Microsoft Power BI Reviews

“Easy team wide sharing”

Pros

Seeing the dashboards on a mobile phone is very convenient and sharing them through a QR code makes access simple on almost any device. Everything is built in so there is no real need to depend on spreadsheets or Excel. It's also flexible enough to let us add or remove columns whenever needed.

Cons

DAX or Data Analysis Expressions, can feel a bit complicated when someone is just starting out. Microsoft also releases new versions almost every month which means upgrades have to be done pretty often. On the positive side, it can also connect with Jupyter Notebook without much trouble for working with Python.

“interactive dashboards”

Pros

Connecting multiple datasets in one place is a big plus because it cuts out the need to manually format everything in Excel. Building the visuals is simple and there's plenty of room to customize them the way I want. I can also publish reports so other people can interact with the data directly instead of everyone having to download separate reports just to get the information they need.

Cons

Interface can look overly complex and users might feel intimidated by the layout. I also haven't come across good training options for managers who need to use reports that were created by someone with stronger Power BI skills.

“engaging visuals made from spreadsheets”

Pros

Does an excellent job of turning dull Excel spreadsheets into impressive, highly informative visuals.

Cons

The one thing I'd improve is usability. The software is pretty advanced and I had to take a couple of courses before I could use it properly.

“Affordable and high value”

Pros

I love how easy the report sharing feature is. You can choose different teams or individual users and control which sections of the report each profile can access. Exporting to PowerPoint or PDF is also very easy which makes presenting data in meetings much more practical. Another big advantage is having a free version available and the PRO plan is priced more reasonably than many competing tools. Power Query also helps a lot by making data loading fast and allowing adjustments based on specific needs. On top of that the standard visuals are enough to cover most common reporting scenarios.

Cons

Has a bit learning curve especially for people without a strong IT background. Creating reports that look polished also requires some design experience since customized visuals do not always match the style of the native ones. On occasion, the software still runs into bugs and the error messages can be unclear which makes troubleshooting harder than it should be.

“reliable reporting”

Pros

Putting reports together is very convenient with this tool and it makes the whole reporting process much simpler. It also lets you pull in data from different sources and combine everything in one place.

Cons

There's a bit of a learning curve at the beginning if you want to really take full advantage of everything the tool can do. Some of the regional settings also feel inconsistent or not fully standardized.

“solid visuals for decision making”

Pros

Has been an excellent data visualization tool for us. We rely on it to monitor productivity metrics and manage capacity planning effectively.

Cons

Interface could definitely be improved some buttons on the ribbons and tabs are placed in spots that aren't very logical.

“top notch software”

Pros

Building visualizations feels incredibly polished and the feature set is excellent. Its integration with other Microsoft products is a huge advantage and the pre-built connectors for many of the most widely used software tools make it especially hard to beat.

Cons

A downside is that quite a few features are locked behind expensive Premium capacity so you have to pay significantly more to access everything.

“powerful dashboards for shared insights”

Pros

Worked really well for sharing business indicators with employees and partners. Everything is available online at any time and it lets you control who can view each indicator. I only used it for a short time before leaving the job but even in that period it felt like a solid tool for analyzing business data and helping build a business plan. It isn't the simplest platform to learn at first although it is still fairly self-explanatory once you start using it.

Cons

Performance can drop when a lot of people are working from the same dashboard or when the board contains too much information which makes the page load and respond more slowly.

“Amazing data visuals for everyone”

Pros

The way Power BI visualizes data is fantastic. Even without being a data scientist, it makes understanding the information and actually taking action on it very approachable.

Cons

Its effectiveness really depends on the skill of the person designing and building the dashboard.

“Accurate insights”

Pros

It can feel a bit overwhelming at the beginning but once you spend time learning it, it is definitely worth it. There is also a lot of online material and community support available which helps a lot. The insights, analytics and the way it lets you present data in engaging and creative formats are honestly hard to beat. It is fairly approachable to learn at the start although there is still a huge amount to explore and truly master.

