Item: Microsoft Power BI
Rating: 3
Author: Berlynn Pierce

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Currently used heavily by finance and data management teams and used by marketing folks to understand customer behavior.

Pros and Cons

Ability to consume data from multiple sources.
Both mobile app and Teams connection available for quick views and collaboration.

Difficult as a marketer to find data or create reports.
Need additional training options to view capability and how to or where to find data.
Search bar functionality not intuitive, at least keep it sticky rather than needing to hover over the bottom of a list.

Return on Investment

Ability to connect various teams and data across the business.

It is so much easier to find data points and build or update reports in Adobe Analytics. I use this for all my secondary order metrics and while there are two reports I use consistently in Power BI I find that it is hard to update those reports, even be able to see the ability to filter or search. The nav is easy to use to print, export, share, comment, etc. I do like that functionality since Adobe doesn't have the ability to collaborate with chats and comments.

Key Insights

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

Not sure

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

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

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of Microsoft Power BI go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Microsoft Power BI again?

Other Software Used

Adobe Analytics, Redpoint Customer Data Platform, Microsoft Teams, Cordial, Jira Software

Usability

Not simple to find or update as a Marketer. There aren't many training options. It may be a good option for folks who are building the reports but as someone who is viewing and adjusting it just isn't something I would use often or gain a ton of information from the formatting. We have a very complex data set so it may be a great option for other businesses with a more straight forward product offering and details.

Support Rating

I have never had to use the Power BI support team - if I have had questions I've reached out either to our analysts or the Marketing team. The request for help is obvious with various options that can be researched before reaching out for assistance. I don't love that that support ticket option is the very last option. When I select "report an issue" I'm taken to a community page to suggest an idea or report an issue and vote. The CTA is to suggest an idea and the headline is to share ideas for future features. This doesn't make any sense.

Likelihood to Recommend

As a marketer I am much less familiar with the tool than those who build the report like our finance and data teams. I don't find it intuitive or user friendly as I try to update things as simple as a date range, search within a list. I initially tried to download the app but there was so much data in such a small space that I didn't find it useful. I would much rather use Adobe for reporting and appreciate the weekly reports that are sent.

As a marketer I'd pass

Software Version

Overall Satisfaction with Microsoft Power BI