Microsoft Power BI vs. SAP Crystal

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Microsoft Power BI
Score 8.5 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
SAP Crystal
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
SAP Crystal is an analytics and reporting software solution for SMBs. SAP Crystal comprises Crystal Reports for pixel-perfect reporting, and SAP Crystal Server for automated distribution and self-service access to reports, dashboards and data exploration.
$295
per single user license
Pricing
Microsoft Power BISAP Crystal
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Upgrade Version to SAP Crystal Reports 2020
$295
per single user license
SAP Crystal Reports 2020 64-Bit
$495
per single user license
SAP Crystal Reports 2016 32-Bit
$495
per single user license
SAP Crystal Server 2020 1 NUL
$869
per user license + first year maintenance to be added
SAP Crystal Server 2020 5 CAL
$8,744
5 concurrent users + first year maintenance to be added
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft Power BISAP Crystal
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional Details* SAP Crystal Reports 2020 Viewer allows you to view static data within a SAP Crystal Reports file. * SAP Crystal Reports 2020 - Full version allows you to create powerful, richly formatted, and dynamic reports from virtually any data source, delivered in dozens of formats, in up to 28 languages. If you already have an older version of Crystal Reports, buy a license for SAP Crystal Reports 2020 - Upgrade at a discounted, upgrade price. * SAP Crystal Server 2020, 1 NUL includes 1 license of: SAP Crystal Reports 2020 - SAP Crystal Server 2020. * As an add-on to SAP Crystal Server 2020 1 NUL, SAP Crystal Server 2020 5 CAL allows you to support a wider, intermittent audience of end users, up to five logged on at the same time.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft Power BISAP Crystal
Considered Both Products
Microsoft Power BI
Chose Microsoft Power BI
I have worked with Crystal Reports, and while Power BI has many strengths over Crystal, Crystal is still the gold standard and my fall back application when I need certain functionality in our environment. This may be a temporary issue as Microsoft has shown committment to …
Chose Microsoft Power BI
Microsoft's Power BI is what Excel graphing and pivoting should have been like. Power BI has much better ways to look at your data visually than you can with Excel's own tools. You can select from many built-in graph types or you can use the growing number of add-ons to get …
SAP Crystal
Chose SAP Crystal
For standard pixel perfect reporting, our company still uses Crystal Reports. It allows us to continually provide standard reporting to our clients. For dashboards, we are moving towards Microsoft Power BI. Power BI allows similar collaboration, but generally has better …
Chose SAP Crystal
SAP Crystal reports are generally in more formatted way where you can design header according to your requirements and data will be fetched from the data source accordingly. According to my analysis this is the only thing when required i'll be happy to use SAP Crystal report …
Chose SAP Crystal
Qlik is better in terms of reading data from different sources but it doesn’t have the auto doc ability like SAP Crystal Tableau. It is a decent visualization tool but doesn’t have the same ability in terms of rendering output reports into a suitable format. Plus the cost of Tab…
Chose SAP Crystal
For automating documents and reports, I personally believe there is no better solution. However, for the sheer fact, it can't compare/combine two sources, I'd recommend pairing it with another BI tool. For example, Qlik, whereby you can create dashboards and compare multiple …
Chose SAP Crystal
PowerBI is starting to replace Crystal Reports. PowerBI is a Microsoft tool. It also brings different types of data in to the same report. PowerBi allows for more data types than Crystal does. Crystal Reports allows you to create formulas easier than PowerBI does. I am very …
Chose SAP Crystal
More visualization options than PowerBI has, we are using PowerBI as well as it works better for non-relational big data sources. Less complex than SSRS and more flexible at the same time. Native support for SAP HANA databases makes SAP Crystal the best choice for this cases. …
Chose SAP Crystal
SAP has a very sophisticated environment. It is very good to provide interaction in between different teams. I work in communications and to interact with air traffic control there is a good amount of interaction when using SAP. What I feel is that if you have an SAP database, …
Chose SAP Crystal
Due to its bigger brand and excellent user support, it is better than many competitors. If you have huge organization support, then operating it will make your reporting system much better. Otherwise, you might need better employee support for operating it. Otherwise, the whole …
Chose SAP Crystal
Other than Crystal Reports the only other reporting software I have used is SSRS Report Builder. While it is very possible to do anything in SSRS Report Builder, Crystal Reports just feels like a more mature product, with more obvious features for complex report building. On …
Chose SAP Crystal
As already stated, some businesses may find SAP Crystal Reports too expensive. While there are cheaper alternatives, it will all depend on your business' specific needs which product to choose. Another factor to consider is, what is the product, the majority of your clients is …
