Altair SLC vs. Microsoft Power BI

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Altair SLC
Score 9.2 out of 10
N/A
Altair SLC (formerly the WPS industrial analytics platform, acquired by Altair in late 2021) is designed for data science and heavyweight data processing with the languages of SAS and R. Best known for its SAS language compiler, the software includes advanced graphical user interfaces, robust, high-performance data processing and production-ready application frameworks.N/A
Microsoft Power BI
Score 8.4 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Power BI is a visualization and data discovery tool from Microsoft. It allows users to convert data into visuals and graphics, visually explore and analyze data, collaborate on interactive dashboards and reports, and scale across their organization with built-in governance and security.
$10
per month per user
Pricing
Altair SLCMicrosoft Power BI
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Altair SLCMicrosoft Power BI
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Altair SLCMicrosoft Power BI
Considered Both Products
Altair SLC
Chose Altair SLC
I use a lot of data discovery and visualization tools at workstations to help me gain deep insights into data. WPS Analytics doesn't vary much from all the DVD tools that I have listed, I always go for the best.
Microsoft Power BI

No answer on this topic

Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Altair SLCMicrosoft Power BI
BI Standard Reporting
Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Altair SLC
8.6
4 Ratings
3% above category average
Microsoft Power BI
8.2
140 Ratings
1% above category average
Customizable dashboards8.64 Ratings9.1140 Ratings
Pixel Perfect reports00 Ratings7.9120 Ratings
Report Formatting Templates00 Ratings7.7128 Ratings
Ad-hoc Reporting
Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Altair SLC
8.6
4 Ratings
7% above category average
Microsoft Power BI
7.6
140 Ratings
6% below category average
Drill-down analysis8.64 Ratings6.7139 Ratings
Formatting capabilities8.64 Ratings7.6138 Ratings
Integration with R or other statistical packages8.64 Ratings7.9103 Ratings
Report sharing and collaboration00 Ratings8.0135 Ratings
Report Output and Scheduling
Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Product A and Product B
Altair SLC
8.8
4 Ratings
4% above category average
Microsoft Power BI
8.0
134 Ratings
4% below category average
Publish to Web8.64 Ratings7.8129 Ratings
Publish to PDF8.64 Ratings8.2122 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling9.34 Ratings8.2104 Ratings
Report Versioning00 Ratings8.1102 Ratings
Delivery to Remote Servers00 Ratings7.874 Ratings
Data Discovery and Visualization
Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Product A and Product B
Altair SLC
9.0
4 Ratings
10% above category average
Microsoft Power BI
8.0
136 Ratings
1% above category average
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)8.64 Ratings7.9131 Ratings
Predictive Analytics9.34 Ratings7.9102 Ratings
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization00 Ratings7.4122 Ratings
Pattern Recognition and Data Mining00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Access Control and Security
Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Product A and Product B
Altair SLC
-
Ratings
Microsoft Power BI
8.5
127 Ratings
0% above category average
Multi-User Support (named login)00 Ratings8.3121 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model00 Ratings8.9102 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)00 Ratings9.8111 Ratings
Report-Level Access Control00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Single Sign-On (SSO)00 Ratings8.394 Ratings
Mobile Capabilities
Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Product A and Product B
Altair SLC
-
Ratings
Microsoft Power BI
8.0
117 Ratings
2% above category average
Responsive Design for Web Access00 Ratings8.0111 Ratings
Mobile Application00 Ratings7.693 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile00 Ratings7.6112 Ratings
Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of Product A and Product B
Altair SLC
-
Ratings
Microsoft Power BI
8.4
80 Ratings
7% above category average
REST API00 Ratings8.072 Ratings
Javascript API00 Ratings9.956 Ratings
iFrames00 Ratings8.055 Ratings
Java API00 Ratings8.046 Ratings
Themeable User Interface (UI)00 Ratings8.163 Ratings
Customizable Platform (Open Source)00 Ratings8.444 Ratings
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Altair SLCMicrosoft Power BI
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Score 9.4 out of 10
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Score 8.9 out of 10
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Mathematica
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Reveal
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Score 10.0 out of 10
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Score 9.2 out of 10
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User Ratings
Altair SLCMicrosoft Power BI
Likelihood to Recommend
9.2
(4 ratings)
8.0
(142 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(2 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
8.1
(58 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.5
(53 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Altair SLCMicrosoft Power BI
Likelihood to Recommend
Altair Engineering, Inc.
WPS Analytics allowed our company's business users to keep using their existing programs while getting similar results with much less learning time. It's a great accomplishment when software for business users is changed—excellent relationships with providers and other salespeople. As a SAS user, I needed an interpreter for the SAS language, and WPS has more packages and a lower price than any other company I could find, so I decided to go with
