The Dashboard Effect

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 adopti...

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 outline ...

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...

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 p...

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 fo...

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 pi...

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...

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...

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 autom...

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 f...

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...

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 s...

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 t...

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 s...

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 t...