We are using Microsoft BI for data analysis.
Assistant Manager Databases at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
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?
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.
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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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

Business Intelligence Developer at lagozon technologies private limited
Helpful community support, easy for new users, and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "When we are introducing Microsoft BI to our clients, if they're familiar with Excel, the transition phase will be much easier for them. They can easily switch from Microsoft Excel to Microsoft BI. The core foundation or the base technology is the same in both tools. There are a few limitations in Microsoft Excel, and this is where Microsoft BI comes in."
- "Microsoft BI can improve some of the visual level filters or visual functionality, that are available in other BI tools, such as Tableau or Qlik Sense."
What is our primary use case?
We are providing BI services to clients in India who are using Microsoft BI. We are able to provide the clients with data-driven decisions by the use of the reports that we are creating using Microsoft BI. The reports are usually graphical and intuitive.
What is most valuable?
When we are introducing Microsoft BI to our clients, if they're familiar with Excel, the transition phase will be much easier for them. They can easily switch from Microsoft Excel to Microsoft BI. The core foundation or the base technology is the same in both tools. There are a few limitations in Microsoft Excel, and this is where Microsoft BI comes in.
What needs improvement?
Microsoft BI can improve some of the visual level filters or visual functionality, that are available in other BI tools, such as Tableau or Qlik Sense.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Microsoft BI within the past 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Microsoft BI is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft BI is a scalable solution. Here in India, it is a popular tool for people to implement.
The client that we are working with has approximately 500 to 600 users.
How are customer service and support?
The support from Microsoft is helpful. If you're facing any sort of issue or error, you can raise it to the Microsoft BI community.
How was the initial setup?
We work on a very concise team of three to four members for the deployment. We will be requiring only a data engineer, Microsft BI developer, business analyst, and project manager.
If the user requirement is high, we can increase the number of members in the team. However, if you have a team of four, then you can deploy the project. A minimum of four people is required.
What about the implementation team?
For its maintenance of Microsoft BI, you require only two people. If there are some backend data issues, then you will require a data engineer. However, if the issue is related to the frontend or BI report, then you only need one developer for that.
What other advice do I have?
My advice is for the companies who want to make data-driven decisions or to share the report with the security feature in it, they should opt for Microsoft BI services.
I rate Microsoft BI 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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Technical coordinator at a university with 201-500 employees
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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Business Analyst at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Allows us to create dashboards that provide insights about operations and different transactions for top management
Pros and Cons
- "The user experience is easy. Users get familiar with it quickly."
- "Sometimes while developing, the front end is not easily customizable and it has limitations. We cannot go and do any UI we want. We have to stick to the limitations of the product."
What is our primary use case?
The use case is mainly creating the dashboard for the organization's data transaction and its data project. We create dashboards on top of this data for the top management.
I am using the latest version.
The solution can be deployed on cloud or on-premises. It depends on what the client wants and if it's available.
We have around 10 to 15 people using this solution in our organization.
How has it helped my organization?
Microsoft BI provides insights about the normal day-to-day work from operations or different transactions. It depends on the organization's business. It provides insights for top management to help them make more accurate decisions.
What is most valuable?
The user experience is easy. Users get familiar with it quickly.
What needs improvement?
Sometimes while developing, the front end is not easily customizable and it has limitations. We cannot go and do any UI we want. We have to stick to the limitations of the product.
It's user friendly, but it does have its limitations. A designer cannot dream of anything they want to do and just go and do it. The dashboard has to look a specific way. If we can make the front end more flexible, that would be good because it's on the server. Clients are asking for a better UI, but it has its limitations.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is good. The solution is being used daily, on a moderate to high level in our organization.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Sometimes I work with Qlik Sense, which is another BI tool.
How was the initial setup?
Initial setup was straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
Our technical team completed the deployment. It was all done in-house. Deployment only required two people.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution 8 out of 10.
The solution is reliable, maintainable, and scalable. It has good performance. The security is good. The only thing would be improving the front-end limitation, which prevents us from designing a UI that can match what the client wants. Be aware of the product's limitations so you don't promise the clients anything that the product itself cannot do.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Associate Director BI-EPM at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Affordably priced, user-friendly, and simple to install
Pros and Cons
- "There is also a chart store where we can download charts, which is extremely useful."
- "The default parameters of the prompt could be improved by including a dynamic option."
What is our primary use case?
We get our reports from, NetSuite, and we prepare resource forecast and finance dashboard reports in Microsoft BI.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the ease of use. It is very easy to use.
It is very user-friendly.
There is also a chart store where we can download charts, which is extremely useful.
I don't believe it needs additional features. It appears to be adequate for the reporting tool. It appears to be fine.
