Microsoft Power BI Reviews and Pricing

Head of Data Analytics with 51-200 employees

Jul 14, 2013

Does Microsoft Have Too Many BI Products?

I am quite excited about the launch of SQL2012 and in particular PowerView, or Crescent as some of you may know it as. I am pleased that Microsoft are sharpening their In-Memory BI story and they have a drag and drop user interface that can compete with the likes of Qlik-View et al. Blimey, this has started off like a techy post – didn’t mean to. I’ll write more about our use of PowerView on a really interesting project, next time. Let me get to the point.

Microsoft now has Excel, ProClarity, PerformancePoint, PowerView, PowerPivot, Reporting Services, Visio and BingMaps interfacing with its dimensional model (Analysis Services) and now its BISM (BI Semantic Model) which seems to have replaced the Report Model. I am confused and so are my customers. This is also an issue that Gartner picked up on when they did the last magic quadrant review. In fact I remember being at a presentation on SQL 2012 (Denali as was) last year and a poor guy from Microsoft was mullered by the audience of technical guys who berated him for the lack of coherence in Microsoft’s BI message.

I wasn’t that worried actually because, as a partner, it’s my job to take the platform Microsoft gives me and manipulate it to meet my customers’ needs and vice versa – in fact, probably more vice versa.

In my mind I have this sorted out. This is what I do.

Firstly, I talk about the health and social care BI portal as a gateway to all the knowledge assets the organisation holds and my customers shout out things like EDRM / Collaboration / Search / BI / Unstructured Content / nice-looking web-site. We don’t really talk SharePoint. I don’t talk about the different platforms and their naming conventions. For example, trying to explain the evolution of Performance Point only distracts from the need it serves. The need it serves is to provide people who live in a one –five mouse-click world to go from a macro to micro view of organisational performance using a scorecard / dashboard. I think about Public Health Maps, organisational strategy maps and caseload reports (Reporting Services) in the same way – how many clicks does it take to get the information need and how can I, as an end-user be best connected with my data.

I would then think about Excel meeting the needs of analysts by providing direct access to data and I would tell the story of in-memory BI using PowerPivot.

Then I have to think about PowerView. That’s okay – in my first sentence I articulated the value to people who sit between Excel Pivot-table Gods and people who consume data via dashboards. So individually I can map each sort of user profile to a solution and to an underlying Microsoft technology. The problem comes when you step back and think about this strategically. I don’t mean as a programme of work because things like the UI are very similar and so the training overhead isn’t a problem. I think more about the coherence and I go back to that very hot room and the hot talk that made my mate at Microsoft sweat.

I don’t think that has been figured out. Maybe in the next iteration of SharePoint all the BI will be brought together and made into a seamless application so the alignment of function to “user need” doesn’t jar but emphasises the richness of the platform. Let’s see. Microsoft friends if you are reading, what do you think?

For now, I’ll keep on telling my tale – looking into the eyes of each of the different users that I pitch to and pointing out which application is exactly for them and emphasising how we, at Ascribe, understand that this can appear confusing but actually isn’t. So does it matter that when we step back it looks a little messy, when we are actually meeting the needs of our people. I don’t think it does, yet, but I think it will as the BI becomes more embedded.

Because that is the point of BI – to a large extent. You want people to come together to look at information and make sense of it and use it – we may be victims of our own success if we solve the “one version of the truth” issue (so they are all looking at the same data) but we create confusion through the range of tools we offer.

This one will run and run.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

it_user1068Tech Support Staff at a tech company with 51-200 employees

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Jul 21, 2013

Thank you for the great information you have shared. However, I got a simple question. If Microsoft indeed has several BI products, does that give them any competitive advantage over their competitors? And, does that make their products any better in terms of functionality?

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it_user7683

Head of Data Analytics with 51-200 employees

Jul 10, 2013

How does the Microsoft stack help me drive BI adoption?

You drive adoption of BI through three approaches; firstly you set adoption as a goal, secondly you make your content compelling and ONLY THIRDLY do you think about tools. Too many people focus on item 3 and their BI doesn’t penetrate the organisation like they wanted it to and therefore doesn’t deliver the benefits they sought.

