We've used Microsoft BI for the general use cases around reporting and dashboarding. We used it once for Power Apps to develop a live application.
Head of analytics team at Botree Software
A stable solution that can be used for reporting and dashboarding, but its integration and visualization could be improved
Pros and Cons
- "We've used Microsoft BI for the general use cases around reporting and dashboarding."
- "Microsoft BI’s integration and visualization could be improved."
What is most valuable?
What needs improvement?
Microsoft BI’s integration and visualization could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft BI for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft BI is a stable solution.
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February 2026
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Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Between Microsoft BI and Tableau, I would go for Tableau because it's more powerful. Tableau could connect to a variety of databases, and the visualization is much, much better. I would always prefer Tableau because of the dimension picking you could do there. Speed-wise, the latency issues were much lesser in Tableau.
If you're using Azure in general as a cloud service provider, Power BI would be more integrative. If you need a stand-alone system and are not worried about the cloud setup, I recommend using Tableau.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Microsoft BI for desktop is free to use, and you can download and use it.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I rate Microsoft BI a seven out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
BI Expert at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Fast and user friendly
Pros and Cons
- "You don't need much support with Microsoft Power BI because it has such a large base of users who can answer your questions on their forums. There are also many video tutorials and webinars available online that offer solutions to whatever problems you may have."
- "Microsoft is behind IBM when it comes to security features."
What is our primary use case?
I've used it for work I did with three clients in the Brazilian banking sector:
Bank Bradesco, B&B Bank, and the Regional Bank of Brazil.
What is most valuable?
It's very fast and user-friendly.
What needs improvement?
Microsoft is behind IBM when it comes to security features.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used Microsoft Power BI for about three years with different clients.
How are customer service and support?
You don't need much support with Microsoft Power BI because it has such a large base of users who can answer your questions on their forums. There are also many video tutorials and webinars available online that offer solutions to whatever problems you may have.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I use Cognos Analytics 11 for some projects, but many of my clients prefer Microsoft Power BI because it is less expensive.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Power BI
February 2026
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Power BI. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2026.
884,122 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Director of Systems of the TCESP at a government with 501-1,000 employees
Useful drag and drop function, straightforward implementation, and high availability
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features in Microsoft BI are the analysis using the feature drag and drop function. It's very easy to load and use different data sources."
- "Microsoft BI could improve by allowing large-size data sources. We have large data sources, and we have problems loading them in Microsoft BI."
What is our primary use case?
We use Microsoft BI to construct panels and analysis for the final users by themselves. We have all the units outside and analyses made by the final users. They can share their work with other colleagues and other teammates easily.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features in Microsoft BI are the analysis using the feature drag and drop function. It's very easy to load and use different data sources.
What needs improvement?
Microsoft BI could improve by allowing large-size data sources. We have large data sources, and we have problems loading them in Microsoft BI.
I would like to see in a future release the ability to create rules with no code. Similar to drag-and-drop solutions, or some other way with no code.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft BI for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is reliable, we do not have a problem with the availability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft BI is a scalable solution.
We have approximately 500 users using this solution in my organization. We have plans to increase the use of the solution. Our employees are getting better with the ability to use the solution.
How are customer service and support?
The support from Microsoft is satisfactory.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Microsoft BI was straightforward.
What other advice do I have?
I would encourage others to use Microsoft BI, it is a good solution.
I rate Microsoft BI a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Software developer
Stable solution, but interface could be improved
Pros and Cons
- "The stability is good."
- "The interface could be improved."
What needs improvement?
The interface could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution 8 out of 10.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Information Technology Architect at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees
A good solution that supports the Microsoft ecosystem and is easy to install
Pros and Cons
- "It is very good, and it supports the Microsoft ecosystem, including Excel, etc."
- "The handling of the workspaces can be made more granular for user access rights. It can be managed a little bit better in terms of the connection to Active Directory so that we have more granular access rights. I am not sure if this is really possible or if we can solve it differently, but we need a lot of workspaces, and we are not sure how we can deal with it from the access rights perspective."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Power BI for reporting.
What is most valuable?
It is very good, and it supports the Microsoft ecosystem, including Excel, etc.
What needs improvement?
We have been using it only for a couple of months, and we are at the beginning of our learning. The area of improvement is difficult to say. The handling of the workspaces can be made more granular for user access rights. It can be managed a little bit better in terms of the connection to Active Directory so that we have more granular access rights. I am not sure if this is really possible or if we can solve it differently, but we need a lot of workspaces, and we are not sure how we can deal with it from the access rights perspective.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for a couple of months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We are not sure because we currently have a simple installation on the PC, but the idea is to scale it via Office 365 cloud implementation.
It seems suitable for small, medium, and large enterprises. It should be able to scale up. Based on the marketing slides, it should be able to handle all kinds of enterprises.
How are customer service and support?
We have not had any problems, so we had no requirement to use technical support.
How was the initial setup?
