Microsoft Power BI vs. SAP HANA Cloud

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
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
SAP HANA Cloud
Score 8.8 out of 10
N/A
SAP HANA is an application that uses in-memory database technology to process very large amounts of real-time data from relational databases, both SAP and non-SAP, in a very short time. The in-memory computing engine allows HANA to process data stored in RAM as opposed to reading it from a disk which means that the data can be accessed in real time by the applications using HANA. The product is sold both as an appliance and as a cloud-based software solution.
$0.95
per month Capacity Units
Pricing
Microsoft Power BISAP HANA Cloud
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft Power BISAP HANA Cloud
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional DetailsIncludes a one year free trial.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft Power BISAP HANA Cloud
Considered Both Products
Microsoft Power BI
Chose Microsoft Power BI
We selected Microsoft Power BI because it has the best GUI and easy-to-use interface. As part of Microsoft suite, it has the same structure as Office 365 solutions, therefore making it easier to get onboard. At the same time, having backend solutions from Microsoft such as …
Chose Microsoft Power BI
We use in the overlapping areas as data preparation and advanced analytics, monitoring and allerting also other tools as IBM ThingWorx (for the IoT tasks), Splunk (production and banking), SAP Lumira and SAP HANA, SAP Designer (production) and also specialized process mining …
Chose Microsoft Power BI
Tableau is a solution with more tools; is more robust, able to handle large volumes of data, but Power BI has a cost-benefit ratio superior to other existing solutions in the market. It gives you what you need at a very low cost, even free.
SAP HANA Cloud
Chose SAP HANA Cloud
Evaluated for its separation of compute and storage and lower entry cost, but it lacked the native understanding of complex SAP ERP semantics (ABAP logic) without extensive data reconstruction
Chose SAP HANA Cloud
As users are comfortable using SAP HANA and now all solutions available with SAP HANA add-on modules the integration becomes much easier and cost effective else you need to have persons of different skill sets to maintain and operate the systems.
Features
Microsoft Power BISAP HANA Cloud
BI Standard Reporting
Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
8.3
196 Ratings
2% above category average
SAP HANA Cloud
-
Ratings
Pixel Perfect reports8.3167 Ratings00 Ratings
Customizable dashboards8.7195 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Formatting Templates8.0178 Ratings00 Ratings
Ad-hoc Reporting
Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
8.0
194 Ratings
0% below category average
SAP HANA Cloud
-
Ratings
Drill-down analysis8.3191 Ratings00 Ratings
Formatting capabilities7.8191 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with R or other statistical packages7.4143 Ratings00 Ratings
Report sharing and collaboration8.4189 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Output and Scheduling
Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
8.0
187 Ratings
2% below category average
SAP HANA Cloud
-
Ratings
Publish to Web8.2177 Ratings00 Ratings
Publish to PDF8.1172 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Versioning7.7144 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling8.2147 Ratings00 Ratings
Delivery to Remote Servers7.9110 Ratings00 Ratings
Data Discovery and Visualization
Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
7.8
187 Ratings
2% below category average
SAP HANA Cloud
-
Ratings
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)8.2181 Ratings00 Ratings
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization8.1166 Ratings00 Ratings
Predictive Analytics7.4136 Ratings00 Ratings
Pattern Recognition and Data Mining7.437 Ratings00 Ratings
Access Control and Security
Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
8.5
178 Ratings
0% above category average
SAP HANA Cloud
-
Ratings
Multi-User Support (named login)8.7168 Ratings00 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model8.4146 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)8.4158 Ratings00 Ratings
Report-Level Access Control8.347 Ratings00 Ratings
Single Sign-On (SSO)8.6140 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile Capabilities
Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
8.0
160 Ratings
3% above category average
SAP HANA Cloud
-
Ratings
Responsive Design for Web Access7.7150 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile Application7.6131 Ratings00 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile7.9153 Ratings00 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
115 Ratings
1% above category average
SAP HANA Cloud
-
Ratings
REST API8.1103 Ratings00 Ratings
Javascript API7.684 Ratings00 Ratings
iFrames8.055 Ratings00 Ratings
Java API7.068 Ratings00 Ratings
Themeable User Interface (UI)7.690 Ratings00 Ratings
Customizable Platform (Open Source)8.444 Ratings00 Ratings
Relational Databases
Comparison of Relational Databases features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
-
Ratings
SAP HANA Cloud
8.1
13 Ratings
1% below category average
ACID compliance00 Ratings8.312 Ratings
Database monitoring00 Ratings8.113 Ratings
Database locking00 Ratings8.110 Ratings
Encryption00 Ratings8.010 Ratings
Disaster recovery00 Ratings7.912 Ratings
Flexible deployment00 Ratings8.311 Ratings
Multiple datatypes00 Ratings7.811 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Microsoft Power BISAP HANA Cloud
Small Businesses
Yellowfin
Yellowfin
