Enterprise data experience,
delivered by one person.
Palavir is Josh Elberg's practice. Companies can bring it in to lead their data and AI work: set the strategy, put governance in place, build what's needed, and get AI into real use.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 partner, Montreal. We refer clients to each other.
Meet Josh Elberg
Josh Elberg has spent 15 years leading data and analytics work, from 7+ years at The Home Depot to Senior Director of Data Transformation at Practising Law Institute. At PLI he led a team of 7, including two directors, brought two separately run analytics groups together, built on Microsoft Fabric with governance in Purview, and led a Copilot Studio assistant that answers from the company's own reports. He founded Palavir in 2026 to bring that same leadership to companies without a senior data and AI lead, as a fractional CDO, an AI strategy lead, or on a defined project, and he does the work himself.
Microsoft implementation partners can also bring Palavir in under your brand for the data, governance, reporting and AI work your client needs. It is never an implementation, and it never competes with you for your client. How partner work runs
- 15+ years in enterprise analytics and data leadership
- Led enterprise data transformations and standardized KPI governance
- Built executive dashboards and analytics models across business units
- Introduced AI-enabled workflows to streamline support and knowledge access
- Led a data transformation team of 7 at Practising Law Institute
- Defined north-star metrics and KPI models to align teams on outcomes
The Home Depot, Senior Analyst, then Manager of Business Analytics
7+ years in analytics, as the analytics partner to the merchandising organization
Career Now Brands, Campaign Analytics Manager
Marketing campaign analytics
Stellantis, Learning Analytics & Reporting Specialist
Analytics on training programs across the U.S. dealer network, largely in R
Merkle, Associate Director of Data Strategy
Measurement and incremental-lift analysis connecting web, app, and point-of-sale data
MRM, Director of Performance & Analytics
Led an Adobe Real-Time CDP and Journey Optimizer implementation
Nuwell, BI Manager
Predictive models for patient volume and health-risk tiering at a healthcare management services organization
Practising Law Institute, Senior Director of Data Transformation
Led a team of 7 across data governance, predictive modeling, and a generative AI knowledge assistant
Palavir, Founder
AI and analytics consultancy. Josh does the work himself, with no bench behind him
How I work
Principles that guide everything I deliver
Outcomes over activity
Engagements are measured by business results, not hours billed or deliverables produced.
Built, not just recommended
I build and ship the reports, models and automations, not just decks and recommendations.
Simple over complex
The best solutions are the ones people actually use. Simplicity wins.
Practical AI adoption
AI that solves real problems, deployed in ways teams can maintain and extend.
Your Solution
Core Technology
Microsoft Fabric
Azure
Redshift
BigQuery
Lakehouse & Warehouse Architecture
Generative AI
Forecasting
Experiment Design
Predictive Modeling
Claude Code
Codex
Copilot Studio
Antigravity
Integration Layer
Power BI
Tableau
Qlik
Sisense
Self-Service Dashboards
Python
R
APIs & JSON
Zapier
Workflow Automation
MCP Servers
Supporting Tools
KPI Frameworks
Executive Reporting
Data Governance
Data Literacy Enablement
PostgreSQL
MySQL
Oracle
Athena
Data Modeling & Optimization
Adobe Real-Time CDP
Adobe Journey Optimizer
Customer Analytics
Selected projects
Grouped by who held the client relationship
Palavir engagements
Work clients retained Palavir directly to do.
Platform Modernization
Reporting on a New ERP for a Multi-Site Manufacturer
Reports running on scheduled-refresh models in the client's own workspace
Operations & Finance
Pipedrive CRM, Price Tiers and Middleware for a Metals Distributor
Each deal line fills from the customer's price tier, and tax is set by currency
Platform Modernization
Data-Modernization Discovery for an Auto Dealer Group
A 90-day plan to automate a multi-day manual month-end close
Enterprise work, in-house (18)Delivered as an employee at Home Depot, Merkle, MRM, PLI, and Nuwell. Same hands, someone else's payroll.
Performance & KPI Design
KPI Redesign to Improve Conversion & Experience Consistency
Shifted decision-making from pricing proxies to scope and behavior levers
Performance & KPI Design
Enterprise Performance System: North Stars + Team KPIs
Established consistent performance operating system across the organization
Performance & KPI Design
Behavior-Based Engagement Metrics Replacing Proxy KPIs
Shifted teams from optimizing proxy outcomes to optimizing verified engagement behavior
Performance & KPI Design
Product Experimentation Framework
Improved experiment velocity and decision clarity
Predictive Analytics & ML
Granular Demand Forecasting for Proactive Staffing
Shifted from reactive to proactive capacity planning
Predictive Analytics & ML
Training Recommendation Model Tied to Customer Survey Outcomes
Enabled targeted training interventions by specific deficiency pattern
Predictive Analytics & ML
Risk Tiering and Visit Recommendations for Care Managers
Aligned interventions with program goal of reducing avoidable ED visits
Marketing & Customer Analytics
Funnel & Incremental Lift Measurement for Quarterly Promotions
Created a repeatable measurement loop for iteration-over-iteration improvement
Marketing & Customer Analytics
CDP & Journey Optimizer Implementation Under Security Constraints
Moved program from tool installation to operational planning with measurable use cases
Platform Modernization
Rebuilding the Analytics Foundation: Lakehouse + Trustworthy Reporting
Established dependable data foundation replacing fragmented reporting
AI & Automation
Conversational Intake to Jira for Predictable Analytics Delivery
Reduced person-dependent chaos in request routing
AI & Automation
Knowledge Assistant for Legacy Reporting Inventory & Deduplication
Built an assistant to inventory and flag duplicate reports, reducing manual effort and repeat requests
Governance & Compliance
Governance Council + Enforced Metrics, Access Controls & Auditability
Improved trust through enforceable rules and auditable controls
Operations & Finance
Factory Fire Response: Financial Documentation & Stakeholder Coordination
Delivered complete, organized documentation for insurance and closure activities
Operations & Finance
Drug Disposal Cost Reduction
Delivered significant annual cost savings in drug disposal
Operations & Finance
Consolidated Operational Reporting for Executive Leadership
Improved speed and clarity of operational insight for leadership
Enablement & Change Management
Data Literacy Enablement: Roundtables + Training Library
Raised baseline analytics fluency across the organization
Enablement & Change Management
Analytics Team Scale-up & Operating Model
Expanded team capacity and delivery speed
What I'm building now
Current initiatives designed for small and mid-sized teams
KPI + Metrics Foundations
Lightweight frameworks that define what matters and how to measure it.
Operational AI Enablement
Simple automations and assistants that reduce manual work and surface insights.
Data Readiness
Practical groundwork to unify sources, clean data, and prioritize ROI use cases.
Recent research: what 6,104 businesses for sale show, on asking prices, owner hours and which jobs software can take.
Let's talk
Ready to adopt AI or modernize your analytics? I'd like to hear about your challenges.
Get in touch about your project