"Easy To Use BI Platform With Effective Reporting"
I can connect to Oracle, Snowflake, SQL Server, Excel, CSV, text files, and create custom visualizations with Microsoft Power BI Desktop. …
Microsoft BI (MSBI)
Microsoft BI (MSBI)
Overview
Reviews
Popular Features
View all 29 featuresFormatting capabilities (52)
8.4
84%
Customizable dashboards (52)
8.4
84%
Report sharing and collaboration (52)
8.3
83%
Report Formatting Templates (50)
8.0
80%
Reviewer Pros & Cons
View all pros & cons
Al Mubassir Muin
Software Engineer
Prime Tech Solutions Ltd. (Information Technology & Services, 51-200 employees)
Aononna Tazin
Customer Relationship Management Specialist
Green Light Ltd (Information Technology & Services, 51-200 employees)Pricing
View all pricingPower BI Pro
$9.99
Cloud
per user/per month
Power BI Premium
4,995
Cloud
per month
Entry-level set up fee?
- No setup fee
For the latest information on pricing, visithttps://powerbi.microsoft.com/pricing
Offerings
- Free Trial
- Free/Freemium Version
- Premium Consulting / Integration Services
Features Scorecard
BI Standard Reporting
8.3
83%
Ad-hoc Reporting
8.3
83%
Report Output and Scheduling
8.3
83%
Data Discovery and Visualization
8.2
82%
Access Control and Security
8.6
86%
Mobile Capabilities
8.4
84%
Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
8.1
81%
Product Details
What is Microsoft BI (MSBI)?
Microsoft BI (MSBI) benefits from the ubiquity of SQL server and the set of tools built around the database, including an ETL layer, master data management, data cleansing, report and reporting.
The reporting engine is SQL Server Reporting Services which does not have the visualization capabilities of visualization tools like Tableau or Qlik. Excel has historically been the platform visualization tool. Power BI for Office 365 has done much to improve the discovery and visualization capabilities of Excel.
Microsoft now offers Power BI cloud as the visualization platform with geospatial 3D, natural-language query generation, and self-service ETL along with charting and other data visualizations that can be uploaded and shared through the Power BI service.
The Power BI platform also provides live access to on-premises Microsoft SQL Server instances, and self-service access to third-party cloud sources including Salesforce, Marketo, Zendesk, and GitHub. Mobility is supported through a native iPad app, an iPhone app.
This new platform is viewed by Microsoft as a visualization layer sitting on top of their earlier generation of installed SQL-based technology.
The reporting engine is SQL Server Reporting Services which does not have the visualization capabilities of visualization tools like Tableau or Qlik. Excel has historically been the platform visualization tool. Power BI for Office 365 has done much to improve the discovery and visualization capabilities of Excel.
Microsoft now offers Power BI cloud as the visualization platform with geospatial 3D, natural-language query generation, and self-service ETL along with charting and other data visualizations that can be uploaded and shared through the Power BI service.
The Power BI platform also provides live access to on-premises Microsoft SQL Server instances, and self-service access to third-party cloud sources including Salesforce, Marketo, Zendesk, and GitHub. Mobility is supported through a native iPad app, an iPhone app.
This new platform is viewed by Microsoft as a visualization layer sitting on top of their earlier generation of installed SQL-based technology.
Microsoft BI (MSBI) Competitors
Microsoft BI (MSBI) Technical Details
| Deployment Types | SaaS |
|---|---|
| Operating Systems | Unspecified |
| Mobile Application | No |
Alternatives
View all alternatives
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Microsoft BI (MSBI)?
Microsoft 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.
What are Microsoft BI (MSBI)'s top competitors?
Oracle Analytics Server (formerly Oracle BI Foundation Suite), Spoom (formerly Analyza), and SAP Analytics Cloud are common alternatives for Microsoft BI (MSBI).
What is Microsoft BI (MSBI)'s best feature?
Reviewers rate Single Sign-On (SSO) highest, with a score of 9.
Who uses Microsoft BI (MSBI)?
The most common users of Microsoft BI (MSBI) are from Enterprises and the Information Technology & Services industry.
