Alteryx vs Microsoft BI comparison

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2,463 views|1,412 comparisons
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35,558 views|30,026 comparisons
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Alteryx and Microsoft BI based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Predictive Analytics solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed Alteryx vs. Microsoft BI Report (Updated: March 2023).
745,341 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"It is a stable and scalable solution.""Alteryx's connectivity is essential. We like the ability to connect the solution to multiple sources. It's easier than other data modeling and extraction solutions. It's built on a self-service concept, so it's easy for anyone to open the tool and directly import or export data from it.""I like that I can merge data from different sources into one place.""Alteryx is a simple and easy-to-use solution.""Its initial setup is easy.""It is one of the most complete and great customer service that I experienced with a software company/ecosystem.""I like the solution's velocity, the speed with which it processes data, and its ease of use.""Alteryx has helped us spend more time identifying results instead of performing analysis manually. It has helped us in our loading process, including scrubbing data and identifying data elements that need to be corrected. It enables us to understand our data sets a lot better."

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"The initial setup is relatively simple.""The solution is easy to use and charts can be built quickly with the tools.""We have found the product very stable and reliable.""It's pretty easy to set up the product.""My understanding is that the initial setup is pretty easy.""I like having the ability to connect Excel files as data inputs.""I like that I can use Power BI to upload data. That is very important for me. The visualization is also convenient and easy to use.""Like all Microsoft products, it is very easy to set up initially."

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Cons
"Even when it already includes some AI models, this area could be improved.""They should work on its pricing.""The scalability worries me a lot at the moment because the cost of the solution is high and it is not growing considerably. Unfortunately, we started during early COVID times and because of the economic downturn, all the cost cuttings, and everything, it is not growing as expected.""The solution is improving continuously. They have, for example, just added automatic insights. If they continue to improve on their overall service offering, that would be ideal.""I'd like to see more artificial intelligence business tools or features in Alteryx.""The gallery could improve in Alteryx. Additionally, if there was a Conditional Join feature it would be beneficial. Since I do not have this feature I have to use Python scripts.""If there is any way to make the learning curve less steep, that would be ideal.""Mastering Alteryx, a comprehensive solution, takes time. However, once you have gained proficiency with its layout and how to drag, drop, and connect components, it becomes remarkably easy, yet still thorough."

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"Microsoft should offer additional features for visualization and have additional features for slicing and dicing that data.""You do need to do some hard coding for certain things in Microsoft BI.""Areas for improvement would be the construction of reports and the dashboard budget.""Power BI doesn't support some open-source data sources that are new, such as SnowSQL, Iceberg, or ClickHouse.""Power BI's drillthrough feature could be improved. I didn't like drillthrough and those options much, but I did like it in MicroStrategy.""There is no column-level security in Microsoft BI, and this is a feature that most of our customers are looking for. That is something that should be implemented.""There is room for improvement in terms of pricing for the solution.""The initial installation is difficult."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "The cost of the solution could be reduced."
  • "The price could be better."
  • "The desktop platform costs $5,000 per year. It's very costly."
  • "Opt for the three year subscription. It is 20% less than the yearly one."
  • "ROI is huge. There are some secondary benefits, like analysts getting their post 5 PM time back or the ability to shorten all closing processes to a half or less."
  • "It is $4,000 a year, so it is cheap versus other solutions. It also accomplishes three times the volume on the job in the same time (as the other solutions).​"
  • "Alteryx isn't extortionately expensive, but it's not cheap either."
  • "It's probably on the pricey side, but they provide some really useful ways to grow and test."
  • More Alteryx Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "In the beginning, the solution cost approximately $1,000 per month, we have a Microsoft startup subscription. There is a subscription pack for startups company which we are able to have for one year."
  • "If you purchase a license for a server, for users, or the professional version, you might not have to. The free version I think it can satisfy many customers' needs."
  • "We have enterprise licenses and some of the other tools or features come as a package and others you have to purchase separately."
  • "We're charged a monthly subscription fee of 500 rupees per person."
  • "They have a free Power BI Desktop version, but it has limitations."
  • "It's straightforward licensing."
  • "I have not had a customer suggest the solution is too expensive. There are licenses to use the solution."
  • "Both cost-wise and implementation-wise, this product is a good choice."
  • More Microsoft BI Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:One of the differences is that with Alteryx you can use it as an ETL and analytics tool. Please connect with me directly if you want to know more.
    Top Answer:Alteryx is an extremely easy and flexible data tool, flexible in terms of drag and drop toolset and also has python, R integrations if your team requires this It can handle over 2 billion rows of… more »
    Top Answer:I am not familiar with IBM SPSS Modeler, therefore, I cannot compare these two products Regarding Alteryx I can say the following: - An excellent desktop tool for Data Prep and analytics. -… more »
    Top Answer:There are many...It would rather depend what System BI architecture or Enterprise legacy you have at your end...I would recommend as follows:  1) If you have legacies of SAP, Oracle  - look for SAP… more »
    Top Answer:Power BI is an advanced visualization tool oriented to big data with a very complete set of widgets to visualize information, control users accessing information, the configuration of governance… more »
    Top Answer:Oracle OBIEE is great in allowing design and creativity per the individual needs of the organization. Dashboards are fully customizable and very user-friendly. This solution is very stable. Oracle… more »
    Ranking
    1st
    Views
    2,463
    Comparisons
    1,412
    Reviews
    29
    Average Words per Review
    546
    Rating
    8.3
    Views
    35,558
    Comparisons
    30,026
    Reviews
    89
    Average Words per Review
    515
    Rating
    8.0
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    SSRS, SSAS, MSBI, MS Reporting Services, Power BI, Microsoft BI Tools, Microsoft Big Data, Power BI Pro, MS BI
    Learn More
    Overview

