Please know that data support staff will have access to reporting and will be able to produce reports. They aren't losing access to the data, just how they obtain it.  Be VERY careful to emphasize that point!


Power BI Announcement

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 reported via email4 minutes ago (Tue, 8 Jul 2025 at 9:58 AM)
 
Hello team, We are ready to announce to the field that affiliate access to Power BI reports will end after APR season is complete and have composed the message below to be included in the next Tips article.  I’ll be sending a message to the MIDST group before this goes out as well, and then to state offices but wanted you all to have a heads up first.  The data support and research teams will continue to have access to existing reports in Power BI, and we will be exploring some new reporting options in the coming year as well.  Stay tuned for more news on that.
Upcoming Changes to Affiliate Access to Power BI
As part of our continued effort to align resources with affiliate needs, we want to share an upcoming change regarding Power BI access. When we transitioned to Visit Tracker, we began closely monitoring how well its built-in reporting features were meeting affiliate needs. Over time, it became clear that many of the reports previously accessed through Power BI were now available—and in many cases improved—within Visit Tracker itself. However, to be absolutely sure, we carefully reviewed how affiliates continued to use Power BI. To support the transition from Penelope to Visit Tracker, we released two key reports within Power BI at the end of April:
  • Case Service and Family Dates – to provide a high-level view of families served
  • Outcomes ER – Category 1 – to support APR-related reporting

 Since that time, we have monitored usage closely. What we’ve seen confirms what many of you might expect: usage of Power BI reports has steadily declined. Because of this shift, and in order to focus our support where it will have the greatest impact, we will be phasing out affiliate access to Power BI in the coming months. This change will not take place immediately—it is planned for the fall, after APR season concludes—so you will continue to have access in the meantime. Please rest assured that:
  • We will continue working closely with Visit Tracker to ensure the reports available within the system meet affiliate needs, and we will advocate for additional report development based on your feedback.
  • If you need access to historical Penelope data, you can continue to request it through the PAT Data Support Team.

 If you have questions, concerns, or suggestions about how we can best support you during this transition, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you for your flexibility and for the work you do every day to support families.