Pros from reviewers
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Easy to learn and teach: Microsoft Power BI is user-friendly and easy to learn, making it simple to teach to colleagues with low IT literacy once a template is created
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Capability for deep data analysis without requiring code or SQL: Power BI allows for deep data analysis without the need for code or SQL, making it user-friendly for small to medium businesses to gain insights from data
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Time-efficient report creation: Power BI significantly reduces report creation time, making it a powerful tool for data aggregation and dashboard creation.
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Integration with other Microsoft tools: Power BI integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft tools, making it a good fit for environments already using Microsoft software
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Wide variety of chart types and customization options: Power BI offers a broad range of chart types and customization options, providing all the necessary functionality to create real-time updating dashboard infrastructures for several departments
Cons from reviewers
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Slow loading and crashing with large data: The software often takes too long to load embedded charts and can crash when the data is too large, affecting efficiency and productivity
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High demand on computing power: Power BI requires significant computing power and can be slow when loading large data sets, which can limit its performance and usability.
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Limited sharing and visualization in free version: The free version of Microsoft Power BI does not allow sharing and account specific data visualization, limiting its usability for collaborative work
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Inadequate data connectivity and report maintenance: Power BI has significant issues with data connectivity and report maintenance, particularly when extracting data from third-party products, making it less effective for comprehensive data analysis
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Absence of live support feature: Unlike some other BI tools, Power BI does not offer a live support feature, which can make troubleshooting and learning the software more challenging
Main features
Starting Price
Free Plan
Data analysis made easy
Collaborate and share
Interactive dashboards
Insights on the go
Integrate with your existing tools
Starting Price
N/A
Free Plan
No
Data analysis made easy
Collaborate and share
Interactive dashboards
Insights on the go
Integrate with your existing tools
What is Microsoft Power BI?
How Microsoft Power BI compare to similar software?
Product
Price
N/A
Free plan
No
Main features
Pros
Cons
Alternatives
Deal
No available deal at the moment
Who is Microsoft Power BI best for according to our reviewers?
Business Analysts: These professionals can leverage Power BI's wide variety of chart types and customization options to create real-time updating dashboard infrastructures for several departments
IT Professionals: Despite some limitations in data connectivity and report maintenance, IT professionals can still find value in Power BI's native integrations and initial setup ease, especially if they are already using other Microsoft tools
Small to Medium Business Owners: Power BI's user-friendly interface and deep data analysis capabilities without requiring code or SQL make it a valuable tool for SMBs looking to gain insights from their data
Clients: Power BI's reporting, analysis, and data visualization capabilities, along with its shareability and third-party tool integration, make it a preferred choice for clients who are already familiar with it
Casual Users: Even those who only use Power BI a few times a week can find its basic functions helpful in assessing work and learning data analysis on their own, although they may need hardware that can handle the volume of data they want to work with.
Microsoft Power BI Reviews
4.7
Microsoft Power BI rating
4.0
Ease of use
4.0
Customer service
4.5
Value for money
4.3
Likelihood to recommend
4.4
Features
13 Microsoft Power BI Reviews
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Donna
User-friendly and Highly Customizable: A Superior Data Visualization Tool
I've been a user of Excel and Power BI for a long time. What I value most is its capability to conduct deep data analysis without requiring code or SQL. This makes it user-friendly for small to medium businesses like ours to gain insights from data. It provides a range of chart types and the option to include custom elements. I highly endorse it. The interface, which is heavily influenced by Excel, was easy for me to navigate due to my extensive experience with Excel. However, I do wish it offered a live support feature like some other BI tools. I opted for Power BI over Tableau because I was already comfortable with the Microsoft environment.
