PODCAST · business
The Dashboard Effect
by Brick Thompson, Jon Thompson, Caleb Ochs, Landon Ochs
NEW EPISODES EVERY OTHER THURSDAY!!! The Dashboard Effect Podcast: Simplifying Data for Smarter Business Decisions Welcome to The Dashboard Effect, the go-to podcast for mid-market businesses and private equity-backed companies looking to harness the power of data. Hosted by Brick Thompson from Blue Margin, we demystify data analytics and business intelligence, offering practical insights and actionable strategies that drive accountability, performance, and growth. From breaking down complex data concepts to sharing real-world success stories, we cover topics like Power BI, data lakes, dashboards, automation, and the latest trends shaping the future of business intelligence. Whether you're a CEO, operator, or BI professional, we’ll help you unlock the potential of your data for smarter, faster decisions. Tune in to The Dashboard Effect and discover how the right data, at the right time, can transform
Episodes
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Data Governance When Your LLM Can See Everything
Once your LLM is connected to a data lakehouse, it can reach every table your permissions allow. Kate Eberle, Director of Sales at Blue Margin, and Brick Thompson, Blue Margin’s CEO, talk about how to govern data for BI and AI analytics so the right people see the right data and read it…
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Getting the Same Answer from Power BI, Excel, and Your AI Agent
When your team asks the same question in Power BI, in Excel, and through an AI agent, the answers should match. That consistency comes from defining your business rules once, upstream in the lakehouse, so every tool reads from the same place. In this episode, Brick Thompson and Landon Ochs walk...
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The Fabric Data Agent Goes GA
Microsoft is folding AI into nearly every part of Fabric, and the Fabric Data Agent is now generally available after a long run in preview. Brick and Landon talk through what they've found in testing: where natural language querying holds up, what it takes to get consistent answers, and why we've...
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What an MCP Server Actually Does
An MCP server gives an LLM a standard way to reach your data and run tools against it. Every API is built differently, and the Model Context Protocol puts one interface over all of them, which is why Anthropic's standard gets compared to USB C. This episode covers what the standard defines, how...
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The Platinum Layer: Getting Your Data Ready for AI
The platinum layer sits on top of the standard medallion architecture, built specifically to get data ready for LLMs. In this episode, Brick and Landon break down what it takes to build one well. Landon walks through the two foundations that make a platinum layer work: markdown files that give…
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The Gold Layer: Your Best Data, Ready to Report
The gold layer is where cleaned, validated data lives in a medallion architecture, ready for reporting and analysis. In this episode, Brick and Landon break down what actually makes a gold layer good. Landon covers what "good" means in practice: deduplicated data, validated numbers, and a…
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Bronze, Silver, Gold: A Practical Guide to Medallion Architecture
How does raw data from a system like Salesforce become a dashboard your team can actually trust? On this episode of the Dashboard Effect, Brick and Landon walk through medallion architecture and the three stages data moves through on its way to becoming useful. They keep it simple: the first…
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Can You Run Your BI on AI?
Everyone's asking the same question: why can't I just run all my business intelligence through AI? In this episode of The Dashboard Effect, Brick and Landon break down the real answer. You probably can, but only if your data foundation is built for it. They cover where AI analytics fit alongside...
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Using Vibe Coding in Real Data Projects
In this episode, the team gets hands-on with vibe coding and what it actually looks like inside real data work. From building API connections to generating synthetic datasets, they walk through where AI is genuinely speeding things up and where it still runs into friction. The big takeaway…
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AI Won't Kill Your Coding Career
AI is replacing software engineers. At least that's what the headlines say. But is it actually true? In this episode of The Dashboard Effect, Brick - CEO of Blue Margin and Landon - Data Platform Manager at Blue Margin, get into what AI coding tools are really doing to software engineering teams...
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The Hidden Complexity Behind Simple Dashboards
Designing a dashboard might seem straightforward, just add charts, metrics, and a few visualizations. But the dashboards that actually help businesses make decisions often look surprisingly simple. In this episode of The Dashboard Effect, Brick and Landon talk about why the most effective...
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Should You Build a Data Team or Borrow One?
