Microsoft Power BI Reviews

With Power BI, I create dashboards. We have an IT manager responsible for supply chain and CRM, including billing. I handle the supply chain module, receiving end-user requests for dashboards and reports.

I create analysis and measures in Analysis Services, then craft dashboards that meet end-user requirements.

My work involves using SQL Server Integration Services to integrate data from various sources, including Oracle and SQL Server, and then store them in Data Warehouse.

Power BI significantly organized our KPIs, making them accessible for immediate business decisions, like analyzing profits or losses. 

For example, in supply chain management, Power BI provides well-organized KPI data and calculated measures that aid decision-makers. Unlike before, they don't have to wait for detailed data; they get well-defined KPIs and calculated measures that offer insights into the business, allowing them to make informed decisions regarding future strategies and properties.

Power BI's collaboration functionality improves teamwork in our organization. We had a lot of entries and a lot of people who were working with Power BI. It's been four years, and some new members have less experience. We all collaborate to share information and experience, which improves collaboration.

Power BI's ability to integrate any data source, whether it's a cloud database, Analysis Services, or another type, is incredibly valuable. It allows us to make the right data available for analysis. 

Additionally, the flexibility to enhance our dashboards with new charts found online further helps with our analytical capabilities.

I also like the feature of the Page Navigator in Power BI. The Page Navigator allows users to navigate through different pages on the dashboard simply by clicking on the desired page, and Power BI will automatically open that page. 

Additionally, Power BI offers interactions where I can decide what Slicer or chart can filter another. Not all sources can filter all the others, and not all filters can be applied universally. 

I've also found Bookmarks to be a valuable feature, allowing for control over what sources are affected or whether they are visible or invisible during any interaction in Power BI. 

The dashboard and reporting features are very effective in decision-making. They enable decision-makers to determine the next steps, such as analyzing profits and losses, evaluating supplier performance, including late fees, and managing purchase timings in relation to delivery and order dates.

Data integration is very useful in Power BI. It lets me collect data from many sources, especially with IT support. I get data from tools, databases, data warehouses, and data lakes. For example, I can get data from Oracle databases and SQL Server databases at the same time.

We combine this data into a single destination—either a table or a database. This lets us analyze the combined data and create visualizations. Ultimately, we can consolidate information like customer details from different solutions into a single table. We can also change data types, clean the data, and organize it effectively.

When I create measures, sometimes the error messages aren't clear. It makes me spend more time searching for solutions. I need the error messages to be more specific.

So, I would like clearer error messages when creating measures.

I've been working with Power BI since January 2020, so it's been four years.

It is very stable. I would rate the stability a ten out of ten. 

It works well for a large number of users. We have almost 15 to 20 end users. 

I would rate my experience with the initial setup a four out of ten, with one being difficult and ten being easy to set up.

It's difficult to set up. Sometimes, I need technical support to resolve issues.

We use it on-premises.

The deployment time varies. Sometimes it takes two days, and sometimes it takes two weeks. If the dashboard has a lot of KPIs, it will take more time. Also, if the data already exists as measures, it's less complicated.

It's accessible with some subscriptions. We have a lot of users that we can send dashboards to daily, and that would cost a lot of money otherwise. But setting up Power BI itself is not expensive.

I would definitely recommend using this solution. It's easy to use. It can get data from a lot of sources. It's user-friendly. It's easy to learn, and it's easy to search on the internet for information about it.

Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten.

I've mainly worked within the banking sector. It is particularly useful for vertical clients. Power BI is a great tool for reporting. You can source data from any database, like Oracle or Microsoft SQL. It generates reports and provides methods to control your report's power.

Power BI works with both real-time and offline data. When interacting with real-time data across multiple systems, it offers a great advantage.

I've worked with real-time interactions and appreciate them, similar to how AI is increasingly being incorporated. It's fascinating to see the shift towards AI.

Using middleware technology, like web services, allows Power BI to interact with multiple systems efficiently. This request and response mechanism ensures data is transmitted from the source to the target system in real-time, which significantly benefits business operations by providing up-to-date information.

Moreover, integration capabilities were smooth. I worked on integrating Power BI with PeopleSoft, focusing on custom solutions rather than out-of-the-box features, tailoring the experience to specific needs.

Power BI is very user-friendly and easy to learn. I've even uploaded instructional videos on YouTube, which have helped many users, including some who have become long-term administrators of Power BI.

Reporting is the best thing about Power BI. And it could help improve decision-making in many ways.

Power BI is flexible and easier to use compared to tools like Crystal Reports.

