Microsoft Power BI Reviews

“user friendly design”

Pros

A very user friendly business intelligence platform and it delivers powerful analytics across all of our data.

Cons

One downside is that the free version doesn't include all of the available features and from what our CFO has mentioned, the paid plans can be a bit expensive.

“engaging visuals”

Pros

It's been really useful having the flexibility to visualize data from different sources, whether the data sits in the cloud or on local servers.

Cons

I'd still like to see more information and guidance around gateway connections especially when integrating with on-premise systems.

“Easy to use”

Pros

Creating really strong visualizations feels very approachable. Building basic charts and visuals is about as easy as working with PivotTables in Excel so anyone with that background can jump in and start exploring data right away. Once you go further into queries and data transformation, the platform opens up a whole new level of analytical capability.

Cons

Basic tasks are fairly approachable but things become much more challenging once you move into the more advanced features. Sharing work is also a major limitation if the other person does not have a paid subscription. Without a Pro account, sharing the visualizations you create is pretty much not an option. On top of that the Arc GIS feature only functions inside the software so if you try to embed a map visualization on a website, it does not work.

“Stunning visuals better than PowerPoint”

Pros

Coming from Excel and PowerPoint, it feels very natural to work with. The analytics behave like a more approachable version of Excel, quirks aside and with just a little time, you can build visuals that look even better than what an expert might put together in PowerPoint.

Cons

A few of those quirks can be frustrating. There are certain things you expect to be possible because they work in Excel but in this they are not always available or don't work the way you'd assume.

“quick setup”

Pros

Getting started was pretty easy especially compared with Tableau and WebFocus. The free trial helps and it comes with a solid set of features for data visualization. Building reusable report templates is really useful and most standard visuals like charts and graphs are available right away out of the box. It also connects to external data sources without much trouble and makes data mapping fairly simple.

Cons

Some features, like adjusting titles, fonts and text placement, are tucked away a bit too deeply in the interface. It also takes about a week of hands-on use to really understand the finer details and quirks of the product.

“powerful dashboards with rich visuals”

Pros

Building polished dashboards feels effortless thanks to the wide range of visuals available out of the box and in the marketplace. It does a really good job of helping you put together attractive dashboards without too much frustration.

Cons

Data preparation takes time and getting comfortable with the 'M' language is just part of the learning curve. It can also feel limiting that customizing the dashboard page size isn't more flexible.

“strong data visualization hub”

Pros

It's been really helpful for bringing in raw data and turning it into visuals that make sense for our end users. We've also been able to connect to a wide range of data sources without much trouble.

Cons

Nothing major really comes to mind. It's also a nice bonus that if you've worked with Excel before, a lot of the concepts in this tool already feel familiar.

“interactive visuals”

Pros

Delivers dynamic data presentations that feel far more powerful than what I can put together in Excel or PowerPoint.

Cons

Getting comfortable with Power BI takes time since there's a fairly steep learning curve both for importing data and for building effective visualizations.

“Helpful insights available quickly”

Pros

This software does a fantastic job of turning raw data into charts and visual reports that are easy to share with upper management. It also gives you plenty of different ways to present your data which makes it useful when you want to highlight insights from different angles.

Cons

There is definitely a learning curve at the start. It can feel a bit challenging for new users and getting the most out of all its features may require some extra training. It's not the most user friendly tool right away.