When bad data breaks dashboards: how to prevent and fix common Power BI issues

Your dashboard is only as good as your data. We help make sure both work together.

You open your shiny new dashboard, expecting answers. But instead?
Charts are blank, KPIs are off, filters don’t work…

Before blaming the dashboard, pause. In most cases, it’s not the tool. It’s the data feeding it. Bad data breaks dashboards. And unfortunately, most data isn't as clean as people think.

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Why even small issues cause big problems

Dashboards don’t guess or assume. They just reflect what’s in the data. So even small inconsistencies – like a renamed column or a missing value – can throw everything off.

Here are some of the most common issues we see:

Inconsistent column names (or columns disappearing completely)
Extra spaces, typos, or format mismatches in text fields
Blank values or missing dates in time series data
Duplicate rows that inflate totals or break calculations
Wrong file structure (e.g. totals in data rows, multiple sheets, pivoted formats)


You don’t have to be perfect. But if your data isn’t structured clearly, your dashboard can’t deliver clear insight.

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The good news: you’re not alone – and we help with this

We know small and mid-sized businesses don’t have in-house data engineers.

That’s why we include light data cleaning and structure adaptation in the base service – enough to make your dashboard work right out of the box.

But some issues take longer to resolve: mismatched schemas, inconsistent files, or missing identifiers can’t be solved in a few clicks. When that happens, we’ll always tell you up front, and offer a fixed price to handle it.

The same goes for extra support or repeated fixes when something keeps changing: it’s available, but clearly scoped. We focus on giving you a working dashboard, fast – not dragging you into a consulting loop. You stay in control, we stay efficient, and your data gets the clarity it deserves.

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Clean dashboards need clean-ish data

We don’t expect perfection – just collaboration. If your data is mostly structured, we’ll take it from there. And if it’s messy, we’ll help you fix what’s needed, clearly and fairly.

You don’t need a full BI team. You don’t need a consultant whispering in your ear. You just need a dashboard that works, and a partner who respects your time. We’ll handle the setup, structure, and technical cleanup.

You focus on making smart decisions with sharper insight.

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