Cons

Menu layout is intimidating and figuring out the right way to properly clean data before using it is difficult. Having Excel experience helped in some cases but it could also hold you back. Instead of relying on Excel style fixes just because they are familiar, it is better to learn how to clean and model the data properly within the program itself.

“builds dashboards in minutes”

Pros

Coming from a database and reporting background definitely helps when getting started and there is still a bit of a learning curve if you are new to the technology. But once it clicks, this tool is incredibly powerful. Being able to build dashboards from an Access database or even a spreadsheet in just minutes really shows what it can do. I have worked on SRS reporting before and always felt that process was frustrating whereas with this, once you get up and running, it feels far more capable and rewarding to use.

Cons

The biggest downside is the price since it is not cheap and would be far more accessible for small businesses if there were a free option. There is also a bit of a learning curve but it is still nowhere near as difficult as many other reporting platforms.

“handles large datasets well”

Pros

When you're working with a lot of data, this is definitely the tool to use.

Cons

Some features do take time to learn but once you get comfortable with the software, working through data becomes very simple.

“Excel friendly data analysis”

Pros

My team has been able to build rich, data driven dashboards without needing to invest in a completely new platform. Since so much of our data work already happens in Excel, moving into this felt like a natural transition and fit right into the way we already operate.

Cons

As with any tool built for handling a lot of data, it does come with a learning curve. I've had to rely on third-party help like message boards at times and I'd really like to see Microsoft expand the built in support.

“versatile data integration”

Pros

One of the biggest advantages is the free desktop version. It can pull data from all kinds of sources, including flat files, Excel spreadsheets, different databases, web pages and online API services. The data modeling tools also make it simple to set up relationships between datasets. On top of that the visuals are very simple to add and use for presenting data and the integration between Power BI Desktop and the online service makes publishing reports feel effortless.

Cons

Online data services definitely take more time to learn and fully explore. Data governance also feels like a bigger concern when working with the online side of the platform.

“Solid analytics and connectivity”

Pros

Desktop version being free is a huge plus. There are plenty of websites, tutorials and free training resources available which makes it much easier to learn. It connects well with a wide range of data sources and the on-premises data gateway is really useful for accessing data stored within your own network. DAX is also a strong feature once you start working with calculations and data modeling.

Cons

There is definitely a noticeable learning curve especially at the beginning. Some features still feel limited, such as filtered rows in Edit Query only allowing up to two conditions so you have to create separate filters in those cases. You also need a license to publish and share reports and the dashboard does not include every feature that is available in individual reports.

“perfect Microsoft and azure fit”

Pros

It can connect with other Microsoft products which is really helpful when you're already using it within Azure.

Cons

At the same time, it does feel behind some other reporting tools when it comes to AI and machine learning capabilities.

“quick to learn for analysts”

Pros

Getting started doesn't take long especially if you already have some background in data analytics or you're comfortable working in Microsoft Excel.

Cons

Its visualizations still aren't quite on the same level as tools like Tableau and refreshes can be a little slow even with fast connections and powerful servers.

“great software!”

Pros

Uploading a simple Excel table into this application works really well. You can ask questions directly in English, it understands what you want organizes the tables accordingly and helps build a dashboard from that. With an online course, I was able to get comfortable creating reports within about two weeks. It feels very user friendly.

Cons

When this reporting tool is combined with SQL, it makes a really strong pair. It is far more advanced and much simpler to work with than SSRS. Honestly, there are not many negative things to point out.

“impactful dashboards for project tracking”

Pros

We use it to build our own dashboards and keep track of project progress.

Cons

Getting comfortable with the platform takes a while. The pricing feels a bit high for a small team like ours. Updates to filtering changes can be slow and exporting to PDF also takes some time.

“Useful integrations”

Pros

Using it has been a really positive experience because the interface is easy to use. Creating a new dashboard is simple, the platform is quick to learn and the built in integrations make it even more useful.

Cons

I honestly do not have many negatives to mention about this app. The only challenge I ran into was creating reports but that felt more like a learning curve on my side and I believe I just need more practice with it.