    Alteryx can be used to speed up or automate your business processes and enables geospatial and predictive solutions. Its platform helps organizations answer business questions quickly and efficiently, and can be used as a major building block in a digital transformation or automation initiative. With Alteryx, you can build processes in a more efficient, repeatable, and less error-prone way. Unlike other tools, Alteryx is easy to use without an IT background. The platform is very robust and can be used in virtually any industry or functional area.

    With Alteryx You Can:

    • Prep, blend, and analyze data
    • Deliver faster, better business outcomes
    • Automate analytics and data science
    • Embed intelligent decisioning
    • Deploy and share analytics in hours

    Alteryx Features Include:

    Some of the most valuable Alteryx features include:

    Scalability, stability, flexibility, fast performance, no-code analytics, data processing, business logic wrapping, scheduling, ease of use, data blending from different platforms, geo-referencing, good customization capabilities, drag and drop functionality, intuitive user interface, connectors, machine learning, macros, simple GUI, integration with Python, good data transformation, good documentation, multiple database merging, and easy deployment.

    Alteryx Can Be Used For:

    • Combining and manipulating data within spreadsheets: Alteryx can be used in situations where complex data manipulation occurs. It can handle large data quickly, and the process is much simpler to see and understand.

    • Database access and supplementing SQL development: Alteryx has several sets of database connectors and functions, including many functions that your average database does not. Alteryx can work with data from multiple databases or areas within a database. It allows users to filter, sort, calculate, etc. as they would commonly do in SQL or an ETL tool.
    • API, cloud, and hybrid access: Alteryx can read and write data in databases, files, REST APIs, and a myriad of other locations (with the correct permissions). When a workflow is published, you can also call a workflow through a REST API to start it.

    • Data science: Alteryx provides pre-built models that are extremely useful for data scientists who may have limited programming skills and also gives you the ability to add R or Python code directly within a workflow.

    • Geospatial analysis: Alteryx gives users drag-and-drop tools to geocode, plot, and map locations, customers, competitors, or anything that has a location (employee, truck, pipeline, etc.).

    • Reports and dashboards: Alteryx provides built-in tools that enable the building of reports and dashboards.

    Alteryx Benefits

    Some of the benefits of using Alteryx include
    :

    • Saves time: Alteryx helps shorten the time required to start analyzing data and looking for insights, minimizing the tasks that do not add value to the business and maximizing the analysis phase.

    • Clear tool configurations: Alteryx provides simple and concise tool configurations that are quick and easy to set.

    • Excellent workflow compatibility.

    • Reduced development time: Alteryx has an extensive gallery of user-developed analytic applications that helps to reduce development time.

    • Fast data loading: Alteryx has tools that make it very effective when working with big data sets.

    • No-code, low-code analytic building blocks: You can prep, blend, and analyze data to enable highly configurable and repeatable workflows.

    • Machine learning: Alteryx allows you to quickly create properly trained algorithms that are ready to deploy.

    Reviews from Real Users

    "Automation is the most valuable aspect for us. The ability to wrap business logic around the data is very helpful." - Theresa M., Senior Capacity Planner at a financial services firm

    "Alteryx has made us more agile and increased the speed and effectiveness of decision making." - Richard F., Director, Digital Experience & Media at Qdoba Restaurant Corporation

    "The scheduling feature for the automation is excellent." - Data Analytics Engineer at a tech services company

    "The product is very stable and super fast, five-star. It's significantly more stable than its nearest competitor." - Director at a non-tech company

    “A complete solution with very good user experience and a nice user interface.” - Solutions Consultant at a tech services company

    "There are a lot of good customization capabilities." - Advance Analytics PO at a pharma/biotech company





    Microsoft BI is a business intelligence solution that connects to all your data sources and turns your data into insightful and useful business information that is relevant to all levels of the business, ensuring data accuracy, consistency, and security.

