Microsoft Power BI vs. SAP Analytics Cloud

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
SAP Analytics Cloud
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
The SAP Analytics Cloud solution brings together analytics and planning with integration to SAP applications and access to heterogenous data sources. As the analytics and planning solution within SAP Business Technology Platform, SAP Analytics Cloud supports trusted insights and integrated planning processes enterprise-wide to help make decisions without doubt.
$36
per month per user
Pricing
Microsoft Power BISAP Analytics Cloud
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
SAP Analytics Cloud for Business Intelligence
$36.00
per month per user
SAP Analytics Cloud for Planning
Price upon request
per month per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft Power BISAP Analytics Cloud
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsGet started on your 30-day trial with SAP Analytics Cloud, supporting analytics enterprise-wide. Extend it up to 90 days if you want to.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft Power BISAP Analytics Cloud
Considered Both Products
Microsoft Power BI
Chose Microsoft Power BI
Microsoft BI tool does a better job than most of the other software. The reason is excellent visualizations and its capability to connect with various other software and data sources. Tableau does a better job when it comes to tutorials and being more user-friendly. Also …
SAP Analytics Cloud
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
Product features and Usability of SAP made us to choose it against any other solution in the market. Microsoft Power BI was only giving us BI reports but SAP Analytics gave us more features and functionality such predictive analysis, automation with customization, etc.
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
SAP Analytics Cloud vs. Microsoft Power BI:Cost: Power BI is often perceived as a cost-effective solution, especially for organizations already using Microsoft products. SAP Analytics Cloud might be seen as a higher-cost option.Integration: SAP Analytics Cloud may have an edge …
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
SAP Analytics Cloud and Power BI are both tools that help businesses understand their data, but they have some differences. SAC, made by SAP, works well if your company already uses other SAP products. It's in the cloud, easy to use, and has features for analyzing data, getting …
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
SAP Analytics Cloud has the largest user base in the manufacturing field because of its service.
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
SAC includes predictive analytics features, allowing users to perform advanced analytics and forecast future trends. This can be a valuable asset for organizations seeking predictive modeling capabilities.

It has an integration with the SAP landscape, seek a unified platform for …
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
SAP Analytics Cloud has direct connectivity to S/4 and have the extended possibility for financial planning
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
Data models are familiar and no additional reconciliations needed
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
Power BI seem to work easier with other datasources (non-SAP)
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
More integrated to our landscape SAP based
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
it's the product supported by my organization, also it has better authorization features than Power BI
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
SAC is a full-featured analytics platform, it offers AP, CPM and PA unlike Tableau which doesn’t encompass corporate performance management tools.
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
business users seen itas a good option for graphicl display
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
I preferred SAC since it had a lot of tools unlike some alternatives which were missing some capabilities such as CPM on Ms Power BI.
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
Better native SAP data integration
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
We have both. We use SAC more for SAP aaplications like: S/4HANA & BW/4HANA, We use Power BI for snowflake, datalake.
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
End to end seamless integration with other SAP products in the eco system.
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
Processing SAP Data - SAC is better.

Intuitive use and better visualization - Power BI is better
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
It's very advanced as compared to any other software and its usability is effective with its data usage power to give effective results from that data as well as profitable from the company's perspective, and you can do work in clicks, which are mainly for data inputs, …
Top Pros
Top Cons
TrustRadius Insights
Microsoft Power BISAP Analytics Cloud
Highlights

TrustRadius
Research Team Insight
Published

Microsoft Power BI and SAP Analytics Cloud are business intelligence and analytics platforms that allow users to query and visualize data. This analysis helps provide businesses with insights to improve their decision-making capabilities. 

Microsoft Power BI is more focused on ad-hoc querying of datasets with powerful data slicing and dicing tools. On the other hand, SAP Analytics Cloud is targeted at businesses that already use SAP database and data warehouse platforms and want to use their data to build dashboards and reporting structures. On TrustRadius, Microsoft Power BI is popular among midsize businesses and enterprises while SAP Analytics Cloud is preferred by enterprise organizations. 

Features

Since Power BI is part of the Microsoft ecosystem of products and services, users who are comfortable with other Microsoft products will likely have little trouble adjusting to Power BI. Another major plus of Power BI is that it is available for free for individual users. This allows users without business accounts to learn and practice with the software on their own time with their own projects. Another feature offered by Microsoft Power BI is the ability to use custom data visualizations downloaded from Microsoft Marketplace, further expanding the capabilities of the tool. 

SAP Analytics Cloud’s standout features are its excellent dashboard and data visualization capabilities. TrustRadius users report that the product’s graphics are high quality and that dashboards are easy to build. SAP also pushes frequent updates to the program on a bi-weekly or quarterly basis (depending on contract details) and is actively adding new features to the software regularly. Analytics Cloud also offers natural language processing to make finding results easier through the search function. Lastly, An embedded version is offered at no extra cost so that users can build charts and dashboards into other SAP applications and have changes in data reflected in real-time.    