Chose SAP Crystal
SAP Crystal Server was chosen because of the scheduled reports capabilities that it had and because we were happier with the end look of the reports. We found the reports that are obtained with SAP Crystal Server easier to interpret than some what some of the other BI programs …
Features
Microsoft Power BISAP Crystal
BI Standard Reporting
Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
8.4
193 Ratings
3% above category average
SAP Crystal
8.3
123 Ratings
2% above category average
Pixel Perfect reports8.3164 Ratings8.0112 Ratings
Customizable dashboards8.8192 Ratings8.599 Ratings
Report Formatting Templates8.0175 Ratings8.5116 Ratings
Ad-hoc Reporting
Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
7.9
191 Ratings
2% below category average
SAP Crystal
8.3
135 Ratings
3% above category average
Drill-down analysis8.2188 Ratings8.8116 Ratings
Formatting capabilities7.7188 Ratings8.5134 Ratings
Integration with R or other statistical packages7.3140 Ratings7.064 Ratings
Report sharing and collaboration8.5186 Ratings8.8119 Ratings
Report Output and Scheduling
Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
8.1
184 Ratings
2% below category average
SAP Crystal
8.8
135 Ratings
6% above category average
Publish to Web8.3174 Ratings8.590 Ratings
Publish to PDF8.2169 Ratings9.2132 Ratings
Report Versioning7.7141 Ratings8.294 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling8.3144 Ratings9.097 Ratings
Delivery to Remote Servers7.9107 Ratings8.854 Ratings
Data Discovery and Visualization
Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
7.8
184 Ratings
2% below category average
SAP Crystal
7.6
89 Ratings
4% below category average
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)8.2178 Ratings7.650 Ratings
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization8.1163 Ratings7.576 Ratings
Predictive Analytics7.4133 Ratings7.841 Ratings
Pattern Recognition and Data Mining7.434 Ratings00 Ratings
Access Control and Security
Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
8.6
175 Ratings
1% above category average
SAP Crystal
8.7
88 Ratings
2% above category average
Multi-User Support (named login)8.8165 Ratings8.581 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model8.5143 Ratings8.580 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)8.4155 Ratings8.580 Ratings
Report-Level Access Control8.444 Ratings8.83 Ratings
Single Sign-On (SSO)8.7137 Ratings9.040 Ratings
Mobile Capabilities
Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
8.0
157 Ratings
2% above category average
SAP Crystal
7.3
64 Ratings
7% below category average
Responsive Design for Web Access7.8147 Ratings7.062 Ratings
Mobile Application7.7128 Ratings6.545 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile8.0150 Ratings7.559 Ratings
Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
7.8
113 Ratings
1% above category average
SAP Crystal
7.7
45 Ratings
0% below category average
REST API8.2101 Ratings7.48 Ratings
Javascript API7.682 Ratings7.937 Ratings
iFrames8.055 Ratings7.18 Ratings
Java API6.967 Ratings7.937 Ratings
Themeable User Interface (UI)7.588 Ratings7.539 Ratings
Customizable Platform (Open Source)8.444 Ratings8.233 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Microsoft Power BISAP Crystal
Small Businesses
BrightGauge
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Score 8.9 out of 10
BrightGauge
BrightGauge
Score 8.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Reveal
Reveal
Score 10.0 out of 10
Reveal
Reveal
Score 10.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Kyvos Insights
Kyvos Insights
Score 9.5 out of 10
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Kyvos Insights
Score 9.5 out of 10
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User Ratings
Microsoft Power BISAP Crystal
Likelihood to Recommend
8.5
(195 ratings)
8.5
(157 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.5
(3 ratings)
10.0
(19 ratings)
Usability
8.3
(111 ratings)
8.0
(30 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
9.8
(52 ratings)
8.6
(21 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(1 ratings)
8.8
(14 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft Power BISAP Crystal
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
Has significantly improved collation of data and visualisation especially with business across Europe. Has given me the ability to see the Site availability at the click of a button to see which Site is in the "money" and seize opportunities based on Market data
Read full review
SAP
Generation of templated reports is the strong suit of SAP Crystal. Allows users to change formats in templates bases on requirement with minimal effort. Automated report delivery requires the user to be aware of sql which cannot be expected from all users. Should support more document export formats and improve the UI for SAP B1 Users
Read full review
Pros
Microsoft
  • Options for data source connections are immense. Not just which sources, but your options for *how* the data is brought in.
  • Constant updates (this is both good and bad at times).
  • User friendliness. I can get the data connections set up and draft some quick visuals, then release to the target audience and let them expand on it how they want to.
