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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Microsoft BI (MSBI)

    Score8.5 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft BI is a business intelligence product used for data analysis and generating reports on server-based data. It features unlimited data analysis capacity with its reporting engine, SQL Server Reporting Services alongside ETL, master data management, and data cleansing.

    $14

    per month per user

    Paylocity

    Score8.1 out of 10
    N/APaylocity provides 24/7 access to your online payroll and human resource data management. Paylocity offers highly customizable payroll functionality, as well as HR, benefits administration, and time and talent management programs.N/A
    Pricing
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Paylocity
    Editions & Modules
    Power BI Pro
    $14
    per month per user
    Power BI Premium
    $24
    per month per user
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Paylocity
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Paylocity
    Considered Both Products
    Microsoft
    No answer on this topic
    Paylocity
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    15 Answers
    87%
    Would buy again
    1523 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    15 Answers
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    1416 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    15 Answers
    91%
    Happy with the feature set
    1593 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    13 Answers
    77%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    930 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    11 Answers
    69%
    Implementation went as expected
    868 Answers
    Features
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Paylocity
    BI Standard Reporting
    Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Paylocity
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    9.0
    53 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Paylocity
    -
    Ratings
    Pixel Perfect reports8.546 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customizable dashboards9.653 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Formatting Templates8.951 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad-hoc Reporting
    Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Paylocity
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.5
    53 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Paylocity
    -
    Ratings
    Drill-down analysis8.548 Ratings00 Ratings
    Formatting capabilities8.253 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integration with R or other statistical packages8.342 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report sharing and collaboration8.953 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Output and Scheduling
    Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Paylocity
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.5
    52 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Paylocity
    -
    Ratings
    Publish to Web9.348 Ratings00 Ratings
    Publish to PDF9.148 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Versioning7.444 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Delivery Scheduling8.547 Ratings00 Ratings
    Delivery to Remote Servers8.426 Ratings00 Ratings
    Data Discovery and Visualization
    Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Paylocity
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.7
    52 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Paylocity
    -
    Ratings
    Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)9.651 Ratings00 Ratings
    Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization8.748 Ratings00 Ratings
    Predictive Analytics7.745 Ratings00 Ratings
    Pattern Recognition and Data Mining8.76 Ratings00 Ratings
    Access Control and Security
    Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Paylocity
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    9.3
    53 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Paylocity
    -
    Ratings
    Multi-User Support (named login)9.449 Ratings00 Ratings
    Role-Based Security Model9.347 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)8.949 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report-Level Access Control9.36 Ratings00 Ratings
    Single Sign-On (SSO)9.431 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile Capabilities
    Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Paylocity
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.0
    42 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Paylocity
    -
    Ratings
    Responsive Design for Web Access8.239 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile Application8.030 Ratings00 Ratings
    Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile7.839 Ratings00 Ratings
    Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
    Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Paylocity
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.5
    24 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Paylocity
    -
    Ratings
    REST API9.221 Ratings00 Ratings
    Javascript API8.821 Ratings00 Ratings
    iFrames8.820 Ratings00 Ratings
    Java API8.718 Ratings00 Ratings
    Themeable User Interface (UI)8.021 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customizable Platform (Open Source)7.319 Ratings00 Ratings
    Human Resource Management
    Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Paylocity
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Paylocity
    8.0
    1650 Ratings
    2% below category average
    Employee demographic data00 Ratings8.51586 Ratings
    Employment history00 Ratings8.31538 Ratings
    Job profiles and administration00 Ratings8.01430 Ratings
    Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.81444 Ratings
    Organizational charting00 Ratings7.41329 Ratings
    Organization and location management00 Ratings8.11301 Ratings
    Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings7.61126 Ratings
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Paylocity
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Paylocity
    8.4
    1582 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Pay calculation00 Ratings8.81562 Ratings
    Support for external payroll vendors00 Ratings7.9788 Ratings
    Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings8.81237 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration00 Ratings7.81084 Ratings
    Direct deposit files00 Ratings9.11549 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings8.51266 Ratings
    Reimbursement management00 Ratings8.0799 Ratings
    Leave and Attendance Management
    Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Paylocity
