Here are Our Latest Publications

How Can Government Employees Obtain Clean & Aligned Data?

If you work for a small to mid-sized county government in social services, criminal justice, or any other role that uses data then you already know: getting reliable data is a huge challenge.

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How Counties Can Un-Silo Their Data Management with Power BI

So, you work for a small to mid-sized county government and are having difficulty efficiently getting data out of the systems you use. You are not alone. County staff in many areas, including health and human services, law enforcement, and child welfare are limited in their productivity due to poor ...

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Need Fabric or BI Support? Join the Minnesota Fabric Group!

As avid users of both Fabric and Power BI, we love hearing from other Fabric and Power BI users. Each person has unique insights, cool tricks and tips and things to share.

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Brain Larson, Superior Consulting Services

3 Big Reasons to Work with a Microsoft Fabric Consultant

Fabric is Microsoft’s most powerful data tool to date. But getting up to speed with Fabric can be a huge challenge. For organizations who are looking to implement Fabric in the future or who currently use Fabric, working with a Microsoft Fabric Consultant is the best way to get the most out of ...

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Finding a Data Home in the Cloud: Microsoft Fabric vs. Azure

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Data Warehouse vs Data Lake vs Data Lakehouse

The following blog comes from Zach Corley, Data and Analytics Consultant at Superior Consulting Services.

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Benefits of Using Tabular Editor 2 for Working with Tabular Data Models

Here’s a “fun” exercise: ask any database developer how they like modeling in Visual Studio. To put it charitably, VS has a lot of limitations. There has to be a better way…and there is.

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Should You Switch to Microsoft Fabric? A Guide for IT Directors

Microsoft Fabric is now live. With the launch of this latest data powerhouse tool many IT directors are asking themselves: does it make sense to stick with what we have, or to use Fabric instead?

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High-level Overview of Medallion Architecture

Keeping a high volume of data organized is one of the top priorities for a business analyst. You’ve likely heard of (or may already be using) Medallion architecture to achieve these goals. This structure is also considered best practice while designing and using Microsoft Fabric.

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Using SSIS and PowerShell to Manage Power BI Workspaces

The following blog comes from Addison Sand, Data & Analytics Consultant at Superior Consulting Services.

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Fabric Community Conference Recap

Brian Larson attended the Microsoft Fabric Community Conference in March 2024. Michael Bergstrom sat down with Brian to capture a quick recap of the experience.

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Will Microsoft Fabric Replace Synapse or Azure SQL?

If you saw the announcement for Fabric and are wondering what this means for the future of Synapse and Azure SQL, you’re not alone. With Microsoft’s introduction of Fabric, it’s difficult to know which current data solutions will remain relevant and which will be replaced by Fabric.

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Is Microsoft Fabric Replacing Power BI?

Microsoft Fabric has launched, and with it comes a big question: Is Power BI going away?

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Why You Should Perform an SQL Server Health Check Monthly

Your database isn’t a static asset. As time goes by, more data is processed, database usage changes, and more users are added. This natural evolution can start to cause issues within your database if left unchecked.

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Webinar: Microsoft Fabric - What, Why and How Much

We recently hosted a webinar all about the new features of Microsoft Fabric. An all-in-one data analytics solution with a myriad of features, Microsoft Fabric covers everything from data movement to data science and real-time analytics.

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Power BI and Generative AI: What You Need to Know

Generative AI writing, image creation and video creation has ramped up to new levels. It was only a matter of time before SaaS tools started integrating the power of this popular AI technology within their platforms.

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Why Do You Need Microsoft Consulting Services?

No matter what tools you use, any business-level Microsoft software or application is a significant investment. And most businesses aren’t seeing a return on that investment.

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Improve Your Performance and Profitability Today

SCS uses best-in-class tools to deliver database, reporting and data platform and analytics solutions. We partner with your team to develop custom solutions.

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VIDEO: The IT Department – A Key Business Partner

John Bredesen, Business IT Consultant & Author, and Michael Bergstrom, SCS President, discuss how IT is and should be a key business partner. Watch our latest video and learn how to ban silos, map strategies and encourage better integration.

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SCS Offers Customizable Power BI Training

Superior Consulting Services offers a fully customizable Power BI Training, led by expert Brian Larson, SCS Chief Creative Officer and Partner. Larson is a Power BI and SQL Server expert and nationally recognized speaker and author [link to bio].

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VIDEO: Making the Most Out of Your Data – Reporting & Analytics

John Bredesen, Business IT Consultant & Author, and Brian Larson, Chief Creative Officer & Partner, discuss taking data visualization in new directions in SCS’s latest video. Our experts take note that data analytics is more than just reports and scorecards—it’s seeing things past, present, ...

