Power BI & Qlik Dashboards Power BI and Qlik Sense dashboards on your SAP data
We connect Power BI or Qlik Sense to SAP, ERPNext and Tally, and define every KPI once. Plant heads, sales and finance see the same figures, refreshed on schedule, without Excel exports.
Why it matters
A dashboard is only as good as the tables behind it.
Most dashboard projects stall on one question: where does this number actually live in SAP? We are SAP consultants, so we know which tables, views and documents feed each KPI, how to extract them safely, and how to model them so finance, plant and sales agree on the result.
- SAP-literate. We know which SAP tables and views feed each KPI.
- One definition. Every KPI is defined once, with an owner, and reconciled with the ERP.
- Both tools. We work in Power BI and Qlik Sense and recommend the one that fits your licences and users.
- SAP, ERPNext, Tally. Data from several systems combined in one model.
How we work
Power BI & Qlik Dashboards in 5 phases
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PHASE 01
KPI workshop
We agree the decisions each dashboard supports and define every KPI with its owner.
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PHASE 02
Data check
We trace each KPI to SAP, ERPNext or Tally data and check its quality.
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PHASE 03
Pilot
A pilot dashboard on real data for one team.
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PHASE 04
Review
Users test it against the numbers they trust today, and we reconcile any gaps.
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PHASE 05
Roll out
Remaining dashboards, row-level security, scheduled refresh, training and support.
Under the hood
We know where your numbers live.
Pick a KPI and see the SAP data we use, how we extract it and how it is modelled.
Net sales = billed net value, by region and monthExample only. Table names, methods and refresh schedules depend on your SAP release and needs.
The details
Tools, SAP data sources and the KPIs manufacturers track.
Choosing a tool
Power BI or Qlik Sense?
We work in both. Licence costs are paid to the vendor; see Microsoft's and Qlik's own pricing pages.
| Power BI | Qlik Sense | |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing | Per user (Pro, Premium Per User) or capacity | Cloud plans priced mainly on data volume |
| SAP connection | SAP HANA and SAP BW connectors, OData | SAP connectors for BW, BEx and ODP, plus databases and OData |
| On-premises option | Power BI Report Server | Qlik Sense client-managed |
| Modelling | Star-schema models with DAX measures | Load script with the associative engine |
| Typical fit | Microsoft 365 companies with many report viewers | Teams already on Qlik, or wanting free exploration |
SAP data sources
Where BI tools read SAP data from.
We pick the source per KPI, balancing freshness, volume and licence terms.
| Source | What it is | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| S/4HANA CDS views | SAP's analytical data model in S/4HANA | Operational KPIs on current data |
| SAP BW / BW/4HANA | SAP's data warehouse and its queries | Consolidated and historical reporting |
| SAP HANA views | Calculation views in the HANA database | Large volumes, Import or DirectQuery |
| OData services | REST services exposed by SAP Gateway | Smaller operational extracts |
| SAP Business One | B1 database or its Service Layer API | Business One reporting |
| ERPNext and Tally | ERPNext REST API or a read replica; Tally over ODBC | Companies outside SAP or with mixed systems |
Manufacturing KPIs
15 KPIs manufacturers track, and where the data lives.
Equivalent ERPNext and Tally data covers most stock, sales and finance KPIs.
| KPI | Where the data lives in SAP |
|---|---|
| OEE | Production confirmations plus downtime and cycle times, often captured separately |
| Schedule adherence | Production orders: planned against actual dates and quantities |
| Scrap and yield | Production confirmations and scrap goods movements |
| First-pass yield | Quality inspection lots and usage decisions |
| Production cost variance | Product cost controlling |
| Inventory turns | Material documents and stock valuation |
| Slow-moving stock | Material documents |
| Dead stock value | Material documents and stock valuation |
| Stock below safety stock | Material master planning data and stock |
| On-time in full (OTIF) | Sales order schedule lines against deliveries |
| Order backlog | Open sales orders |
| Supplier on-time delivery | Purchase order schedule lines against goods receipts |
| Gross margin | Universal journal and margin analysis |
| Receivables overdue (DSO) | Customer open items |
| Machine MTTR / MTBF | Maintenance notifications and orders |
Dashboards for every desk
Start at the summary. Drill to the shift.
Sales, margin, cash and order book on one page.
- Sales
- Margin
- Cash
Production against plan, scrap, downtime and OEE where machine data exists.
- OEE
- Scrap
Region, dealer and product trends, with pending orders.
- Region
- Backlog
Receivables ageing, budget against actual by cost centre, GST summaries.
- DSO
- Budget
Stock ageing, slow movers and supplier delivery performance.
- Stock
- Suppliers
Who it is for
For companies whose numbers still live in Excel.
Manufacturers on SAP
Plant, sales and finance on one set of numbers.
Companies on Tally or ERPNext
Dashboards without changing your ERP.
Groups with several systems
SAP, ERPNext and Tally combined in one model.
Finance teams
Month-end numbers without spreadsheet exports.
FAQ
Power BI & Qlik Dashboards questions, answered.
Talk to our consultants. We reply within one business day.
Contact us →Can Power BI connect to SAP?
Yes. Power BI has SAP HANA and SAP BW connectors and can read SAP OData services. The HANA connector supports both Import and DirectQuery. We choose the route based on your SAP version, data volume and how fresh the numbers must be.
Can Qlik Sense connect to SAP?
Yes. Qlik offers SAP connectors for BW, BEx queries, ODP extractors and other SAP sources, and can also read databases and OData services.
Power BI or Qlik Sense: which is better for a manufacturer?
Both handle manufacturing dashboards well. Power BI often suits companies on Microsoft 365 with many report viewers; Qlik Sense suits teams that want free-form exploration or already own Qlik licences. We recommend after reviewing your sources, users and existing licences.
Can Tally data be shown in Power BI?
Yes. TallyPrime can expose ledgers, stock items and vouchers over ODBC while a company is loaded, and scheduled refresh needs an always-on machine with a data gateway.
Can we combine SAP, ERPNext and Tally data in one dashboard?
Yes, provided masters such as item codes, customers and plants are mapped consistently across systems. We build that mapping as part of the model.
Do we need extra SAP licences for BI tools?
It depends on your SAP contract. Some agreements cover users who read SAP data through other tools and some do not, so confirm with your SAP licence manager before a wide rollout.
Do report viewers need a Power BI licence?
Usually yes, to share reports. Viewers can avoid per-user licences only on certain capacity plans or with embedded reports. Licence costs are paid to Microsoft or Qlik directly.
Can dashboards run on-premises?
Yes. Power BI Report Server and Qlik Sense client-managed both run on your own servers, for companies that prefer to keep data in-house.
Which KPIs should a manufacturer start with?
Start with sales against target, on-time delivery, inventory turns, slow-moving stock, receivables and production schedule adherence. Add OEE once downtime is captured reliably.
Is our SAP data secure in Power BI or Qlik?
We use read-only technical users, row-level security by plant, region or cost centre, and data gateways inside your network.
Next step
Still exporting SAP to Excel every Monday?
Share three numbers you chase every week. We will show you how they would look, live.