Microsoft Power BI Reviews

“Lets everyone build insightful dashboards”

Pros

Even people without a data analysis background can build meaningful dashboards and visual reports with Power BI. The ability to refresh data easily and create relationships across datasets is especially useful.

Cons

Very little to complain about. One thing that would make it better is having the option to export PowerPoint slides directly from the desktop version.

“engaging presentations that stand out”

Pros

Excellent for presentations and it makes them far more engaging and interesting to look at.

Cons

Downside is the cost and it's not something that's easily accessible to everyone.

“clean visuals for polished reports”

Pros

The visuals are polished and clean which makes it simple to present information in a well-organized and professional way.

Cons

There are plenty of times when the data still refuses to display correctly, no matter how much you adjust or manipulate it.

“familiar UI”

Pros

Since I used the free version, pricing is definitely a plus.

Cons

Compared with other tools, it doesn't feel very user friendly. For instance someone who already knows how to build charts from imported data in Excel may run into steps in Power BI that seem illogical.

“Excellent dashboard variety”

Pros

Has a huge range and quality of its visualizations and dashboards. Even though we usually stick to the more standard options and don't really use the more advanced ones, the selection available is excellent.

Cons

One limitation is that the software doesn't let you share reports with third parties which is disappointing. That said, there's a tool called Binokula that not many people seem to know about and it can help with that.

“elevate your reports”

Pros

Elevates the professionalism of your reports and charts. You can customize practically every element and the marketplace with visuals created by developers gives you access to more unique and elaborate options than the native ones. That makes it much easier to present data the way you actually imagined it. The integrations with other systems, cloud services and more are also excellent. On top of that the data transformation module is fantastic because of how quickly it works even when handling large volumes of information.

Cons

I dont like the color palette since it can feel a bit limited at times especially when you need to match exact corporate branding colors. Having RGB selection is really necessary. Another minor frustration is that the desktop version can be slow to load although I understand that probably depends on how much connected data there is.

“Versatile reporting”

Pros

It has been excellent to work with especially because it supports so many file formats and makes building dashboards and automated reports feel very accessible. It was clearly created to handle large amounts of data and turn them into meaningful reports using charts, graphs, tables, images and plenty of other useful visual resources. I would definitely recommend it.

Cons

At this point, I really haven't come across any drawbacks. I've been using it for about four months now and it has been extremely useful for me.

“interactive insights”

Pros

Gives data analysts, finance managers and even students the ability to pull data from multiple sources and turn it into interactive, visually rich insights. Whether the information sits in Excel spreadsheets, cloud platforms or on premises data warehouses, it helps present everything clearly, gives you a high level view of the key details and makes sharing with the right stakeholders very simple.

Cons

Even though it is a powerful platform for data analysis and visualization, it can feel pretty advanced and challenging to learn when you're just starting out.

“helpful data driven insights”

Pros

Works well for analyzing data and turning that information into useful decisions.

Cons

The frequent updates can be a bit disruptive and the user interface could be better.

“frustrating visuals”

Pros

Compared with Tableau, the pricing was more affordable and having the Desktop version available for free was a definite plus.

Cons

Had a complete lack of proper date tracking options. It really feels like Microsoft either overlooked or ignored the fact that people may need to track important dates. You can dig up free timeline templates but they only handle one start date and one end date. If you need multiple dates in a swim lane, you're basically looking at paying a lot for custom development. It's also baffling that a VISUAL reporting tool requires a command line tool just to build custom templates. On top of that the visual side feels limited unless you're fine without custom shapes or colors. The architecture is overly complicated, grouping items is harder than it should be and there's very little true drag and drop feature especially when compared with Tableau.

“broad range of import options”

Pros

Coming from Power Query in Excel, moving to this felt like a natural step up. It supports importing and exporting across a wide range of file types and databases which makes it much more versatile. Another big plus is how well it ties directly into Excel.

