Microsoft Power BI vs. Zendesk Explore

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Microsoft Power BI
Score 8.3 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
Zendesk Explore
Score 7.8 out of 10
N/A
Zendesk offers Explore, a business intelligence and customer analytics tool which integrates with the Zendesk suite featuring ticket analytics, custom fields, dashboards, and other features. Zendesk is migrating customers of the BIME analytics product, which is approaching end of support, to Zendesk Explore in 2019.N/A
Pricing
Microsoft Power BIZendesk Explore
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft Power BIZendesk Explore
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft Power BIZendesk Explore
Considered Both Products
Microsoft Power BI

No answer on this topic

Zendesk Explore
Chose Zendesk Explore
I selected Zendesk Explore only to provide an easy and quick access for my managers and supervisors regading metrics and volume trends. Is not the most flexible nor complete data visualization tool, but works well for day-to-day follow ups.
You need to use another tool if you …
Chose Zendesk Explore
N/A - the company had already implemented Zendesk Explore when I was hired.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Microsoft Power BIZendesk Explore
BI Standard Reporting
Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
7.3
138 Ratings
12% below category average
Zendesk Explore
9.0
9 Ratings
9% above category average
Pixel Perfect reports6.6118 Ratings7.15 Ratings
Customizable dashboards8.1138 Ratings10.09 Ratings
Report Formatting Templates7.3126 Ratings9.97 Ratings
Ad-hoc Reporting
Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
7.1
139 Ratings
13% below category average
Zendesk Explore
8.5
9 Ratings
5% above category average
Drill-down analysis7.3138 Ratings9.59 Ratings
Formatting capabilities6.5137 Ratings9.09 Ratings
Integration with R or other statistical packages7.6102 Ratings5.65 Ratings
Report sharing and collaboration7.0134 Ratings10.09 Ratings
Report Output and Scheduling
Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
7.8
133 Ratings
7% below category average
Zendesk Explore
8.6
9 Ratings
3% above category average
Publish to Web8.2128 Ratings7.86 Ratings
Publish to PDF8.2121 Ratings9.07 Ratings
Report Versioning7.3101 Ratings9.03 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling8.6103 Ratings8.97 Ratings
Delivery to Remote Servers6.873 Ratings8.54 Ratings
Data Discovery and Visualization
Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
7.6
135 Ratings
6% below category average
Zendesk Explore
7.7
7 Ratings
5% below category average
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)7.6130 Ratings7.46 Ratings
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization7.8121 Ratings7.66 Ratings
Predictive Analytics7.5101 Ratings6.55 Ratings
Pattern Recognition and Data Mining00 Ratings9.43 Ratings
Access Control and Security
Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
8.2
126 Ratings
5% below category average
Zendesk Explore
9.2
9 Ratings
7% above category average
Multi-User Support (named login)8.2120 Ratings9.58 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model8.8102 Ratings9.59 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)8.3110 Ratings8.07 Ratings
Report-Level Access Control7.01 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Single Sign-On (SSO)8.694 Ratings10.07 Ratings
Mobile Capabilities
Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
7.9
117 Ratings
1% below category average
Zendesk Explore
8.0
7 Ratings
0% above category average
Responsive Design for Web Access8.0111 Ratings6.85 Ratings
Mobile Application7.493 Ratings8.42 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile7.5112 Ratings8.96 Ratings
Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
8.4
80 Ratings
6% above category average
Zendesk Explore
6.3
4 Ratings
23% below category average
REST API8.172 Ratings6.14 Ratings
Javascript API9.556 Ratings6.33 Ratings
iFrames8.055 Ratings6.03 Ratings
Java API7.946 Ratings5.93 Ratings
Themeable User Interface (UI)8.263 Ratings6.63 Ratings
Customizable Platform (Open Source)8.344 Ratings7.02 Ratings
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Microsoft Power BIZendesk Explore
Small Businesses
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Score 8.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Reveal
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Score 9.9 out of 10
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Score 9.9 out of 10
Enterprises
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Score 9.7 out of 10
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User Ratings
Microsoft Power BIZendesk Explore
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(140 ratings)
9.2
(9 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.9
(56 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
8.0
(52 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft Power BIZendesk Explore
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
In operations we use the tool for many different topics, from factory quality systems to high level reviews. We have created kind of an internal "App Store" based on Power BI where you have a lot of different dashboards for different solutions (cost, cash, health and safety, sales, factories, distribution centers...) and you as an user just need to get in that "App Store" and enter in whatever tool can be useful for you. It is open to all the operations employees and can use on demand. Also it has raised the imagination of our colleagues, as they are not only working by themselves creating new reports, but also raising fantastic ideas that can be extended for the usage of all the community.
Read full review
Zendesk
