Microsoft Power BI Reviews

“solid analytics”

Pros

Makes data analysis and visualization much simpler without needing to manage complex advanced tools. It's an excellent option for anyone who depends on this kind of analysis or needs to create and publish it regularly.

Cons

Even though it feels familiar to people who already use Microsoft Office, its interface can still come across as a bit crowded for many users.

“fast setup”

Pros

Development moves quickly and it connects well with different data sources like T-SQL, web services and flat files.

Cons

Figuring out which pricing plan is the right fit can be a little confusing.

“Smart reporting that just clicks”

Pros

Pulling reports is super simple. It almost seems like it already understands what I'm trying to research and that's something I really love about it.

Cons

Some parts of the programming side could look a bit more visually polished but aside from that, it's really excellent software.

“Impactful charts”

Pros

Has a free desktop app which makes it accessible to just about anyone. It also offers a wide range of chart types that simply aren't available in Excel. On top of that it connects with many other applications making it really useful for pulling in and analyzing data from different sources.

Cons

A few features are restricted in the free version which can be limiting at times. Also, table relationships occasionally don't behave as they should.

“inventory insights that deliver”

Pros

Using it to visualize our inventory data has really helped us fine-tune our procurement strategy. We've built reports that give us better control over aged inventory, stock levels and replenishment planning.

Cons

Every now and then, we run into bugs where reports don't update or refresh properly and we usually need IT support to get things working again.

“dynamic dashboards that connect everything”

Pros

The data visualizations feel dynamic and I really appreciate how multiple data sources can be connected into the same dashboard.

Cons

A minor frustration comes up while creating the visualizations, dragging an element and placing it exactly where I want can be a bit annoying at times.

“interactive reports with fast insights”

Pros

Connecting tables is simple and the visual side of presenting data in interactive reports looks really appealing. It has also helped me analyze the organization's data and get it delivered to management in a short amount of time.

Cons

One limitation is that adding animation to reports is difficult. On top of that it only works if you have an organization or company account.

“strong reports with lots of flexibility”

Pros

Its a really capable tool for working with data from all kinds of sources, transforming it and turning it into attractive reports. There's a wide variety of visuals built in and you can even use Python to create additional ones. Two things stand out in a very positive way: first because it's a Microsoft product, it feels familiar if you've already used other Microsoft Office tools. Second, the user community is huge so when an issue comes up, chances are someone has already dealt with it and shared a solution online. Those two advantages make getting started much quicker and also help you improve fast since you usually won't stay stuck on a problem for days.

Cons

The only complaint I have is with the layout side of things especially when trying to align visualizations perfectly but honestly that's me being a bit picky.

“reluable data insights”

Pros

Working with it makes it easy to uncover and examine business data. Building visual reports is also simple with this platform and the capability to handle and analyze large volumes of data is something I really appreciate.

Cons

Up to this point, everything has been going well. The tool performs excellently and I honestly haven't run into any issues worth mentioning.

“Impressive KPI dashboards”

Pros

Power BI has completely changed how we share information across the company. One of the biggest benefits is being able to bring all of our key KPIs together into a single dashboard that feels very user friendly. That makes it much easier for the team to spot problem areas quickly and decide on the next actions. It also makes data analysis much simpler because you can define the processing steps for a file once, then only update the basic inputs later while the rest of the workflow runs automatically.

Cons

My biggest complaint is that it feels more complex to work with than tools like Knime. You need to know some basic programming language to build the queries that process the data before it can be displayed properly.

“a great fit for Microsoft stack”

Pros

Data refreshes automatically so I don't have to redo everything manually each time. Another big plus is how well it connects with other Microsoft products which makes working across tools much more convenient.

Cons

The part I liked the least is the overall complexity. When the data includes complicated relationships across multiple tables, it can become harder to manage and work with properly.

“Publish reports from anywhere”

Pros

One of the best things about this software is being able to publish all my results after finishing the data analysis and then access them from anywhere as long as I have an internet connection. On top of that I can also download the dataset after cleaning it and use it to build my visualizations.

Cons

I'm still getting familiar with it and at this point I haven't come across any major limitations.

“powerful with the right setup”

Pros

It's a really strong tool when you have a data team in place to handle the setup and get everything configured properly.

Cons

The filters can be user friendly in some ways but it's also pretty common to miss that one is turned on which can throw off the entire point of what you're looking at.

“Interactive dashboards”

Pros

After using this software for about five years, I can say it's an excellent reporting tool. It lets users interact with reports and drill into or out of the data to find the answers they need. Once a report is set up, refreshing it for ongoing reporting is very simple. The dashboards also make it possible to keep all reports centralized in one place. It's a really strong tool overall and I'd definitely recommend it.

Cons

Definitely has a bit of a learning curve when it comes to this program especially with Power Query and DAX.

“Quick reporting”

Pros

Getting started feels very easy because the interface is simple and it doesn't take much training to begin using it effectively. The free desktop version is especially useful and does a really good job with data cleaning, transformation and visualization. One of the biggest advantages is how many different data sources it can connect to. If you have the Pro or Premium version, sharing reports with clients is also very convenient. On top of the default visualizations already included, it offers a lot of value as a reporting tool.

Cons

It stands out to me as one of the best reporting tools on the market. The only issue I really run into is when working with a live connection instead of an import model. In those cases, reports tend to load very slowly and that ends up increasing development time quite a bit.

“Stunning visual dashboards”

Pros

One of the biggest benefits has been the ability to track user analytics around UI interactions and event activity in a very organized way. It's also really helpful for gathering marketing analytics data that can be used to guide product improvements and future enhancements. On top of that the dashboards are highly customizable which makes it much easier to present the data in a way that fits different teams and use cases.

Cons

Getting started does take some time because there's a bit of a learning curve at the beginning. Mac compatibility can also be frustrating so that part could definitely be improved.

“reliable survey insights”

Pros

Using this software for our engagement survey results made the data much more meaningful. It didn't just display the raw numbers clearly, it also helped uncover insights we probably would have overlooked otherwise.

Cons

When it came to presenting everything in a dashboard layout, we felt it was simpler to build and design parts of it offline because the design functionality is somewhat limited.

“excellent for high volume analytics”

Pros

Working with large amounts of data feels very manageable in this analytics software and it connects to a wide range of data sources which makes reporting much more flexible.

Cons

One challenge is getting other people comfortable with the software especially when they need to use DAX.

“solid reporting for budget data”

Pros

Power BI is a versatile reporting platform that works well for a wide range of budgeting reports, from high-level summaries to very detailed data views.

Cons

The data transformation process and the learning curve around DAX can feel intimidating for people in our organization which slows adoption. It would be even better if there were more low-code or no-code options available.

“strong data visualization tool”

Pros

Handling large volumes of data with this tool feels much more manageable and the information is presented in a way that is not hard to interpret. It also lets you link data from accounting pages and other external applications where the key information is stored. Overall, it does a very good job of making data easier to visualize and understand.

Cons

I'd like to see the option to connect it with SAS informational indexes.