Limitations

According to end-users, Microsoft Power BI has a few downsides. Businesses that want complete control of their data will have to upgrade to the premium version of the software to be able to keep their data in-house and off of Microsoft’s servers. Power BI also has rigid rules in place for handling table joins within a database. This can lead to problems for users who need multiple joins from a single table. TrustRadius reviewers also report some issues with performance when trying to manipulate extremely large datasets.  

SAP Analytics Cloud has a few limitations as well. Since it is so heavily embedded within the SAP environment, there are fewer third-party integrations available. Integration with other software systems may be more difficult to achieve because of this. Some TrustRadius reviewers comment that SAP Analytics Cloud’s data analysis capabilities are not as robust as some of their competitors’ data analytics features. Other users have experienced issues with having to split up queries because of line limits and other data limitations.  

Pricing

Microsoft Power BI offers paid plans for business users and a free version for individual users. While the free version allows individuals to practice using the software and become familiar with its functionality, it has a more limited feature set than the paid business plans. 

Pricing for its Power BI Pro plan starts at $9.95 per user per month. For businesses that need advanced functionality, the Power BI Premium plan is available starting at $4,995 per year. Enterprise organizations will need to request a consultation for full pricing options. 

SAP Analytics Cloud offers a 90-day free trial which includes access to SAP Analytics Cloud for Business Intelligence and SAP Analytics Cloud for Planning, with limitations on their capabilities. They also offer a Business Intelligence package for $22 per user per month, which includes full access to those modules with Cloud for Planning being view-only. SAP also offers two higher-priced tiers, with pricing available by request from the vendor.  

