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PeerSpot user
Founder & Principal Architect at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Consultant
Most complete business intelligence suite for the least money

What is most valuable?

Microsoft SSRS is a fantastic means for end users to access, run, and schedule delivery of reports. - Core functionality is simple to use for business users of all skill levels - Report models even allow end users to adjust their own reports using a model of your data - Report builder provides an even easier method for users to build their own reports - Report data can even be scheduled for periodic delivery with the report data as an attachmentMicrosoft SSAS is one of the best BI suites on the market. It is also one of the least expensive, and the features bundled rival competitors with prices many more times as expensive. - This feature is one of the most exciting areas of database technologies today - Very powerful and relatively easy to use when compared to other Bi suites

What needs improvement?

- Active Directory authentication requires an additional login for users without Internet Explorer - Learning curve behind any business intelligence package is quite steep - Price of the SQL Server bundle is potentially cost prohibitive for smaller businesses

What other advice do I have?

I am quite passionate about the SQL Server suite of tools, and am a fervent user of SSRS. I use SSAS less, only because I am focused more on administration and have not moved into the SSAS space - yet. I am looking to head into the BI arena later on this year, and SSAS is my BI suite of choice!
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
it_user4014 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user4014Developer at a tech consulting company with 51-200 employees
Consultant

Hi Kleegeek !

Nice to read your review, while I was reading it I noticed some of the points which you might still not be aware of. Let’s analyze those;

SSRS: SSRS is a good reporting tool, but mostly it is used for static reporting, detail level reports, it doesn't provide the ability to dynamic dashboard with drill up / drill down options unless you define Action Item for each text box.

Microsoft provides Dynamic Dashboard with PPS or Power View where End-User can change the layout of the dashboard or grid on the fly, add different measures at rum time.

SSAS: The biggest selling point of Microsoft BI is its powerful Multidimensional Model, some of us known it as "Cube". With a craftily designed OLAP Model you can leverage the End-User to perform deep data analysis.

I would like to disagree with you on the point, that cost is the only selling factor or Microsoft BI, because QlikView and Tableau are both very cheap if you compared them with Microsoft BI, and they both provide nice dashboard and charts.

The selling point of Microsoft BI is its architecture and ability to handle the needs of enterprise requirements. In smaller industries QlikView and Tableau gives really tough time on pricing.

Regards,
Hasham Niaz

Head of analytics team at Botree Software
Vendor
Top 20
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?

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.

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.

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.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Power BI
August 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Power BI. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2025.
865,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Director of technology alliances at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Stable and scalable solution for data reporting
Pros and Cons
  • "I've seen no issues with BI's stability."
  • "BI is scalable, but there are some problems with limited online storage."

What is our primary use case?

My primary uses of this solution are BI reporting using SQL server reporting, Power BI online reports, and BI dashboards. We connect to SQL server databases plus other sources, including data warehouses in the cloud and on-premise.

What needs improvement?

There are areas where BI lags behind its competitors - for example, Qlik has an in-built data manipulation engine while BI does not. I also do not like transformation in BI, as we have to go back to the data for this process instead of being able to do things on the fly, as with Qlik. Other areas for improvement include the language that BI uses, the ability to do data manipulations, and the flexibility of the licensing models. In the next release, I would like to see manipulation and internal analytics, as well as some analytics features.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I've seen no issues with BI's stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

BI is scalable, but there are some problems with limited online storage and always having to go back to the data warehouse.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution as eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Implementer
PeerSpot user
Data Scientist at a tech vendor with 201-500 employees
Real User
Reports creation easy, useful dashboards, and good online community support
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are the easy creation of reports, dashboards, and the ability to perform analysis. It is important for us to create reports because we have some operations during certain hours and we can use this tool to track the information."

    What is our primary use case?

    We are using this solution to create dashboards and reports for business analytics. We are in the early stages of testing and we have yet to determine if we are going to continue using the solution. We have to fully evaluate the solution first.

    How has it helped my organization?

    The use of the dashboards with analytics has helped our organization.

    What is most valuable?

    The most valuable features are the easy creation of reports, dashboards, and the ability to perform analysis. It is important for us to create reports because we have some operations during certain hours and we can use this tool to track the information. Additionally, it is a benefit they are adding more features all the time, such as machine learning.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using this solution within the past 12 months.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The solution is stable.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    I never needed to use technical support. However, they have a good online community where I found documentation, a lot of general information, and tutorial videos on YouTube and Google.

    How was the initial setup?

    The installation is simple.

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

    The price for this solution is reasonable. However, there is an additional cost if you want to publish the dashboard privately.

    What other advice do I have?

    I rate Microsoft BI a nine out of ten.

    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.
    PeerSpot user
    reviewer1517100 - PeerSpot reviewer
    CEO at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
    Real User
    Can be easily integrated to any database and is flexible and user friendly
    Pros and Cons
    • "It's quite flexible, and it's easy to create reports using this system. It is very graphic and very user friendly."
    • "The smart phone application could be improved, along with better graphics and faster updating."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use it for management reporting.

    What is most valuable?

    It's quite flexible, and it's easy to create reports using this system. It is very graphic and very user friendly.

    One of the advantages of Microsoft BI is that it's easy to integrate it with any databases.

    Another is that it doesn't need a lot of technical support because it's easy to use.

    What needs improvement?

    The smart phone application could be improved, along with better graphics and faster updating.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using it for 3 or 4 years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    It is a stable solution.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    It is scalable.

    How was the initial setup?

    It's easy to install. It requires that you prepare some databases for installing this product, but it doesn't take too much time to do it.

    What about the implementation team?

    We used a consultant.

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

    Microsoft BI is not expensive. Compared to the price of other BI products, the price is very fair.

    What other advice do I have?

    On a scale from one to ten, I would rate Microsoft BI at ten.

    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.
    PeerSpot user
    reviewer1514799 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Project Business Analyst RPA at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
    Real User
    Compatibility with different databases, complete tool, helpful technical support
    Pros and Cons
    • "The most useful features are the ability to connect different databases to Microsoft BI and explore them. Once the database information has been extracted, you have the ability to construct indicators and dashboards from the information."
    • "The solution could improve by simplifying the user interface and adding integration or compatibility with APA."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use Microsoft BI primarily for analyzing data to construct indicators and dashboards. We use the information to better understand our business to make effective decisions about our business for the future, such as keeping competitive with other companies.

    What is most valuable?

    The most useful features are the ability to connect different databases to Microsoft BI and explore them. Once the database information has been extracted, you have the ability to construct indicators and dashboards from the information.

    Microsoft BI is a complete tool, it has all the functions needed for its purpose.

    What needs improvement?

    The solution could improve by simplifying the user interface and adding integration or compatibility with APA.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Microsoft BI for many years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The solution is stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The solution is scalable. We are able to see the users and the capability from the cloud platform.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    Microsoft provides good technical support.

    How was the initial setup?

    The installation is easy. However, there are many options and areas to configure that can be difficult.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would recommend those wanting to use this solution to take some courses to at least learn the minimal knowledge to analyze and construct indicators. This is a very powerful tool and if you understand it you can get the most out of it.

    I rate Microsoft BI a nine out of ten.

    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.
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Microsoft Power BI Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
    Updated: August 2025
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Microsoft Power BI Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.