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Q & A with Superior Consulting Services (SCS) Founder, John Miller

Superior Consulting Services (SCS) celebrates 25 years of technology consulting in 2022. What began as a two-person show focused on using technology to solve business problems, is now a thriving consulting firm with 20+ associates. Now 534 clients later, that commitment to creating technology ...

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Long-Time Consultant Reflects on a Memorable Project

We asked long-time application development consultant, Michael Walsh to reflect on a significant memory from his 23+ years with SCS. “I remember in 1999, I was supporting an agricultural cooperative with 600+ stores across several states. There was a point of sales shut down in hundreds of stores ...

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Power BI Python Visualizations – Adding a Vertical Line to a Graph

Power BI has a great selection of visualizations that are both incredibly easy to implement, and cover most of the functionality that users have grown accustomed to. However, there are some scenarios that fall outside of the abilities that the Power BI native visualizations offer, as well as ...

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SCS – 25 Years of Technology Consulting

Superior Consulting Services is 25 years old! That means I have been an SCS employee for 25 years. How did that happen? It seems like only yesterday I was walking into our little first-floor office suite over on the Highway 13 frontage road, shaking hands with SCS founder, John Miller, and finding ...

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The IT Director: Where IT and Business Meet

The point of the IT department is to help the organization succeed. To do this, we need to understand that organization and the world it operates in. In addition, we must understand technology products, services, and trends enough to know how to apply them to our organization. We must understand ...

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Ask the IT Director: Finding Time To Improve IT Processes

Dear IT Director, Help! We are running around with our hair on fire, working on too many business projects. Our IT processes need help, but we don’t have any time to improve them. Overwhelmed in Omaha Dear Overwhelmed, I feel your pain. The list of changes the business needs is long and you want to ...

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Improve Your Performance and Profitability Today

SCS uses best-in-class tools to deliver database, reporting and data platform and analytics solutions. We partner with your team to develop custom solutions.

GET STARTED

The IT Director: Throttle For Change: How Organizations Should Think About IT

Organizations have IT departments, but they don’t always understand how the IT department can best help. Yes, we keep the computers running. But there can be more than that. Much more.

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Ask The IT Director: Cantujust Dilemma

Dear IT Director, People seem to think that IT has an “easy button.” That we can just make simple changes and slap it into production quickly. How can I respond to this nonsense? Frustrated in Fresno Dear Frustrated, I feel your pain on this. As with most jobs, there are details in our work that ...

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Ask the IT Director: Upgrades Get Blamed For Everything

Dear IT Director, We upgraded one of our major systems last year. We had some glitches, but overall it went fairly well. Here we are a year later, and people still blame the upgrade when they have problems. Very frustrating! Upgraded in Upton Dear Upgraded, Hahaha! HAHAHA! C’mon, laugh with me. ...

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Questions to Ask Regarding Your Company’s Data and Analytics for a More Successful 2022

Another year is quickly coming to a close. Unfortunately, 2021 did not turn out to be the year of “putting the pandemic behind us” that we hoped for. Despite that, we hope you saw this year as a turning point and are starting to see a trend toward better times ahead.

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Backups – The Who What Where Why When and How

Who should do backups?

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I Love Manufacturing

I have worked at manufacturing companies for most of my career. There were a few university jobs first, but when I got the IT job at 3M, I was hooked. The sheer number of products they made was mind-blowing. I worked in the IT department supporting the engineers that designed the equipment for the ...

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IT Leaders: Supporting a Staff Retirement

If you are an IT leader long enough, you will deal with a team member’s retirement. While similar to any person leaving a position, you may get more than two weeks notice, which can be helpful.

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Prioritizing IT Work: The Challenges

How can we prioritize effectively in the IT department? We start by understanding that there is not a separate set of priorities for IT. The priorities of the organization are the priorities of IT. We must be able to say that IT is always performing the work that is most important to the ...

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Business Processes: Set Up For Success

All organizations use business processes to get work done. Most of these processes, especially in larger organizations, rely on computers and software. IT’s role is to make sure processes, as implemented though technology, change as the organization changes. With increasing dependencies on ...

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What are the Important Skillsets for a Business Analyst?

The role of a Business Analyst is not one to be taken lightly. They are the central point of contact for many within the project team, accountable for defining and helping ensure that the right solution is delivered. It is because of this, in my opinion, that the most effective and successful BAs ...

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Improve Your Performance and Profitability Today

SCS uses best-in-class tools to deliver database, reporting and data platform and analytics solutions. We partner with your team to develop custom solutions.

