The short answer
Data and BI consulting for utilities connects the systems that already hold your operational data, such as outage management, crew rosters, timesheets, work orders, and billing, into one reporting layer. The result is dashboards in a tool like Power BI that storm managers, operations leaders, and finance can all use during an event and after it, without rebuilding spreadsheets by hand.
Where utility data breaks down
Most utilities and line contractors do not lack data. They lack data that agrees with itself.
- Storm reports built by hand. Someone stays up late merging rosters, timesheets, and work orders into a spreadsheet the morning meeting needs.
- Numbers that do not match. Operations, billing, and the customer each count crews and hours differently, so every closeout starts with a reconciliation.
- Reliability metrics without context. SAIDI and SAIFI arrive as yearly totals, with no link to the crews, contractors, and costs behind them.
- Contractor data trapped in portals. Mutual assistance and contractor crews report in their own formats, which rarely line up with yours.
5.5 hours
Average power interruption per U.S. customer in 2022, compared with about two hours a year once major events are excluded. U.S. Energy Information Administration
Major events drive most of the outage time customers feel, which is why the reporting that matters most is the reporting you can run during a storm, not only after it.
What data and BI work looks like for utilities
Storm event dashboard
One live view of crews, open work, documentation status, and cost burn for each event. See what a storm dashboard should show.
Crew utilization reporting
Hours, idle time, and productivity by crew and contractor, so you can compare performance across events and territories.
Closeout and billing readiness
A daily check of which timesheets, rosters, and job records are complete, so invoices go out in days instead of weeks.
Reliability analysis
SAIDI and SAIFI broken down by circuit, cause, and event, connected to the crews and spend that moved them.
Spreadsheets or a connected BI layer?
Spreadsheets are a fine place to start. They stop scaling when several teams need the same numbers at the same time.
| Spreadsheet reporting | Connected BI layer | |
|---|---|---|
| Refresh | Manual, often daily or weekly | Scheduled, as often as sources update |
| Single source of truth | Each team keeps its own copy | Shared definitions for crews, hours, and events |
| During a storm | Falls behind as volume grows | Keeps pace with the event |
| Audit trail | Hard to trace a number back | Every figure traces to its source system |
Want to see what your storm and crew data could look like in one view? Book a working session.
How an engagement starts
We start with one decision your team makes during a storm and work backward to the data it needs. That keeps the first build small and useful.
From there we map your source systems, agree on definitions for crews, hours, and events, and build the first dashboard. TAKKEL’s leadership comes from the power and utility industry, so we start with your vocabulary, not a generic template. You can read more about how we work.
Frequently asked questions
What systems can a utility BI dashboard connect to?
Most dashboards pull from the systems you already run: outage management, work order and crew management, timekeeping, payroll, and billing or ERP. Spreadsheets and contractor files can be included too. The goal is to connect what exists first, then decide whether any system actually needs to change.
Do utilities need Power BI specifically?
No. Power BI is common because many utilities already license Microsoft 365, but the same approach works in other BI tools. What matters more than the tool is agreeing on definitions for crews, hours, and events, and building a refresh that keeps the numbers current.
Can line contractors use the same dashboards as the utilities they work for?
They usually need different views of the same data. A utility tracks restoration and reliability, while a contractor tracks crews, documentation, and getting paid. Sharing a common crew and event structure reduces disputes at closeout and speeds up invoice approval for both sides.
How long does a first utility dashboard take to build?
A focused first dashboard, such as a storm documentation view, can often be scoped in a working session and built in a few weeks, depending on how clean and accessible the source data is. Starting with one view keeps the timeline short and shows which data needs the most cleanup.
Is our operational data safe in a BI tool?
It can be, with the right setup. Access should follow roles, sensitive fields should be limited to the people who need them, and data should stay in environments your IT team approves. We work within your existing security and IT policies rather than around them.
