As one of ADB’s seven operational priorities under Strategy 2030, RCI operation needs to be closely monitored. By volume and number, the pre-pandemic annual share of RCI projects in total ADB-financed projects is about 25% spread across the different regional departments. Of ADB’s RCI operations, Southeast Asia represented the largest share (35%) followed by Central and West Asia (34%), South Asia (19%), East Asia (5%), and the Pacific (3%). The inter-subregional share stood at 3%, including, among others, projects in high-value agricultural value chains, inclusive finance, and information and communication technology (ICT). RCI information is used in various documents but there is no centralized and web-based database or dashboard that will make efficient the gathering and analysis of data.

The Regional Cooperation and Integration and Trade Division (CCRC) developed an RCI Dashboard using Power BI, which is a powerful business intelligence tool developed by Microsoft. Power BI is primarily designed for data visualization and analytics, it can be effectively used in project management to gain insights, track progress, and make data-driven decisions.

Objectives:

This session:

1. Presented basic features and use of Power BI
2. Introduced the RCI Dashboard and show how to tap Power BI in developing similar databases.