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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

    Sigma

    Score8.4 out of 10
    N/ASigma Computing headquartered in San Francisco provides a suite of data services such as code free data modeling, data search and explorating, and related BI and data visualization services.N/A
    Pricing
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Sigma
    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)Sigma
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
    Additional DetailsContact us for pricing.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Sigma
    Considered Both Products
    Microsoft
    No answer on this topic
    Sigma Computing
    Chose Sigma
    Sigma Computing is significantly faster and more versatile than Data Studio integrations for marketing data.
    While it is less powerful than Tableau for data visualization, it is much easier to use due to its spread sheet like user interface.
    Microsoft BI is a middle ground but …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    15 Answers
    94%
    Would buy again
    118 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    15 Answers
    97%
    Delivers good value for the price
    77 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    15 Answers
    92%
    Happy with the feature set
    116 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    13 Answers
    97%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    68 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    11 Answers
    97%
    Implementation went as expected
    77 Answers
    Features
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Sigma
    BI Standard Reporting
    Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Sigma Computing
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    9.0
    53 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Sigma Computing
    7.5
    163 Ratings
    8% below category average
    Pixel Perfect reports8.546 Ratings5.4104 Ratings
    Customizable dashboards9.653 Ratings9.3161 Ratings
    Report Formatting Templates8.951 Ratings7.7133 Ratings
    Ad-hoc Reporting
    Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Sigma Computing
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.5
    53 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Sigma Computing
    7.5
    166 Ratings
    6% below category average
    Drill-down analysis8.548 Ratings8.0155 Ratings
    Formatting capabilities8.253 Ratings7.0163 Ratings
    Integration with R or other statistical packages8.342 Ratings7.35 Ratings
    Report sharing and collaboration8.953 Ratings7.7162 Ratings
    Report Output and Scheduling
    Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Sigma Computing
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.5
    52 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Sigma Computing
    7.5
    156 Ratings
    9% below category average
    Publish to Web9.348 Ratings7.3103 Ratings
    Publish to PDF9.148 Ratings7.7130 Ratings
    Report Versioning7.444 Ratings7.0120 Ratings
    Report Delivery Scheduling8.547 Ratings7.6132 Ratings
    Delivery to Remote Servers8.426 Ratings7.968 Ratings
    Data Discovery and Visualization
    Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Sigma Computing
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.7
    52 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Sigma Computing
    6.8
    149 Ratings
    16% below category average
    Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)9.651 Ratings8.6147 Ratings
    Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization8.748 Ratings5.626 Ratings
    Predictive Analytics7.845 Ratings6.218 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 Sigma Computing
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    9.3
    53 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Sigma Computing
    -
    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 Sigma Computing
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.0
    42 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Sigma Computing
    -
    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 Sigma Computing
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.5
    24 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Sigma Computing
    -
    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
    Best Alternatives
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Sigma
    Small Businesses
    Cyfe
    Score4 out of 10
    Cyfe
    Score4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Qlik Cloud Analytics (Qlik Sense)
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Qlik Cloud Analytics (Qlik Sense)
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Jaspersoft Community Edition
    Score7 out of 10
    Jaspersoft Community Edition
    Score7 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Sigma
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.9
    (77 ratings)
    8.2
    (170 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.0
    (25 ratings)
    10.0
    (6 ratings)
    Usability
    8.9
    (19 ratings)
    7.6
    (48 ratings)
    Availability
    9.5
    (2 ratings)
    8.2
    (2 ratings)
    Performance
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.9
    (15 ratings)
    10.0
    (47 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    6.9
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    8.5
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.6
    (7 ratings)
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    Configurability
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    Data Sharing and Collaboration
    8.5
    (42 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Data Sources
    8.4
    (41 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (2 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Sigma
    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
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    Sigma Computing
    We were able to set up client-facing embedded reports with ease and security. The interface is not difficult to learn, although we may not be aware of or lack the necessary expertise to utilize more advanced features that would likely benefit us.
    Incentivized
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    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
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    Sigma Computing
    • Allows end users to easily dive into the data without having direct access to the table in our database management software.
    • Can easily turnaround dashboards that are detailed and visually pleasing.
    • Sigma is intuitive and as new features are rolled out it is easy to adopt and incorporate them into new and existing dashboards.
    Incentivized
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    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
    Sigma Computing
    • Sigma Computing does not allow custom ordering of pivot fields in pivot tables easily
    • Sigma Computing lacks functionality for creating tables or sections that dynamically adjust to the browser window's height while maintaining a fixed height textbox at the bottom
    • Sigma Computing does not provide straightforward options for formatting totals in tables, such as renaming 'Total' to 'Average', 'Team Total', etc
    • Sigma Computing does not support searching by individual tab names within a workbook
    Incentivized
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    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
    Sigma Computing
    Sigma has helped us a lot and has become an integral part of our daily workflow. It would be difficult to switch to another platform and have to rebuild the numerous metrics and performance reports that we have already established
    Incentivized
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    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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    Sigma Computing
    It has a clean and modern interface. However, it is not completely intuitive. I think it would be better and easier to navigate with more Windows style drop down menus and/or tabls. There is a significant learning curve, but that may be due in part to the technical nature of this type of software tool.
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    Microsoft
    The product has been reliable.
    Read full review
    Sigma Computing
    Yes, as long as you don’t conduct user error sigma is always up and running and waiting for you to complete your dashboards
    Incentivized
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    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
    Sigma Computing
    It depends, it loads quickly for smaller dashboards but when loading larger amounts of data it takes more time to do so
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    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
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    Sigma Computing
    They are very friendly and informative. They are quick in resolving our queries and help us understand very minute things as well. They are quick in creating feature tickets based on our custom requirements, and they would also create a bug ticket if there is any discrepancy and get that checked on time.
    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
    Sigma Computing
    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
    Sigma Computing
    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.
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    Sigma Computing
    Was not involved in implementation
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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
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    Sigma Computing
    With Looker, to be effective, a substantial amount of coding & modeling needs to happen in LookML. Being another language to learn, users have to context switch again from at a minimum either SQL or Python into LookML. The concept of being able to source control, code review, and deploy your models is a plus though.
    Tableau is the gold standard for data visualization, no question. Power users will be able to create dazzling content that Sigma won't necessarily be able to easily match. However, since development usually happens via an extract, helping other users troubleshoot is an arduous process. Trying to re-do or un-do all the transformations and calculations that cause a certain number is very difficult.
    With Sigma, all the queries happen directly against Snowflake and you can see the query logs. The data modeling happens right in a tabular, spreadsheet-like manner, so within only a few minutes, substantial transformations can happen, with visualizations just a few more clicks away.
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    Scalability
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Sigma Computing
    It is a cloud service offering that is able to expand based on your usage
    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
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    Sigma Computing
    • Monitoring health of cloud platform has allowed the company to anticipate issues before they affect customers – Sigma prompted us building a canary monitoring process that provides customer container health.
    • Customer success has used an activity report to discover customers running runaway processes that they were unaware of, creating an alert to contact the customer and prevent an embarrassing situation.
    • Customer success uses the activity report to prompt conversations regarding increases or declines in behavior that led to increasing contract limits or addressing churn concerns.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots