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reviewer1128801 - PeerSpot reviewer
Director of Analytics and Cognitive Computing at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Real User
Quick chart building tools, responsive technical support, but more attractive charts needed
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is easy to use and charts can be built quickly with the tools."
  • "The solution could improve by having more attractive graphical charts."

What is our primary use case?

We use Microsoft BI for dashboards and monitoring tools and dashboards. We mostly use it to produce charts and graphs for our customers.

What is most valuable?

The solution is easy to use and charts can be built quickly with the tools.

What needs improvement?

The solution could improve by having more attractive graphical charts.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft BI for two and a half years.

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

Microsoft BI has been stable in my usage.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of Microsoft BI is good.

We have approximately 2,000 users using this solution.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is very good, they have been available when we needed them.

How was the initial setup?

The installation is straightforward.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to others would be to compare Microsoft BI to all the other similar solutions and see what fits their use case best. If they're looking for nice looking charts then perhaps, they should compare this solution to the others. If you are looking for a solution that is easy to use and quick to learn then Microsoft BI could be the right fit.

I rate Microsoft BI a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Implementer
PeerSpot user
reviewer1499169 - PeerSpot reviewer
Research & Development Expert at a energy/utilities company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Good visualization and graphing functions, integrates with Python
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is integration with Python."
  • "The integration with third-party products could be more stable."

What is our primary use case?

I use Microsoft BI for my own projects that are related to integrating with Excel datasets. I use the visualization and graphing functions, and I have tried using the Python integration.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is integration with Python.

What needs improvement?

The integration with third-party products could be more stable.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft BI for approximately one month.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft BI could be a little more stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have approximately 10 users. I don't expect that we will expand our usage or continue using this product.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have not been in contact with technical support.

How was the initial setup?

There is no complexity in the initial setup. It takes approximately 15 minutes to deploy.

What about the implementation team?

There are twenty people in the team that handles the deployment and maintenance of our solutions.

What other advice do I have?

In summary, this is a good product and I recommend it.

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.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Power BI
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Power BI. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
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PeerSpot user
Customer Data Analytics Specialist at Allianz Turkey
Vendor
You can work easily to upload and model big data.

What is most valuable?

Power Query and Power Pivot are the most valuable features. You can easily manage your data on Excel. İf you have a professional version, you can do it. However, if you don't use Power Query and Power Pivot, then your raw number is limited. The Unpivot specialty is useful because you can't do it in the front-side of Excel.

How has it helped my organization?

If you don't have any analytical tool and you don't have any budget, then Power BI can be the best product in terms of the price-quality index. This is because you can work easily on big data; you can upload and model it.

What needs improvement?

Performance can be better; of course, it depends on your hardware but it can also be improved.

Once I tried to upload 5 million rows on Power Query from a CSV file but I got an error about my personal computer, i.e., my RAM was not enough for uploading. Also, sometimes this process takes a long time.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used this solution for about three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

There were no stability issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product is scalable.

How is customer service and technical support?

Once I asked a question to the technical support team and they answered clearly. I would give them a 9/10 rating.

What other advice do I have?

It is a user-friendly tool, but the data size is important, i.e., you have to check your data size and how you can use it effectively.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Information System Manager with 501-1,000 employees
Vendor
We evaluated both SSRS and Business Objects. We chose SSRS and currently use Cognos as well.

I've been using Microsoft SSRS for 2 years. For me, the most valuable feature is the integration feature with our ERP. SSRS has room for improvement including drill down and graphs. Although I am happy with the products, I have experience performance degradation at times. 

We're currently running both SSRS and Cognos. We ended up choosing SSRS after evaluating it alongside Business Objects. Once we chose to go with SSRS, we implemented through the vendor and found their level of expertise to be high which made the process very easy. I would say that our ROI is 200%. I would recommend SSRS to others.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user115422 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user115422Works at a tech company with 51-200 employees
Real User

Try not to use scalar functions in your SQL queries (unless you want your reports to run all day).

See all 3 comments
reviewer1752738 - PeerSpot reviewer
BI and data chief consultant at a media company with 11-50 employees
Consultant
Allows you to create dashboard presentations
Pros and Cons
    • "We would like it if they added more Python libraries in the Power BI service. For Power BI service right now, you can use Python, but it is limited to a few libraries or a few packages from Python."

    What is our primary use case?

    We are implementing it for dashboard presentation. For example, one of our customers is in the energy sector. Another one is in the government sector, so it's dashboards mainly.

    What is most valuable?

    The ability to create dashboard presentations for various sectors is a valuable feature. It's an excellent product.

    What needs improvement?

    We would like it if they added more Python libraries in the Power BI service. For Power BI service right now, you can use Python, but it is limited to a few libraries or a few packages from Python. Other than that, it's an excellent product.

    Another area that could be improved is maybe more extensions or more visuals.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been working with Power BI for four or five years. I am working with the latest version. It's a monthly release.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The solution is stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Microsoft BI is scalable.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would rate this solution 9 out of 10.

    For someone who is looking into implementing this product, my advice is to check between the two versions because Microsoft Power BI is not one solution. You have one solution which is coming with SQL services on-prem and you have the cloud solution. You need to check because there are differences in the features. Anyone who is implementing Power BI needs to be careful on which platform they're using: on-premise or on the cloud. There is a difference in the features between the two solutions.

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Implementer
    PeerSpot user
    reviewer864999 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Project Leader at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
    Real User
    Flexible and scalable with a great online community
    Pros and Cons
    • "We have found the solution to be stable."
    • "There are some other visuals that are available in the Microsoft marketplace, however, you need to use them via trial and error. There needs to be a write-up about how to use them with a quick guide describing the visual."

    What is our primary use case?

    I have used the solution primarily for building models for different verticals. It doesn't matter which industry you are in. I do some modeling and presentations for clients in different verticals.

    What is most valuable?

    The solution is flexible and works across industries.

    I do love the way a user can flexibly design items. You can add and use Docs, for example.

    The initial setup is pretty simple. 

    We have found the solution to be stable.

    Our team finds the solution to be scalable. 

    The solution has a robust online and blog community that's great for troubleshooting.

    It has Power Automate available, however, I have yet to try it out. It's something I'll look at next.

    What needs improvement?

    Using Docs with Microsoft BI can be difficult and hard to figure out. It has a steeper learning curve at first.

    There are some other visuals that are available in the Microsoft marketplace, however, you need to use them via trial and error. There needs to be a write-up about how to use them with a quick guide about the basics of visuals. That way, you would get more of a sense of if it would work for your purposes. Right now, you need to add it to Microsoft BI and then just hope it works, or go back to the drawing board. 

    I had one query that came in that didn't have a direct connection it was for Oracle 9 connecting to Power BI directly. They don't integrate directly. You need to do something different or look for something else that might connect them.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been working with the solution for five years now. It's been a while at this point.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The product is reliable and stable. There is not much downtime or anything. In terms of data, there will be more data related to or within your connection and with your set of data or gateway. 

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The solution is scalable. It's not an issue.

    We have about ten people using the solution currently.

    How are customer service and support?

    I've used the help that's available online and within the blog community, however, in terms of going to Microsoft for support, I haven't used them so far. Therefore, I cannot speak to how helpful or responsive they are during direct interactions.

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

    We are currently using IBM, Microsoft BI, and Qlik.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is pretty simple and pretty straightforward. It's not overly complex or difficult.

    There's a bit of maintenance required as there is data coming in every month. There are just a few server updates and write-ups to keep up on.

    What about the implementation team?

    We handled everything in-house. We did not need to get a consultant or integrator to assist us. It's pretty easy to do within your existing team.

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

    We have an official enterprise license. We are not on any trial license, however, I did try out the trial which lasts for 30 days. It's nice that you can really dig into the features before you buy it. 

    What other advice do I have?

    We're an IT consulting company. We're Gold Partners with Microsoft.

    I'm using the latest version of the solution. I cannot speak to the exact version number we are currently working on.

    I'm using both a desktop and a cloud version of the solution.

    I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. I do work with also other software. What I recommend to clients will depend on the user as well as the scope or scoping he wants to do, how big or how small the company is, the number of users, et cetera. Making recommendations for software all depends on this analysis first.

    I won't tell go directly to Power BI, however, I will study whatever the customer would require first. Based on his requirement, we'll do the recommendation of software. That said, mostly so far what happens is that people really like Power BI due to the fact that it's easy for them to navigate around and work with it.

    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
    PeerSpot user
    Senior Manager at a comms service provider with 501-1,000 employees
    Real User
    User-friendly, stable, and integrates well with other data sources
    Pros and Cons
    • "The interface is very easy to use."
    • "The on-premises version lacks some technical features that are available with the Cloud version."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use this solution for our departmental reports, which are accessible from Microsoft Project Server and SharePoint.

    What is most valuable?

    Microsoft BI is very friendly.

    The interface is very easy to use.

    The integration with other data sources is very easy and very handy.

    What needs improvement?

    The on-premises version lacks some technical features that are available with the Cloud version.

    There is definitely room for improvement.

    The visualization is lacking, it needs improvement.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Microsoft BI for one year.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Microsoft BI is a stable solution.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    We have not contacted technical support.

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

    Previously, we did not use another solution.

    How was the initial setup?

    From a technical perspective, the installation is straightforward.

    It took one week to deploy.

    The deployment was done by the database team.

    You only need one person to maintain this solution.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    We did not evaluate other solutions before choosing Microsoft BI.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would recommend the cloud version of this solution.

    I would rate Microsoft BI an eight 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.
    PeerSpot user
    Head of Offshore Operations & Solutions at Techcarrot
    Real User
    Quick reporting, high data conductivity, and reliable
    Pros and Cons
    • "I have found the quick reporting and the conductivity with all the data sources valuable."
    • "I would like to see some AI incorporated into this solution in the future."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use the solution for revenue forecasting and other predictive analytic reports based on specific requirements.

    What is most valuable?

    I have found the quick reporting and the conductivity with all the data sources valuable.

    What needs improvement?

    I would like to see some AI incorporated into this solution in the future.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using the solution for approximately five years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The stability of this solution is great.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The scalability at first was not the greatest but it has turned out it can be very good.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    The support has been good.

    How was the initial setup?

    I have found the installation straightforward compared to other competitors.

    What about the implementation team?

    Having this solution on the could cloud allows for quick deployment. We could deliver the solution within four to eight weeks depending on the complexity.

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

    There is a license for this solution and we purchase them annually.

    What other advice do I have?

    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: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Microsoft Power BI Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
    Updated: January 2025
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Microsoft Power BI Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.