    Microsoft BI combines familiar Microsoft tools - Office, SharePoint, and SQL server - with extra features for end-users, such as Power View and Power Pivot. This powerful product gives businesses a competitive advantage by allowing end users to better analyze their data, collaborate, and better present their data.

    The BI platform empowers members of your organization to make data-driven decisions that drive strategic actions quickly by allowing them to work together easily on the same data, share insights, and collaborate on reports using other Microsoft Office applications.

    Microsoft BI Benefits

    Some of the benefits of using Microsoft BI include: 

    • Scalability: Easily scale the Microsoft BI platform to help reduce costs and minimize the security risks and complexities that arise as a result of maintaining multiple systems.
    • Secure analytics: Protect your data with sophisticated data security features, including sensitivity labeling, end-to-end encryption, and real-time access monitoring. View and share meaningful AI-based insights enriched by data visualizations.
    • Regular user-driven innovative updates: Get weekly and monthly updates that improve the capabilities of Power BI based on thousands of ideas submitted each year from a community of over 500,000 members worldwide.
    • Seamless integration with Microsoft products: Microsoft BI connects with Microsoft 365, allowing you to create Excel queries, data models, and reports for the Power BI dashboards. These integrations make it easy to collect, analyze, publish, and share Excel business data.
    • Access Microsoft BI from any location: BI can be accessed at any time from anywhere using its mobile app, allowing ease of access to distributed teams or businesses across many locations. The business intelligence platform also enables teams to work on any file at the same time.
    • User-friendly dashboard: View and manage your data in a user-friendly and intuitive customized dashboard. The Microsoft BI platform enables teams to work independently while exchanging analytics between different departments and users. With Microsoft BI, you can easily create personalized dashboards that combine on-premises and cloud data into a single view, allowing you to monitor enterprise data from multiple business applications.
    • Easy installation: Install the platform in minutes just by creating an API key and inputting it into the software.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Microsoft BI stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Two major ones are its integration options and its data analytics capabilities.

    Tariq R., an operations & BI analyst at American Hospital Dubai, writes, “Power BI is a complete ecosystem. It has an integrated ETL tool and good connectivity with applications such as Office 365 and SQL. Power BI supports the DAX and Power Query M languages. These languages are making Power BI very strong in data analytics, and you can do many types of analysis. ”

    Offer
    Learn more about Alteryx
    Learn more about Microsoft BI
    Sample Customers
    AnalyticsIq Inc., belk, BloominBrands Inc., Cardinalhealth, Cineplex, Dairy Queen
    Konica Minolta, Klout, Mahindra Satyam, The Weather Channel, Argus, Credit Suisse, NCR, and Sysmex.
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company15%
    Manufacturing Company11%
    Financial Services Firm11%
    Energy/Utilities Company9%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm22%
    Manufacturing Company9%
    Computer Software Company9%
    Retailer6%
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm14%
    Manufacturing Company13%
    Computer Software Company11%
    Energy/Utilities Company9%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization34%
    Financial Services Firm8%
    Computer Software Company8%
    Government5%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business34%
    Midsize Enterprise15%
    Large Enterprise51%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business15%
    Midsize Enterprise10%
    Large Enterprise75%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business39%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise45%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business14%
    Midsize Enterprise41%
    Large Enterprise46%
    Buyer's Guide
    Alteryx vs. Microsoft BI
    March 2023
    Find out what your peers are saying about Alteryx vs. Microsoft BI and other solutions. Updated: March 2023.
    745,341 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Alteryx is ranked 1st in Predictive Analytics with 31 reviews while Microsoft BI is ranked 1st in BI (Business Intelligence) Tools with 83 reviews. Alteryx is rated 8.4, while Microsoft BI is rated 8.0. The top reviewer of Alteryx writes "Allows you to organize, document workflows, low-code capabilities, and quick data processing speed". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Microsoft BI writes "User friendly, easy to set up and great for analyzing data". Alteryx is most compared with KNIME, Databricks, Dataiku Data Science Studio, RapidMiner and Tableau, whereas Microsoft BI is most compared with Amazon QuickSight, Tableau, KNIME, Domo and Oracle OBIEE. See our Alteryx vs. Microsoft BI report.

    We monitor all Predictive Analytics reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.