It should integrate with multiple enterprise applications. For instance, integrating CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and HCM (Human Capital Management) with Power BI can be a significant advantage.

Because, organizations focus on and like software that can do multiple tasks.

The user interface is good but it should have the ability to interact with multiple systems.

I would like to see more AI capabilities in future releases. There's a strong interest in AI, including technologies like GPT, which facilitate real-time interactions.

It's all about real-time interaction between customers and the system, automated to operate under specific scenarios. This ensures it functions in real-time, leveraging AI for more dynamic engagements without needing predefined projects or setups, much like how chatbots are designed for real-time use.

In future releases, I would like to see more encrypted software, and there should be version control for Software. It will avoid pirated downloads. 

I would also like to see dynamic content. It should be an add-on in Power BI. It helps users understand reports more easily. For example, when a developer is building a report, they should consider using dynamic content to make the report more user-friendly.

I've worked with Power BI for almost one and a half years, focusing on reporting and integration with Power BI.

Power BI is very stable, especially in sectors like banking, retail, pharmaceuticals, and telecommunications. 

Its stability is expected to increase in the future with advancements in Azure.

I would rate the stability a nine out of ten. 

I would rate the scalability a ten out of ten. It's very scalable.

I haven't needed to press for support activities, so based on my experience, it is good in general. 

Positive

Compared to other reporting tools, it is very easy to acquire, demonstrate, and understand.

I would rate my experience with the initial setup a nine out of ten, with ten being easy. 

It is very easy to set up. Security in a private cloud is optimal, whereas public cloud lacks in security. Hybrid solutions offer some balance, but on-premises solutions have a lot of limitations.

Many customers are moving to the cloud for its ease of use, security, availability, and flexibility. Cost efficiency is also a factor. For example, Why would you use the cloud? Say you have 1000 people in your organization, and only 500 need access to Power BI. On-premises, you'd need to buy licenses for all the users. With the cloud, you only pay for what you use.

Considering cost, cloud solutions like Amazon Cloud, GCP Cloud, or Azure Cloud are preferred for their scalability and cost-effectiveness.

So, our customers mainly use cloud deployments.

Deployment doesn't take much time, thanks to it being a Microsoft product, which makes it easy to handle compared to other software.

So, it takes just a few hours.

It's about balancing cost and value. Although Power BI is cost-effective compared to other reporting tools, its pricing should be more adaptable based on the size of the organization to ensure it remains cost-effective for both small and large entities.  For example, if the organization has a million end-users, it should be cost-effective. 

This is important when considering the scalability of solutions like Kronos or Banner ERP systems, ensuring the cost is aligned with the organizational needs.

The pricing is very low and competitive. Microsoft could consider adjusting the price according to the size and needs of the organization, balancing demand with supply.

Power BI is an essential tool for any kind of detailed reporting. It's efficient and effective. 

I would definitely recommend using this solution. Overall, I would rate the solution a ten out of ten. 

My company uses Microsoft BI for reporting purposes. In my company, we extract data from different sources, put it in the staging area, and then use Microsoft Power BI to build the reports and dashboards.

The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is an easy-to-use tool.

Microsoft BI lacks integration capabilities, so it needs to consider increasing its integration capabilities. Microsoft BI needs to improve its mobile application compatibility so that people view their reports and dashboards through a mobile app since, nowadays, people move towards tools that are in the digital transformation phase.

I have experience with Microsoft BI. I recently joined a new organization where I see Microsoft BI being used extensively.

Considering that most people in my organization use Microsoft BI, I can say that it is a stable solution.

Microsoft BI is a part of Microsoft Power Platform, because of which Microsoft can increase its capacity based on the needs and licenses of its users.

Around 20 people in my company use Microsoft BI.

My company plans to increase the use of Microsoft BI.

The initial setup of Microsoft BI is straightforward since it comes along with Microsoft Power Platform.

The solution is deployed on the cloud.

I am unsure about Microsoft BI's deployment process since it was already deployed when I joined the organization.

In my company, we have two developers and two testers to look after the deployment and maintenance of the solution.

The company's in-house team did the installation process of Microsoft BI.

When my company compared the price of Alteryx to Microsoft BI, we found Alteryx's price to be higher than Microsoft BI's price.

In general, Microsoft BI's price is lower compared to Alteryx.

I am not a user of the solution at the moment. I am an architect taking time to evaluate and see how my company can use Microsoft Power BI.

Our company hardly finds a tool where we can say one size fits all, so we need to use other tools for larger amounts of data and data cleansing.

