Drive-Thru BI: Mark Polino's new Dynamics GP dashboards are the new entry level analytics alternative

For anyone who has eyed the dashboard analytics of a full-featured BI solution for Microsoft Dynamics GP but then balked at the cost and commitment, Microsoft MVP Mark Polino has a new alternative that might satisfy your bank account and your busy schedule.

Polino has started rolling out a new analytics offering of his own - but in terms of sophistication, think drive-through rather than white tablecloths.

"The idea came to me at the GPUG Summit," he explains. "Every BI vendor claimed to connect to GP, use GP data, and they could build whatever you want. This feels like the personal chef approach. I decided to try to jumpstart BI with the McDonalds approach. Inexpensive, good looking, limited choices, stupid simple to deploy. It's starter BI."

The offering is pretty simple. For $249, plus $49 annual maintenance you get a particular dashboard that is compatible with Excel 2010 and 2013 as well as GP 10, 2010, and 2013. The inaugural offering is an Excel-based sales dashboard (no Power BI required), and Polino has cash, inventory, and AP dashboards planned. There will also be Advanced dashboards coming that will be built on PowerPivot rather than standard Excel.

So who needs to buy an Excel dashboard? Maybe a manager who knows she needs it but also knows that realistically she'll never get around to building it herself. Polino thinks it could also be a good starting point for partners to roll into their own engagements to help clients discover their true wants and needs.

Polino's offering can also be seen as the latest in a slowly ...