Score 8.8 out of 10
InterSystems IRIS
InterSystems IRIS
Score 7.8 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Reveal
Reveal
Score 10.0 out of 10
InterSystems IRIS
InterSystems IRIS
Score 7.8 out of 10
Enterprises
Kyvos Semantic Layer
Kyvos Semantic Layer
Score 9.5 out of 10
SAP IQ
SAP IQ
Score 10.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Microsoft Power BISAP HANA Cloud
Likelihood to Recommend
8.5
(197 ratings)
9.3
(314 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.5
(3 ratings)
10.0
(11 ratings)
Usability
8.3
(113 ratings)
9.4
(32 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
3.6
(1 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
3.6
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(52 ratings)
9.0
(251 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(1 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
3.6
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
4.5
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
4.5
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
4.5
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
3.6
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft Power BISAP HANA Cloud
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
It is well organized. One can use it for the company's portfolio management. Various tasks can be done for managerial purposes. One can track the material from start to end product: for example, raw material, packing material & consumable material to formulated bulk and formulated drug product. This can help to manage spending as well as finding costing of the product.
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
  • Real-time reporting and analytics on data: because of its in-memory architecture, it is perfect for businesses that need to make quick decisions based on current information.
  • Managing workload with complex data: it can handle a vast range of data types, including relational, documental, geospatial, graph, vector, and time series data.
  • Developing and deploying intelligent data applications: it provides various tools for such applications and can be used for machine learning and artificial intelligence to automate tasks, gain insights from data, and make predictions.
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
  • Requires higher processing power, otherwise it won't fly. How ever computing costs are lower. Incase you are migrating to cloud please do not select the highest config available in that series . Upgrading it later against a reserved instance can cost you dearly with a series change
  • Lack of clarity on licensing is one major challenge
  • Unless S/4 with additional features are enabled mere migration HANA DB is not a rewarding journey. Power is in S/4
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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 would rate our likelihood of renewing at 9/10. SAP HANA Cloud has proven to be a highly reliable and scalable data platform that consistently delivers strong performance. Its seamless integration with our overall SAP landscape, combined with improved analytics and real-time data capabilities, makes it a core part of our long-term technology strategy.
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
It is a very useful cloud database platform which provides you faster data processing, scalability , global availability and advanced analytical capabilities. It offers integrated environment for enterprise applications which helps you to manage multiple systems easily. For end user, it provides a simplified user experience with direct navigation and personalization
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
SAP
so far, we didn't get any outage
Read full review
Performance
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
SAP
so far good
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
One specific example of how the support for SAP HANA Cloud impacted us is in our efforts to troubleshoot and resolve technical issues. Whenever we encountered an issue or had a question, the support team was quick to respond and provided us with clear and actionable guidance. This helped us avoid downtime and keep our analytics operations running smoothly.
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Implementation Rating
Microsoft
It was integrated with our erp easily and was accessible on cloud.
Read full review
SAP
Professional GIS people are some of the most risk-averse there are, and it's difficult to get them to move to HANA in one step. Start with small projects building to 80% use of HANA spatial over time.
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
I have deep knowledge of other disk based DBMSs. They are venerable technology, but the attempts to extend them to current architectures belie the fact they are built on 40 year old technology. There are some good columnar in-memory databases but they lack the completeness of capability present in the HANA platform.
Read full review
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
SAP
I don't have visibility in licensing
Read full review
Scalability
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
SAP
Limitation of training deliverable by organization
Read full review
Professional Services
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
SAP
We are still in process for the first applciaiton
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
  • ROI has always been high in terms of the functionality that it offers and the security features it comes with.
  • Managing large volumes of data in real-time is not an easy task, but it does it pretty well with faster data processing.
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