July 1, 2024
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Gregory Williams
Effective Reporting Tool for Select Microsoft Products, Limited Use Beyond Microsoft Ecosystem
As a follower of Microsoft Power BI, often hailed as a "Tableau destroyer", I want to highlight some significant issues with its data connectivity and report maintenance. Despite my feedback, the Product Team has disregarded these problems as "not in scope", rendering Power BI virtually ineffective for extracting data from third-party products, particularly cloud-based ones. My review is based on my experience with Power BI as of mid-March 2017, which includes testing, community interaction, and numerous tickets with Power BI Pro Support. My focus is on data acquisition via Web Services, in line with Microsoft’s "Cloud First" Strategy.Firstly, Power BI Online, which is cloud-based, does not permit HTTP calls. Power BI Desktop does, but only with static authentication parameters. Power BI Online is the "master" that enables you to share and publish your reports, but its design experience is hindered by HTML limitations and restricted data connectivity.
June 24, 2024
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Carolyn A
Uncovering Hidden Insights: Exploring Data at a Granular Level with Impressive Customization
it allows me to explore data at a granular level and uncover hidden insights. The software's capacity for customization is impressive
June 18, 2024
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Abigail
PowerBI: My Go-To Dashboard Solution
I consider Microsoft Power BI a powerful tool for data aggregation and dashboard creation, which I can share with my teams. It does require some training to fully understand and learn the PowerBI language. I switched to Microsoft Power BI as it drastically cut down my report creation time from over 2 hours to roughly 30 minutes per week.
June 10, 2024
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Randy G
Streamlined Remote Work: Accessible Reports and Automated Data Refreshes
I can access my reports and dashboards from anywhere, making remote work much easier. The software's ability to schedule automatic data refreshes is a time-saver
June 4, 2024
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Sean C
Effortless Data Import and Manipulation with Power BI's DAX Language
I can easily import data from various sources and manipulate it within Power BI. The DAX language used in Power BI is powerful and flexible, allowing me to perform complex calculations with ease
May 28, 2024
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Jessica Williams
Real-Time Dashboard Insights with Microsoft Integration
I've been able to create comprehensive dashboards that provide real-time insights into our company's performance. The integration with other Microsoft products, such as Excel and SQL Server, has streamlined my workflow significantly
May 20, 2024
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Tyler Miller
Power BI: Our Ultimate Data Solution with Unmatched Functionality
I believe that Power BI has significantly integrated data into our company's operations. Despite its age, it competes well with newer BI tools. It offers a wide variety of chart types and customization options, numerous native integrations, and is easy to set up initially. I find the dashboard creation to be one of its best features, providing all the necessary functionality to create real-time updating dashboard infrastructures for several departments. The visual customizations are quite good and there are plenty of charting options. However, I think the embed feature could use some improvement. It often takes too long for embedded charts to load, and sometimes it crashes when the data is too large. I chose Power BI because it fits better in our software environment, as we already use most of the other Microsoft tools.
May 11, 2024
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Lisa
Powerful Business Intelligence Tool with Intuitive Interface
its ability to handle large datasets and produce insightful visualizations is truly impressive. The software's intuitive interface and robust functionality make it a standout in the field of business intelligence tools
May 6, 2024
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Deborah B
Versatile Instrument for Data Analysis
I find Microsoft Power BI easy to learn and it's simple to teach colleagues with low IT literacy once a template is created. However, the free version doesn't permit sharing and account specific data visualization.
April 27, 2024
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Cheryl Williams
Microsoft Power BI: An Indispensable Tool for Data Analysts
As a data analyst, I find Microsoft Power BI to be an indispensable tool in my daily work
April 20, 2024
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Rachel F
Exploring Microsoft Power BI through a SharePoint Developer's Lens
The hardest part for me was the formula syntax, which needed a lot of testing in Excel and conversion to Power BI. Luckily, the forums were useful and most formulas were easily copy-pasteable. I liked the smooth integration of Microsoft Power BI with SharePoint lists, making it easy to create quick dashboards and visuals without switching between programs. However, I initially found the licensing and sharing aspects confusing and frustrating, but I understand that every product needs to generate revenue.
April 16, 2024
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Rachel D
Power BI: Enhancing Data Analysis with Cloud-Based Technology
this has greatly enhanced my ability to analyze data. The cloud-based nature of Power BI is a major advantage
April 13, 2024