It would be effective for those planning to use the solution to find the best solution that suits their requirements.

I rate the overall solution a seven out of ten.

It’s not just a specific tool I use when providing solutions. In these scenarios, clients often have a significant Microsoft presence with servers for data collection, whether it's in a data lake, data warehouse, or a data lake house. Their users typically require reporting, dashboards, or ad-hoc queries based on their specific business needs. However, most vendors tend to offer inflexible solutions, focusing on predefined reports.

Power BI stands out because it provides considerable flexibility in creating reports, dashboards, and various types of analytics to meet those dynamic requirements. It is lightweight and easy to use with good support.       

Microsoft BI typically connects to a database, often SQL Server, but it's also capable of connecting to multiple databases, pulling data from them, and allowing for data consolidation. You can then aggregate and generate dashboards and reports from this combined data. Personally, I wouldn't claim to have the expertise to suggest significant changes or additional features, as it functions quite well as is.

I have been using this solution for the past five years. 

It is a stable solution. 

It's a cloud-based platform, and it scales seamlessly based on your usage, which is one of the key advantages of cloud services. You pay according to your usage, without worrying about licenses or ownership. However, there are some limitations to consider. While it's a front-end tool for visualization and analytics, it lacks extensive customization options. If you require complex reports or queries, Microsoft offers support to help you achieve those goals. In my experience over the past five years, I haven't encountered any use case that couldn't be addressed with Power BI. On the contrary, I faced performance issues with other tools like Spotfire, which prompted us to explore different solutions. The effectiveness of Power BI also depends on factors like architecture, deployment, and network quality. If network configurations aren't optimized, it can lead to slow data transfer. However, being a cloud-based solution, the cloud infrastructure often manages these issues. Nevertheless, if you want the best performance, you might need to invest in improving your network infrastructure.

Positive

I'm not very familiar with the licensing aspect, as it operates in the cloud as a SaaS (Software as a Service) model. Essentially, you pay based on cloud cost models, which might include hourly rates or similar billing structures introduced by Microsoft. Many organizations utilize it and pay for its services, somewhat like Office 365. It's a cloud-based platform that provides the necessary services, including support, for development, and you pay accordingly for the usage.

 would recommend the solution, rating it eight out of ten. There’s no such thing as an ideal product. In my perspective, perfection remains an unattainable goal. However, I can't rate it lower than eight because Microsoft actively invests in BI's development and expansion. They have a roadmap and allocate resources to it, which is evident in the growing user base. This continuous growth adds value to the product and benefits its users.

In January, I successfully published my application on AppSource, specifically targeting retail customers. Recently, I received positive feedback from a customer, which was truly gratifying. It seems that my application is Microsoft's preferred choice as it effectively addresses the majority of customer requirements and is tailored to their specific requests. 

Apart from retail applications, I have also developed solutions for BigChange, an organization dedicated to driving significant changes. Additionally, I have worked on creating reports focusing on production efficiency within my company. These reports have been well-received and have provided valuable insights. Lastly, I have recently worked on an application that involves managing IT resources and has developed a multi-dimensional model including SSIS and Power BI.

For the last project, I worked on creating data flows and implementing incremental refresh functionality. However, there was an issue we encountered regarding the date field in the tables. The existing portal dates were incorrect as they did not reflect changes in the records. To address this, we collaborated with the developers to introduce an additional column that accurately captures modified data in the system. This improvement has proven to be significant, and it can be implemented using the pro license, rather than relying on the premium license, as the premium license covers different aspects.

The Pro license offers great features such as incremental refreshing, which is highly beneficial. While it doesn't include direct query capabilities, I believe that many customers don't actually require direct query functionality. 

Currently, the developers in my company are busy adding a column in the API as part of our transition to BC Start. Our intention is to gradually migrate our customers to SQL Server, and that's why we are using the app.

In a simplified manner, when working on-site, you cannot directly connect to the regular table without using APIs. That's why the APIs need to be modified to include an additional column, making it suitable for incremental refreshing. Apologies for any disruption caused, but I hope this explanation clarifies the situation.

They find Power BI's data pull mechanism to be sufficient and cost-effective, especially considering the stability it provides. In comparison with other solutions, Power BI stands out as a fantastic choice. Therefore, I would definitely recommend sticking with the Pro license.

I believe there is room for improvement in terms of authentication and certain functionalities in Power BI. For instance, adjusting the width of columns is not easily done, as there is only an option to enable or disable automatic adjustment. 

This can be a significant drawback for clients who desire more flexibility.