Many companies assume the best way to build a data capability is to hire an internal team. But is that always the right move? In this episode of The Dashboard Effect, Brick and Landon break down one of the most common questions they hear from prospective clients: Why outsource your data work...
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How a PE-Backed Rollup Escaped Excel Chaos
Pulling financial data together sounds simple, until you’re dealing with 20+ acquired companies, multiple ERPs, and a reporting process held together by massive Excel files. In this episode of The Dashboard Effect, Brick Thompson sits down with Senior Account Executive Kate Eberle to walk through…
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Your Finance Stack Is Broken: Stop Trusting the Magic Spreadsheet
Most finance and ops teams aren’t short on data, they’re short on trust in the numbers. This podcast digs into why reporting breaks down, why Excel becomes a crutch, and what actually changes when companies move to cleaner, more reliable data foundations. We talk with CFOs, operators, and data...
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Antidote for Failed Data Projects
In this episode of The Dashboard Effect, hosts Brick and Landon break down why so many data projects fail and how to fix them. Instead of “boiling the ocean” with massive, months-long BI initiatives that never gain traction, they share a practical, proven approach to delivering fast ROI, user...
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ROI for AI: Why Most Projects Fail (and How to Get Yours Right)
AI adoption is booming but most initiatives still fail to deliver real ROI. In this episode, Brick and Landon unpack why 60–95% of AI projects miss the mark and what companies can do differently. From the importance of a solid data foundation to starting small with practical use cases, they…
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The Data Governance Behind Trusted AI
In this episode of The Dashboard Effect, Brick and Landon unpack why so many AI projects fail and how the right data foundation can make all the difference. From breaking down what a semantic model actually is to exploring the role of governance, they explain how structure, quality, and oversight...
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Making Data Work for Small Firms Without a Big Budget
Think 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.…
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Beyond the Wrapper: Making AI Work for Data Teams
In this episode of The Dashboard Effect, Brick and Landon give an update on Celeste, the internal AI tool Blue Margin has been building to help data teams query, explore, and visualize client data. They dive into what’s worked, what hasn’t, and the fork in the road between making Celeste valuable...
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From Custom Builds to Fivetran: Evolving Our Data Pipeline Strategy
In this episode of The Dashboard Effect, Brick and Landon discuss their shift in thinking on whether to build custom data connectors or use third-party tools like Fivetran. They share the pros, cons, and lessons learned from their proof-of-concept with Fivetran, and why APIs are changing the data...
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Preparing Your Data for AI: What Most Companies Get Wrong
In this episode of The Dashboard Effect, host Brick is joined by Blue Margin account executive Greg to demystify what it really means to “prepare your data for AI.” Rather than focusing on flashy tools and hype, they dig into the foundational steps, like building a modern data lakehouse and...
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Choosing 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...
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Inside Microsoft Build: The Rise of AI Agents
This episode dives into the biggest theme from the 2025 Microsoft Build conference: AI agents. Brick and Landon unpack what Microsoft unveiled, from Copilot Studio to Azure AI Foundry, and what it all means for businesses adopting custom AI tools. Whether you're curious about how AI agents can...
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Breaking Down the Latest Fabric Updates from Microsoft Build
Landon and Brick unpack the biggest announcements about Microsoft Fabric from the 2025 Microsoft Build Conference. From long-awaited features like Power BI write-back and built-in CICD, to major shifts like Cosmos DB moving into Fabric and Copilot now available at the F2 tier, this is a…
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Why Private Equity Needs Its Own Data Lakehouse | PE Analytics & AI Readiness
In this episode, Blue Margin’s Kate Eberle and Greg explore why forward-thinking private equity firms are investing in firm-level data lakehouses and how it’s transforming deal flow, operations, investor relations, and beyond. From reducing manual reporting to enabling AI-driven insights and...
