Microsoft Power BI Reviews

“Easy to use interface”

Pros

Creating data views and reports feels very simple thanks to the drag and drop interface. It also lets you bring together multiple data sources into one report which is really useful. Another big plus is that you can get started with it for free.

Cons

DAX formula language can be a little frustrating to pick up at times. Also if you need to import data beyond the size limit, you'll have to move up from the free plan.

“cost effective fit for Microsoft teams”

Pros

Compared with other BI tools, this really stands out on multi-user pricing. Since it's included with Microsoft 365 for businesses, adding another admin or analyst account is only about $15 per month which is far cheaper than platforms like Tableau that charge per user and often come with a much higher minimum annual cost. For organizations already working inside the Microsoft ecosystem, it can be a very practical choice when keeping expenses under control is a priority.

Cons

One frustrating limitation is that it doesn't connect to Google Sheets even though most other business intelligence platforms do. That becomes a real obstacle if your company relies on multiple SaaS tools since Google Sheets is often the simplest way to bring that data together. Sharing is another weak spot: reports can either stay internal for your organization or be published publicly but there's no middle-ground option to securely share with specific external users through a login like Google Data Studio allows. On top of that the learning curve is pretty steep because you may need to work with DAX, M and SQL. It feels more complex than necessary although its relational data modeling is solid enough that even competitors like Tableau have adopted a similar approach over time.

“Very flexible data presentation”

Pros

Does a fantastic job of presenting data in a very visual, easy on the eyes format. If your business needs to track information across markets, districts and locations, it lets you drill everything down into whatever analytics you need and display it clearly with graphs and visual reports. It's excellent.

Cons

There is definitely a learning curve especially when it comes to formulas and Excel knowledge. Without an analytics team that knows how to build these reports in Power BI, it can take quite a bit longer to get the insights and analytics you're looking for.

“strong integrations”

Pros

Connecting it with Etani worked really well and the integration process was impressive. This platform gives us complete visibility into every activity we need to report on.

Cons

Getting started with it feels like it almost requires a science degree but it becomes more manageable once you begin to understand it. Thankfully, our experts deployed it without any problems.

“Data analysis made easy”

Pros

Working with data analysis feels much more simple in Power BI. It lets you extract, transform and load data through Power BI Desktop and the integration with other Microsoft tools is really solid.

Cons

Sharing the visualizations you create, including reports and dashboards, requires a Power BI Pro license for each team member.

“clear visuals for better decisions”

Pros

Does a fantastic job of turning complex data into clear, easy to follow visualizations that make business decisions much more manageable. Our company works with such a huge amount of data that it would be nearly impossible to understand everything at once but Power BI helps us narrow down what really matters and shows us where to focus our attention.

Cons

One thing I'd still like to see is stronger Python integration for developers. That said, the platform is already very useful so it doesn't feel like a major downside.

“Impactful dashboards”

Pros

It can connect to just about anything. We've even been able to pull data from a very niche CRM that's only available in our country. Having multiple KPIs brought together in a single dashboard makes tracking everything much more convenient.

Cons

Takes time to learn and familiarize yourself with this software. Building a dashboard that combines data from several different sources can also be fairly labor intensive.

“solid customization options”

Pros

The level of customization, along with its strength for handling databases organizing data, analytics, reporting and dashboard creation, is truly impressive.

Cons

I wouldn't really frame this as a downside but setting up the full BI environment isn't especially user friendly. That said, it's hard to imagine how much more it could realistically be simplified and getting the most out of it definitely takes a solid level of expertise.

“easy to build dashboards”

Pros

Getting sophisticated visualizations running takes very little effort. I use it in class and even with minimal instruction, students are able to build dashboards that tie multiple visuals together. It has made teaching data analytics much more approachable.

Cons

Some of the error messages could be clearer and more informative. There are also situations where values imported as text need to be used as numbers so having a simple built in conversion function would be a really helpful addition.

