel?
Turning On Excel’s Hidden Power
Here’s the kicker: Excel already has the same hub-and-spoke capabilities as Power BI. It just needs to be turned on. With the flick of a switch (or a check of a box), Excel can leverage centralized data just like Power BI does. This eliminates the need to send spreadsheets back and forth, reducing errors and increasing efficiency.
Wrapping It Up
In today’s world, it’s unnatural to think Excel can’t do what Power BI or ERP systems can do. It absolutely can—using the same underlying technologies. We just need to stop treating Excel like a relic from the past and start using it for what it truly is: a powerful, scalable tool that can operate with the same efficiency as Power BI.
If you’re intrigued, I have demonstrations of these capabilities that you can try out yourself, like “Consolidation Bingo,” which debunks the myth that Excel can’t handle large-scale consolidation. So next time you’re tempted to dismiss Excel as outdated, remember: it’s not about the tool, but how you use it. The hub-and-spoke architecture that makes Power BI great is right there in Excel—waiting to be switched on.
The only question left is: why aren’t we using it?
This is a podcast by Hiran de Silva. Narrated by Charlie.
Add comment