Crystal Reports to Power BI Migration: Assessment & Pilot

Are you ready to transform your legacy Crystal Reports infrastructure into a dynamic, interactive, and self-service analytics environment with Power BI? This Assessment & Pilot engagement is designed to guide your organization through a practical and strategic path from static Crystal reporting to modern BI excellence.

• Is Crystal Reports limiting agility with hard-coded logic and static formatting?
• Do your reports require heavy IT involvement for changes or updates?
• Would real-time dashboards, collaboration, and mobile access deliver more value to your stakeholders?
• How can you validate the benefits of migrating to Power BI before fully committing?

If you're ready to evolve from Crystal Reports but need clarity on scope, complexity, and outcomes, this Assessment & Pilot engagement provides expert evaluation, migration of select reports, and a roadmap for the full transition—demonstrating real value using your own data and reporting scenarios.

Key Benefits: 

• Visibility into how Crystal Reports capabilities translate into Power BI's dynamic platform
• Hands-on validation through actual migration of select reports
• Defined roadmap, timeline, and cost estimate for enterprise-wide migration
• Risk identification and mitigation strategy specific to Crystal Reports limitations
• Preview of end-user experience improvements through interactive reports

Prerequisites: 

• Access to Crystal Reports Files: Sample .rpt files and supporting resources (formulas, subreports, templates)
• Access to Data Sources: Database connections and queries (especially SQL or stored procedures used in Crystal)
• Crystal Report Inventory: A list of reports prioritized by business value or complexity
• Stakeholder Availability: Time commitment from BI leads, report developers, and business owners
• Pain Points and Goals: A summary of current challenges with Crystal Reports (e.g., scalability, data refresh, interactivity) and future BI aspirations
• High-Level Business Requirements: Key KPIs, reporting logic, and expected improvements in performance or usability

Agenda

1. Kick-off & Planning

   • Introduce team, define success criteria, and confirm scope
   • Identify key stakeholders
   • Review current report processes, tools, and Crystal-specific challenges (e.g., stored procedures, rigid formatting, legacy systems)

2. Environment Evaluation & Power BI Overview

   • Analyze Crystal report structure: formulas, parameters, layouts, subreports
   • Evaluate data sources and performance
   • Present Power BI capabilities:
     • Interactive reports & real-time dashboards
     • Data modeling (DAX)
     • Paginated reports for compliance use cases
     • Mobile and collaborative features

3. Migration Strategy & Pilot Execution

   • Define migration approach (by usage, department, or complexity)
   • Select 2–3 Crystal reports for pilot
   • Rebuild in Power BI:
     • Convert logic to DAX and semantic models
     • Recreate layouts with Power BI visuals or paginated reporting
     • Apply RLS and optimize data refresh

4. Optimization, Training & Tuning

   • Refine pilot reports for usability and performance
   • Validate data and business logic
   • Conduct Power BI training for users
   • Highlight performance and usability improvements

5. Final Review & Roadmap

   • Present pilot results and business value
   • Share migration roadmap, estimates, and timelines
   • Recommend licensing (Pro vs. Premium)
   • Discuss risks (e.g., scripting, legacy connectors, printing)
   • Provide governance and scalability guidance
   • Q&A and next-step planning

Deliverables

• Migration Report – Crystal environment analysis and pilot insights
• Migration Roadmap – Phased plan with milestones and timelines
• Power BI Architecture Blueprint – Recommended structure for models, workspaces, and access
• Cost & Effort Estimates – Resource and licensing guidance
• Optimized Pilot Reports – Selected Crystal reports rebuilt in Power BI
• Training Materials – Power BI basics for technical and business users
• Governance Recommendations – Best practices for scale, design, and adoption

Target Audience  

• BI Managers & Reporting Leads
• Data Architects & Infrastructure Teams
• Crystal Report Developers
• Department Heads & Business Stakeholders

Why MAQ Software?  
With decades of experience supporting legacy systems and Microsoft’s modern BI stack, our certified Power BI team excels at complex migrations. We provide tools, templates, and expert guidance to ensure a seamless, secure, and scalable migration tailored to your unique needs—backed by Microsoft’s partner ecosystem.

Get Started Take the first step toward a modern, scalable analytics platform. Contact CustomerSuccess@MAQSoftware.com to initiate your Power BI migration journey today.