It is quite easy. You just need to install a program and use the connectors and drivers, and that's it.
What about the implementation team?
I did it myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are end-users, and we don't take care of the prices and accounting. We get a product and pay the fee to our internal service provider, but its price should be reasonable. Otherwise, they wouldn't have bought it.
What other advice do I have?
We are not very experienced in it. So, I don't know if I can recommend it, but we are using it because it is very good.
I would rate it an eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Client Director, Head of Sales & Marketing, Partner at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Very smooth, has matured a lot; great scalability
Pros and Cons
- "Implementation is very quick and the solution is very user-friendly."
- "Automation could be improved and performance enhanced."
What is our primary use case?
We are a consultant company, so we use BI for project follow-up, sales and pipeline. We are partners with Microsoft and I'm the company's client director.
What is most valuable?
I like that implementation is very quick and that the solution is very user-friendly and easy to work with. The solution has provided us with speedy insight and faster effects on the table. It's a smooth product.
What needs improvement?
I think that automation could be improved and performance enhanced. Documentation for developers could also be improved.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is very good. It can be pricey to move to the P1 licenses for $5,000 a month for smaller companies, but there are workarounds using A1 to A6 licenses which are cheaper and more flexible in the pricing. We have 50 users in the company.
How was the initial setup?
When we deployed five years ago, the setup was very complex. Since then, it's become much easier.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Compared to competitors like Tableau, Microsoft BI is not so expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend this solution. Microsoft BI has matured a lot in the last year.
I rate this solution nine out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Product and Systems Director at SPCM
It's good for tracking indicators like KPI, sales, and a bunch of other essential metrics for our company's strategic planning.
Pros and Cons
- "Power BI has strong support from Microsoft. If you need help, they answer promptly. There are also several discussion groups where you can get information, like the product roadmap and any new things coming up."
- "Microsoft has made a lot of progress with Power BI in the past couple of years, but there is still some room for improvement. For example, Integration is one area they could work on. They are adding more integration with other Microsoft tools, but I would like it if they sped up the process."
What is our primary use case?
Power BI is used internally to track indicators like KPI, sales, and a bunch of other essential metrics for our company's strategic planning. Power BI creates reports and compiles data coming from various sources, and we create dashboards for managers and executives to monitor these indicators.
There is also an external use case. We also have a team that provides BI as a service. Let's say your company collects all your data manually in Excel sheets and creates reports. We get rid of the Excel files and automate everything using Power BI to create dashboards and reports.
What needs improvement?
Microsoft has made a lot of progress with Power BI in the past couple of years, but there is still some room for improvement. For example, Integration is one area they could work on. They are adding more integration with other Microsoft tools, but I would like it if they sped up the process.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been a Microsoft partner for 12 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Bi is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft BI is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Power BI has strong support from Microsoft. If you need help, they answer promptly. There are also several discussion groups where you can get information, like the product roadmap and any new things coming up.
How was the initial setup?
Everything is in the cloud, so you don't do anything. You only need to download a client, and that's it. If you have to create an embedded solution, it only takes five minutes.
The entire deployment takes a couple of hours, but you don't need a specialist to deploy it. Obviously, you need someone who understands the technology and how to follow instructions, but it's pretty straightforward stuff.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Power BI's price is good relative to its competitors. It has more than 400 or 500 different connectors. A lower price would always be welcome. The price is fine, but the licensing is complicated. Quantum mechanics is easier to understand than Microsoft licensing.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Microsoft BI nine out of 10. If you are thinking about using Microsoft BI, go for it. Microsoft BI is worth it. It's one of the products Microsoft got right from the beginning. It's perfect.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Strategy & Advisory - Solutions Architect at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Quality reporting and data migration with strong visibility, functional dashboards and more
Pros and Cons
- "I like having the ability to connect Excel files as data inputs."
- "I would like for the next release to have better desktop performance, especially for big databases. Additionally, I would like to have more integrations with programs like Salesforce in order to get more live data coming in."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for reporting around data migration.
How has it helped my organization?
BI provides us with strong computing power and calculations with quality visibility which helps with the whole pipeline.
What is most valuable?
I like having the ability to connect Excel files as data inputs.
BI also allows us to make functional dashboards, perform queries, and display data in various ways. And, there are always new features being released.
What needs improvement?
I would like for the next release to have better desktop performance, especially for big databases. Additionally, I would like to have more integrations with programs like Salesforce in order to get more live data coming in.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using BI on and off for the past two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability is very good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I have not needed to contact support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Originally, we were only using Excel, trying out different dashboards for the data. This was not powerful enough for us. It was not easy to use or streamline so we made the switch.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward and deployment took about a week plus another few weeks to do work within the BI.
What about the implementation team?
Our deployment was performed by our in-house team of one.
What other advice do I have?
There is a free version of the Power BI which may be worth looking into for small teams prior to purchasing a license. I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Updated: February 2026
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