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5 Key Metrics for Middle Market Companies
In 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…
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If You Build It, Will They Use It? Culture’s Role in BI Success
Rolling 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…
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Vanity Isn’t Strategy: Smarter Metrics for Smarter Teams
Are 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…
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Safe, Smart, and Internal: Our Experimental Leap with AI
In this episode of The Dashboard Effect, host Landon Oaks sits down with Azure Data Architect Mark Bender to discuss Blue Margin’s first internal leap into AI: Project Celeste. Still in its early stages, Celeste is designed to boost developer and analyst productivity by using large language…
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The Future of Microsoft Fabric: Will It Replace Synapse?
Are you trying to decide between Microsoft Synapse and Microsoft Fabric for your data architecture? In this episode of The Dashboard Effect Podcast, we break down the key differences, pros, and cons of each platform to help you make the best decision for your data needs. What You’ll Learn: ✅ The...
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Revenue Reporting: It's Not as Simple as It Seems
Revenue 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,...
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Breaking Down Portfolio Monitoring Solutions
In this episode, Kate Eberle and Greg Brown discuss the challenges and strategies of portfolio monitoring in private equity. They explore the different approaches firms take, from Excel-based reporting to fully automated Power BI solutions, and discuss the pros and cons of each method. Things we...
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Role Based Security: Keeping Data in the Right Hands
Who 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...
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From Theory to Practice: Making AI Work in the Real World
In this episode of The Dashboard Effect, host Jon sits down with Lisa Weaver Lambert, author of The AI Value Playbook. Lisa shares her deep expertise in AI, offering practical advice for non-technical leaders on how to leverage AI effectively. From addressing common pitfalls to discussing...
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How to Build Smarter Reports with Power BI
In 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…
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Is 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...
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Schema 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…
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Understanding Semantic Models and Data Lake House Layers
In 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…
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NetSuite Data Pipeline: Surprising API Challenges & ODBC Solution
In 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...
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How Bad Data Models Can Sabotage Your Reports
In 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...
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The Blueprint for Rolling Out BI to Hundreds of Users
In 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…
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Simplifying Your Data Pipeline for Maximum Performance
In 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...
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The Data Team Dilemma: Strategies for Surviving High Turnover
In 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.…
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The Strategic Edge of Outsourcing Your Data Platform
In 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…
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Generative AI Analytics: Hype vs. Reality
Welcome 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...
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Handling Multiple Currencies in Power BI
In 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...
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Modern Reporting with Power BI: Moving Beyond Email Reports
In 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...
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The Pitfalls of Augmenting Transactional Data with Excel for Reporting
In 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...
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Mastering Delta Loads: Caleb's Best Practices, Tips, and Workarounds
Brick 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…
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A Speed-Trust Equation: Fast Power BI Reports Increase End User Confidence
Brick 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.…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
NEW EPISODES EVERY OTHER THURSDAY!!!
The Dashboard Effect Podcast: Simplifying Data for Smarter Business Decisions
Welcome to The Dashboard Effect, the go-to podcast for mid-market businesses and private equity-backed companies looking to harness the power of data.
Hosted by Brick Thompson from Blue Margin, we demystify data analytics and business intelligence, offering practical insights and actionable strategies that drive accountability, performance, and growth.
From breaking down complex data concepts to sharing real-world success stories, we cover topics like Power BI, data lakes, dashboards, automation, and the latest trends shaping the future of business intelligence. Whether you're a CEO, operator, or BI professional, we’ll help you unlock the potential of your data for smarter, faster decisions.
Tune in to The Dashboard Effect and discover how the right data, at the right time, can transform
HOSTED BY
Brick Thompson, Jon Thompson, Caleb Ochs, Landon Ochs
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Dashboard Effect have?
The Dashboard Effect currently has 178 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Dashboard Effect about?
NEW EPISODES EVERY OTHER THURSDAY!!! The Dashboard Effect Podcast: Simplifying Data for Smarter Business Decisions Welcome to The Dashboard Effect, the go-to podcast for mid-market businesses and private equity-backed companies looking to harness the power of data. Hosted by Brick Thompson from...
How often does The Dashboard Effect release new episodes?
The Dashboard Effect publishes regularly with 178 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Dashboard Effect?
You can listen to The Dashboard Effect on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Dashboard Effect?
The Dashboard Effect is created and hosted by Brick Thompson, Jon Thompson, Caleb Ochs, Landon Ochs.
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