We are a solution provider and Microsoft BI is one of the products that we implement for our customers.
User-friendly, feature-rich, and easy to implement but there is no column-level security
Pros and Cons
- "This product has a lot of features and most of them are user-friendly."
- "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."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
Microsoft BI is easy to implement, as it is a web-based product that doesn't need to be installed.
This product has a lot of features and most of them are user-friendly.
The visualizations are pretty easy to create. In fact, if you want to create anything new, it is pretty easy to do.
The reporting capability is good.
What needs improvement?
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.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Microsoft BI for between six and seven years.
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May 2025

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft BI is scalable.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We also use Oracle BI.
How was the initial setup?
The implementation process is pretty easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Both cost-wise and implementation-wise, this product is a good choice.
What other advice do I have?
This product is good in terms of cost, it is pretty easy to implement, and I can recommend it for those features and the reporting.
Overall, the product is good but there are a few limitations.
I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: implementer

BI Analyst at Infosys Technology
Has valuable reporting and printing features
Pros and Cons
- "I find Power BI's reporting feature the most valuable. The solution has improved a lot. There are new features getting added day by day. In the past, they didn't even have the printing feature, but now they have it."
- "If you look at the new tool, even though they promised that you could do data modeling, that you could do everything from the Power BI side, if your data is really large in volume, sometimes it doesn't work on the Power BI. More feature testing from their side would certainly help users."
What is our primary use case?
I use this for its analysis service.
What is most valuable?
I find Power BI's reporting feature the most valuable. The solution has improved a lot. There are new features getting added day by day. In the past, they didn't even have the printing feature, but now they have it.
What needs improvement?
Every tool has room for improvement. Microsoft also has a lot of room for improvement. If you look at the new tool, even though they promised that you could do data modeling, that you could do everything from the Power BI side, if your data is really large in volume, sometimes it doesn't work on the Power BI. More feature testing from their side would certainly help users.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used this for eight years. I've used this solution within the last 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is stable. It's a nice solution to have.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is very much scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is good. It's not really very helpful sometimes, but it is good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used a different solution for a different location, a different customer. If a customer decides to go for one vendor, they stick to that vendor, so changing a vendor is not an option most of the time.
How was the initial setup?
Initial setup is straightforward, but it depends on the business case. It's straightforward, but sometimes it is complex, but compared to any other tool, the setup for this solution is straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
My experience with them is okay.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I wasn't able to evaluate other options before choosing because it was already chosen by the customer.
What other advice do I have?
Deployment for this solution in our organization is mixed: on-premise and through Microsoft cloud.
If you have a source on the Microsoft side then it's always easier to use one vendor for end-to-end solution. Even if there are some other sources, Microsoft has a big and varied area. Take the reporting ETL analysis as an example, everything's built as part Microsoft. It's always good to have one vendor than multiple vendors.
How long deployment of this solution takes all depends on how much data you have. Sometimes it takes a long time if you have a billion rows of data e.g. it could take hours. It also depends on the architecture. It depends on so many things.
There are a hundred users of this solution in our organization. The real users are customers who require reporting to make business decisions. Mostly the users are business analysts.
This solution is pretty much automated, so no maintenance. For AD, some are there as a team, so they help.
No plans of increasing usage of this solution. Maybe in the future, but not right now.
My advice to other people looking into implementing Power BI is to go for it. It's one tool that has everything, and they should always try to evaluate Microsoft compared to open source. Like in open source, you'll always have a lot of libraries, a lot of different tools that you would be using. It's great to try Microsoft Suite because at the end, you'll only have to deal with one vendor so maintenance will be less.
The lesson that I have learned from using Power BI is to try it out. Don't just rely on the features and promises about the solution. You first try it out, then share your experiences with the customer.
My rating for this solution would be seven or eight out of ten because it has everything in it and I don't see anything missing in it. It is efficient for our needs.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Microsoft Power BI
May 2025

Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Power BI. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2025.
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Chief Technical Officer at Value Partners
Offers simple licensing, good pricing, and an easy setup
Pros and Cons
- "We find the solution offers good stability."
- "Microsoft Power BI was born native on the cloud, however, it's quite difficult when it has to connect to on-premise data sources."
What is our primary use case?
We are a consultant company so we use the many tools, just for our customers. However, we have professional services on, for example, Microsoft Power BI.
What is most valuable?
The initial setup is easy.
The solution is cloud-native.
It works well with Microsoft products.
The licensing is very simple.
We find the solution offers good stability.
You can scale the solution if you need to.
Technical support has always been helpful and responsive.
Pricing is quite reasonable.
What needs improvement?
They should improve the connector to on-premises data. Microsoft Power BI was born native on the cloud, however, it's quite difficult when it has to connect to on-premise data sources. You have a gateway. It's not very easy.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution offers good stability. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product scales well. If a company needs to expand it, it's not a problem.