“useful updates”

Pros

One thing that really stands out is how frequently Microsoft adds new features and updates. Putting together a Power BI report is very simple even when the data is coming from several different sources and sharing it can work just as well for a small group as it does for a much larger audience. The connectivity options are extensive too. If your data exists somewhere, there's a good chance Power BI can pull it into a model and make it usable. On the front end side, building reports is fairly simple, while still giving you room to create much more advanced visuals if you have the development skills to build custom ones.

Cons

There are some enterprise level capabilities that are missing from it right now. We haven't fully landed on a complete approach for managing the more formal enterprise reporting side alongside all the self-service content power users keep publishing across the organization. That said, Microsoft does release updates almost every month which helps move things forward. A couple of additions I'd still like to see are broader API support and more native connectors, including sources such as Box.

“my Power BI review”

Pros

It lets you combine data from multiple sources and build reports from it which is really valuable.

Cons

A few of the visualizations can be quite frustrating since they don't always allow the level of customization you want. The online integration can be tricky at times as well.

“budget friendly tool”

Pros

Easy to use, I'd definitely recommend giving it a try because it's a tool many people will end up enjoying. It's also cost effective so you get good value without spending too much.

Cons

Wish it had more useful features because when you compare it with competing products, it does fall short in certain areas because the feature set is not as complete.

“Accurate analytics on any device”

Pros

Using both desktop and mobile versions of the application has been really helpful since it lets users stay productive and manage data more efficiently from either device.

Cons

At the same time, getting everything set up and fully developed can be both an opportunity and a challenge because it takes some work to have it ready properly.

“stunning visuals”

Pros

Comes with a wide range of analytical charts and graph options. Once the dashboard is built by the developers, using it is very easy. The development side is also impressively fast and there are times when we collaborate in a one hour meeting and the reports are ready to publish by the end of it.

Cons

I don't have the level of access needed to work in it like a developer and I also haven't seen much documentation that explains how to build these dashboards.

“quick team data sharing”

Pros

Working with a team spread across different states, the ability to share resources and data with other members has been incredibly helpful. It has made collaboration much better and really improved the way we exchange resources across the team.

Cons

Honestly the software feels fantastic overall and the features are very user friendly. We usually have team members go through a short training session and that is enough to help them become familiar with how everything works.

“powerful data merging and ETL”

Pros

Being able to combine data from different sources like Excel, SQL and Dataflows is something I really appreciate. The platform is very user friendly and it also works well for ETL processes.

Cons

One thing I don't like is that it still doesn't support using multiple datasets as sources. On top of that if you're not familiar with DAX, your options for creating measures are pretty limited.

“quick data analysis”

Pros

Coming from a technical background especially in databases and analytics, this was very fast to pick up and become comfortable with. It offers a huge range of capabilities, from visualizations and data connectivity to features that help identify dependencies and monitor usage which makes it much safer to update reports without breaking anything. It's also helpful for tracking who is using specific reports and Microsoft keeps rolling out new features and bug fixes regularly.

Cons

There's still space for improvement but Microsoft continues to expand the platform with more features. Considering its price, it remains one of the strongest tools available right now.

“Solid integrations”

Pros

One of the biggest advantages is how affordable this tool is considering the visualization features and data integration it offers to both developers and end users. It lets you publish strong data visuals quickly and you can also build more advanced, detailed reports by integrating with Python or R.

Cons

As a small business the buying process was a bit frustrating. The website doesn't clearly explain the pricing structure so I ended up going through a third party channel to purchase a Power BI Pro license.

“impressive dashboards for big data”

Pros

It is excellent for organizing and analyzing data. It lets us connect different business data sources and build dashboards that make it much easier to understand a given situation. It also offers far more capabilities than Excel which makes it especially appealing for companies that need to handle large volumes of data.

Cons

Getting started with it isn't very simple. You really need some training or a course first if you want to make full use of all the features it offers.

“amazing Excel integration”

Pros

Once you really understand how to work with it, pairing it with Excel lets you accomplish almost anything. The combination is incredibly powerful and gives you a lot of flexibility.

Cons

That said, it's definitely not a simple tool to pick up. Without a solid background in Excel, spreadsheets and working with data, it's very easy to feel overwhelmed and get lost.