Item: Microsoft Power BI
Rating: 7
Author: Gabrielle Wayman

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Power BI is available across the enterprise. Our department uses Power BI to make cost and repair data easily digestible for account managers, who then use it to report and sell to customers. Before Power BI, analysts received dozens of data pull and process requests weekly. Since these requests were often very similar, we realized that AMs could self-serve through Power BI dashboards.

Pros and Cons

Filters.
UI design.
Easy to plug into database.

Not exactly intuitive for users unfamiliar with BI tools.
Big learning curve to set up dashboard.

Return on Investment

Reduced manpower spent by analysts on repetitive data requests.
Elevates customer-facing presentations and increases trust.
Provides opportunities to glean meaningful insight from data.

Alternatives Considered

Domo

I did not make the purchasing choice for Power BI. Domo seems to have a more intuitive user navigation, but other than that the level of drill-down analysis and report creation is the same.

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?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of Microsoft Power BI go as expected?

I wasn't involved with the implementation phase

Would you buy Microsoft Power BI again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Aha!, Azure DevOps Server (formerly Team Foundation Server), Microsoft Teams

Usability

It’s not a point-and-click dashboard/report builder, so you need to be familiar with building BI tools in order to build the dashboards you need. However, once they’re built it’s easy to train users on how to view them and use drill-down analysis and filters to find patterns and stories in the data.

Support Rating

I have not interacted with their support team. When I need help, I refer to YouTube videos and forums of peer users. I wasn’t able to complete this review without assigning a number, and I didn’t want to tank their support rating in case others find them very helpful.

Likelihood to Recommend

If you’re like our team and need a way to reduce redundant data reporting requests for a particular group of users, Power BI will suit you. You’ll need someone experienced with BI tools to help you get set up, as it’s not designed for laypeople. Once it’s set up, though, the reporting is easy to use and clear to understand.

Power BI Saves Analysts Time

Software Version

Overall Satisfaction with Microsoft Power BI