Reviews and Ratings
(882)
Ratings
Reviews
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November 01, 2021
"Easy To Use BI Platform With Effective Reporting"
I can connect to Oracle, Snowflake, SQL Server, Excel, CSV, text files, and create custom visualizations with Microsoft Power BI Desktop. Our team can generate reports and analyze data with all of their BI tools at their disposal (SSAS SSRS and SSIS). The best feature of Power BI is its appealing and interactive layouts. Power BI simplifies visualizing and interpreting data. It is possible to use drag-and-drop relationships and data visualization with the Microsoft BI stack to solve many client data problems. Anyone, regardless of skill level, can get up and run with their first project, even with no prior knowledge of SQL. We’ll assess various options based on the client’s licensing agreements. The Microsoft BI stacks are the best choice.
- 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.
- Only the pro version allows me to complete most tasks, and there aren't many options for customizing the interface.
- Browser-based, so some browsers won't work, and the price isn't as competitive.
- It doesn't have as many visually appealing graphs and charts, and it's not as intuitive to use as some others, but we can get used to it.
With Microsoft BI (MSBI), we can create our own data sets, goals, and records with no difficulty. We have a wide range of options and features to choose from when it comes to sifting through vast amounts of data. Our organization uses its interactive and engaging layouts are the most impressive feature. This tool makes it simple to view and determine data. This site’s design is excellent, allowing us to see what would have been hundreds of lines of text in graphs and tables. To generate comprehensive documents, we adopt it to figure out large measures of SQL, Excel, and other application-related data. We use it to help our clients make more informed business decisions that lead to increased revenue.
- An end-to-end solution that connects multiple data sources and a single vendor is ideal.
- Excellent tools for visualizing data. Using Visual Studio, I could develop database, ETL, reporting, and analytics projects all in one environment.
- Easy to use compared to other data analytics solutions, with powerful analytical and trending tools and easy access to our data and views.
- It has limited visual options, and Microsoft BI (MSBI) isn't the best for advanced modeling and analysis.
- Excel proficiency is required before diving into PowerBI, and reshaping and reorganizing data is possible but not easy.
- Additional training and tutorials for Microsoft BI (MSBI) would be helpful for organizations with a large number of users and better pricing options required.
December 06, 2021
"Microsoft BI is a powerful analytic tool for large data sets."
Microsoft Power BI is a beautiful and powerful data visualization tool that we use. It is a robust business analytics tool with excellent visualizations. Excel files, OneDrive, and third-party tools like SQL databases are all supported. We can use the Query revised feature to edit and transform our data, accessible anywhere. It makes it simple to import data from Excel or other sources. Many options are available for visuals, including custom visuals added to any report. With these data visualization charts, real-time automation is possible. For non-technical users, the Power BI desktop has the best part: it is simple to use. Basic visualizations can be created using a variety of drag-and-drop options. Microsoft Power BI has been fascinating to observe how visuals interact between pages.
- Easy customization of workspaces for different project groups via a dashboard and a drag-and-drop interface.
- Easy report generation and data attribute comparison across applications. Perfect for data-only devices.
- Visual Studio integrates database, ETL, reporting, and analytics development. Large technical user community and rich tool feature set.
- Costs are high compared to the competition, and it could be more user-friendly.
- As a browser-based app, it doesn't have as many eye-catching charts and graphs as some others, and some browsers are better than others at running it.
- Most of the tasks require a pro version, and proper training is necessary to use it, but you can learn how to use it.
November 02, 2021
Multiple tools in single package.
In my organization, we are using MSBI to create, maintain and deploy reposts. We use all three component of MSBI like SSIS, SSRS, SSAS. We use ETL packages to maintain Dataware hosts using SSIS. We create reports using SSRS and analyze the data using the SSAS tool
- Create packages to move data and perform different data related tasks using SSIS
- Create reports to summarize the data in an understandable form using SSRS
- Analyze the data provided by teams and create data cubes and reports to understand the data properly using SSAS.
- It should be an open source tool for a vast variety of implementation.
- You need to buy a licensed server to maintain MSBI
- Need a proper course or content to learn concepts, which sometimes creates difficulty.
March 05, 2021
Powerful tool for data visualization
We are using Microsoft BI (MSBI) to visualize our data better and provide detailed insights on KPI. It also helps in building dashboards, which help key stakeholders analyze and make decisions on a regular basis. We have been able to use the tool as a starting step for our customers to provide them with useful insights and data. Data is the key thing that everyone wants. Some of our customers are even ready to pay more if we are able to provide them with detailed information.