How are customer service and support?
We use a couple of professionals from Microsoft directly for our clients, and we are really satisfied with them.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We use SAS BI and Microsoft BI. I prefer Microsoft BI as, from a licensing point of view, it's easier as it's a per-user licensing. If Power BI is the right tool for companies, it's a shorter time-to-market approach to business intelligence.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very straightforward. It's not overly complex or difficult. A company should have no issue with the process.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We find the licensing to be very straightforward. It's easier to understand than other options on the market.
The pricing is fairly inexpensive. It's not a costly solution.
What other advice do I have?
We have a business relationship with Microsoft. We are a Microsoft Gold Partner for cloud products. In the past, we've used a lot of Microsoft products and also some of our clients have used them directly.
I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten.
I'd advise that new users should take care of the technical architecture in order to connect in the right way to the data sources to extract data.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
Lead Business Analyst at a media company with 501-1,000 employees
Data visualization tool which has an extensive number of features including offering user defined charts
Pros and Cons
- "Power BI allows you to create user defined charts which is really useful."
- "The UI is the main improvement that could be made. Specifically, there is something called DAX, in Power BI, which is complicated compared to calculated fields used in Tableau."
What is our primary use case?
We use this data visualization tool for the business to understand data in a graphical manner. It is similar to Tableau, a tool also used for data visualization. A tool like this is used mostly by the leadership team to make decisions.
What is most valuable?
Power BI allows you to create user-defined charts which is really useful.
The Power Query button in the power tabs is a unique selling point and is very useful.
What needs improvement?
The UI is the main improvement that could be made. Specifically, there is something called DAX, in Power BI, which is complicated compared to calculated fields used in Tableau.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for six months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a scalable solution. We have 500 users.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy.
What other advice do I have?
The main difference between Power BI and Tableau is the cost. Power BI is much cheaper. Tableau is the best BI tool that I've worked on and is easier for developers to work with. However, there are many things that can be done in Power BI which can't be done in Tableau.
If you're starting working with Power BI, then I would suggest first getting experience with the free version of Tableau to understand and learn about data visualization. From there, moving to Power BI will be much easier as the tools are so similar.
I would rate it 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.
MBA, MS Business Analytics at a consultancy with 1,001-5,000 employees
Good visualization, simple to use, and easy to install
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Microsoft BI is its visualization and its ease of use."
- "I would like to see more visualization options."
What is our primary use case?
In general Microsoft, BI is used to build dashboards, and the analyzing of data as well as some econometrics.
How has it helped my organization?
Primarily, it's all about visualization and dashboards. My organization is large, and I don't believe Power BI as a tool has changed or revamped the entire organization; rather, it assists us in creating dashboards. It made things easier.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Microsoft BI is its visualization and its ease of use.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see more visualization options. I have noticed that it's more driven by corporate data when you look at it. Because I work for the IMF, my data is slightly different, and the corporate solution does not always work.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Microsoft BI for one year.
We are using the most recent version.
It can be deployed both on-premises and on the cloud.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft BI has been good. I don't believe I have any issues with the stability aspect of it yet.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is good; for the time being, it serves the purpose of what we are trying to achieve. However, we haven't attempted to scale it very much.
There should be more than a hundred users in our organization. I'm only referring to the people who develop and implement changes, whereas people who use the dashboards and view them on the entire URL on that page represent the entire organization. There are about 100 or 200 people who actually work and develop things.
For the time being, we are only using it for dashboards because we have other tools for analytics and other things.
How are customer service and support?
I have not contacted technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We work in such a way that we can use any tool and accomplish whatever we want. That's the way it works. I wouldn't be able to say that every team uses Power BI for the same purpose, but we have Power BI available to us and can use it however we see fit. I know that it is primarily used for dashboards at this point.
How was the initial setup?
I installed my own personal version of it, and it appeared to be pretty straightforward.
We have a large IT team to update and maintain this solution.
What about the implementation team?
In most cases, the setups are completed by our vendors. We only receive the finished product.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Microsoft BI a seven out of ten.
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.
Managing Director at Innovative Business Analytics
Reasonably priced, with excellent virtualization
Pros and Cons
- "The virtualization of Microsoft BI is very good."
- "The DAX in Microsoft BI is quite difficult."
What is our primary use case?
I am surveying and researching this solution, in order to provide it to my customer.
Microsoft BI is used to create a dashboard or reports in the customer's environment.
I implement Power BI on desktops for my customers to use for sales and financial analysis. The customer must purchase Power BI Pro from their company, and then they can use it.
What is most valuable?
The virtualization of Microsoft BI is very good.
What needs improvement?
The DAX in Microsoft BI is quite difficult.
The DAX is where the soft data is accessed. The DAX command is used for coding.
