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Pros & Cons summary

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Prominent pros & cons

PROS

Microsoft Power BI provides seamless integration with Office tools and overcomes the limitations of Excel by offering more powerful features.
The tool is praised for its easy setup, scalability, and flexibility, making it suitable for users without a technical background.
Users appreciate its ability to quickly visualize data, which enhances decision-making with dynamic and user-friendly dashboards.
Its real-time data integration capabilities support connections with various sources, enhancing data analysis processes with options for AI and predictive analytics.
Microsoft Power BI offers excellent technical support, and its widespread use ensures abundant online resources, helping users to maximize its functionality.

CONS

Microsoft Power BI lacks integration capabilities with non-Microsoft data sources and third-party tools.
There is a concern about its performance, particularly when handling large datasets or requiring real-time data updates.
Real-time data integration features are limited and often lag, especially with substantial data volumes.
Users have noted challenges with error messages, which are often too generic or misleading, complicating problem resolution.
Functionality related to collaboration on the same project or dashboard is limited, making it difficult for teams to co-develop efficiently.
 

Microsoft Power BI Pros review quotes

it_user232830 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Information Systems Department at a government
Jun 15, 2017
It provides easy integration with Office tools.
it_user217881 - PeerSpot reviewer
Consultant MOA BI at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Jun 15, 2017
MS SQL & SQL Server Analysis Services.
GG
Presales Architect at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Jun 28, 2017
With the out-of-the-box Data Platform and Business Intelligence ecosystem, you get the entire platform with a single license.
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Power BI. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2026.
884,696 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user553431 - PeerSpot reviewer
Chief Tecnical Officer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Jun 28, 2017
PowerBI – Self-service BI.
KC
Business Intelligence Architect at a tech services company
Jul 10, 2017
Data integration enabled my organization to easily pool data from our varied system into one data warehouse.
it_user206340 - PeerSpot reviewer
Principal Business Intelligence Analyst at a logistics company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Sep 13, 2017
SSRS and the Tabular server/Vertipaq engine/DAX are probably the two most valuable components.
PH
Partner at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Sep 26, 2017
We can see that it's really improved the way end users can do their own graphs and pick their own fields of information and present that in a nice way.
DD
Database Expert & BI Developer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees
Oct 18, 2017
Provides a full platform (database, ETL, reporting, analysis, and so on)
it_user825090 - PeerSpot reviewer
Project Manager with 51-200 employees
Feb 22, 2018
Helped identify bad data, enabling the corrections needed to the data for management.
it_user825114 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Manager with 10,001+ employees
Feb 22, 2018
Ease of development and maintenance.
 

Microsoft Power BI Cons review quotes

it_user232830 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Information Systems Department at a government
Jun 15, 2017
Our expectation is putting BI to work in real-time data collection systems in the maritime environment.
it_user217881 - PeerSpot reviewer
Consultant MOA BI at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Jun 15, 2017
SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) is not user friendly.
GG
Presales Architect at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Jun 28, 2017
It is getting better but still, there are opportunity areas in some aspects, especially the Windows OS dependency.
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Power BI. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2026.
884,696 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user553431 - PeerSpot reviewer
Chief Tecnical Officer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Jun 28, 2017
People without private emails cannot publish and, frankly, this doesn't allow for easy training.
KC
Business Intelligence Architect at a tech services company
Jul 10, 2017
SSMS & SSRS.
it_user206340 - PeerSpot reviewer
Principal Business Intelligence Analyst at a logistics company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Sep 13, 2017
The visualization aspect, while being the most visible to business users, also happens the be the weakest point in the entire Microsoft BI stack.
PH
Partner at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Sep 26, 2017
The way you navigate the product, compared to other products in this industry, that could be improved a bit.
DD
Database Expert & BI Developer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees
Oct 18, 2017
I have to write scripts to query data for analyzing performance.
it_user825090 - PeerSpot reviewer
Project Manager with 51-200 employees
Feb 22, 2018
​It needs more graphics and overlays.
it_user825114 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Manager with 10,001+ employees
Feb 22, 2018
Needs single sign-on.