The Dashboard Effect

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 instead of hiring in-house?

They talk through the real tradeoffs companies face when building a data team, from the challeng...

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 a real client example: a PE-backed, billion-dollar organization struggling to consolidate financial data across a highly fragmen...

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 leaders about the messy reality behind budgets, forecasts, board decks, and “magic spreadsheets” and how teams can get out of survival m...

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 adoption, and sustained data success.

Whether you’re leading a data transformation, building dashboards, or just trying to get your ...

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 in your data environment directly impact the reliability of AI.

Whether you’re an executive planning your first AI initiative or...

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. Hear practical tips, common pitfalls, and a real-world success story that added millions to the bottom line.

At Blue Margin, we help...

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 for engineers versus business users. Along the way, they share lessons about AI adoption, the limits of “wrappers,” and where em...

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 pipeline game.

Key Moments:

1:15 – Why custom connectors made sense in the past
2:00 – The rise of APIs and the cha...

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 semantic layer, that are essential for long-term ROI. You’ll also hear why many companies are pulling back on generative AI pilots and what it ...

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 experience, we unpack the real-world trade-offs we see every day at Blue Margin.

Whether you're building from scratch or evaluating...

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 automate tasks, what it takes to build and govern them effectively, or how Microsoft is pushing this technology forward, this ...

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 must-watch for data professionals and business leaders keeping an eye on Microsoft’s data ecosystem.

Whether you're already working i...

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 natural language querying, they outline real-world use cases, challenges, and the best first steps to take.

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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 in services, manufacturing, or another industry, this conversation dives into practical examples and key considerations for t...

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 unpack the human side of digital transformation.

Learn how to overcome resistance, build trust, and drive lasting ...

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 right stakeholders, and why iteration is key to building dashboards that drive real results.

Whether you’re building your first dashboard or ref...

 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 models to generate SQL queries from natural language prompts, without exposing sensitive data. Landon and Mark unpack how Celeste works, what ...

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 biggest limitations of Microsoft Fabric right now
✅ When Synapse is the better choice for large data sets
✅ How...