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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

    SAS Visual Analytics

    Score7.8 out of 10
    Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
    SAS Visual Analytics provides a complete platform for analytics visualization, enabling users to identify patterns and relationships in data that weren't initially evident. Interactive, self-service BI and reporting capabilities are combined with out-of-the-box advanced analytics so everyone can discover insights from any size and type of data, including text.N/A
    Pricing
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)SAS Visual Analytics
    Editions & Modules
    Power BI Pro
    $14
    per month per user
    Power BI Premium
    $24
    per month per user
    SAS Visual Analytics for SAS Cloud
    $0
    Annual By Users: 5, 10, 20
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)SAS Visual Analytics
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—SAS Visual Statistics and SAS Office Analytics are also available as add-ons.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)SAS Visual Analytics
    Considered Both Products
    Microsoft
    No answer on this topic
    SAS
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    15 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    15 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    15 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    13 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    11 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)SAS Visual Analytics
    BI Standard Reporting
    Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and SAS Visual Analytics
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    9.0
    53 Ratings
    10% above category average
    SAS Visual Analytics
    8.3
    11 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Pixel Perfect reports8.546 Ratings8.011 Ratings
    Customizable dashboards9.653 Ratings8.011 Ratings
    Report Formatting Templates8.951 Ratings9.010 Ratings
    Ad-hoc Reporting
    Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and SAS Visual Analytics
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.5
    53 Ratings
    6% above category average
    SAS Visual Analytics
    8.8
    12 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Drill-down analysis8.548 Ratings9.012 Ratings
    Formatting capabilities8.253 Ratings8.012 Ratings
    Integration with R or other statistical packages8.342 Ratings8.010 Ratings
    Report sharing and collaboration8.953 Ratings10.011 Ratings
    Report Output and Scheduling
    Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and SAS Visual Analytics
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.5
    52 Ratings
    3% above category average
    SAS Visual Analytics
    9.2
    12 Ratings
    11% above category average
    Publish to Web9.348 Ratings9.011 Ratings
    Publish to PDF9.148 Ratings9.012 Ratings
    Report Versioning7.444 Ratings9.09 Ratings
    Report Delivery Scheduling8.547 Ratings10.011 Ratings
    Delivery to Remote Servers8.426 Ratings9.06 Ratings
    Data Discovery and Visualization
    Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and SAS Visual Analytics
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.7
    52 Ratings
    9% above category average
    SAS Visual Analytics
    9.7
    10 Ratings
    19% above category average
    Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)9.651 Ratings10.09 Ratings
    Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization8.748 Ratings10.010 Ratings
    Predictive Analytics7.745 Ratings9.09 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 SAS Visual Analytics
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    9.3
    53 Ratings
    9% above category average
    SAS Visual Analytics
    8.3
    11 Ratings
    2% below category average
    Multi-User Support (named login)9.449 Ratings9.011 Ratings
    Role-Based Security Model9.347 Ratings8.010 Ratings
    Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)8.949 Ratings8.011 Ratings
    Report-Level Access Control9.36 Ratings00 Ratings
    Single Sign-On (SSO)9.431 Ratings8.07 Ratings
    Mobile Capabilities
    Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and SAS Visual Analytics
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.0
    42 Ratings
    3% above category average
    SAS Visual Analytics
    8.7
    9 Ratings
    11% above category average
    Responsive Design for Web Access8.239 Ratings10.09 Ratings
    Mobile Application8.030 Ratings9.07 Ratings
    Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile7.839 Ratings9.08 Ratings
    Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
    Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and SAS Visual Analytics
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.5
    24 Ratings
    9% above category average
    SAS Visual Analytics
    9.2
    5 Ratings
    17% above category average
    REST API9.221 Ratings10.04 Ratings
    Javascript API8.821 Ratings9.04 Ratings
    iFrames8.820 Ratings9.04 Ratings
    Java API8.718 Ratings9.04 Ratings
    Themeable User Interface (UI)8.021 Ratings9.04 Ratings
    Customizable Platform (Open Source)7.319 Ratings9.03 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)SAS Visual Analytics
    Small Businesses
    Cyfe
    Score4 out of 10
    Cyfe
    Score4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Qlik Cloud Analytics (Qlik Sense)
    Score8.1 out of 10
    Qlik Cloud Analytics (Qlik Sense)