Compared to other analytics functions of other Ticket Management System, Zendesk Explore is the easiest to learn. Moreover, the learning curve is high. Once you pick up the fundamentals, you will be able to create all types of analytic reports. In addition, if you know basic coding or SQL, you can create your own metrics and attributes to capture extremely specific elements such as the tickets that contain a certain word or etc.
Read full review
Pros
Microsoft
  • Quickly filter and view granular data sets with easily configurable reporting figures.
  • The ability to quickly switch between tabs allows for historical data comparisons and progress tracking.
  • It's helpful to dive into the data and break it down from high levels to small.
  • Achieve actionable insights faster by using real-time data. It's incredible to have online access to reports.
Read full review
Zendesk
  • As with most "suite" products, if you already use other Zendesk features (Chat, Talk, etc), then Zendesk Explore adds an extra facet to the customer experience. The more we know about our clientele, the better we can understand/anticipate their needs.
  • I like that we can get as in-depth as we feel is necessary. For example, is just one customer having an issue? Or are many experiencing a similar problem? We can better rack this type of trend using Explore.
  • Our team can dive deep into the data based on exactly what we're looking for. If the marketing team wants a certain kind of segment, we can give them that info. If we want to sort by date or another set of parameters, we can do that as well.
Read full review
Cons
Microsoft
  • The desktop app is great but needs a lot of performance improvements
  • No MacOS Version for the Desktop app, this is a big limitation for business since executives prefer Macs
  • Premium Cloud Version of Power BI is awfully expensive
  • On-Premise Version of the Power BI Reports Server is bundled only with SQL Server Enterprise License and cannot be purchased separately and requires Software Assurance Subscription
  • On-Premise Power BI Report Server doesn't support ADFS, AzureAD or any Claims-Based authentication platform, a sad disadvantage for enterprises
Read full review
Zendesk
  • Flexibility: the platform is somewhat limited for the creation of "non-standard" metrics
  • It is complicated to create dashboards with no previous Zendesk Explore knowledge
  • The reliability of Zendesk Explore has not been great: we had at least 5 situations when the dashboard was not showing data and had to approach Customer service for support
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
I find it helpful and easy to use
Read full review
Zendesk
No answers on this topic
Usability
Microsoft
At this point, I think we all know who has taken the lead in the business intelligence and analytics market worldwide. With fresh new updates every other day on top of an already robustly built product with all features that one can dream of is a no brainer, I feel. Microsoft will invariably be synonymous with quality and professionalism.
Read full review
Zendesk
As previously mentioned, Zendesk Explore is easy to use. There are lots of materials in Zendesk Community. In addition, the live support will also help a lot in learning Zendesk Explore, especially for beginners. Zendesk Explore might be difficult at first to learn, but anyone could learn it in just 7 days. Once the fundamentals are locked in, moving from that place to becoming an amateur at Zendesk Explore is extremely easy. Lastly, if you know basic coding and SQL, you can be a pro at it already.
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Support Rating
Microsoft
I can't really speak to the support overall, [but] I will say that in the almost three years I have used the system, I have only needed to contact their support team once. I think the team was helpful, but it did take some time for us to resolve the issues/ request that they had. I guess the good news is that the system is pretty stable, and I personally have rarely needed to contact their technical support team.
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Zendesk
Support for all of Zendesk has exceeding my expectations. This company will always get a 10 out of 10 in my book. Any question you have they make sure you have the answer plus a step-by-step guide on how to do each step so you are set up for success!
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Alternatives Considered
Microsoft
[Microsoft] Power BI is practical and effective, like a hammer for a nail, it is easy to use and produces very quickly the results that in most cases are urgently required by clients (nice reports to share on the web). To start using [Microsoft] Power BI you need a business email address, with that you create an account in Power BI Service and in less than 1 hour you will have installed Power BI Desktop, a report will have been created and it will have been published on the web .
Read full review
Zendesk
Zendesk Explore is more user friendly and the software plus maintenance cost is less. The report section is more detailed and no lag while creating report for a large data source. The report segments and formats are editable which make it more convenient to make a report according to a requirement for an individual.
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Return on Investment
Microsoft
  • It helps us track and achieve company goals.
  • It shows us [our] performance in areas we could not previously track and allows us to see and work on how to improve their performance.
  • Quick easy access for executives to use in helping teams and addressing issues.
Read full review
Zendesk
  • Money saved due to proper staffing.
  • Happier Staff- proper staffing ensures no one is overworked.
  • Ability to quickly pinpoint where issues are and why.
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