Business Intelligence (BI) Staging Server

Updated 2026-03-12 00:15:28 UTC Created 2025-03-05 23:59:01 UTC

1) Overview

2) BI staging server and BI reporting solution

3) What data is available

4) Data refresh frequency

5) BI staging server cost

 

 

1) Overview

Easy Employer provides a Business Intelligence (BI) staging server as an optional upgrade for accounts. This SQL Server database allows customers to connect directly and extract data for integration into their own data warehouse or BI solutions, enabling customised reporting.

Easy Employer does not directly integrate with third-party BI reporting platforms or solutions.
Instead, the BI Staging Server provides direct database access, enabling clients to pull detailed, reporting-ready data. This allows for deeper analysis and access to a broader data set than what is available through API connections alone.

 

2) BI staging server and BI reporting solution

A BI Staging Server and a BI Reporting Solution like Power BI serve different purposes in the business intelligence process.

  • A BI Staging Server is a database that acts as an intermediary storage area for raw or processed data before it is used for reporting and analysis. It allows businesses to consolidate, transform, and prepare data before integrating it into their reporting tools. The BI Staging Server provides structured data that can be queried and extracted for further analysis.
  • A BI Reporting Solution like Power BI is a visualization and analytics tool that helps users create interactive reports and dashboards from processed data. It connects to data sources, including BI Staging Servers, and enables users to analyse trends, generate insights, and make data-driven decisions through charts, graphs, and other visual representations.

 

3) What data is available

The BI Staging Database includes multiple datasets from the Easy Employer application, and these are detailed in the data dictionary located at the bottom of this guide.

 

4) Data refresh frequency

Data syncs occur every three hours; however, an assessment of your organisation's database will be conducted to determine the optimal number of daily syncs and their timings.

 

5) BI staging vs API

What each is for

Option Purpose
BI staging server Read-only, reporting-ready database designed for dashboards, ad-hoc analysis, and big extracts.
API connection Transactional interface to the live app for creating/reading/updating specific records in near real-time.

When to use which

Use this When you need Notes
BI staging server
  • Big extracts and self-service analytics
  • Stable, read-only access for BI tools with minimal engineering
  • Optimised for large reads and heavy queries (millions of rows) without impacting the production app
  • Stable schemas tuned for reporting; read-only reduces risk to production
API connection
  • Real-time reactions in a workflow (e.g., create/update entities)
  • Integrations with other apps, automations, or on-demand fetches
  • Custom data shapes or fields not exposed in the staging layer
  • Rate limits/pagination—large pulls can be slow and add load
  • Schemas can evolve with features; you own transform/validation logic

 

6) BI staging server cost

If you are interested in this solution, contact us at support@easyemployer.com, and we'll provide the monthly pricing tailored to your organisation.