It may sound strange to set adoption as a goal, however we have all worked in organisations that have taken an IT-led or procurement-led approach to BI without sitting back and working out what the BI is for. In the NHS we have a lot of BI projects that work like that. The goal might be to recreate the old reports on a new platform that looks more shiney and therefore will be used. The goal might be to implement something the CEO saw at a trade fair. Sometimes the goal might be to implement something that should deliver a performance framework (people, processes and technologies) that will show how a division is making a contribution to a national strategic agenda, local operations or delivery of service line responsibilities.

When you get into this area you are starting down the right road but the wheels come off if this top-level intention is not enshrined in operational delivery methods.

I often meet organisations that bought a reporting solution because they were going to implement service line reporting. There is a particular reporting application vendor that is doing quite well out of this trend just now, with a high number of wins but a questionable level of adoption. Their software looks cool. It has in-memory BI and therefore you can get going with it pretty quickly. The licensing model means it is quite attractive for PoC work. Moreover the pitch really talks to the value of self-service BI as an enabler of behavioural change and therefore performance improvement.

Obviously I am not talking about the Microsoft stack here.

Contrast this with the perception of the Microsoft stack, though, for a minute. Enterprise-class solution, feature rich and therefore perceived as expensive, not nimble and therefore not suited to quick PoC work – often we here this story. Not true, my friends. Not true. We have done a fair few PoCs on the platform and scaled them out quickly and relatively inexpensively – so it can be done. But in terms of this blog the point is that the reporting solution I was talking about is very costly to scale and therefore that is a barrier to adoption.

So, we agree. The best way to achieve adoption is to set it is a target and focus on delivery. Put information in the hands of decision makers and they will make better decisions – give them a shiney tool and they may or may not.

The key point is achieving the link between the evidence and the decision – in other words creating compelling content. Compelling content will provide decision-makers with what they feel they need in order to do their job. It’s not difficult to understand that. I favour the agile software development approach of collecting a user story, such as:

As A	I want to	So that
Theatre scheduler	Prevent session over-runs Monitor session utilisation Help Consultants keep their log book of work done in theatre	Sessions do not cost more money than they should The available time is used to treat the most patients, to the highest quality, in a way that maximises Trust revenue I can help them with their professional development

This tells me what the Theatre Scheduler considers to be compelling so that I can work out the data he needs (session times, staff, work done etc) and then how to render it in the fewest clicks.

After all that I can then worry about tools……guess which ones I would use blog-readers!

Disclosure: The company I work for is a Microsoft Partner

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

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Fabio Xavier

Director of Systems of the TCESP at a government with 501-1,000 employees

Mar 5, 2022

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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: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

reviewer1785144

Strategy & Advisory - Solutions Architect at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

Feb 22, 2022

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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: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

reviewer1721040

Executive HR- Talent Acquisition at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Feb 20, 2022

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Management reporting and data analytics tool with good stability and scalability, but its serviceability needs improvement

Pros and Cons

"Management reporting solution that's very stable and scalable."

"One area for improvement in Microsoft Power BI is serviceability. Compared to one of its competitors: Tableau, there are a lot of things which you cannot do in this tool, that can be done in Tableau."

What is our primary use case?

We are using this tool for management reporting.

What needs improvement?

One area for improvement in Microsoft Power BI is serviceability. If I compare this tool with Tableau, there are a lot of things which I cannot do in Microsoft Power BI that I can do in Tableau.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Microsoft Power BI for five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Power BI is a very stable tool.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Microsoft Power BI is a scalable tool.

How was the initial setup?

As we are using the cloud service of this tool, the initial setup for it is fine.

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

I pay for the Microsoft Power BI license on a yearly basis.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I was able to evaluate Tableau.

What other advice do I have?

I've been using these BI (business intelligence) tools: Microsoft Power BI and Tableau.

I'm somewhat satisfied with the performance of Microsoft Power BI.

We've all been using Microsoft Power BI in the company, from the time it was introduced.

For the deployment and maintenance of this tool, we have a team of 20 who are currently in charge of full-time development. These are the users who are the main developers. Scalability will be for the end users, e.g. the business users, and could be increased to more than 2,000.

I've contacted the Microsoft Power BI technical support team a lot of times.

I'm recommending this tool to others who want to start using it.

On a scale of one to ten, I'm rating Microsoft Power BI a seven.

