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Longview Analytics vs Microsoft Power BI comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 4, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Longview Analytics
Ranking in Reporting
29th
Average Rating
7.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
Business Performance Management (19th), Financial Close Software (16th)
Microsoft Power BI
Ranking in Reporting
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
331
Ranking in other categories
BI (Business Intelligence) Tools (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Reporting category, the mindshare of Longview Analytics is 1.4%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Power BI is 14.1%, down from 26.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Reporting Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Power BI14.1%
Longview Analytics1.4%
Other84.5%
Reporting
 

Featured Reviews

it_user221853 - PeerSpot reviewer
Technology Lead Onsite at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
The database setup is a pain initially, but once it's done everything works fine.
The ability to report multi-dimensionally and the scalability This tool is mainly used for forecasting, and it will, for sure, help all the organizations that need data/reports on expenses and headcount forecasting. This could be made more developer friendly, and could include the ability to…
Hemanthreddy Vakiti - PeerSpot reviewer
Data engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Interactive dashboards have transformed restaurant data into faster daily business decisions
Microsoft Power BI has many features and there is not a lot to improve. However, the licensing can be confusing. When deciding between Pro and Premium, I find it difficult to distinguish what features are offered by Pro and what features are offered by Premium, including the particular differences to choose between both licensing models. Additionally, some features such as DAX, which I mentioned previously, involve DAX calculations and complex data modeling, which are somewhat advanced and not easily understandable. Prior knowledge is required or you need to go through the documentation. If the documentation is made comprehensive so that anyone with no knowledge on DAX can easily use it by going through the documentation, it would be really helpful. Additionally, if the integration with non-Microsoft tools is improved and performance is optimized, then Microsoft Power BI can become a top-ranked visualization tool. The user experience with Microsoft Power BI is quite good. The intuitive user interface makes it easy for both technical and non-technical users to create reports. However, only the advanced features are somewhat complex, and if the documentation is improved, it can be easily accessible.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Well certainly this product has helped many finance users in the organization as this product enables them to see the numbers for any cost center and business unit and also get a consolidated view of group level numbers."
"This product offers a wide range of corporate performance management tools for powerful financial consolidation, planning and reporting."
"This tool is mainly used for forecasting, and it will, for sure, help all the organizations that need data/reports on expenses and headcount forecasting."
"Khalix is a simple tool that builds on existing data sources to develop solutions in forecasting, planning and consolidation needs."
"It is a solution that is easy for developers to be hands-on, even if they do not have prior experience with it."
"The user interface is easy to work with."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft BI is its visualization and its ease of use."
"There is a feature in Microsoft BI that allows JSON data to SQL on the dashboards effectively and quickly."
"It has provided better and deeper analytics for our data and has also been helpful for custom visualizations as per client requirements."
"Power BI pricing is generally considered more affordable than Tableau."
"All elements together allowed for the rapid deployment of PoC products that could be tested and validated by businesses before being deployed."
"With Power BI, you're able to store your data within spreadsheets and SharePoints, and then have Power BI pull the data out and report on it."
 

Cons

"Web based reporting can have better user interface and functions."
"The original cost is set to use enterprise wide but the users growth is too slow to justify the cost. That's one of the reasons we stopped using this tool."
"If you compare it with Oracle then Longview isn't that user friendly."
"The initial set up was complex and painful, both with respect to database setup and the execution script."
"I found data cleaning in the solution to be quite difficult. If I could add a feature, I'd include Excel's Flash Fill function. This allows you to set a formula for one row and column and automatically apply it to thousands of rows, making data sorting much easier."
"Its setup and support should be improved. We would like to see more material for developers that provides clear explanations about how we can do data mining by using Microsoft BI. It would also be good if we can connect a feature to other customized machine learning solutions."
"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."
"You do need to do some hard coding for certain things in Microsoft BI."
"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."
"Its price could be better. Its licensing cost is very high."
"The Microsoft BI interface should be simpler and more user-friendly."
"For example, permission management and user access management are still a bit limited."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The pricing for the solution is relatively higher compared to other alternatives."
"I have not had a customer suggest the solution is too expensive. There are licenses to use the solution."
"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."
"Price is the best feature of Power BI! You get a lot of value for the price. If you know how to use it, it's a great BI solution for your money."
"It's straightforward licensing."
"Compared to others, I think it is reasonable."
"From a cost point of view, it's competitive in the enterprise space, although it's not as competitive when you add up all of the additional costs. Things like integrations cost extra and it's probably where Microsoft makes more of the money."
"It is part of our Office 365 license."
report
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893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Comparison Review

