PowerBI: Streamlining data analysis, visualisation and communication with Rob Delves

Jun 27, 2024

Sports Scientist Rob Delves from Melbourne Storm discusses the shift towards PowerBI for data analysis and visualization in sports science. He highlights the efficiency of PowerBI over Excel, emphasizing the benefits of streamlined data management, visualization capabilities, and automation for coaches. Rob also touches on the challenges of collecting subjective athlete data and the user-friendly transition from Excel to PowerBI.

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Intro

00:00 • 3min

Power BI in Sports Science Data Analysis

03:21 • 4min

Transitioning from Excel to Power BI for Data Analysis

07:04 • 16min

Exploring Power BI's Data Visualization and Automation Capabilities in Sports Coaching Environments

23:16 • 5min

Challenges in Collecting and Incorporating Athlete Data into Power BI

28:20 • 7min

Principles of Visualization in Data Analysis: Choosing Power BI or Tableau

35:08 • 7min

Engaging with Power BI on LinkedIn and Sportsmith Rehab Conference

42:19 • 2min

In this episode of the Pacey Performance Podcast, Sports Scientist at the Melbourne Storm rugby league club, Rob Delves discusses the growing use of PowerBI in sports science for data analysis and visualization.

PowerBI is becoming a preferred tool over Excel due to its efficiency in handling larger data sets from multiple sources. Rob emphasizes the importance of upskilling in data analysis and communication within sports science, as resources can be limited. PowerBI provides streamlined data management and visualization capabilities, allowing for more advanced data manipulation than Excel. Its easy access, customization options, and cost-effectiveness make it an attractive alternative.

Rob highlights that PowerBI offers a uniform platform for data access and management, reducing the need for physical report distribution and potential errors. It integrates smoothly with existing Microsoft Office suites and ensures data security through multi-factor authentication. The transition from Excel to PowerBI is facilitated by their similar layouts, making it user-friendly for those familiar with Excel.

The podcast also covers the benefits of PowerBI in saving time through automation, which allows coaches to focus more on coaching rather than data entry. Data from training sessions can be quickly synced into PowerBI, streamlining the analysis process. However, Rob notes the challenges in collecting subjective data from athletes, as it may not always be reliable.

Rob concludes by discussing the integration of APIs for advanced data analysis, the importance of investing in data science skills, and the creative visualization opportunities that PowerBI offers. He suggests that while PowerBI is excellent for data reporting, it may not be the best tool for integrating video analysis.

Main talking points:

The importance of efficiency in data analysis and communication
PowerBI and its difference and similarities to Excel
Increased data security through using a cloud based solution
How to streamline data processing with PowerBI
Visualisation options in PowerBI versus Excel
Increased statistical analysis in PowerBI
Combining PowerBI and R or Python
Automation and PowerBI