Features
Microsoft Power BISAP Analytics Cloud
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
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.9
247 Ratings
2% below category average
Pixel Perfect reports6.6118 Ratings7.7204 Ratings
Customizable dashboards8.1138 Ratings8.1242 Ratings
Report Formatting Templates7.3126 Ratings7.9220 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
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.9
257 Ratings
5% below category average
Drill-down analysis7.3138 Ratings8.0248 Ratings
Formatting capabilities6.5137 Ratings7.8245 Ratings
Integration with R or other statistical packages7.6102 Ratings7.8190 Ratings
Report sharing and collaboration7.0134 Ratings7.9235 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
SAP Analytics Cloud
8.0
242 Ratings
2% below category average
Publish to Web8.2128 Ratings8.1208 Ratings
Publish to PDF8.2121 Ratings8.2233 Ratings
Report Versioning7.3101 Ratings8.1202 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling8.6103 Ratings7.9194 Ratings
Delivery to Remote Servers6.973 Ratings00 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
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.8
251 Ratings
2% above category average
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)7.6130 Ratings7.8240 Ratings
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization7.9121 Ratings7.8232 Ratings
Predictive Analytics7.5101 Ratings7.9236 Ratings
Pattern Recognition and Data Mining00 Ratings7.734 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
SAP Analytics Cloud
8.2
257 Ratings
6% below category average
Multi-User Support (named login)8.2120 Ratings8.1236 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model8.8102 Ratings8.1243 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)8.3110 Ratings8.0234 Ratings
Report-Level Access Control7.01 Ratings8.146 Ratings
Single Sign-On (SSO)8.694 Ratings8.6237 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
SAP Analytics Cloud
8.0
219 Ratings
0% below category average
Responsive Design for Web Access8.0111 Ratings8.0208 Ratings
Mobile Application7.493 Ratings7.8180 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile7.5112 Ratings8.0203 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
SAP Analytics Cloud
-
Ratings
REST API8.172 Ratings00 Ratings
Javascript API9.556 Ratings00 Ratings
iFrames8.055 Ratings00 Ratings
Java API7.946 Ratings00 Ratings
Themeable User Interface (UI)8.263 Ratings00 Ratings
Customizable Platform (Open Source)8.344 Ratings00 Ratings
Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting
Comparison of Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
-
Ratings
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.8
275 Ratings
6% below category average
Long-term financial planning00 Ratings7.6234 Ratings
Financial budgeting00 Ratings7.8240 Ratings
Forecasting00 Ratings7.8247 Ratings
Scenario modeling00 Ratings7.5238 Ratings
Management reporting00 Ratings8.2266 Ratings
Consolidation and Close
Comparison of Consolidation and Close features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
-
Ratings
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.6
230 Ratings
6% below category average
Financial data consolidation00 Ratings7.5184 Ratings
Journal entries and reports00 Ratings7.6174 Ratings
Multi-currency management00 Ratings7.5189 Ratings
Intercompany Eliminations00 Ratings7.4144 Ratings
Minority Ownership00 Ratings7.5130 Ratings
Local and consolidated reporting00 Ratings8.0181 Ratings
Detailed Audit Trails00 Ratings7.6171 Ratings
Financial Reporting and Compliance
Comparison of Financial Reporting and Compliance features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
-
Ratings
SAP Analytics Cloud
8.0
254 Ratings
3% below category average
Financial Statement Reporting00 Ratings7.9213 Ratings
Management Reporting00 Ratings8.2244 Ratings
Excel-based Reporting00 Ratings8.0225 Ratings
Automated board and financial reporting00 Ratings8.1203 Ratings
XBRL support for regulatory filing00 Ratings7.7114 Ratings
Analytics and Reporting
Comparison of Analytics and Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
-
Ratings
SAP Analytics Cloud
8.1
278 Ratings
1% above category average
Personalized dashboards00 Ratings8.2271 Ratings
Color-coded scorecards00 Ratings8.1256 Ratings
KPIs00 Ratings8.3262 Ratings
Cost and profitability analysis00 Ratings8.3244 Ratings
Key Performance Indicator setting00 Ratings8.3247 Ratings
Benchmarking with external data00 Ratings7.6207 Ratings
Integration
Comparison of Integration features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
-
Ratings
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.6
259 Ratings
9% below category average
Flat file integration00 Ratings7.7244 Ratings
Excel data integration00 Ratings7.9248 Ratings
Direct links to 3rd-party data sources00 Ratings7.1227 Ratings
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Microsoft Power BISAP Analytics Cloud
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User Ratings
Microsoft Power BISAP Analytics Cloud
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(140 ratings)
8.2
(299 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(1 ratings)
7.5
(7 ratings)
Usability
8.9
(56 ratings)
8.0
(221 ratings)
Support Rating
8.0
(52 ratings)
6.4
(75 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
5.1
(6 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft Power BISAP Analytics Cloud
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
SAP
SAP Analytics Cloud is great for big companies that want advanced data analysis and planning, especially when they need to work together in real-time or when people need to access data on their phones. It's like a super tool for predicting future trends in industries like retail or finance. SAC also works well for companies that use different types of computer systems because it can easily connect them. But, for small businesses that only need basic reports or don't have a lot of technical resources, a simpler tool might be better. If a company doesn't always have a good internet connection or if they're just starting with analytics, there might be other tools that work better.
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
SAP
  • SAP Analytics Cloud's augmented analytics feature helps the user create audience segmentation based on reviewer behavior, feedback, preferences etc.
  • The governance feature offered by SAP Analytics Cloud enables editorial administrator and the product manager ensure compliance, adherence to Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity and data privacy regulations.
  • Being a multi-user platform, collaboration becomes quick and easy for organizations wherein multiple teams often work for the development of a product.
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
SAP
  • User Interface of SAP cloud analytics can be improved more so that it can be made more accessible.
  • User support is not that much good and time consuming.
  • Limited team work and collaboration possible as their are not much collaborative features available, it makes it sometime time consuming.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
I find it helpful and easy to use
Read full review
SAP
There’s no doubt I will renew SAP Analytics Cloud. It is the most vital tool in our organization that makes it seamless to make rapid business decisions by collecting, modeling and visualizing data in real-time.
Read full review
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
SAP
Considering the feedback and improvements made over time, users often rate SAP Analytics Cloud's usability in the range of 7 to 9 out of 10. Positive aspects include its integration capabilities, collaborative features, and the ability to create visually appealing dashboards. Some users, however, may note a learning curve or desire additional customization options.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
SAP
Since the implementation stage, the support team has been very helpful and assisting. Even in the later stages, the tech team had quite a rapid response. In general, SAP has provided us with great customer support, let it be for a specific product of SAP or for integration of different modules.
Read full review
In-Person Training
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
SAP
Good videos and reference material available in SAP Portal.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
SAP
SAC is a simple solution ad it works fine when connecting it to other SAP tools. On the other hand, connecting it to third party solutions brings difficulties when there's no previous design and the objetives are not clear. It is really important to integrate Business users from the start to provide with valuable business insights
Read full review
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
SAP
SAC includes predictive analytics features, allowing users to perform advanced analytics and forecast future trends. This can be a valuable asset for organizations seeking predictive modeling capabilities. It has an integration with the SAP landscape, seek a unified platform for both BI and planning, and value predictive analytics capabilities. Additionally, the emphasis on collaboration and storytelling enhances communication and decision-making processes.
Read full review
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
SAP
  • Many manual data manipulations and exports in Excel have been replaced by the tool, providing management with improved insight into the amount of time spent at each stage of an invoice's lifetime, allowing bottlenecks to be discovered.
  • We now have more insight into the data, and people with little technical experience can easily build stories.
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