As freelancers, Power BI projects can feel like a constant balancing act.

Some clients want results overnight – a dashboard that looks polished and delivers insights quickly. In those cases, the temptation is real: import the data, add visuals, throw in a few slicers, and hand it over. It works, the client is happy… at least for now.

But here’s the tricky part: those ‘quick builds’ usually come back to haunt you. The moment new data sources are added or KPIs evolve, cracks start to show.

Suddenly, the relationships don’t hold, DAX measures start breaking, and the dashboard gets slow and messy. And as freelancers, we’re often the ones called back to fix it.

On the other hand, when I take the time to build a strong foundation – a clean star schema, reusable measures, optimized models also the dashboard runs smoother, scales better, and requires less firefighting later. But clients don’t always see this hidden work. To them, the visuals look the same, and sometimes they wonder why it took longer or cost more.

That’s where I get stuck: do I keep things simple and fast to match client expectations, or do I go the extra mile to future-proof the project, even if the effort isn’t immediately visible !