Additionally, changing styles and formatting options for numbers require external tools, which can be inconvenient and time-consuming. Ideally, Power BI should incorporate these features within its platform to enhance user experience and eliminate the need for external tools.

I understand your frustration with the lack of automation and dynamic features in Power BI, particularly regarding the assignment of dynamic titles and content titles. While there are some options available for creating dynamic titles, they may not fully meet your specific requirements. It would be ideal to have more flexibility in manually assigning the desired typography for each call and dynamically setting content titles. Although it is possible to find workarounds for these limitations, I believe Microsoft will likely address these issues in future updates to improve the user experience. Despite these shortcomings, Power BI remains a powerful and highly capable application, and I would rate it an eight out of ten.

I have a strong belief that within the next couple of years, or even sooner, significant advancements will be made in Power BI. These advancements will make it even more powerful and I am confident it will become truly exceptional. I have complete faith in the future development and potential of this platform.

I have been working with Microsoft BI since the start of 2020.

I am working with the latest version.

Microsoft BI is very stable.

Microsoft BI offers scalability, particularly with the availability of premium capacity. With premium capacity, whether it's per user or a dedicated resource, Microsoft BI can effectively handle increased data volumes and accommodate growing user needs. 

Microsoft BI offers scalability in specific areas, but it is important to note that scalability options are limited to certain aspects and may come at a higher cost. For instance, the premium package, which starts at around $5,000 or more, provides enhanced scalability features. However, if you opt for the per-user licensing model, the scalability may be constrained as it is tied to the number of licensed users. Therefore, in terms of scalability, the per-user option may have limitations compared to other packages.

I wrote to Chris Web, and he replied to me immediately. He is the principal program manager at Microsoft.

I have him I have him working And, usually, I don't contact them, only when it is something serious. top expert and experts, and they reply, you know, has been one for us. It's great

In my professional experience, I have primarily worked with AS (Analysis Services), Power BI, and SSIS (SQL Server Integration Services).

Last week, I worked on creating SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services) reports and integrated them with SSAS (SQL Server Analysis Services). Additionally, I hold a Microsoft certification in this field.

The initial setup is straightforward. It is very easy to set up. it is very intuitive.

Perhaps it's because of my experience and expertise in the field that I approach things with caution. I don't take things for granted. Just because I obtain a certain result doesn't automatically mean it's correct, as there may be errors that are not displayed.

It's important to carefully check the measurements and ensure their accuracy, especially for beginners who may not be familiar with these nuances.

Maintaining the system is not difficult due to the availability of the admin platform. When it comes to permissions and access, it becomes straightforward as long as the customer's requirements are clear. 

You can easily define the level of access they need, whether it's building, reviewing, sharing, or restricting data access for online viewing. Depending on their specific needs, setting up gateways and configuring other settings is also simple. 

It's important to have a clear understanding of their security requirements and engage in discussions with the customer to determine the best approach. 

Often, customers may not be fully aware of what they want to achieve, and it's our job to help them identify their needs.

Especially for clients, it's important to understand that achieving the desired outcome is not as simple as just completing the task and generating the report.

There are several factors and considerations that come into play. Careful attention needs to be given to the creation process by different stakeholders if you truly want to achieve an exceptional result. 

Even small changes, such as removing certain elements from the selection or adjusting formatting, can have a significant impact on the report. Users may perceive the tool as being the same regardless of these details, but the difference between a subpar report and a high-quality one lies in the expertise and knowledge of the creator.

There are various options available for creating reports, particularly focusing on online reports. However, the foundation of the process lies in Power BI Desktop. Whatever we develop in Power BI Desktop can be published and accessed through a unified platform and tool. 

Data flows enable us to make necessary modifications, similar to working with Power Query and related functionalities. Personally, I find working with Power BI Desktop easier due to its comprehensive features and user-friendly interface.

You can gather data from various sources, including data flows, RBI databases, and SharePoint, among others, and then create and publish your report. While you do have the option to connect to online sources directly, I personally find that working with local data feels faster, at least for now.

Microsoft BI is considered to be competitively priced when compared to other similar solutions in the market.

I haven't had the opportunity to work with other tools as I found Power BI to be excellent. No one has specifically asked me to explore other tools.

However, I did purchase some tools on my own for personal learning purposes, particularly for tabular data. I may consider exploring other tools after June 15th, once I have completed my Microsoft exam DP-500 for Synapse.

Power BI is a complex tool that should not be taken for granted.

Its capabilities and functionalities are multi-layered, and the more you delve into it, the more you realize how much there is to learn. 