I would like to see the DAX simplified, and the number of pages in Microsoft BI should not be limited to one. You should be able to scroll endlessly left, right, up, and down. Typically, Power BI has a page. On this page, the limit could be eight or ten objects that fill the entire page, and you must proceed to the next page. If possible, I'd like Power BI to do the scroll up, scroll down, with unlimited scrolling on one page.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Microsoft BI for a few months.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is good. They have a free Power BI Desktop version, but it has limitations.
They also offer Power BI Pro at a reasonable price. Power BI Pro is appropriate for large enterprises with at least 500 users. The price may be very expensive per month.
The pro version is not suitable for the majority of my customers, who have five or ten users.
What other advice do I have?
If you are a single person using this solution, I would recommend using the desktop version. Power Pro can be used for multiple users ranging from 20 to 50, eliminating the need to invest in Power BI Premium.
Maybe, in the long run, I can be a Microsoft partner, but first I need a large number of customers.
I would rate Microsoft BI an eight 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.
Operations Center Technician at a renewables & environment company with 501-1,000 employees
The visualization is convenient and easy to use.
Pros and Cons
- "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."
- "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."
- "The maps in Power BI could be improved. You deal with many maps over the years, like maps of America and Saudi Arabia. The maps aren't detailed enough, and there aren't enough visualization tools. Whenever I want to use a map, I struggle with choosing the right visualization."
What is our primary use case?
We use Power BI for dashboards and various reports. It's primarily a visualization tool. We don't use it for business intelligence— just visualization.
What is most valuable?
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.
What needs improvement?
The maps in Power BI could be improved. You deal with many maps over the years, like maps of America and Saudi Arabia. The maps aren't detailed enough, and there aren't enough visualization tools. Whenever I want to use a map, I struggle with choosing the right visualization.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using Microsoft BI for about three years now.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft BI is scalable. There are some limitations depending on the amount of data you need, but it's enough for me so far. We have about 50 users, and we'll likely increase our usage in the coming years as Microsoft adds more features and our people train themselves to do more with it.
How was the initial setup?
Setting up Microsoft BI is straightforward. It took about one week if you include training on how to send reports and other things. We were able to do it by ourselves with a team of about five people.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The license is annual. If you need a fancy visualization, you have to pay a bit more, but a valid license covers everything else. I'm developing reports and rolling them out to some users who are not developers, so I need the visualization and have to pay for the license. In the case of Tableau, you don't need to pay, or maybe you spend a little less because you're not a developer.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Microsoft BI 10 out of 10.
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.
General Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Great for companies using a lot of Microsoft products, stable, and fairly simple to set up
Pros and Cons
- "It's pretty easy to set up the product."
- "We haven't used it that long and I haven't come across anything that's stood out as needing to be fixed."
What is most valuable?
The stability is good.
It's pretty easy to set up the product.
For the most part, users can scale the solution.
Technical support is okay.
It's a great option if a business is already heavily involved with other Microsoft tools.
What needs improvement?
I can't speak to any missing features. We haven't used it that long and I haven't come across anything that's stood out as needing to be fixed.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've just started with the solution. I've used it for under a year so far.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable and the performance is pretty good, From what I have experienced. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable.
That said, we haven't used it for a full year yet, and it's hard to gauge its stability for the long term. Right now, based on the information I have, I'd rate it at 70% stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
While, for the most part, it is scalable, it still has its own limitations.
We have three customers that currently use the product.
How are customer service and support?
We've dealt with technical support in the past. They are okay. I'd describe them as average. We haven't necessarily had a bad experience.
How was the initial setup?
I wasn't directly involved in the implementation process. From the feedback from the engineers working on it, in terms of if it is an easy installation, t's not that difficult. The difficulty level depends on the experience of whoever is installing. It depends on the experience of the guy behind the installation or the software guy. My understanding is that there is no difficulty region to region.
We have about five people who can handle deployment and maintenance duties on our team. We have a mix of managers and admins.
What about the implementation team?
We are able to handle the implementation process for our clients.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The client does need to pay for a license in order to use the product, however, I can't speak to the exact lengths of license agreements on offer or how much they cost.
Beyond the standard licensing fees, the only other extra cost would be support.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
There are other options, however, it depends on the client's services. If clients have already made up their minds and they know what they want to go for, we simply help implement. We can give them more options of solutions to choose from. However, many prefer Microsoft as most of their other applications are already Microsoft. It makes sense to stay within the brand.
What other advice do I have?
I'm an integrator and reseller.
I'm not the one in charge of the installation or the technicality of the product. I'm more on the business side.
I always let clients have options and guide them to go for the one that best fits what they want to achieve. Other solutions have areas of strengths and weaknesses. You need to look at everything and examine everything before making a decision.
Currently, I'd rate the solution at a seven out of ten. We haven't yet used it a year, and we're still learning about it and seeing what works well for clients. Over the next few months, we'll likely have a fuller picture of the product.
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?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

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