- Dashbaords
- Data collaberation
- Multiple connectors
- GIS data
- Easy formula writing
- Needs to be easier to share and collaborate
June 03, 2021
Microsoft BI
Microsoft BI being used by Master Data Management team like Vendors data, Customers data, Sites data, Bank, Bank Accounts, Customer Mandates, Employees, and Products data within our organization. It solves the problem of master data attributes like payment terms, tax codes etc., discrepancies within the applications of our IT landscape.
- Dashboard capability.
- Comparison between data attributes of various applications.
- Data load through Excel.
- Integration between different data sources and MSBI.
- Dashboard features.
- Performance.
May 24, 2021
Powerful Data Visualization with MSBI
Our team is using Microsoft BI (MSBI) to generate detailed data visualization and reports for a banking domain client. It is helping us to analyze large data sets of SQL, spreadsheets, and application data to generate detailed reports. This, in return, is helping our client to make better business decisions to increase their revenue.
- Data modeling
- Interactive graphs and charts
- Easy generation of detailed reports
- Easy integration with Microsoft Azure Cloud
- Easy creation of customizable workspaces for different teams in the project
- Python is supported, hence you can add additional charts and graphs
- Good customer support
- It consumes a lot of time in the initial stage for planning and designing dashboards
- Data processing for large data sets consumes a considerable amount of time
April 26, 2021
MSBI - Bang for the Buck
The Microsoft BI stack is being used as the enterprise BI software by our organization. The full stack of BI tools (SSAS, SSRS, and SSIS) are being leveraged to provide reporting and analytics to the business. It allows us to provide standard reporting, delivered ad-hoc or via e-mail, exception based notifications, and analytics. Additionally we leverage SSIS for data warehouse ETL as well as EDI.
- Single vendor provides a true end-to-end solution from data storage to end-user consumables.
- Visual Studio provides a single IDE for database, ETL, reporting, and analytics development.
- Rich feature set across the tools with 15-20 years of maturity.
- Reunification of installers to simplify the process for both server installs and developer (SSRS now split out, BI tools not all within one package).
- Ongoing Visual Studio instability.
- Better server to server deployment options for SSRS.
We implement Microsoft BI solutions to clients across North America. Clients are constantly coming to us having issues gathering their data from disparate sources in order to make meaningful decisions with their information. Depending on the client and their licensing agreements, we will then evaluate options, and the Microsoft BI stack tends to be a leader of the pack to solve many client data issues.
- Great traditional ETL data gathering tools.
- Large technical user community.
- Excellent data visualization tools.
- The race to perfect gathering of Non-Traditional datasets is on-going; with Microsoft arguably not the leader of the pack in this category.
- Licensing options for PowerBI visualizations may be a factor. I.e. if you need to implement B2C PowerBI visualizations, the cost is considerably high especially for startups.
- Some clients are still resistant putting their data on the cloud, which restricts lots of functionality to Power BI.
We use Microsoft Power BI for the data management of our projects. Some of our projects include collecting data of users who signup for webinars and Power BI is then used to analyze that data and provide us with a graphical representation of it. This is very convenient to embed in presentations, etc.
- Easy display of data.
- Compatible with most Microsoft products.
- Cloud connectivity.
- Can be more user friendly.
- Proper training required to use.
I dont use it right now but , I used it during my research assistantship to generate beautiful visualizations for big data. At the time I was researching about covid has impacted people using twitter data and BI tools really shined in [how] easily they could connect with various platdata platforms easily.
- Powerful analytics tools
- Great visualization features. I really liked visualizations based on map
- Ability to connect with multiple data sources
- Tight integration with Microsoft services
- Awesome user interface
- Steep learning curve depending on your background. For me it was easy but I saw some people struggling with it
April 22, 2020
Microsoft PowerBI unleashes the power of your data
We use Microsoft PowerBI to analyze data from our CRM and invoicing system (Connectwise with a SQL backend). Connectwise has a large number of built-in reports and a custom report writer but it was falling short of our needs. We engaged an outside consultant to create a large set of reports and views using PowerBI. Our managment teams uses it weekly. The ability to view them online without any special software of "running" of reports make it so much easier to use than other platforms we've used.
