Why this article, frankly? It's time to get down to brass tacks. The promise of augmented BI, boosted by AI, is sexy on paper. But the reality on the ground can sometimes sting severely. So, if your goal is to have your Self-BI project fail miserably, sit back and relax: we're rolling out the red carpet for disaster. (And for everyone else, those who prefer things to work, this text might just save you a few headaches.)
Self-BI is a bit like a giant sandpit. Except even sandpits have implicit rules (don't throw sand in other people's eyes, for instance). Not setting any framework at all is the ABC of disaster.
The trick to failing even more spectacularly: Never, ever, name a business sponsor. That's the best way to show that no one is in control.
Autonomy is good. Outright abandonment is better if you're aiming for failure. Entrusting a tool like Power BI to users without any support is like handing over the keys to a Formula 1 car to someone who has only just got their driving licence... and has never even touched a steering wheel.
The direct consequence? A staggering loss of confidence in the figures. Mission accomplished.
In your view of failure, a «successful» Self-BI is one where everyone has access to everything. Rights management within semantic models (the famous RLS, or Row-Level Security)? A waste of time! By forgetting it, you open the doors wide to:
We're talking about augmented BI, not augmented chaos. Ah, wait, actually, for failure, yes!
Copilot (or any other AI assistant) is impressive, it's true. But if you want a resounding failure, there's a golden rule: don't teach it anything. Zero vocabulary, zero data models, zero control over its sources.
Imagine: «How many employees did we make redundant in 2023?» → «Yes! 12,987!» (when your company barely has 500 people). Success guaranteed for chaos.
For a Self-BI failure, there are two schools of thought, both of which are effective:
A Self-BI that works is a partnership. But you, you're aiming for a cold war, aren't you? Let the business ask questions that IT can't understand, and let IT build Rube Goldberg machines that don't meet any business needs.
It's a classic recipe for failure: you roll it out, you train people (a bit, anyway), and then... you disappear. Six months later, you're wondering, «Huh, nobody's using our brilliant Self-BI, that's odd.»
For success in failure, never measure anything along the way:
Without this information, you're flying blind. And you know where that leads? Straight into a wall.
Augmented Self-BI is not a project with an end date. It's a dynamic. It's meant to live with the company, adapt, and evolve.
If you want to fail, believe firmly that once the tool is delivered, the job is done.
Bonus: the signs that indicate you are (almost) a pro at failing in Self-BI
Or your worst Self-BI nightmares: the non-exhaustive list
You've read our «tips» for failure. But reality sometimes surpasses fiction. We all have anecdotes of projects that have gone disastrously wrong.
Here are some gems, born from observation (and sometimes, let's admit it, personal experience):
An augmented Self-BI is an ecosystem that needs to be conceived and cultivated. To convert the score and ensure successful and sustainable deployment, a structured approach is required:
Contact us for a personalised demo and discover how to avoid all these pitfalls!
