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CEO at Finanblue
Real User
Extremely flexible, enabling data extraction from a variety of sources and systems
Pros and Cons
  • "Ability to extract data from a variety of sources and systems."
  • "The mobile app is very poor."

What is our primary use case?

We use Power BI to manage all business indicators. Our customers' files, operations, number of transactions, satisfaction levels, history. We have a very powerful dashboard we use in Power BI and all our customers use it. I use it to drill down data from customers, to make decisions regarding business and other things. We are Microsoft partners and I'm a board member of our company.  

What is most valuable?

Power BI has a unique set of APIs to connect different databases on different systems. It means that I can extract data from a variety of sources and systems. It's very flexible. I work with numerous systems. We have new systems, super fast systems, and I have very old systems that run very well. They don't need updating because they run so well. Power BI has the power to connect with different sources, and I have a data scientist that orchestrates all that data because it's also about understanding the data, the application of intelligence and strategy on the data, and exposing it on the dashboard. 

What needs improvement?

I think that they should improve the mobile application that they have, it's very poor. We generally have a very huge area to cover, to move blocks and data. But sometimes I need a small set of data that I can see in my personal iPhone. But the iPhone solution, and the solution from any smartphone, tablet, etc., is so limited. It's particularly important now when so many people are working from home. Sometimes I need to reply to a call from my support or customer teams, they might be asking for a concession for a customer. I want to be able to look at the data on that customer. I take out my phone and I have no data. It's the worst. I think that if they improve the mobile solutions, it would help me and my team. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for five years. 

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February 2025
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of the product is very good. Microsoft solutions are very reliable. They're very mature and deliver reliable solutions. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is good and powerful. Everyone in the company uses Microsoft tools, predictive tools. Microsoft 365, Power BI, SharePoint, Teams, Word, PowerPoint.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is a challenge, it's a complex question. Microsoft has different levels of support, it's all very customized. Different kinds and sizes of companies require different levels of support. The support is strong but it comes at a price. It's their business model. I can buy a number of hours from a specialist and get a real-time response.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is quite complex and not easy to manage. You need a data scientist. It's not only connected to a data source, it's not only connected to an Excel sheet. For basic use that's okay but for corporate use to extract major features from the solution, you need a data scientist. It's expensive but a necessity and it's a very good investment for companies, because the data scientist enables the company to make better decisions and to help improve customer satisfaction.

What other advice do I have?

It's very important to have a very good data scientist, without that it's very difficult. It's a key requirement. I'm only unhappy with the Windows software. I'm a Mac user for over 20 years, and, in comparison, Windows is bad. For us, SAP, Oracle, Salesforce, IBM are not affordable. They're interested in larger companies. In the last few years, Microsoft seems to be happier to go for the smaller companies too.

I would rate this solution a nine out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Co-Founder at Beta Edge Technology Limited
Real User
Reasonably-priced and promotes collaboration through good shareability features
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is shareability, where we can publish work to the cloud and share it with team members."
  • "I think that they can add more types of charts because the selection on the desktop version is limited."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution to analyze financial statements from our partners.

We build dashboards to see information on a product that is offered by one of our local telcos.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is shareability, where we can publish work to the cloud and share it with team members. If you want to build a dashboard then you can publish it to the cloud, and then add people. This will give them access to the dashboard where they can review it, and modify it as well.

They have a mobile option that allows you to see the dashboard from your mobile phone, rather than having to look at your laptop.

What needs improvement?

I think that they can add more types of charts because the selection on the desktop version is limited.

I would like to see an option for adding audio to the visualizations. 

They need to add support for putting emojis into the dashboards.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Power BI for the past two or three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

In terms of stability, this product has never failed me. I have not experienced any bugs or glitches.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is good. They allow for multiple types of data sources, so if you grow your databases or you change your data sources, it's easy to add them to the tool visually.

We are a startup with four people, and everybody is using it. We are proposing it to our clients in cases where we are selling analytics because it's a good option for them.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have not had a reason to speak with technical support, although I've looked at the community. They do have additional features that you can download from the site, as well. I have not a problem in terms of support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I used Tableau in 2016, but I decided not to use it in this startup company because they don't have a free option. They do have a trial version, but that expires and I would have to then look for another solution.

With Microsoft BI, they have a free desktop version. 

I have also used Cognos BI before, although it was a bit complicated. This is another reason that I settled on Microsoft BI.

How was the initial setup?

The installation is direct and quite easy to do. The instructions are available online and they are easy to follow.`

What about the implementation team?

I completed the deployment myself.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We are using the free desktop version of this product.

Once the trial period for the BI service is over, the cost is approximately $10 USD per user, per month, so it's quite reasonable.

What other advice do I have?

My advice for anybody interested in using Microsoft BI is to set up the desktop version. It's good to start off with, it's easy to learn, and they get the trial period for the BI service. Then, once they're done with the trial period, I think the licensing per month is quite affordable.