- Easy to access the data and views you have created
- Simple filtering of data views
- Ability to view live or near live data
- It runs in a browser and some browsers work better than others
- Sometimes you start getting wacky results and you have to refresh the page to reset the views
We have deployed the Microsoft BI tool company-wide now. It is very simple to use and better than other tools available. You can easily create and share dashboards. It helps an organization in multiple ways by creating very interactive dashboards, and its possible to present complex data in a more presentable way.
- Creating amazing dashboards
- You can create a variety of reports and can be scheduled automatically.
- You can integrate big data in Microsoft BI.
- It gets hanged while developing complex report which hampers productivity
- You require pro version to do most of the task
We currently use Microsoft BI to power the dashboard and analytics behind our performance management platform. Previously, this was done manually by each division in their own silo, making it difficult for upper management to translate disparate information from different sources into useful business decisions. With the help of Microsoft BI, we were able to warehouse data from a variety of sources across different business units into a centralized location and extract powerful reports and dashboards to assist with strategic decision making.
- Powerful analytical and trending tools.
- Compatibility with different data sources (including non-Microsoft).
- Attractive dashboard visuals.
- Seamless integration into a Microsoft ecosystem.
- Pricing is not as competitive as alternatives.
- Online / Cloud versions are lacking in features.
- Desktop (free) version has limited features.
We use Microsoft BI to display and analyze admissions-related data in a user-friendly format. It is currently only being used by one department although we are exploring expanding this to other areas of our institution. The main problem this software addresses is the ability to analyze and display data in a meaningful way.
- The platform is fairly easy to use when compared to other data analytics solutions.
- Collaborating with other colleagues on data work is extremely simple.
- If your organization is not an Office365 organization, it becomes challenging to share/collaborate on data projects without creating new accounts and new subscriptions.
- Limited ability to change the options in your visuals.
February 08, 2020
Casual User’s POC
Microsoft BI is being used for report generation to monitor ongoing technology projects and business initiatives. We have two users who generate reports but many consumers.
- Reporting
- Data analysis
- Intuitive use
January 28, 2020
Microsoft BI is a great product. Highly Recommend.
We have a BI team that manages the applications and the resources and connects the multitude of data sources into its data warehouse for analytics and reporting. We create multiple dashboards for different departments as they need. One business need we use it for is wait times in clinics. We can determine what days of the year are the busiest to ensure we don't incur any staffing issues and then use the data to promote wait times on market billboards externally for potential patients.
- Able to connect to multiple data sources.
- Canned reports are great and custom reports are better.
- Can be costly to implement. Not cost effective for SMB. No mid-market tier pricing.
- Knowledge in programming a plus.
November 20, 2019
Microsoft BI review
Microsoft BI has transformed the reporting process at JCT. It is being used across the whole organization due to ease of access to data and drilldowns. The company has created tools to give visibility of detailed level data to folks working at corporate as well as in the field.
- Ability to drill down.
- Automated refresh of data.
- Ability to visualize data on charts and maps.
- Need access to detailed map visuals.
- Use Python or R scripts.
- Need ability to input data.
February 18, 2019
Microsoft BI is great if you're looking for a BI product that feels like the other Microsoft products you use
Microsoft BI is used across many departments within the organization. Due to the availability of other software tools, Microsoft BI is only used in certain parts of the business. Microsoft Power BI is used for automated data reporting and interactive visualizations. The software is also used for some analytics processes.
- As with most every other Microsoft product, Microsoft BI makes setting up and analyzing data about as easy as it gets.
- Creating graphics is very easy.
- Connecting to multiple data sources works just fine.
- Simple reporting and integration with other Microsoft products is great.
- Microsoft BI is not top of the for advanced analysis and modeling.
- Reshaping and restructuring data is doable, but not super simple.
- Customizing visualizations is sometimes difficult to impossible.
January 23, 2019
Microsoft BI - Putting the power into your reporting
We use Microsoft BI primarily just within our lab group and department due to its very specific and powerful data visualization capabilities. While it is applicable to almost any work involving data analytics, it might seem like overkill for some people. We have found that it does an excellent job in preparing and displaying the more complex data that we deal with.
- Data display in graphs and tables
- Compatibility with other Microsoft products
- User-friendly and informative reporting
- Data compatibility with non-Microsoft products
- Data sourcing functionality is poor
- Offline server functionality impedes out of country work
January 17, 2019
Outstanding Report Creator
Several people that I know use Microsoft PowerBI. It is mainly used for reporting for several teams, then I am able to access those reports for my own use. When I use it I import Excel sheets in, and use PowerBI to make them more visually appealing and easier to filter. It works like a charm. I have not seen any issues other than the occasional drag with data sets.
