Resource / Read-Only Dashboards: The Bitter End for Clients Relying on Power BI
Modern CRM systems like Salesforce store a goldmine of data. But turning that data into insights — and actionable tools — isn’t always straightforward.
In this case study, we walk through how we helped a B2B client extend the limits of Power BI with performance and flexibility. First, we connected Salesforce to Power BI. Then we built a custom React-based web app — delivering a fully usable reporting interface with inputs back into Salesforce.
The Challenge
Our client, a growing international sales team, needed:
- Visibility into pipeline and performance across countries
- Insight into sales team activity, regional progress, and rep-specific goals
- The ability to track leads and update records
- Sharing insights with leadership and operations teams in real time
They were using:
- Power BI for reporting
- Salesforce for records
- Manual exports and notifications
- Collaboration between tools & apps
So they turned to Power BI.
Phase 1: Connecting Salesforce to Power BI
We helped the client:
- Set up a secure data pipeline from Salesforce into Power BI
- Create dashboards to track sales performance, forecast accuracy, and rep activity
- Build region-based reports using Power BI’s DAX engine and slicers
- Align dashboards with leadership KPIs
- Stream data hourly for near-real-time accuracy
This delivered quick wins:
- Leadership got visibility
- Sales got benchmarks
- Operations got KPIs
The Limitations
As adoption grew, so did the pain points:
- Power BI’s existing interface felt unusable for non-technical users
- The dashboards were often read-only — no way to interact or update records
- Changing filters & segments slowed things down
- Mobile performance was inconsistent
- It became difficult to grow and iterate
It became obvious: Power BI was great for visibility, but not for action.
Phase 2: Building a Custom Web App on Top of Salesforce
To solve the limitations, we built a custom React-based web application tailored for sales and ops.
Key Features:
Interactive Dashboards
- Chart filters, inputs, status changes — all beautifully built with React and Salesforce’s API
Sales Rep Quick Updates
- Enable reps to quickly update deal status, notes, and probabilities inline — no Salesforce login needed
Data Checkpoints and QA
- Internal QA features let leadership validate data quality using OpenAI
Smart Reports
- Input → insight. Teams update while data quality improves
Secure, Role-Based Access Control
- Different teams see different data, over the very same pipeline
Seamless Mobile Experience
Results After 60 Days
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Dashboard Usage Rate | 42% | 89% |
| Rep Updating Deal Timelines | Rare | Daily |
| Mobile Accessibility | Broken | Smooth |
| Sales Visibility | Weekly email | Real-time |
The app became the daily cockpit for the revenue team — combining insights, actions, and AI suggestions in one tool.
Why This Worked
- Salesforce remained the source of truth
- The custom app supported real-time interaction
- The frontend supported reporting and interactive execution
- The solution was scalable, easy to extend, and mobile-first
- No more switching tools or breaking flows
Want to Go Beyond Read-Only Dashboards?
We build tailor-made reporting tools and front-line, interactive tools that pull from Salesforce — or your existing CRM, ERP, or operations stack.
👉 Book a data infrastructure audit
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