it_user79932 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Manager - BI Head with 5,001-10,000 employees
Feb 4, 2015
Comparison of SAP BO, Tableau, QlikView, Cognos, Microsoft, OBIEE and Pentaho
1. SAP BO/BI Enterprise scalability Security Ease of use Semantic layer 2. Tableau Visualization Data discovery Turnaround time 3. IBM Cognos Enterprise scalability Security In-memory feature 4. MS BI - Flexibility 5. Pentaho - Open source but still enterprise grade 6. QlikView Data…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Retailer
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business135
Midsize Enterprise59
Large Enterprise169
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
Seeking lightweight open source BI software
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...
Is Power BI a complete platform or only a visualization tool?
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 po...
How does Oracle OBIEE compare with Microsoft BI?
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 ...
 

Also Known As

arcplan, Longview Close, Longview CPM, Longview Tax
SSRS, SSAS, MSBI, MS Reporting Services, Microsoft BI Tools, Microsoft Big Data, Power BI Pro, MS BI
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ADAC, Acuity Brands, Akzo Nobel, Allegheny Energy, Allianz, AluNorf, Amcor, BASF, Banco Central de Chile, Baerlocher, Bauhaus, Bayer, BMW Financial Services, BNI, Bosch, Bristol-Myers Squibb, B/S/H/, Charmer Sunbelt, China Cargo Airlines, City of Edmonton, Commerzbank, Dachser, Daimler, Darling Ingredients, Deichmann, Deutsche Bank, Deutsche Telekom, DFS, EnBW, Faber Castell, FPT, Fraport, Fritz Egger, Guohua Wind Power, Griesson - de Beukelaer, GS Retail, GT Solar, Hailo, Haniel, HCA, H.C. Starck, H-E-B, Hella, Henkel, Hermes Fulfilment, Hitachi, HORIBA, Hunan Tobacco, Hyundai, Iberia, Intersport, Kaiser + Kraft, KDVZ Frechen, Knorr-Bremse, Lanxess, Leifheit, LG Electronics, Liberty Mutual, Lowe´s, Lufthansa, Lupin, Martin Marietta, Media-Saturn, MetLife, Merck, Migros, NKD, Nobilia, Nokia, Novartis, OBI, Oman Oilfields, Ottobock, Petco, Philip Morris, PSCU, Reitan, Robert Bosch, Roche, RWE, Samsung Electronics, Scripps Health, Siemens, Sinopec Shandong, SMS Group, Sodexo, Southwest Airlines, Stadtwerke Bremen, Swiss Post, Takeda, Telefonica, ThyssenKrupp, TNT Express, TrustX, Turner Broadcasting, T¾V Rheinland, UBS, Veolia Water, Vigor, Vodafone, Voestalpine, Wacker, Waste Management, Wegmans, Wirtgen, World Economic Forum, Yunnan Tobacco, ZFV
Accenture Adidas Aetna AIG Airbus Alibaba Allstate Amazon American Express Aon AT&T Audi Bank of America BASF Bayer Berkshire Hathaway Boeing Coca-Cola Comcast Cisco Coca-Cola Dell Disney Emirates Equinix FedEx Ford GE Google H&M Home Depot Honda IBM Intel JPMorgan Chase Kellogg's Kroger L'Oréal McDonald's Merck MetLife Microsoft Nike Oracle P&G PepsiCo Procter & Gamble Prudential Financial SAP Siemens Snapchat Spotify Starbucks Target Toyota T-Mobile Unilever Visa Walmart WeWork World Bank Xerox
Find out what your peers are saying about Longview Analytics vs. Microsoft Power BI and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.