It can be both challenging and fun to explore the different features and unlock the full potential of Power BI.

As a BI developer, I joined the company without prior experience in BI. Since December 2021, I have been working on establishing a BI deployment in collaboration with a partner. My main focus is to create and enhance internal and external applications for app stores. Currently, my task primarily involves developing a new deployment strategy.

I would rate Microsoft BI an eight out of ten.

My main use case for Microsoft Power BI is creating a dashboard for stakeholders to see the progress in our organization on a daily basis reporting.

The best feature Microsoft Power BI offers me is the RLS one, which allows us to manage roles for different users in different countries. Row-Level Security is a very nice feature for my needs.

Microsoft Power BI has positively impacted my organization in terms of decision-making.

The main reason I would give it a seven instead of a higher or lower score is that it is free and has a maximum rating of seven.

I have been working with Microsoft Power BI for two years.

There is nothing that has been frustrating, even slightly, about Microsoft Power BI.

My advice to someone considering using Microsoft Power BI is to consult with teammates or colleagues. I would rate my overall experience with Microsoft Power BI as a seven.

Microsoft Power BI is an easy tool for data analysis. It's easier to get the data from different data sources and then create a visual representation. Using the tool comes easily and naturally to people proficient with Excel. You need to have an understanding of data modeling and how the data works. Once you work with Power Pivot, I think Power BI will be a better upgrade than other tools in the market.

There are some issues with Microsoft Power BI's integration with OAC because it's currently in the beta phase. We face multiple issues, and the connection drops off multiple times while integrating Microsoft Power BI with OAC and pulling in the data. The solution's integration capabilities have created some issues for us, especially while retrieving data.

I have been using Microsoft Power BI for over seven years.

The solution's technical support has not been very helpful. I have solved my issues by myself and found a workaround for it.

Neutral

I have worked with multiple data visualization tools, such as SAP One and SAP BusinessObjects, where you had different tools for data visualization. I think each tool has its own unique capabilities. The biggest advantage of Microsoft Power BI is its integration with Excel and how it is an upgraded version of Excel. We all know how Excel is used in the market, so Power BI has a strong advantage over its competitors.

I use the solution for myself, and I recommend it to my customers. I would recommend the solution to other users.

The selection of the visualization tool clearly depends on the data sources. I would recommend Microsoft Power BI if I worked for Microsoft. Otherwise, I would recommend other better tools available in the market. It completely depends on the data source and the data volume. I would not recommend Microsoft Power BI if the data volume is very high because it will tend to freeze your report.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

We mostly use Microsoft Power BI for reporting. We are going to build some solutions. We are going to deploy the scripts from Intune so that it can pull some data, which we can aggregate and show the projections on Power BI.

I really like the solution's integration part. You can integrate Microsoft Power BI with various other solutions like Intune. You can push the Intune data warehouse to Power BI. I really like the custom-built solutions that are available in Power BI.

I really wanted to send the inventory data to Power BI. I don't know whether the feature is available because I'm working on it and still need to look into it. The solution should increase the API functionality so that we can use Microsoft Power BI for other purposes and aggregate things.

I recently used Microsoft Power BI reporting for Windows Update. I wanted to understand where the reporting data came from, but I couldn't find it. It could be because I had fewer privileges. It would be good to know the data source for the solution's reporting part.

I have been using Microsoft Power BI for the past six months.

I rate the solution’s stability ten out of ten.

Microsoft Power BI can be used by all company sizes because it's all about aggregating and visualizing data. Any organization needs to have a broader perspective on what is happening. It could be useful for both large and small applications. All ranges of companies can utilize Power BI.

I rate the solution a nine out of ten for scalability.

The support engineers are not ready to schedule the calls or understand the issues and are very eager to close the cases. I have previously worked at Microsoft as a support engineer. I know they may have workloads and may need to handle multiple cases in a day.

However, I'm not finding even the basic courtesy of handling the issues from the engineers' perspective. Except for a few, many engineers are not willing to help the customers. They focus more on their limitations, saying that they don't deal with such issues or that they are out of their scope.

I rate the solution’s technical support a six to seven out of ten.

Neutral

Informatica is a competitor to Microsoft Power BI. However, Microsoft Power BI is very easy to use, and even a nontechnical person can implement it. Other solutions are a bit complicated when compared to Microsoft Power BI.

The solution’s initial setup is very simple. The solution's deployment takes less than 15 to 30 minutes.

Microsoft Power BI is deployed on the cloud in our organization. I would recommend the solution to other users.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.