In summary, this is a good solution. It is not perfect, although if they added audio, emojis, and more types of graphs, then it would be.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Power BI
February 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Power BI. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
837,501 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user1057365 - PeerSpot reviewer
Regional PDS - Director of Business Intelligence at JLL
Real User
I like it's ability to do almost anything to create the necessary calculated fields and measures (DAX)

What is our primary use case?

  • Running a team to build end-to-end BI solutions for large enterprises. 
  • Data typically stores in SQL Server. Some ad-hoc data pulled from SharePoint lists or Excel files.
  • Use of SSAS Tabular in some models.
  • Currently, no deployment of premium. A large deployment of PBI Pro.
  • We also use Tableau Desktop and on-prem server, but Power BI was a go-to product.

How has it helped my organization?

  • An easy learning curve for analysts. If they know how to use Excel pivot tables, then they can self-serve building visitations on curated data. 
  • Full stack end-to-end ETL and viz in one tool. 
  • Power Query for ETL, and externally easy to use. Majority of activities are low or no code.
  • Creating a model and augmenting with additional calculations and measures extremely easily. 
  • Viz layer build is super fast. Very much like a PowerPoint experience. 
  • All elements together allowed for the rapid deployment of PoC products that could be tested and validated by businesses before being deployed. 

What is most valuable?

  • Power Query: The data prep tool allows for very easy ingestion, shaping and prepping of the data before loading into the model.
  • DAX: Its ability to do almost anything to create the necessary calculated fields and measures. 
  • Viz layer: It's just easy to lay out a page.

What needs improvement?

The only real need is a lower tier pricing plan around premium. It’s a big step-up unless you have a very large user base (1000).

For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Group IT Manager with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Provides the user the ability to quickly look at data and focus on relevant information
Pros and Cons
  • "Its data visualization provides the user the ability to quickly look at data and focus on relevant information, allowing them to make an immediate decision."
  • "It should be easier to use when there are multiple system sources."

What is our primary use case?

It is a good solution. We use it for analyzing and visualizing data relating to warehouses and connections from other ERP systems, etc.

How has it helped my organization?

It helps the decision-maker to make decisions related to the data. Power BI is easy to use and user friendly. Because of that, we use it as a visualization tool for our data.

What is most valuable?

Its data visualization provides the user the ability to quickly look at data and focus on relevant information, allowing them to make an immediate decision.

It is a good product with great abilities and easy features to use.

What needs improvement?

It should be easier to use when there are multiple system sources, and simplify the connections to it.

For how long have I used the solution?

Less than one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable.

How is customer service and technical support?

I watch videos and read training materials. I practice and apply them to circumstances of technical support.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It is part of our Office 365 license.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to another user.

We are not dealing the vendor. We are using it directly from Microsoft as part of Office 365. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user194682 - PeerSpot reviewer
Database Analyst at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Real User
This is the most compatible solution for medium sized organization but the robustness of the stack could be improved

What is most valuable?

The integration tool in Microsoft BI stack is one of the best in terms of understanding and together with the script component can make most data imports pretty simple and accurate. Also, the ease of use of the product.

How has it helped my organization?

Prior to using the Microsoft BI stack the organization was using a lot of Access and Excel applications which became cumbersome as the organization grew. These tools helped us to streamline the reports and data integration.

What needs improvement?

The robustness of the stack could be improved as it fails when we import/extract large amounts of data.

For how long have I used the solution?

Four and a half years.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

No issues encountered.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Yes, when the volume of data is large.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Yes.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

Excellent with online social help and customer care from Microsoft.

Technical Support:

There is a lot of room for improvement in technical support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I used other reporting platforms along with the Microsoft BI stack, but never switched.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is pretty simple for most starting users.

What about the implementation team?

It was an in house implementation.

What was our ROI?

Very high, as it is a very cost effective application compared to any BI tools in the market.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It is setup by the organization, so I am not sure about the exact cost and renewal cost.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

No, I did not have an opportunity to do any evaluations.

What other advice do I have?

It is a great, cost effective solution if the size of the organization is only medium and easy to use and cost of finding a resource is low.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1062786 - PeerSpot reviewer
MBA, MS Business Analytics at a consultancy with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Good visualization, simple to use, and easy to install
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Microsoft BI is its visualization and its ease of use."
  • "I would like to see more visualization options."

What is our primary use case?

In general Microsoft, BI is used to build dashboards, and the analyzing of data as well as some econometrics.

How has it helped my organization?

Primarily, it's all about visualization and dashboards. My organization is large, and I don't believe Power BI as a tool has changed or revamped the entire organization; rather, it assists us in creating dashboards. It made things easier. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Microsoft BI is its visualization and its ease of use.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see more visualization options. I have noticed that it's more driven by corporate data when you look at it. Because I work for the IMF, my data is slightly different, and the corporate solution does not always work.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Microsoft BI for one year.

We are using the most recent version.

It can be deployed both on-premises and on the cloud.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft BI has been good. I don't believe I have any issues with the stability aspect of it yet.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is good; for the time being, it serves the purpose of what we are trying to achieve. However, we haven't attempted to scale it very much.

