Can Power BI connect to Sage 50?

Yes. Sage 50 Accounts installs a data driver (ODBC) that Power BI and Excel can read from. We use it to copy your data into a database on a schedule, so reports are fast and do not depend on Sage being open.

Will it slow Sage 50 down?

No. The data is read on a schedule, usually overnight or a few times a day outside busy periods, and reports run on the copy rather than on your Sage files.

Our Sage 50 is hosted or on a remote desktop. Does that work?

Usually, yes. The data needs to be read from a computer that can open your Sage 50 company files. We set that up with you during the review.

We are thinking of moving to Sage 200. Is it worth doing this first?

Often, yes. The reports are built on a structure that carries over, so when you move to Sage 200 or another system, the reports move with you rather than starting again.

As a fixed-price project agreed before work starts. A short reporting review comes first, so you know what is worth building and what it will cost.

Sage 50 reporting

Sage 50 reporting in Power BI

Management accounts, group and cash reporting from Sage 50, without slow reports or monthly CSV exports.

Talk about Sage reporting Try the report

Sage 50 does the books. The reporting happens in Excel.

Sage 50 has a large library of standard reports and a designer for changing layouts. Once there is more than one company, a budget to track or a board to report to, most of the work moves into spreadsheets.

Getting the data out

Sage 50 keeps its data in its own files rather than a database other tools read easily, so reporting usually starts with a CSV export.

Slow reports

As the years of transactions build up, big reports take longer to run, and some stop with memory errors.

Several companies

The built-in consolidation cannot combine companies with different currencies or financial year starts, so the group pack is built in Excel.

A pack built by hand

The monthly management accounts are exported, formatted and checked by one person, and wait for them to be free.

What the reports cover

Set up around your nominal codes, departments and companies. We walk you through them on sample data first, then on your own.

Management accounts

Profit and loss against budget and last year, by department, with a click through to the transactions behind any figure.

Group view

All your Sage 50 companies together, including different currencies and year ends.

Cash and debtors

Who owes what and for how long, how that is changing month by month, and the cash you can expect over the coming weeks.

Sales and margin

Revenue and margin by customer and product, compared with any earlier period.

Try the report

A working Sage 50 report on sample data for three companies. Change the year or company, or click any bar to filter the rest of the page.

Home page of the Sage 50 sample report, with management accounts, cash and group view

Open the live report

From Sage 50 to the report

01
Read

Sage 50 comes with a data driver that lets approved tools read your accounts. We use it to read the data on a schedule, outside working hours, so Sage is not slowed down.
02
Store

The figures are copied into a database in your own Microsoft tenant, where they keep their history and reports run quickly however many years you hold.
03
Report

Power BI reports in Teams or the browser, refreshed automatically, with the option to keep working in Excel on the same numbers.

Sage stays as it is

Nothing changes in how your team posts and closes in Sage 50. The reports only read the data.

Ready for the next system

When you move up to Sage 200 or another accounts system, the reports carry over. See Sage 200 reporting.

Questions about Sage 50 reporting

Can Power BI connect to Sage 50?: Yes. Sage 50 Accounts installs a data driver (ODBC) that Power BI and Excel can read from. We use it to copy your data into a database on a schedule, so reports are fast and do not depend on Sage being open.
Will it slow Sage 50 down?: No. The data is read on a schedule, usually overnight or a few times a day outside busy periods, and reports run on the copy rather than on your Sage files.
Can you combine companies with different currencies or year ends?: Yes. That is one of the gaps in Sage 50’s own consolidation. Each company is mapped once to a shared structure and the group view handles the currency and year-end differences.
Our Sage 50 is hosted or on a remote desktop. Does that work?: Usually, yes. The data needs to be read from a computer that can open your Sage 50 company files. We set that up with you during the review.
We are thinking of moving to Sage 200. Is it worth doing this first?: Often, yes. The reports are built on a structure that carries over, so when you move to Sage 200 or another system, the reports move with you rather than starting again.
How is it priced?: As a fixed-price project agreed before work starts. A short reporting review comes first, so you know what is worth building and what it will cost.

We are a global company