Item: Microsoft Power BI
Rating: 7
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

[Microsoft] Power BI is a natural choice for Microsoft shops looking to modernize dashboard development utilizing data management technologies likely already in place in the organization. I have used it at several companies I have worked for that were either SQL Server or Azure driven, to standardize development and presentation of dashboards for management and executives.

Pros and Cons

Dashboards
Step-based data preparation
Metrics
Calculated fields

Widgets
Responsive design
What-if functionality

Return on Investment

Standardized delivery of visualzations
Faster decision making
Broader visibility into business health

Alternatives Considered

Qlik Analytics Platform and MicroStrategy Analytics

[Microsoft] Power BI was really the natural choice at Microsoft technology based organizations I have worked for. The cost and integration into existing Microsoft technologies was the primary driver.

Key Insights

Do you think Microsoft Power BI delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Microsoft Power BI's feature set?

Yes

Did Microsoft Power BI live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Microsoft Power BI go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Microsoft Power BI again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Qlik Analytics Platform, MicroStrategy Analytics, SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence (BI) Platform

Usability

Very low learning curve and immediate usability

Support Rating

Very little support was needed, but Microsoft was responsive when questions were asked

Likelihood to Recommend

[Microsoft] Power BI is well suited in Microsoft based shops that are either SQL Server or Azure based. Although disparate data sources can be used, In order to take full advantage of it you should also be using Analysis Services either via SSAS or Cloud by preparing data in tabular models. With well prepared data, it is a breeze to develop dashboards and visualizations that will dazzle. For other data sources, the step-based preparation within Power BI itself is essential, rather than relying on having to write complex SQL statements to prepare your data. For organizations that are based in AWS, Oracle, or other database backends, [Microsoft] Power BI may not be an obvious choice as there are similar offerings for those platforms.

Microsoft Power BI, a natural choice for modern dashboards for organizations leveraging existing Microsoft technologies

Software Version

Overall Satisfaction with Microsoft Power BI