Read full review
SAP
  • Crystal Reports allows us to create a consistent template for all of our reports.
  • Crystal Reports and Server allows us to house a repository for all of our reports to make them easy to find and update when necessary.
  • Crystal Reports can connect to a wide variety of data sources.
  • Crystal Reports can be a little daunting when first implementing. There are a lot of nuances in learning how to truly master this software and it can be frustrating at times.
Read full review
Cons
Microsoft
  • It would be easier for users could Microsoft Power BI and Excel used the same programming languages.
  • Would like to see the online version of Microsoft Power BI be as powerful as the desktop version.
  • Publishing a Microsoft Power BI file online and then having to save the file is somewhat redundant.
  • Would like to export each page or chart as an image.
Read full review
SAP
  • The export of reports to Excel is very cumbersome and the results are difficult to format.
  • The design of reports and the graphical features (e.g. charts) feel quite rigid.
  • The learning curve for a non-programmer is incredibly steep, making Crystal a specialty tool.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
Microsoft Power BI is an excellent and scalable tool. It has a learning curve, but once you get past that, the sky is the limit and you can build from the most simple to the most complex dashboards. I have built everything from simple reports with only a few data points to complex reports with many pages and advanced filtering.
Read full review
SAP
We have been using this product for so many years and it has truly become a cornerstone to our business processes when it comes to developing and distributing information via reports. We currently have over 500 reports developed to date over about 30 systems and that will continue to grow as user needs change.
Read full review
Usability
Microsoft
Automating reporting has reduced manual data processing by 50-70%, freeing up analysts for higher-value tasks. A finance team that previously spent 20+ hours per week on Excel-based reports now does it in minutes with Microsoft Power BI's automated Real-time dashboards have shortened decision cycles by 30-40%, enabling leadership to react quickly to sales trends, operational bottlenecks, and customer behavior.
Read full review
SAP
Crystal is very robust, but not always easy to use. It create wonderful looking reports, and so deserves a high rating. However, I have to take a couple of points off for the simple fact that I cannot hand it to a user and expect them to be able to do development with it.
Read full review
Support Rating
Microsoft
It is a fantastic tool, you can do almost everything related with data and reports, it is a perfect substitutive of Power Point and Excel with a high evolution and flexibility, and also it is very friendly and easy to share. I think all companies should have Power BI (or other BI tool) in their software package and if they are in the MS Suite, for sure Power BI should be the one due to all the benefits of the MS ecosystem.
Read full review
SAP
The support community can be difficult to navigate. I've also run into issues with my login. The SAP system has a bizarre mechanism for validating users that requires users to have what is called an S-ID. A basic ID may not give you access to all the features in the portal. The limitation may include not being able to perform a simple task like downloading patches and updates. This isn't a big deal for single user license but for teams it can be a pain.
Read full review
In-Person Training
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
SAP
Trainer was patient and thorough in going through the basics and willing to answer questions by email after the initial training
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Microsoft
It was integrated with our erp easily and was accessible on cloud.
Read full review
SAP
Just like any other implementation: When designing the differing reports, get end users' input, make sure to design the reports so that they display the information that the company requires, in the best and clearest way possible.
Test, test, test, revise when needed, and, particularly, do sufficient training so users are comfortable using Crystal Reports!
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Microsoft
Microsoft Power BI is free. If I didn't want to create a custom platform (i.e. my organization insisted on an existing platform that I *had* to use), I'd use Microsoft Power BI. For any start-up or SMB, I'd just use Claude & Grok to build it quickly, also for free. Would not pay for Tableau or Sigma anymore. Not worth it at all.
Read full review
SAP
Crystal reports is useful in case we want to import data from data base . We can write queries in it but Google Charts require to be implemented in our application using code so crystal reports is better than Google Charts.
Read full review
Return on Investment
Microsoft
  • Power BI usage reduced the effort of analytical reports creation by about 80%
  • Empowered all the level of employee to be more vigilant of the data and business insights, gained the profit of 8% overall.
  • AI-powered predictive analytics improved forecasting accuracy by 17%, that topped the overall sales.
Read full review
SAP
  • It is a decent buy for specific departments in terms of reporting capabilities but updates and cost (frequent) demands are higher with the benefits offered.
  • So long as the requirements are not ever changing, with scheduling functionality, it's a handsome tool.
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

SAP Crystal Screenshots

Screenshot of Pixel-perfect reporting solutionScreenshot of Refresh with a clickScreenshot of Build pixel-perfect documentsScreenshot of Connect to all data sourcesScreenshot of Use drag and dropScreenshot of Build interactive reports