The Challenge
This cabinet-level federal agency employed 15,000+ staff and managed 200+ operational data sources including databases, spreadsheets, APIs, and legacy mainframe systems. Analysts across 12 regional offices created ad-hoc reports using Excel, Access databases, and an aging Cognos installation. There was no single source of truth for key performance indicators, and different offices regularly reported conflicting numbers to Congress. The agency had recently received an Authority to Operate (ATO) for Azure Government but had not yet deployed analytics capabilities. Section 508 accessibility requirements applied to all reporting.
Our Solution
Deployed Power BI Premium within the agency's Azure Government tenant (FedRAMP High), working with the CISO team to ensure all NIST 800-53 controls were implemented and documented in the System Security Plan (SSP).
Built a data governance framework with Microsoft Purview that cataloged all 200+ data sources, established data stewardship roles, created data quality rules, and implemented a data classification scheme (Public, CUI, Sensitive) with corresponding access controls.
Migrated 150+ Cognos reports to Power BI, redesigning them for interactivity, mobile access, and Section 508 compliance. Each report includes keyboard navigation, screen reader alt text, high-contrast themes, and proper tab order.
Created an enterprise data warehouse in Fabric that consolidates priority data sources into a governed star schema. Automated data pipelines replaced manual Excel-based data collection from regional offices.
Established a Power BI Center of Excellence with 24 trained champions across regional offices, self-service guidelines, report certification process, and quarterly governance reviews.
Results
Congressional reporting and OMB submissions that took weeks now complete in days with automated data pipelines.
Full FedRAMP High authorization with documented NIST 800-53 controls and continuous monitoring.
All data sources inventoried, classified, and governed through Microsoft Purview data catalog.
Every dashboard meets Section 508 and WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards.
Legacy Cognos reports modernized to interactive, mobile-ready Power BI dashboards.
Regional office champions drive adoption and serve as first-line support for analysts.
Implementation Methodology
Phase 1 (Weeks 1-4): Security and compliance. Updated SSP, implemented NIST 800-53 controls, configured Azure Government tenant, and obtained security team approval.
Phase 2 (Weeks 5-8): Data governance framework. Cataloged data sources, established stewardship roles, defined data quality rules, and implemented classification scheme.
Phase 3 (Weeks 9-14): Data platform build. Deployed Fabric data warehouse, built ETL pipelines, migrated priority data sources, and validated data quality.
Phase 4 (Weeks 15-18): Report migration. Migrated 150 Cognos reports to Power BI with Section 508 compliance and interactive redesign.
Phase 5 (Weeks 19-22): Center of Excellence. Trained 24 champions, deployed self-service program, established certification process, and created governance documentation.
Phase 6 (Weeks 23-24): Go-live and monitoring. Agency-wide deployment, continuous monitoring activation, and post-launch optimization.