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Paylocity
    7.7
    1344 Ratings
    7% below category average
    Approval workflow00 Ratings8.01207 Ratings
    Balance details00 Ratings7.51301 Ratings
    Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings7.71051 Ratings
    Employee Self Service
    Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Paylocity
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Paylocity
    8.4
    1589 Ratings
    2% above category average
    View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings8.71561 Ratings
    Update personal information00 Ratings8.71590 Ratings
    View company policy documentation00 Ratings8.11309 Ratings
    Employee recognition00 Ratings8.41188 Ratings
    View job history00 Ratings8.41402 Ratings
    Asset Management
    Comparison of Asset Management features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Paylocity
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Paylocity
    7.7
    512 Ratings
    4% below category average
    Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings7.7514 Ratings
    HR Reporting
    Comparison of HR Reporting features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Paylocity
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Paylocity
    7.4
    1477 Ratings
    3% below category average
    Report builder00 Ratings7.41433 Ratings
    Pre-built reports00 Ratings7.81451 Ratings
    Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings7.0962 Ratings
    Onboarding
    Comparison of Onboarding features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Paylocity
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Paylocity
    8.3
    1387 Ratings
    3% above category average
    New hire portal00 Ratings8.51390 Ratings
    Manager tracking tools00 Ratings8.21143 Ratings
    Performance and Goals
    Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Paylocity
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Paylocity
    7.7
    791 Ratings
    5% below category average
    Corporate goal setting00 Ratings7.6637 Ratings
    Individual goal setting00 Ratings7.7736 Ratings
    Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings7.6574 Ratings
    Performance tracking00 Ratings7.8738 Ratings
    Performance Management
    Comparison of Performance Management features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Paylocity
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Paylocity
    7.6
    987 Ratings
    5% below category average
    Performance plans00 Ratings7.6905 Ratings
    Performance improvement plans00 Ratings7.3789 Ratings
    Review status tracking00 Ratings7.7915 Ratings
    Review reminders00 Ratings7.8922 Ratings
    Multiple review frequency00 Ratings7.7785 Ratings
    Succession Planning
    Comparison of Succession Planning features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Paylocity
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Paylocity
    7.4
    547 Ratings
    6% below category average
    Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings7.3380 Ratings
    Candidate ranking00 Ratings7.4445 Ratings
    Candidate search00 Ratings7.7503 Ratings
    Candidate development00 Ratings7.4414 Ratings
    Recruiting / ATS
    Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Paylocity
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Paylocity
    8.1
    944 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Job Requisition Management00 Ratings8.4822 Ratings
    Company Website Posting00 Ratings8.3848 Ratings
    Publish to Social Media00 Ratings7.8667 Ratings
    Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings8.1817 Ratings
    Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings7.6713 Ratings
    Applicant Tracking00 Ratings8.5880 Ratings
    Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings8.2881 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Paylocity
    Small Businesses
    Cyfe
    Score4 out of 10
    UZIO
    Score9.4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Qlik Cloud Analytics (Qlik Sense)
    Score8.1 out of 10
    Zoho People
    Score8.6 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Sisense
    Score6.9 out of 10
    PeopleStrong
    Score10 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Paylocity
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.9
    (77 ratings)
    8.0
    (1753 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.0
    (25 ratings)
    9.1
    (195 ratings)
    Usability
    8.9
    (19 ratings)
    8.1
    (565 ratings)
    Availability
    9.5
    (2 ratings)
    8.8
    (49 ratings)
    Performance
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    8.8
    (47 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.9
    (15 ratings)
    8.0
    (178 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    6.9
    (3 ratings)
    7.8
    (9 ratings)
    Online Training
    8.5
    (2 ratings)
    8.3
    (41 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.6
    (7 ratings)
    6.6
    (109 ratings)
    Configurability
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    7.9
    (41 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (33 ratings)
    Data Sharing and Collaboration
    8.5
    (42 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Data Sources
    8.4
    (41 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.5
    (39 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.4
    (48 ratings)
    Professional Services
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.8
    (25 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.5
    (45 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.9
    (43 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Paylocity
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Microsoft
    Microsoft BI has a lot of features and is a very powerful tool, especially if you have folks on your team that know how to utilize all of its capabilities. To truly unlock all that it can do, it does require people to have a deep understanding of its capabilities. That's where the software really shines. If you are looking for a simpler, more basic reporting tool, there are other programs available that do not require such a steep learning curve.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Paylocity
    Consistent and ongoing issues with time and labor, payroll, benefits, and a lack of care and sense of urgency from the account manager and Paylocity staff in general when issues do arise. Every time an issue is fixed within the system, it seems that something else then begins to malfunction. 2026 specifically, there have been numerous issues with the time-off feature for both the employees and the HR Team.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Microsoft
    • Comparatively easy to use compared to other data analytics solutions, collaborating with other colleagues on data work is simple.