it.
Read full review
Microsoft
In operations we use the tool for many different topics, from factory quality systems to high level reviews. We have created kind of an internal "App Store" based on Power BI where you have a lot of different dashboards for different solutions (cost, cash, health and safety, sales, factories, distribution centers...) and you as an user just need to get in that "App Store" and enter in whatever tool can be useful for you. It is open to all the operations employees and can use on demand. Also it has raised the imagination of our colleagues, as they are not only working by themselves creating new reports, but also raising fantastic ideas that can be extended for the usage of all the community.
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Pros
Altair Engineering, Inc.
  • WPS Analytics is powered with high performance data processing engine.
  • Reusable data models save finances and time.
  • Self-service data analyzation portals.
Read full review
Microsoft
  • Quickly filter and view granular data sets with easily configurable reporting figures.
  • The ability to quickly switch between tabs allows for historical data comparisons and progress tracking.
  • It's helpful to dive into the data and break it down from high levels to small.
  • Achieve actionable insights faster by using real-time data. It's incredible to have online access to reports.
Read full review
Cons
Altair Engineering, Inc.
  • Currently, I barely encounter challenges when using WPS Analytics although I don't use it on a daily basis. There's no functionality or feature that needs more improvement.
Read full review
Microsoft
  • The desktop app is great but needs a lot of performance improvements
  • No MacOS Version for the Desktop app, this is a big limitation for business since executives prefer Macs
  • Premium Cloud Version of Power BI is awfully expensive
  • On-Premise Version of the Power BI Reports Server is bundled only with SQL Server Enterprise License and cannot be purchased separately and requires Software Assurance Subscription
  • On-Premise Power BI Report Server doesn't support ADFS, AzureAD or any Claims-Based authentication platform, a sad disadvantage for enterprises
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Likelihood to Renew
Altair Engineering, Inc.
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
I find it helpful and easy to use
Read full review
Usability
Altair Engineering, Inc.
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
At this point, I think we all know who has taken the lead in the business intelligence and analytics market worldwide. With fresh new updates every other day on top of an already robustly built product with all features that one can dream of is a no brainer, I feel. Microsoft will invariably be synonymous with quality and professionalism.
Read full review
Support Rating
Altair Engineering, Inc.
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
I can't really speak to the support overall, [but] I will say that in the almost three years I have used the system, I have only needed to contact their support team once. I think the team was helpful, but it did take some time for us to resolve the issues/ request that they had. I guess the good news is that the system is pretty stable, and I personally have rarely needed to contact their technical support team.
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Implementation Rating
Altair Engineering, Inc.
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
It was integrated with our erp easily and was accessible on cloud.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Altair Engineering, Inc.
I use a lot of data discovery and visualization tools at workstations to help me gain deep insights into data. WPS Analytics doesn't vary much from all the DVD tools that I have listed, I always go for the best.
Read full review
Microsoft
[Microsoft] Power BI is practical and effective, like a hammer for a nail, it is easy to use and produces very quickly the results that in most cases are urgently required by clients (nice reports to share on the web). To start using [Microsoft] Power BI you need a business email address, with that you create an account in Power BI Service and in less than 1 hour you will have installed Power BI Desktop, a report will have been created and it will have been published on the web .
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Return on Investment
Altair Engineering, Inc.
  • Using machine learning and natural language to analyze data saves time and effort.
  • Standard reporting and business intelligence help us reduce workload and make data-driven decisions.
  • Drag-and-drop workflow saves time when different languages like SQL and SAS make it easier to code and prepare data.
Read full review
Microsoft
  • It helps us track and achieve company goals.
  • It shows us [our] performance in areas we could not previously track and allows us to see and work on how to improve their performance.
  • Quick easy access for executives to use in helping teams and addressing issues.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Microsoft Power BI Screenshots

Screenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Turns insights into impact for business usersScreenshot of Power BI integrates easily with Microsoft 365Screenshot of Microsoft Power BI - AI-Powered CapabilitiesScreenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Copilot can be used to create reportsScreenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Data HubScreenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Scales as organizational needs grow