Cons

Documentation still needs work especially when it comes to importing and exporting data. It would also be helpful if there were clearer guidance on which component should be used in different situations.

“stunning data visuals”

Pros

Delivers really impressive results when working with databases. It comes with plenty of interactive chart options so it's possible to highlight and visualize specific data exactly the way you need. It also supports different kinds of data presentation which makes reporting much more flexible.

Cons

Biggest downside is the cost of the license since it's usually quite expensive. Because of that, not everyone on my team is able to have access to one.

“powerful dashboards for Excel users”

Pros

A highly capable dashboard tool especially for people who already work heavily in Excel. Getting key information into a clear at-a-glance view used to take a lot of time and effort in Excel alone, while in this it can be set up much more quickly.

Cons

I know the product is evolving quickly but I'd still like to see a faster, more user friendly way to present multiple dashboards.

“Amazing data flexibility”

Pros

There are plenty of ways to present data visually in this software. It feels especially user friendly when working with charts, graphical reports, geospatial information and other types of data formats.

Cons

If you are using it for the first time, it can take a little while to become fully familiar with how everything works.

“quick data analysis”

Pros

It feels like the kind of tool I always wanted Excel to become. It lets you model data across separate sources, refresh that data incrementally and work with a very broad set of analysis and visualization features. Microsoft's support documentation has also been excellent and it made learning the platform much more manageable.

Cons

A handful of formatting options within Pivots could still be improved. Beyond that, most of the limitations I've run into have come from my own familiarity with the product rather than from the software itself.

“accurate reporting with Microsoft integration”

Pros

An incredibly powerful platform and it seems like more and more organizations are adopting it now. One thing I really appreciate is how well it connects with other Microsoft business tools like Office 365 and Excel.

Cons

Getting started can be pretty tough because the learning curve is steep. It feels complex and a bit overwhelming and I ended up spending a ridiculous amount of time just trying to understand how to use it properly.

“flexible data connections”

Pros

Solid option for building reports especially since the desktop version is free to use for development and quick to install. It connects to a wide range of data sources like CSV, web, Excel, SQL and ODBC which makes pulling data together much more convenient. The ETL capabilities are a big advantage too because Power Query does a good job turning messy, unstructured data into something clean and usable. DAX is another strong point, letting you build custom measures and calculated columns for the exact business metrics and KPIs you need. On top of that the platform offers strong standard visuals, access to custom visuals through the marketplace and even the option to create your own visuals with ReactJS. Publishing reports to the cloud through the Power BI service also makes it possible to access dashboards from anywhere. Performance is generally reliable as well, with high availability and low latency supported by the xVelocity engine. For simpler needs even basic users can put together charts fairly quickly when the data is already structured.

Cons

Can use a lot of system resources especially on less powerful machines. Monitoring and managing the service also becomes more demanding as the number of report users grows. And when working with very large volumes of data, ongoing optimization is usually needed to keep reports performing well.

“solid integrations”

Pros

This software is a solid addition to the Microsoft ecosystem. It lets you slice and dice data however you need, with a lot of flexibility in the way you analyze it. Since it's a Microsoft product, it also comes with plenty of built in integrations right out of the box.

Cons

The first steps can feel a bit intimidating. Microsoft has been releasing some pretty useful online guides but there's only so far you can go when you're limited to practicing with sample data.

“Useful multi source reporting”

Pros

Bringing data from multiple sources into one place is a big advantage especially when I can join everything using a common key to build a more complete view of performance.

Cons

Connecting to larger warehouse data sources can be a little slow at times and that part of the process doesn't always feel as organized as it should.

“Excel friendly and easy to pick up”

Pros

Works really well with Excel. If you're already familiar with other Microsoft tools, getting comfortable with Power BI feels very natural and the transition is pretty easy.

Cons

A typical trade off with something that's fairly simple to use is that customization can be limited. Also includes a solid range of data visualizations but there isn't much room to go beyond the options already provided.