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5 Truths Behind Every 40-Page Power BI Report (And None of Them Are About Insight)

A 40-page dashboard rarely delivers real insight. More often, it points to issues the organization is avoiding.

Author

Glenda Carnate
December 04, 2025

Read time: 2.5 minutes

If your team keeps adding to dashboards, the real problem usually isn’t analytics maturity. It’s often hesitation to make decisions, disguised as detailed reporting.

Lately, a BI team shared a 40-page BI report, expecting good feedback. Instead, the room felt tense as leaders searched for clear, actionable insights that weren’t there. It was obvious the report aimed to ease worries, not help people make decisions. Every extra page looked like an effort to reduce risk and add context that wasn’t needed.

Even though the dashboard looked thorough, it showed the organization’s hesitation.

5 Realities That Your 40-Page Power BI Report Doesn’t Want You to Notice:

1. Spotting the Trust Gap:
Long reports often mean leaders don’t fully trust the main numbers. Ask yourself: “Which metric feels risky to trust?”

2. Decision Avoidance Auditing:
If it takes 40 pages to make a simple decision, the problem isn’t clarity... it’s accountability. Make sure the report tackles key decisions right from the start.

3. One-Screen Insight Test:
Good insights should fit on one screen, showing the metric, its change, the trend, and what to do next. If you need lots of visuals to explain, the insight isn’t clear yet.

4. Check Noise:
Over-complicated dashboards often hide problems with data quality, ownership, or process alignment. Fix these issues before adding more visuals.

5. Rethink the Definition of the Problem:
If one page can’t get everyone on the same page, the main question probably isn’t clear. Clarify the problem before updating the report.

💡Key Takeaway: 

Power BI isn’t meant to reassure organizations. When a report is long, it usually means the team needs better alignment, clearer decisions, and more action.

Insight is simple. Avoidance costs a lot.

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