    • Using Visual Studio for database, ETL, reporting, and analytics development save time and money.
    • Transfer of data from one application to another via Excel and comparison of data attributes between applications
    • Dashboard functionality, as well as Python support, are available, allowing you to add additional charts and graphs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Paylocity
    • When I need assistance, calling the help line is easy, and most of the time there isn't a long wait. Also, they can and do call back if necessary. I have had Zoom meetings to address issues that required more than just a phone call.
    • Tracking taxes and filing reports is truly important to us so that we file in a timely manner and avoid penalties and interest. We incurred many penalties when we were using QuickBooks.
    • Keeping track of employee documents such as I-9 forms along with visas, work authorizations, resident cards, driver's licenses, and certifications is easy and in one location.
    • With Paylocity, we can easily see who filled out applications. Previously, we used paper applications, which were more manual and involved looking through actual paperwork. This was hard to manage.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Microsoft
    • MSBI designs can work on increasing data processing capabilities enough to handle the huge datasets etc.
    • It would be a lot better if it is a little low on cost.
    • it needs to create opportunities little more than they do regarding customization of some very unique visualization effects
    Read full review
    Paylocity
    • There's a lot of confusion of the Effective Date and Begin Check Date.
    • Better explanations of cross-company managers when not all companies use the same modules.
    • Better explanation of the Time and Labor piece and how we can better utilize live labor, forecasting, and overall scheduling.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Microsoft
    Microsoft BI is fundamental to our suite of BI applications. That being said, Northcraft Analytics is focused on delighting our customers, so if the underlying factors of our decision change, we would choose to re-write our BI applications on a different stack. Luckily, mathematics are the fundamental IP of our technology... and is portable across all BI platforms for the foreseeable future.
    Read full review
    Paylocity
    The system is easy to use. I love the knowledge base system offered, I can answer many of my questions by looking here first before calling in. If i do have to call in to the help desk, everyone seems to be super knowledgably about the Paylocity Product and if they are unable to assist, which rarely happens, they will escalate my call to the next level of assistance
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Microsoft
    The Microsoft BI tools have great usability for both developers and end users alike. For developers familiar with Visual Studio, there is little learning curve. For those not, the single Visual Studio IDE means not having to learn separate tools for each component. For end-users, the web interface for SSRS is simple to navigate with intuitive controls. For ad-hoc analysis, Excel can connect directly to SSAS and provide a pivot table like experience which is familiar to many users. For database development, there is beginning to be some confusion, as there are now three tool choices (VS, SSMS, Azure Data Studio) for developers. I would like to see Azure Data Studio become the superset of SSMS and eventually supplant it.
    Incentivized
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    Paylocity
    I would say that these 2 factors are the biggest contributors to the rating that I have given. The app is still buggy; I gave up on it after not being able to clock in 3 times. Also, the Firefox unavailability. I had to give up the Firefox browser in order for me to sign my contract and use Paylocity. If they are able to address those 2 issues then it should be a perfect 10.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Microsoft
    The product has been reliable.
    Read full review
    Paylocity
    Over the last 3 years, we've only had one major service issue that rendered Airbase unusable for us for about 24 hours. That said, they navigated the SVB bank crisis very well and made sure funds were available during that time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Microsoft
    SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) can drag at times. We created two report servers and placed them under an F5 load balancer. This configuration has worked well. We have seen sluggish performance at times due to the Windows Firewall.
    Read full review
    Paylocity
    We had some minor hiccups throughout the year but they have all been fixable. Paylocity integrates well with our 401k provider, Principal, and our benefits, OneDigital. It makes it simple to house everything and have it all connected. It doesn't slow anything down to have Principal integrated. It makes it more efficient
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Microsoft
    MSBI natively has a site that allows you to vote on user enhancements and bug fixes. This allows the largest nagging issues to float to the top and the development team can prioritize accordingly. As mentioned earlier, the large community base of MSBI developers assist technical resources in handling technical questions.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Paylocity
    I have contacted support on several occasions, mostly for assistance with voiding a check and running an off-cycle payroll. The account managers and support team were all very knowledgeable and helpful. They provided great insight and clarity in answering my questions and helping me navigate these processes. I learn something new and helpful each time I speak with them! On a separate note, we have reported technical issues regarding several Paylocity onboarding tasks since this past year. We have reached out several times regarding these issues, but are still waiting for a resolution. It seems sometimes that technical concerns are reported, with no proper solution or follow-up.
