Transform Public Data into CRM Sales Opportunities with Power BI and Power Automate
- Natalie Lloyd
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Are you leveraging public data to drive your sales pipeline? If not, you’re missing out on a goldmine of untapped opportunity—especially when tools like Power BI and Power Automate make it easier than ever to convert open data into actionable insights inside Dynamics 365 CRM.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to transform publicly available datasets—like New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) permits—into qualified leads and sales opportunities. This end-to-end solution empowers your sales team with real-time insights and seamless automation.
Step 1: Connect External Data Sources to Power BI
Start by integrating public data sources into Power BI. For example, NYC DOB datasets (e.g., construction permits, renovations, and violations) are publicly available and can be imported using Power BI’s built-in data connectors and APIs.
These data sets are regularly refreshed and visualized through interactive dashboards, offering a dynamic view of potential construction and development projects across the city.
Step 2: Identify and Filter High-Value Leads
Using Power BI’s robust filtering, sorting, and data modeling capabilities, we flag the most relevant records based on your ideal customer profile. Whether it's large-scale commercial developments or residential builds in targeted zip codes, your team can instantly zero in on high-opportunity projects. The Customer profiles may already exist in your CRM, and this information can be brought into the Power BI report as an additional data source, allowing for additional filtering capability.
Step 3: Trigger CRM Actions Directly from Power BI
By embedding Power Automate buttons directly within the Power BI report, users can take immediate action:
Create a new Opportunity in Dynamics 365 CRM with a single click
Auto-populate fields like project address, estimated project value, and contractor details
Assign to the right sales rep based on territory rules or account ownership
This integration bridges the gap between insight and action, turning passive observation into proactive outreach.
Step 4: Track Performance and Optimize
Every Power Automate flow is logged and monitored, providing detailed insight into what’s working—and what’s not. You can track metrics like:
Opportunities created from public data
Conversion rates to qualified leads or closed deals
Time-to-contact and follow-up effectiveness
This data-to-deal pipeline creates a feedback loop that continuously improves your lead targeting and outreach strategy.
Why This Matters for Your Sales Strategy
This solution is a game-changer for industries like construction, real estate, and B2B services that depend on early project visibility. By turning open data into CRM opportunities, you gain a first-mover advantage and eliminate the guesswork from your sales process.
Instead of waiting for inbound leads, you're proactively identifying and pursuing new business—automatically, and at scale.
Ready to Build a Data-Driven Sales Pipeline?
If your organization relies on project pipelines, territory sales, or early-stage lead capture, it’s time to unlock the full potential of Power BI + Power Automate + Dynamics 365.
Let us help you bring it all together—from public data to pipeline-ready deals.
