Centralized Reporting Portal for Balmer
See how Balmer cut manual workload and improved B2B reporting with a unified Power BI portal built on MySQL.
About Balmer Bücherdienst AG
Balmer Bücherdienst AG is a Swiss book distribution company serving B2B publishing clients. They needed a scalable, accurate, and consistent way to deliver reports. Previously, reporting was manual, error-prone, and scattered across formats — making it hard to meet growing client demands while maintaining quality.At a Glance
- Industry: Publishing & Book Media
- Company Type: B2B Book Distributor
- Location: Switzerland
- Engagement Model: Hourly
- Duration: 1 Year
- Tech Stack: MySQL, Power BI
The Reporting Struggle
- Manual report creation
- Scattered templates per client
- Repetitive work for every update
- Errors and version control issues
Tech Stack – What We Used & Why
| Tool | Purpose & Fit |
|---|---|
| MySQL | Existing operational database. We optimized its schema for BI compatibility and performance. |
| Power BI | Chosen for cost-efficiency (minimal dev licenses, broad viewer access) and scalability. Enabled secure, permission-based dashboards. |
The Team
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| 2× Data Engineers | Schema optimization, data pipelines |
| 2× Power BI Developers | Dashboard creation, report automation |
| 1× Business Analyst | Requirement gathering, client alignment |
| 1× Project Manager | Timeline management, delivery coordination |
The Fix
1. Centralized the Reporting Structure
- Consolidated all publisher data into a single structured MySQL backend
- Normalized schemas across clients
- Implemented client-specific access controls
2. Built a Publisher-Facing Power BI Portal
- Designed a scalable multi-client portal
- Enabled permission-based views
- Standardized report formats for efficiency and clarity
3. Reduced Manual Load to Near-Zero
- Automated data refresh cycles
- Eliminated Excel-based processes
- Embedded logic for KPI and metric auto-updates
The Impact
- A unified reporting experience for all publishing clients
- Elimination of manual data confusion
- Drastically reduced workload
- Stronger B2B trust and transparency
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Report Delivery Time | Manual, time-consuming | Instant via portal |
| Data Consistency | Fragmented, unreliable | Fully standardized |
| Stakeholder Clarity | Low | Exceptionally clear |
| Report Accuracy | Prone to errors | 100% Reliable |
| Client Satisfaction | Inconsistent | Significantly improved |
| Manual Workload | High | Near-zero |
Balmer now offers clients real-time access to dashboards through a centralized portal—removing bottlenecks, improving clarity, and deepening trust across their B2B relationships.
What’s Next for Balmer?
- Integrate invoicing and sales dashboards
- Add publisher performance benchmarking
- Launch multilingual versions for broader accessibility
Want a Unified Reporting Experience Like Balmer?
If you’re juggling scattered reports and tired of Excel chaos, it’s time to centralize. Let’s build a portal your clients will actually want to use.
Client Feedback
“We no longer spend hours juggling templates or chasing down reports. Everything is in one place, always up to date, and easy for our clients to access. It’s transformed how we operate.”