- Makes reports more visually appealing
- Very good variety of formats for charting information
- Good cloud connectivity (most of the time)
- Need to be proficient with Excel before diving into PowerBI
- Only available with a monthly subscription
- Steep learning curve for many users (including me)
January 16, 2019
Microsoft BI - A diamond in the rough
Data modeling, visualization, and analytics.
Microsoft BI is currently only used for dashboarding (descriptive analytics), where data relationship is simple, while most of the predictive analytics are done in other tools.
Microsoft BI is currently only used for dashboarding (descriptive analytics), where data relationship is simple, while most of the predictive analytics are done in other tools.
- Easy integration with other Microsoft products.
- Great integration with R/Python.
- Map visualization limit on data count
- Inability to model data relationship with multiple non unique keys
January 10, 2019
Business Intelligence like you never seen before
Microsoft BI is being used by specific departments, providing analysis of different types of data, how resources are being used and even showing how well Support Departments are doing, responding to tickets that are eventually fed to Microsoft BI. There are many problems being addressed, including allowing several types of connections to our data.
- Allow many types of connections to our data
- Makes impressive graphics from the data collected
- Provides interactive resources and dashboards
- Should have support for other operating systems
- Prices could be a bit better for organizations with more users
December 06, 2018
Power BI just works!
We currently have limited use of Power BI within our IT and accounting departments for relaying reporting information. We use Power BI to create an efficient interface for our executive team to gain access to vital sales information from our restaurants in a concise, detailed manner as opposed to our traditional Excel spreadsheets. IT uses Power BI to track purchasing as well as within our help desk department.
- Great for translating numbers in graphics that are easy to understand and manipulate for anyone with no technical expertise
- Additional training and tutorials that exist with Power BI as users are working with it would be beneficial.
June 19, 2018
Power BI will put an S on your chest
It is currently being used at a program level by project controls to provide project performance data to the project team. Engagement with Power BI allows the different stakeholders for the project to engage with performance data providing them the opportunity to be more responsive to issues and opportunities. It keeps everyone that is a part of the project on course and helps drive collaboration with the team members.
- The layout of Power BI is very intuitive. Someone that is familiar with Excel and working with Charts and Graphs in that environment will find the learning curve a rather short one to start using Power BI.
- I like the way Power BI fits an assortment of users and how the functionality that you engage is replicated in Excel, that being Power Query and Power Pivot. So what you learn in one tool can be readily applied towards the other which allows you to more effectively apply your training.
- I appreciate how Microsoft is working to develop tools that go a long ways to empowering the end user. Prior to Power BI I would have had to consult with a "BI" professional to develop a dashboard. With Power BI I don't have to consult with anyone, I can work to put together the dash board I want and using a tool set that is really robust and allows me to engage an enormous amount of data. It's provides a great deal of flexibility and the types of data I can connect to.
- Updates...Microsoft is working diligently to keep Power BI current with monthly updates. They do a really good job of listening to the end user, if there is functionality not currently present just give them a month or so.
- Just to be clear, even though it's easy to get going right out of the gate with Power BI it provides plenty of opportunities to create some really sophisticated reporting solutions. With DAX in Power Pivot and M language in Power Query, you are provided with plenty of head room to do some really amazing things in Power BI.
- Training...there are resources across the web for learning and growing your skills and Power BI. And what's even better is the majority of those resources are free.
- Data engagement, when presenting the data to the end user Power BI goes a long way to allowing that end user to engage the data and begin to identify root cause by simply interacting with the graph/chart/data set. It allows for really fluid engagement. Prior to Power BI so many times during the presentation of data we often times ended the engagement with that data with more questions than what were answered. With Power BI, more often than not, the end user is able to get answers to the questions by simply clicking on the data in the graph/chart/dataset to see the details. This tool really does have the capacity to make you look like a rock star.
- The desktop version is free, monthly updates, free training resources...what's not to love. I'm sure that someone with a higher degree of technical learning will be able to better articulate some negatives for Power BI, I'm just not that guy. I have nothing but appreciation for Power BI.