Global Logistics Firm Migrates 500+ Reports to Power BI
A global logistics company needed to standardize on Power BI while preserving 500+ Tableau reports and dashboards. We delivered a phased migration with clear ownership and 45% cost reduction.
45% Cost Reduction
The challenge
The client had grown through acquisitions and regional teams had adopted Tableau independently. By the time we engaged, they had over 500 workbooks, dozens of data sources, and no single source of truth. Licensing costs were high, and report ownership was unclear. Leadership wanted to move to Power BI for Microsoft stack alignment and cost control, but they needed a path that did not disrupt day-to-day operations.
- 500+ Tableau workbooks across regions and business units
- Multiple overlapping data sources and no standard semantic layer
- High licensing cost and unclear report ownership
- Requirement to keep reporting available during migration
Our approach
We ran a discovery phase to inventory workbooks, data sources, and usage. We then defined a migration methodology: prioritize by business impact and dependency, migrate in waves, and establish a single Power BI tenant with clear workspaces and governance. Data architecture was standardized on a medallion-style layer in Fabric, with Power BI semantic models and apps for each major audience.
Migration process
We used a phased, wave-based migration. Each wave included assessment, data and model migration, report rebuild (or rationalization), UAT, and cutover. We documented which workbooks could be retired, merged, or replaced by a single Power BI report.
Key outcomes
We delivered a single Power BI tenant with 40 curated apps replacing 500+ Tableau workbooks. Licensing and support costs dropped by 45%. Governance was established with clear workspace ownership, certified datasets, and a center of excellence. The client now has a scalable foundation for future analytics.
Lessons learned
- Inventory and usage data are essential to decide what to migrate, merge, or retire.
- Phased waves reduce risk and allow the business to adapt without big-bang cutover.
- Standardizing the data layer (Fabric/OneLake) first simplified report migration.
- Training and change management were as important as technical delivery.
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