    Score8.1 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Sisense
    Score6.9 out of 10
    Sisense
    Score6.9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)SAS Visual Analytics
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.9
    (77 ratings)
    9.0
    (17 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.0
    (25 ratings)
    9.3
    (3 ratings)
    Usability
    8.9
    (19 ratings)
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    Availability
    9.5
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.9
    (15 ratings)
    8.0
    (3 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    6.9
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    8.5
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.6
    (7 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Data Sharing and Collaboration
    8.5
    (42 ratings)
    9.6
    (11 ratings)
    Data Sources
    8.4
    (41 ratings)
    9.8
    (11 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)SAS Visual Analytics
    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
    SAS
    I was in a meeting with the client and there I have to show them some analytic data to them. But I was confused about how I will manage to show big data to clients with accuracy. But then the SAS Visual Analytics software helps me in presenting accurate data at the moment and it was very presentable and through that, I got the deal for that business.
    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
    SAS
    • Provides the flexibility to the end user to slice and dice the data.
    • Anyone can make predictive models with the help of in-built algorithms without the need to write a single line of code or knowledge of what's under the hood of algorithms.
    • The feature to simply ask a question related to data and getting a response in form of text, chart or graph is amazing.
    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
    SAS
    • SAS is relatively expensive when compared to other BI tools and requires a large amount of upfront fee which becomes an issue for smaller organizations.
    • UI for the dashboards looks a little date in comparison to competitors like Tableau and Microstrategy.
    • Integration with other open source software like Python needs to be built in.
    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
    SAS
    SAS really is the cutting edge in Business Intelligence. That is all they do! They are constantly coming out with new products, product upgrades, and their tech support is second to none. In addition, their support of Education has made our ability to acquire their product possible.
    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
    Read full review
    SAS
    SAS BI is good for creating reports and dashboards and then sharing it with the users. It also has ability to manage access to the reports and dashboards but somehow with most of the world moving to open source languages R, Python and Julia, SAS BI feels to be archaic in terms of feature set and integrations it allow[s]. Also, comparing it with other Business Intelligence tools like Tableau and Microsoft BI, the functionality of SAS BI is very limited and doesn't justify the pricing.
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    Microsoft
    The product has been reliable.
    Read full review
    SAS
    No answers on this topic
    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
    SAS
    No answers on this topic
    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
    SAS
    When you call tech support, you are immediately routed to a person who can answer your question. Often they can answer on the spot. However, if they cannot, you are given a track number and then followed up with. There have been times when I have had multiple track numbers open and they will actually TRACK YOU DOWN to ensure that your problem has been resolved. Issues do not fall into black holes with SAS. They are also willing to do a WebEx with you to diagnose the problem by seeing your environment, which is always helpful.
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Microsoft
    This training was more directed toward what the product was capable of rather than actual programming.
    Read full review
    SAS
    No answers on this topic
    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
    SAS
    No answers on this topic
    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
    SAS
    No answers on this topic
    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
    SAS
    I have used Crystal Reports, Jaspersoft and SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS). I would recommended Business Intelligence over SSRS and Crystal Reports. SSRS is very SQL-centric and Crystal Reports is more of an end-user tool. I would recommend Jaspersoft over Business Intelligence for developing a seamless web-based reporting interface but I highly recommend Business Intelligence for end-user ad-hoc reporting.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    SAS
    • SAS Visual Analytics licensing cost should be reduced to enable users to use it in mass scale.
    • More statistical and mathematical equations and theories should be converted into SAS functions for reusing.
    • Because of enriched ETL and reporting capabilities SAS Visual Analytics is most preferred by business users.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    SAS Visual Analytics Screenshots

    Screenshot of Explore your data using analytics and interactive data visualizations.