Microsoft Power BI Reviews

“Dashboards that simplify sharing”

Pros

Really handy for sharing business data. Once the dashboards are built, all that's left is updating them and after that it becomes very easy to use.

Cons

Getting started isn't that easy but once you understand how it works, it becomes very simple.

“accurate data insights”

Pros

It's an excellent tool for data analysis and for presenting reports clearly.

Cons

It feels like a fairly complex platform although I assume that gets better as you become more familiar with it. It also has so many features that the more advanced your needs are, the more knowledge you'll need to use it well.

“AI and process mining boost”

Pros

By combining artificial intelligence and process mining with Power BI, we're able to optimize our processes effectively.

Cons

We haven't come across any negative points.

“efficient data modeling”

Pros

It is more than just a visualization platform for me. It's also a really useful tool for data modeling. It handles joining two or more tables well especially when you need to consider cardinality. I can connect it to all kinds of data sources, from live data warehouses to very large data lakes which makes bringing data in much more flexible. Another feature I appreciate is the ability to export dashboards directly into PowerPoint. Ad hoc reporting across the user hierarchy is a big part of a business analyst's job when presenting insights to executives and other decision makers and it supports that really well. It also helps speed up execution compared with other visualization tools because the interface is easy to work with. The layout makes it clear which data types fit which visualizations and how that choice changes the way information is interpreted. On top of that the formatting options are easy to find. KPI tracking is critical and Power BI's setup aligns very well with that need. Compared with Tableau, I feel Power BI clearly has the advantage.

Cons

After moving over from another product, I honestly prefer using this one. At this point, I see it as the strongest visualization tool available on the market.

“faster reporting with Power BI”

Pros

Helped my team handle reporting much more effectively. We could quickly share project status updates and save a lot of time by no longer having to constantly refresh the slide decks we used before for reporting.

Cons

A few APIs with third-party tools were not very simple to connect and there were times when some data was lost during uploads.

“outstanding tool”

Pros

Very user friendly, connects to a wide variety of data sources and gives plenty of room for full customization.

Cons

The only downside is that unless you pay for the premium license, data refreshes are unfortunately limited to once every hour at most.

“Many useful feature”

Pros

Offers some of the most complete features you can use.

Cons

I genuinely love everything about it; the program is spectacular.

“fast setup”

Pros

Getting started quickly with SQL Management is a big plus and creating as well as managing reports for different recipients works really well.

Cons

The dashboard visualizations could still use some improvement.

“dashboards and publishing work brilliantly”

Pros

Creating dashboards is very easy and publishing them is also super convenient.

Cons

Free version does not allow sharing and customer support could be improved from the user's perspective.

“User friendly set up”

Pros

Using it for building dashboards is pretty easy which makes the setup process quick as well.

Cons

At the moment, printing still isn't supported which is a real limitation.

“Interactive reports”

Pros

Presenting data feels much more unique and visually engaging with this tool and the interface is very user friendly.

Cons

From time to time, it doesn't work as it should. The pricing also feels a bit expensive.

“accurate data analysis”

Pros

Working with it feels very easy, the data comes through accurately and sharing reports with others is very convenient.

Cons

At times it runs quite slowly and loading the data can take a while.

“Powerful visuals”

Pros

Coming from tools like Excel, the interface feels familiar so it's pretty easy to navigate and use the features it offers.

Cons

It can be confusing to sort through all the different types of data you can add to a single visual. If you're not already sure how you want to present the information, using the program can feel difficult sometimes.

“Easy to use”

Pros

Using this product felt very easy and since it's part of the Mircosoft suite, it fits naturally alongside Excel more than many other tools. Getting everything set up was simple and the overall experience was user friendly.

Cons

This software has blended into our existing processes with very little effort making team wide adoption very simple.

“solid data insights”

Pros

It's incredibly helpful for analyzing data and that makes decision making much more informed afterward.

Cons

Can be a bit hard to understand how it works but with practice it becomes much easier to learn.

“Accurate tool”

Pros

Getting started with this is simple and the way it presents reports through visualizations makes the data much easier to understand. It also delivers accurate information and keeps the data up to date which is really helpful.

Cons

The data capacity is restricted.

“impressive visuals”

Pros

Bringing in data from different sources is very easy and the range of tools and chart options does an excellent job of turning that data into clear, useful visuals.

Cons

At this point, there's really not much to complain about since it helps get the work done very quickly.

“useful for service operations”

Pros

It offers a lot of helpful functionality for the operations teams responsible for providing service.

Cons

I think it still needs some updates in terms of support.

“great analytics powerhouse”

Pros

Power BI really stands out for how many different data sources it can connect to, along with the wide range of file types it supports for import and export. The visualization options are also very flexible which makes it a well-rounded platform for improving business performance through analytics.

Cons

Building dashboards can get complicated at times especially when there are a lot of filters and options involved or when data needs to be connected across them. That said, it usually comes down to taking the time to analyze and organize the data properly in the best possible way.

“very active feedback process”

Pros

One of the biggest advantages is the steady stream of updates. Mircosoft releases new Power BI updates about every other month and more importantly, they really seem to listen to the user community. Sending in suggestions for improvements is easy and users can vote on those ideas which makes it more likely that common requests will show up in a future release. Updating the software is simple too. When you open Power BI, it alerts you if an update is available and you can just click the link to download and install the latest version. You can also keep up with changes through the Power BI Blog.

Cons

A downside is how it handles very large amounts of data. Power BI has a limit on how much data it can take in which I believe is around 2GB. Once you reach that threshold, you have to upgrade to the paid version. On top of that importing millions of rows can take quite a while. That may not be entirely Power BI's fault but it can still be frustrating when you are building datasets with massive volumes of data. The free version can also struggle when testing and exporting large amounts of data.