There should be more than a hundred users in our organization. I'm only referring to the people who develop and implement changes, whereas people who use the dashboards and view them on the entire URL on that page represent the entire organization. There are about 100 or 200 people who actually work and develop things.

For the time being, we are only using it for dashboards because we have other tools for analytics and other things.

How are customer service and support?

I have not contacted technical support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We work in such a way that we can use any tool and accomplish whatever we want. That's the way it works. I wouldn't be able to say that every team uses Power BI for the same purpose, but we have Power BI available to us and can use it however we see fit. I know that it is primarily used for dashboards at this point.

How was the initial setup?

I installed my own personal version of it, and it appeared to be pretty straightforward.

We have a large IT team to update and maintain this solution.

What about the implementation team?

In most cases, the setups are completed by our vendors. We only receive the finished product.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Microsoft BI a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1722714 - PeerSpot reviewer
Operations Center Technician at a renewables & environment company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
The visualization is convenient and easy to use.
Pros and Cons
  • "I like that I can use Power BI to upload data. That is very important for me. The visualization is also convenient and easy to use."
  • "I like that I can use Power BI to upload data. That is very important for me. The visualization is also convenient and easy to use."
  • "The maps in Power BI could be improved. You deal with many maps over the years, like maps of America and Saudi Arabia. The maps aren't detailed enough, and there aren't enough visualization tools. Whenever I want to use a map, I struggle with choosing the right visualization."

What is our primary use case?

We use Power BI for dashboards and various reports. It's primarily a visualization tool. We don't use it for business intelligence— just visualization.

What is most valuable?

I like that I can use Power BI to upload data. That is very important for me. The visualization is also convenient and easy to use.

What needs improvement?

The maps in Power BI could be improved. You deal with many maps over the years, like maps of America and Saudi Arabia. The maps aren't detailed enough, and there aren't enough visualization tools. Whenever I want to use a map, I struggle with choosing the right visualization.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using Microsoft BI for about three years now.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Microsoft BI is scalable. There are some limitations depending on the amount of data you need, but it's enough for me so far. We have about 50 users, and we'll likely increase our usage in the coming years as Microsoft adds more features and our people train themselves to do more with it. 

How was the initial setup?

Setting up Microsoft BI is straightforward. It took about one week if you include training on how to send reports and other things. We were able to do it by ourselves with a team of about five people. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The license is annual. If you need a fancy visualization, you have to pay a bit more, but a valid license covers everything else. I'm developing reports and rolling them out to some users who are not developers, so I need the visualization and have to pay for the license. In the case of Tableau, you don't need to pay, or maybe you spend a little less because you're not a developer. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Microsoft BI 10 out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1023108 - PeerSpot reviewer
General Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Great for companies using a lot of Microsoft products, stable, and fairly simple to set up
Pros and Cons
  • "It's pretty easy to set up the product."
  • "We haven't used it that long and I haven't come across anything that's stood out as needing to be fixed."

What is most valuable?

The stability is good.

It's pretty easy to set up the product.

For the most part, users can scale the solution.

Technical support is okay.

It's a great option if a business is already heavily involved with other Microsoft tools. 

What needs improvement?

I can't speak to any missing features. We haven't used it that long and I haven't come across anything that's stood out as needing to be fixed. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've just started with the solution. I've used it for under a year so far. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable and the performance is pretty good, From what I have experienced. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable. 

That said, we haven't used it for a full year yet, and it's hard to gauge its stability for the long term. Right now, based on the information I have, I'd rate it at 70% stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

While, for the most part, it is scalable, it still has its own limitations. 

We have three customers that currently use the product.

How are customer service and support?

We've dealt with technical support in the past. They are okay. I'd describe them as average. We haven't necessarily had a bad experience. 

How was the initial setup?

I wasn't directly involved in the implementation process. From the feedback from the engineers working on it, in terms of if it is an easy installation, t's not that difficult. The difficulty level depends on the experience of whoever is installing. It depends on the experience of the guy behind the installation or the software guy. My understanding is that there is no difficulty region to region. 

We have about five people who can handle deployment and maintenance duties on our team. We have a mix of managers and admins. 

What about the implementation team?

We are able to handle the implementation process for our clients. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The client does need to pay for a license in order to use the product, however, I can't speak to the exact lengths of license agreements on offer or how much they cost. 

Beyond the standard licensing fees, the only other extra cost would be support. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

There are other options, however, it depends on the client's services. If clients have already made up their minds and they know what they want to go for, we simply help implement. We can give them more options of solutions to choose from. However, many prefer Microsoft as most of their other applications are already Microsoft. It makes sense to stay within the brand. 

What other advice do I have?

I'm an integrator and reseller. 

I'm not the one in charge of the installation or the technicality of the product. I'm more on the business side.

I always let clients have options and guide them to go for the one that best fits what they want to achieve. Other solutions have areas of strengths and weaknesses. You need to look at everything and examine everything before making a decision. 

Currently, I'd rate the solution at a seven out of ten. We haven't yet used it a year, and we're still learning about it and seeing what works well for clients. Over the next few months, we'll likely have a fuller picture of the product.

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?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Power BI Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: February 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Power BI Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.