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MySQL vs Tableau Enterprise comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 28, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.1
Calculating MySQL ROI involves costs of implementation and cloud resources, balanced by savings on licensing and operational efficiency.
Sentiment score
6.9
Tableau Enterprise provides rapid ROI through efficient report generation, cost savings, and streamlined operations with minimal integration challenges.
I have seen a return on investment with MySQL, as it allows us to manage with fewer employees, focusing on business logic rather than database management.
Software Developer at 8 Gallery India
This saves a significant amount of time, particularly for reports that would have needed around fifty people.
Project Manager, Site at LTI - Larsen & Toubro Infotech
The ROI of using Tableau extends to its seamless integration across various platforms, as it's from Salesforce and thus not limited to any specific cloud provider.
Senior Data Consultant at a government with 11-50 employees
Tableau is saving me time, money, and resources, which I would rate as ten.
Founder at Mindclick Consulting
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.8
MySQL users often utilize community resources, with mixed experiences of Oracle support and reliance on internal or third-party help.
Sentiment score
6.1
Tableau Enterprise support is praised for expertise and responsiveness, with premium options and community resources highly rated by users.
I would rate the documentation and online support a 10 out of 10.
Student at a university with 10,001+ employees
We have no issues and usually receive timely responses.
Assistant Vice President at National Bank of Pakistan
They provide quick email and phone responses and have Thai-speaking personnel.
Senior Data Consultant at a government with 11-50 employees
There should be consistent standards for all users.
Associate Technical Architect at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The technical support for Tableau is quite good.
Project Manager, Site at LTI - Larsen & Toubro Infotech
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.7
MySQL scales effectively for small to medium applications but may struggle with high concurrency and very large workloads.
Sentiment score
6.7
Tableau Enterprise offers strong scalability and improved performance with recent updates, despite potential cost and complexity challenges.
Meeting scalability requirements through cloud computing is an expensive affair.
Technical Architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
MySQL's scalability is currently adequate, as we have increased operations from ten thousand to twelve thousand devices, and it is working fine for us.
Software Developer at 8 Gallery India
Tableau is easy to use across various dimensions, whether on-premises or on the cloud.
Senior Data Consultant at a government with 11-50 employees
The solution is fully scalable and performs well even with large datasets, provided there is proper supporting hardware.
Practice Head BI at Nous Infosystems
Tableau is easy to scale.
Content Specialist at PeerSpot
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
MySQL is stable with rare crashes, issues in large operations, and stability significantly influenced by logging and query design.
Sentiment score
7.3
Tableau Enterprise is stable and reliable, with minor challenges tied to dataset size, server, or network factors.
We face certain integration issues, especially when we integrate the database with security solutions like IBM QRadar.
Assistant Vice President at National Bank of Pakistan
From my experience, MySQL was pretty stable.
Student at a university with 10,001+ employees
The application hangs after continuous use due to the buildup of cache.
Content Specialist at PeerSpot
I rate the stability a five or six because Tableau updates very often with new versions or patches.
Senior Data Consultant at a government with 11-50 employees
 

Room For Improvement

MySQL faces scalability and performance issues, needs feature enhancements, better integration, security improvements, and advanced cloud compatibility.
Tableau Enterprise struggles with performance, integration, and features, with users seeking better analytics, data management, and cost efficiency.
It could be more beneficial if MySQL can enhance its data masking functionality in the same way it has improved data encryption.
Assistant Vice President at National Bank of Pakistan
Oracle could improve on scalability.
Technical Architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
The load balancer, MySQL LB, which is used to connect to the application, lacks clear documentation.
SR AVP–Presales Cloud & Platform Management Services at Path Infotech ltd
We cannot send the entire Excel file reports via email within Tableau.
Project Manager, Site at LTI - Larsen & Toubro Infotech
The product owner should enhance its benefits or clarify its role.
Senior Data Consultant at a government with 11-50 employees
It sometimes requires extensive investigation to determine why the data does not appear correctly.
Group Finance Head Of Investment Bank Product Control at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
 

Setup Cost

Enterprise buyers appreciate MySQL's affordable pricing, minimal setup costs, and supportive community, with optional enterprise features for subscription.
Tableau Enterprise is pricier but valued for functionality, offering flexible licensing and discounts for larger purchases.
Oracle has different components, so if you need security, you have to procure a different license, but here everything is inbuilt and it's not costly.
SR AVP–Presales Cloud & Platform Management Services at Path Infotech ltd
Power BI as a much cheaper alternative.
Practice Head BI at Nous Infosystems
A license for 150 users costs around $17,000 USD per year.
Content Specialist at PeerSpot
Looker is known to be quite expensive.
Associate Technical Architect at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Valuable Features

MySQL is open-source, cross-platform, scalable, with advanced SQL features, seamless integration, community support, and handles large datasets efficiently.
Tableau Enterprise simplifies data visualization and integration, enhancing decision-making and collaboration with secure, intuitive tools for organizations.
With Oracle, we have to buy another solution for encryption and masking, but MySQL supports native encryption, which enhances our return on investment.
Assistant Vice President at National Bank of Pakistan
The main feature we utilize in MySQL is the view, and I can say that it is the most valuable feature for our needs.
Software Developer at 8 Gallery India
It allows programming, writing stored procedures, creating views, constraints, and triggers easily.
Technical Architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
A significant feature for me is the real-time connection to data sources because it effectively manages large data sets.
Senior Data Consultant at a government with 11-50 employees
Tableau serves as a stable dashboarding tool for higher management, aiding in quick decision-making.
solution architect at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
Building hyper extracts and visualization capabilities make Tableau a robust tool for data analysis.
Practice Head BI at Nous Infosystems
 