GET STARTED

What is a Business Analyst and Why Does My Project Need One?

At the onset of a new project the excitement and enthusiasm for starting, and even more so implementing, a new solution which will solve every problem imaginable is infectious. The project sponsors have compiled the concerns and issues from their front-line resources and developers are giddy with ...

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SQL Server Synonyms and How to Leverage Them in an ETL Process

In 2005 Microsoft introduced the synonym functionality for SQL Server. While Synonyms are not something SQL developers are likely to use on a daily basis, they are very powerful and useful, despite being relatively simple. They are essentially a placeholder that can be used as a static value in a ...

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The Costs of (not) Catching Up

Technology is used in companies to improve efficiency, reduce the possibility of human error, and increase productivity. Once a technology stops doing these things because it slows the process, crashes, and constantly requires maintenance it is time to update. Unfortunately, it has become all too ...

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Beginner’s Guide to Web Accessibility

Today, more people are accessing the world wide web, and using a wide variety of devices and assistants to do so, than ever before. This means it is crucial that your website works properly with all the different ways your user’s can interact with your website. Unfortunately, for many small- to ...

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Awesome Apps in Microsoft 365 You Probably Don’t Know About!

Maybe you’re looking for software that allows your employees to collaborate from anywhere in the world with cloud-based services, the latest programs and robust security. Or maybe you’re already investing in technology like the Microsoft 365 platform but have only scratched the surface and want to ...

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An Introduction to Microsoft Teams

A component of Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams takes teamwork to the next level with intuitive navigation and on-point features that make doing business even easier. Let’s take a closer look!

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The Importance of Data Backups

Backups are an essential, yet often overlooked and misunderstood, part of every organization. When the computer systems are running well, the topic gets shoved to the bottom of the meeting agenda and easily forgotten.

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The SCS Associate Consultant Program

Traditionally, Superior Consulting Services (SCS) has hired consultants who bring years of experience in their respective field. Experience can be important in a consulting environment. However, in today’s ever-changing technology world, the ability to continually engage with and master new ...

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Utilizing Data Storage Solutions to Increase Workplace Efficiency

FIMC Explores Data Storage Solutions In our introductory post on the happenings at Foam Injection Mold Company (FIMC), we described three major technology solutions that Superior Consulting Services implemented to help them modernize and streamline their operations. One of these tech solutions is a ...

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Move On Premise Servers to the Cloud

Moving on premise servers to the cloud can save you time, money and effort if done correctly. There are many approaches for moving on premise servers and workloads to the cloud, but here we will be focusing on lift and shift today.

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Improve Your Performance and Profitability Today

SCS uses best-in-class tools to deliver database, reporting and data platform and analytics solutions. We partner with your team to develop custom solutions.

GET STARTED

Data Denormalization Made Easy

Power BI Query Editor Value and Table Columns Data stored as part of a transactional data processing system, for example a database to information on package deliveries, is often difficult to work with when it comes time to explore that data or create reports. This is because of a process called ...

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Where Does Power BI Fit in Our Data Journey?

Power BI is the newest business intelligence offering from Microsoft. It’s a product that a lot of people have been talking and thinking about for the past year or two, and it is gaining more and more traction every day. I like to refer to it as “The best tool that people don’t realize they should ...

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Power BI Connection Types

The most common way to use Power BI is to import the data into Power BI and define the structure of the data model there. In many situations, this is the best way to use Power BI. However, it is not the only way to use Power BI.

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Why Technology Best Practices are Critical

As with many things in life, technology sometimes allows you to take the “easy way out.” For example, you have been working hard on implementing the new Exchange server and you hit a road block. The install won’t complete. You do some digging and find out what the issue is, then you come to a ...

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Preventing Cross Site Request Forgery

Cross Site Request Forgery (CSRF) is an attack against web applications that forces users to execute unwanted actions within the web applications that they are currently authenticated. By sending a malicious link via email, social network post or chat, an attacker may trick users of web ...

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Backup. Restore. Repeat. Your System Backup Survival Guide.

By Tim LaPean, SCS Infrastructure Consultant

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Dynamic SQL Search Performance

Recently SCS was approached by a client and presented with an interesting problem: frequently, their data management application – a critical piece of their business model – would grind to a halt. Searches would take many minutes to complete, if they completed at all. Important reports which ...

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Who is SCS?

Superior Consulting Services (SCS) is a Microsoft Gold Certified technology firm providing innovative solutions that enable our clients to solve business problems. We use Microsoft products and tools to provide custom solutions to small- to medium-sized businesses in the Twin Cities, as well as ...

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