What needs improvement?
The default parameters of the prompt could be improved by including a dynamic option. We are unable to select any default parameters or it is not dynamic, so we must manually select that prompt value. For instance, there is a year prompt, and if it needs to be changed, someone will have to open Microsoft BI in edit mode to update it. If you have a dynamic option, it makes things a lot easier.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft BI for three years.
I work with the most recent update.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft BI is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have not tried to scale this solution.
In our company, we have ten users.
We use this solution on a daily basis.
How are customer service and support?
We have not contacted technical support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very simple. It only takes five minutes to deploy.
Other than refreshing the dataset, it does not require any maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Microsoft BI is not expensive. It is affordable.
There are no additional costs.
What other advice do I have?
If they are looking for a reporting tool that is easy to use and expandable in terms of charts, or new charts, they should use Microsoft BI, because there are many charts on the market that they can download and use very easily.
I would Microsft BI a nine 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?
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Senior Manager: ICT Compliance at DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION
Stable, easy to use solution for streamlining business processes
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is very easy to use."
- "I would like for there to be some type of user manual that shows steps on how to navigate the solution."
What is most valuable?
The solution is very easy to use.
What needs improvement?
I would like for there to be some type of user manual that shows steps on how to navigate the solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
This is my third year working with Power BI.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is very stable so far.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product is scalable. We currently have about two hundred users.
How are customer service and support?
I am satisfied with Microsoft's support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I did not use another solution previously.
How was the initial setup?
We have three support staff for maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I believe that the price is reasonable, at least for an enterprise solution.
What other advice do I have?
This is a solution that I would recommend because it is easy to use and they will be able to streamline their business processes.
I would rate this 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.
IT RM at KNV
Dashboards allow for reporting to higher levels of management, and navigation is simple enough for ordinary users
Pros and Cons
- "We encourage end users to use Power BI because it's quite easy for them to interact with the menus and the navigation bar. Even for ordinary users, they can create their own dashboard using Power BI."
- "There's always room for improvement for Microsoft Power BI, especially for the UX and the menus to make it more accessible to business users."
What is our primary use case?
The IT department has dashboards for reporting to the higher levels of management.
The solution is deployed on a hybrid model: cloud-based and on-premise. We always get the latest version because we have the Enterprise Agreement with Microsoft.
What is most valuable?
We encourage end users to use Power BI because it's quite easy for them to interact with the menus and the navigation bar. Even for ordinary users, they can create their own dashboard using Power BI.
What needs improvement?
There's always room for improvement for Microsoft Power BI, especially for the UX and the menus to make it more accessible to business users. These improvements wouldn't be too technical.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft BI for a very long time—since it was first released.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable enough, but I think Tableau has a better interactive UX and user experience. We are not using Tableau right now.
We have tens of thousands of users, and we are willing to increase the number of users.
How are customer service and support?
Support is amazing.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have experience with Tableau.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The license is on a yearly basis.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution 8 out of 10. I would recommend this solution for others.
We don't have any other solution out there right now, so I would say we are satisfied with it. There are some disadvantages, some weaknesses of Microsoft Power BI that we have addressed to the Microsoft team.
The IT department has a good relationship with the Microsoft team, so they always give input to Microsoft's department teams.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
DGM IT at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Easy to use solution
Pros and Cons
- "The data can be accessed from anywhere."
- "I would like to see a more user-friendly interface with Microsoft BI."
What is our primary use case?
Our company is a manufacturing firm. We have an ERP running in our company. I develop the reports for the business that include sales, stock and production related information. These dashboards are used for analytics purposes by management, enabling them to make decisions regarding the products and business improvement.
We use the BI text file and summarize the information on dashboards to help management make the right decisions for the business. The information includes production figures, running status, forecasts and actual positions.
We have 10 users of this solution.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Microsoft BI is the ease of use. The data can be accessed from anywhere. We control access through Office 365.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see a more user-friendly interface with Microsoft BI. Microsoft does regular updates, new features are added every month or so.
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 Power BI is stable with no issue.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Overall, technical support is good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Prior to using Microsoft BI, we had been using OBIEE. Oracle is a complicated product with poor visuals. Comparing with Microsoft BI, we found Microsoft to have better handling, graphics, features, and easier development and coding.
How was the initial setup?
The initial deployment of Microsoft BI was relatively easy. We installed it to the machine and connected it to our Oracle database.
What about the implementation team?
We were able to install the solution ourselves internally.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Microsoft BI requires licenses.
What other advice do I have?
Microsoft Power BI is an easy product. If you have some idea about the business intelligence solutions and some technical knowledge, it is a self-deployed solution.
I would rate the solution an 8 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

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