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.

reviewer1784373

Assistant Manager Databases at a retailer with 10,001+ employees

Feb 19, 2022

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User-friendly, good customization, and scalable

Pros and Cons

"Microsoft BI's most valuable features are the user interface, which is easy to use and light."

"The integration in Microsoft BI could improve for other solutions, such as Oracle DB and PostgresSQL. Additionally, the reporting from the databases to Microsoft BI should be in real-time and the overall performance could be better."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Microsoft BI for data analysis.

What is most valuable?

Microsoft BI's most valuable features are the user interface, which is easy to use and light.

What needs improvement?

The integration in Microsoft BI could improve for other solutions, such as Oracle DB and PostgresSQL. Additionally, the reporting from the databases to Microsoft BI should be in real-time and the overall performance could be better.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft BI for approximately five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is okay, but the real-time integration is lacking.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of Microsoft BI is fine.

We have approximately 45 people using the solution. We do not use the solution daily, but we use it frequently.

How are customer service and support?

We have not contacted technical support.

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

Before we were using Microsoft BI we used Tableau and an open-sourced solution called PHP.

We ended up switching to Microsoft BI because it has proper tools, easy to use, and is user-friendly.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Microsoft BI was not complex. The deployment took a long while with our twin databases.

What about the implementation team?

We did the implementation in-house.

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

The price of Microsoft BI is expensive. We found the price of Tableau to be less expensive.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others because it is easy to use and can be customized.

I rate Microsoft BI an eight out of ten.

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: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

reviewer1268121

Technical coordinator at a university with 201-500 employees

Feb 17, 2022

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Reliable, problem-free, and easy to set up

Pros and Cons

"We have found the product very stable and reliable."

"The reporting needs to be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We are using it, for instance, to figure out some indicators in regards to our students including the number of students, which are graduating, et cetera.

What is most valuable?

The initial setup was pretty simple.

The solution runs without issues. It's been problem-free.

We have found the product very stable and reliable.

The scalability seems to be fine for us.

What needs improvement?

We'd like to have the ability to relate different reports by common factors from the user side, including relating different reports directly instead of fetching the data to enter into an external tool like Excel or something like that. The reporting needs to be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for about three to six months or so.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability has been good. There aren't bugs or glitches really. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's pretty reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

For our use case, the solution offers reasonable scalability. We haven't run into issues.

We have 40 to 50 people using the product right now. They are across different roles.

I'm not sure if we have a plan to increase usage at this time. We likely will not.

How are customer service and support?

I haven't had a need to reach out to technical support as it's largely been problem-free. I can't speak to how they would be for support. I do not know if they are helpful or responsive.

How was the initial setup?

We found the initial implementation process to be straightforward and simple. It's not overly complex or difficult.

I cannot recall the exact amount of time it actually took to deploy the product.

What other advice do I have?

I'm an end-user. However, I'm not sure which exact version of the solution we're using.

I would rate the solution at an eight out of ten. We've largely been very satisfied with its capabilities.

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.

reviewer1571778

Responsable Industrie 4.0 at a engineering company with 10,001+ employees

May 8, 2021

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Easy to use for a non-IT person and good for data modeling and working with a large amount of data

Pros and Cons

"I like data modeling. You can connect with your database, which is quite useful for me. It is a good tool if you have a large amount of data and you want to gather different data and interconnect it. The Power Query functionality is quite an interesting feature. If you have a query in Excel, you can also copy your query and run it in Power BI. Its dashboard is also very nice and not complicated. You don't need to be a developer to be able to use it. I am not an IT guy, and it is quite easy to use for somebody who is not an IT person."

"It is not the right tool to do deeper analysis or predictions. When you have some data and you want to do some deep analysis, there is no feature to help you with this."

What is most valuable?

I like data modeling. You can connect with your database, which is quite useful for me. It is a good tool if you have a large amount of data and you want to gather different data and interconnect it.

The Power Query functionality is quite an interesting feature. If you have a query in Excel, you can also copy your query and run it in Power BI.

Its dashboard is also very nice and not complicated. You don't need to be a developer to be able to use it. I am not an IT guy, and it is quite easy to use for somebody who is not an IT person.

What needs improvement?

It is not the right tool to do deeper analysis or predictions. When you have some data and you want to do some deep analysis, there is no feature to help you with this.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for one year.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Microsoft BI an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.