    Incentivized
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    In-Person Training
    Microsoft
    This training was more directed toward what the product was capable of rather than actual programming.
    Read full review
    Paylocity
    I didn't have in-person training, but I'm sure it was just as great as any other training/assistance Paylocity provides. Paylocity customer service is always available. You never have to be on hold and their answers are always accurate and timely. Documents in the help section are helpful as well. My in-person training was conducted y one of our employees who was involved in the initial set-up and training of all employees. She was excellent.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Microsoft
    I have used on-line training from Microsoft and from Pragmatic Works. I would recommend Pragmatic Works as the best way to get up to speed quickly, and then use the Microsoft on-line training to deep dive into specific features that you need to get depth with.
    Read full review
    Paylocity
    It was virtually, click orange button in top right corner, click run report, hit submit. The training was minimal at best. I did not know what I was doing, so I just wrote down the steps, so when they steps failed I had no idea what to do, where I was in the process, What the terms mean or where to find them. When I had questions it was always the same answers, no understanding for WHAT I was doing when I hit the orange button.
    Incentivized
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    Implementation Rating
    Microsoft
    We are a consulting firm and as such our best resources are always billing on client projects. Our internal implementation has weaknesses, but that's true for any company like ours. My rating is based on the product's ease of implementation.
    Read full review
    Paylocity
    Implementation was a bit bumpy and Paylocity team not always available for next steps and/or questions. I feel like Paylocity could have done a better job in their fact finding as far as what we were currently doing, our payroll policies and needs, etc. so that we would have run into less issues as we moved forward.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    Microsoft
    We have used the built in ConnectWise Manager reports and custom reports. The reports provide static data. PowerBI shows us live data we can drill down into and easily adjust parameters. It's much more useful than a static PDF report.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Paylocity
    We switched from QuickBooks because Paylocity offers more than just payroll. It combines payroll, time tracking, HR, benefits, and employee self-service in one system. This has helped us reduce manual work, improve reporting, and make payroll more efficient. Overall, Paylocity was a better fit for our company's growth and HR needs.
    Incentivized
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    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Paylocity
    Everyone wants a good deal of course. We thought we did ok and felt you still made your money also
    Incentivized
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    Scalability
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Paylocity
    We have gone from a medium sized company to a larger company with no issues whatsoever with Paylocity being able to keep up or do what we need it to do for the size of our needs. In fact, it does more than we even use at this juncture
    Incentivized
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    Professional Services
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Paylocity
    Some are knowledgable others not as much and sometimes instead of helping you fix the issue will just give you some directions and expect you to try to figure it out yourself. Also, when your Account Manager needs to escliate the issue to another group, it can take a long time for them to get to your issue and there's no commuication.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Microsoft
    • As a SaaS provider we see being able to provide self-service BI to our client users as a competitive advantage. In fact the MSSQL enabled BI is a contributing factor to many winning RFPs we have done for prospective client organisations.
    • However MSSQL BI requires extensive knowledge and skills to design and develop data warehouses & data models as a foundation to support business analysts and users to interrogate data effectively and efficiently. Often times we find having strong in-house MSSQL expertise is a bless.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Paylocity
    • The time savings alone is worth the cost. I went from having to spend 3 - 4 full business days on payroll to about 1.
    • Being able to look all employee data up in one place is a lifesaver and time saver - even outside of the office if I need to access information quickly it is all just a sign in away.
    • It has saved significant time and reduced confusion related to onboarding. Everyone is able to see what stage an employee is at, I do not need to worry about employees potentially working for us illegally thanks to eVerify, and I am always assured that all required documentation for regulatory purposes has been obtained prior to employment beginning.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Paylocity Screenshots

    Screenshot of a view of real-time employee data and performance metrics used to uncover and analyze trends. This creates an impactful understanding of the business, increase retention, understand labor costs, and plan for changes.Screenshot of where to automate manual processes with Paylocity's self-serve automation engine, Workflows. Users can implement routines for time-consuming manual tasks.Screenshot of where to manage and comply with employment law. Paylocity's HR Compliance solution helps users to stay on track and view important employee compliance items, from Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), healthcare, and compensation.Screenshot of how Paylocity Recruiting can automate hiring processes. amplify outreach, showcase a company's culture, and build stronger candidate connections to swiftly fill positions.Screenshot of recognition and rewards in Paylocity.