Categories and Ranking

MySQL
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
152
Ranking in other categories
Open Source Databases (1st), Relational Databases Tools (4th)
Tableau Enterprise
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
309
Ranking in other categories
BI (Business Intelligence) Tools (2nd), Reporting (2nd), Data Visualization (1st), Embedded BI (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

MySQL and Tableau Enterprise aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. MySQL is designed for Open Source Databases and holds a mindshare of 9.0%, down 12.6% compared to last year.
Tableau Enterprise, on the other hand, focuses on BI (Business Intelligence) Tools, holds 6.7% mindshare, down 18.7% since last year.
Open Source Databases Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
MySQL9.0%
PostgreSQL14.7%
Firebird SQL13.3%
Other63.0%
Open Source Databases
BI (Business Intelligence) Tools Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Tableau Enterprise6.7%
Microsoft Power BI9.4%
Amazon QuickSight3.7%
Other80.2%
BI (Business Intelligence) Tools
 

Featured Reviews

Prabir Kumar Kundu - PeerSpot reviewer
SR AVP–Presales Cloud & Platform Management Services at Path Infotech ltd
Offers robust security and availability with impressive replication capabilities
Regarding their documentation and interface, there is room for improvement. Documentation is definitely required when running multiple databases on a cluster system. The load balancer, MySQL LB, which is used to connect to the application, lacks clear documentation. When there are multiple application servers connecting to the MySQL cluster and going through the MySQL load balancer, the documentation is not user-friendly. It's there, but only technical persons with deep knowledge of the MySQL database can implement it. Most of the community users or ISVs who use MySQL don't have many technical persons or DBA experts, so they face some challenges for the high availability of connecting high available databases from high available applications. That documentation should be simplified.
Uzair Faruqi - PeerSpot reviewer
Head Of Analytics at Mjunction Services
Ease of developing dashboards and receiving strong technical support have enabled efficient data visualization
Introducing custom features, such as NLP-based reports, is not very good in Tableau. My MD has been asking us for a way to write in natural language to request reports that the system should generate, but that isn't very effective with Tableau. As a developer, I can develop an on-demand report in Python quite easily, but exposing a REST API on the Tableau platform is not a very easy task. AI enablement is an area for improvement for Tableau, and that is something they might have to work upon. I have heard that ThoughtSpot is quite better in this regard, but the cost of ThoughtSpot is much higher. ThoughtSpot has lots of natural language-based report generation features that Tableau lacks.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Open Source Databases solutions are best for your needs.
879,422 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Comparison Review

it_user6330 - PeerSpot reviewer
Product Manager at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
May 2, 2013
MicroStrategy vs. Tableau
After a recent presentation, several attendees asked me about the applications of Visual Insights and Tableau. Many companies are investing in both tools and are trying to figure out the right tool for specific applications Tableau has found its sweet-spot as an agile discovery tool that analysts…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
6%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
University
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business74
Midsize Enterprise32
Large Enterprise62
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business117
Midsize Enterprise67
Large Enterprise184
 

Questions from the Community

Why are MySQL connections encrypted and what is the biggest benefit of this?
MySQL encrypts connections to protect your data and the biggest benefit from this is that nobody can corrupt it. If you move information over a network without encryption, you are endangering it, m...
Considering that there is a free version of MySQL, would you invest in one of the paid editions?
I may be considered a MySQL veteran since I have been using it since before Oracle bought it and created paid versions. So back in my day, it was all free, it was open-source and the best among sim...
What is one thing you would improve with MySQL?
One thing I would improve related to MySQL is not within the product itself, but with the guides to it. Before, when it was free, everyone was on their own, seeking tutorials and how-to videos onli...
Seeking lightweight open source BI software
It depends on the Data architecture and the complexity of your requirement. Some great tools in the market are Qlik Sense, Power BI, OBIEE, Tableau, etc. I have recently started using Cognos Enter...
Tableau vs. Business Objects - Which is a better solution for visualization and analysis?
Both tools have their positives and negatives. First, I should mention that I am relatively new to Tableau. I have been working on and off Tableau for about a year, but getting to work on it consta...
Which would you choose - Tableau or SAP Analytics Cloud?
Tableau is easy to set up and maintain. In about a day it is possible for the entire platform to be deployed for use. This relatively short amount of time can make all the difference for companies ...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

No data available
Tableau Desktop, Tableau Server, Tableau Online
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Facebook, Tumblr, Scholastic, MTV Networks, Wikipedia, Verizon Wireless, Sage Group, Glassfish Open Message Queue, and RightNow Technologies.
Accenture, Adobe, Amazon.com, Bank of America, Charles Schwab Corp, Citigroup, Coca-Cola Company, Cornell University, Dell, Deloitte, Duke University, eBay, Exxon Mobil, Fannie Mae, Ferrari, French Red Cross, Goldman Sachs, Google, Government of Canada, HP, Intel, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Macy's, Merck, The New York Times, PayPal, Pfizer, US Army, US Air Force, Skype, and Walmart.
Find out what your peers are saying about Oracle, PostgreSQL, Firebird and others in Open Source Databases. Updated: December 2025.
879,422 professionals have used our research since 2012.