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Consultant en Business Intelligence
Consultant
Free software which is very intuitive and easy to use
Pros and Cons
  • "Very intuitive and easy to use."
  • "Capacity could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case of this solution is as a reporting tool. We implement it for our clients. I'm a consultant in business intelligence and we are customers of Microsoft BI.

What is most valuable?

I like this product because it's a free software, very intuitive and very easy to use.

What needs improvement?

The capacity of the solution could be improved. If you don't need all the data it offers then don't download it because the software slows down. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this product for the last year. 

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May 2025
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's a stable solution. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is quite straightforward. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate this solution an eight out of 10. 

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
reviewer1536369 - PeerSpot reviewer
Power BI Technical Specialist at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Useful for collaboration and insightful data visualizations, highly scalable, and easy to deploy
Pros and Cons
  • "We are able to collaborate on things and get insightful data visualizations."
  • "Its performance and stability can be improved. It takes time to load, and sometimes, it also breaks down for the whole region. Its usability could also be better, and it could also have more connections with different data sources."

What is our primary use case?

We are using it for reporting ERP data, IT service data, financial data, and so on.

How has it helped my organization?

It has been helpful in getting insights. We weren't able to get insights at such a level. It is also helpful in getting an overview of different departments. We are able to do it much faster than before.

What is most valuable?

We are able to collaborate on things and get insightful data visualizations.

What needs improvement?

Its performance and stability can be improved. It takes time to load, and sometimes, it also breaks down for the whole region.

Its usability could also be better, and it could also have more connections with different data sources.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for two years. In this company, I have been using it for two months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is not completely stable. Sometimes, it goes off for the whole North Europe region. Its stability should be improved.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable, and there are no issues with its scalability. I would rate it a ten out of ten in terms of scalability. We have around 300 users of this solution.

How are customer service and technical support?

We don't have any issues with their technical support. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have worked only with Power BI.

How was the initial setup?

It is easy because documentation and a lot of tutorials are available. Its deployment took one month.

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

Power BI premium is really expensive for our market. A lot of small and medium companies would like to purchase it, but they can't afford it.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Power BI an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Power BI
May 2025
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reviewer1537680 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Analytics Director at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Low-cost, feature-rich, and easy to deploy, but would be nice to get faster support for new features
Pros and Cons
  • "It is low-cost and easy to deploy. It is fully-featured."
  • "They are improving it all the time. What would be nice is if they could respond to feature requests more quickly. They can provide faster support for new features."

What is our primary use case?

It is for dashboards and reports. 

What is most valuable?

It is low-cost and easy to deploy. It is fully-featured.

What needs improvement?

They are improving it all the time. What would be nice is if they could respond to feature requests more quickly. They can provide faster support for new features.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is reasonably stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In my organization, we have around ten users. In our client's organization, we have about 100 users.

How are customer service and technical support?

I normally find whatever I need in Microsoft documentation or through Google. There is a lot of activity in the market. A lot of other people typically would have already asked the same question that I have, so it is fairly easy to find information.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I didn't really use any other product. I used to be a Qlik partner, and I became a Microsoft partner two years ago.

How was the initial setup?

Its installation is straightforward. The developer suite has one-click installation. The end-users just get a web URL. There is no installation for end-users. They just access it.

There is a Microsoft certification that you need to complete, but it is all deployed on the Microsoft Azure cloud. So, there are no infrastructure requirements.

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

It depends upon the tier of your Office 365 subscription. On E5, which is a Microsoft Azure subscription, you get it for free. If you are on a lower tier, you can subscribe for $10 a month per user, which is really cheap.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution. It is pretty good. Technically, it is at the same level as the other products that I've used so far. It has all the features, and it is easy to deploy. Its costs are really palatable. They are improving it all the time. I am fairly satisfied with this product.

I would rate Microsoft BI a seven out of ten. There are always areas for improvement, but I am fairly happy with it. I would not rate anything else also higher than seven.

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?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
PeerSpot user
reviewer1381863 - PeerSpot reviewer
CEO at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Consultant
Highly scalable, very stable, good data presentation, and useful for deeper insights and analysis
Pros and Cons
  • "The way data is presented is very valuable. The amount of information that we can get at a glance is also valuable. You can then drill-down and see data from many different angles in the same chart by selecting certain things. Based on the selection, everything changes automatically. If we have four parameters in a particular item, when you select a parameter, the remaining charts on that page automatically change for that particular parameter."
  • "Its price could be better. Its licensing cost is very high."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Power BI Premium at the moment. It is an online solution, which always has the latest version.

It is for data visualization and data insights. BI means business intelligence, so it helps you understand the performance of your business better. It gives you deeper insight into the data so that you can draw meaningful conclusions from the data, and your decisions are based on data insights rather than a hunch. 

How has it helped my organization?

It is a good and very useful product. I find it to be extremely useful because it gives me a deeper insight into my business, and it lets me analyze things and make decisions based on the data.

What is most valuable?

The way data is presented is very valuable. The amount of information that we can get at a glance is also valuable. You can then drill-down and see data from many different angles in the same chart by selecting certain things. Based on the selection, everything changes automatically. If we have four parameters in a particular item, when you select a parameter, the remaining charts on that page automatically change for that particular parameter.

What needs improvement?

Its price could be better. Its licensing cost is very high.

For how long have I used the solution?

We discovered it about two months ago, and we started using it.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

You can scale it to thousands of users. It is a cloud product. Microsoft Cloud is being used by people across the world. So, there is no limitation in terms of scalability.

At the moment, we have about five users, but the number of users will increase to 50. We are absolutely going to keep using it.

How are customer service and technical support?

We generally don't approach Microsoft for support. We are able to handle things at our end.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We used simple Excel reports, but Excel reports are not as good as Power BI. Power BI is far ahead.

How was the initial setup?

It is a cloud product. You can access it through a web browser. It takes no time. 

It takes time only when you have to prepare the reports because you need to know how to prepare the Power BI reports. There is an MIS team, and there are Power BI designers who design the reports, but for users, it doesn't take much effort because they just have to click and see.

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

Its licensing cost is very high. It is $20 per user, which is very high, but it is a good product, so you pay for it.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution. I would rate Microsoft BI a nine 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: Partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer1398615 - PeerSpot reviewer
Consultant at a training & coaching company with 201-500 employees
Consultant
Flexible with good support but it could be more mobile friendly and the price could be better
Pros and Cons
  • "I like the flexibility it offers."
  • "The graphic interface could be better."

What is our primary use case?

We use Microsoft BI for analytics.

What is most valuable?

I like the flexibility it offers.

What needs improvement?

The graphic interface could be better.

I would also like to see it mobile-friendly.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft BI for one year.

We are using the latest version.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

In some ways, it is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's a scalable solution. We have 10 or 15 users in our organization.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is good, and we are satisfied with it.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Before Microsoft BI, we used Tableau.

How was the initial setup?

I was not involved with the installation but my understanding is that it was easy to install.

We have a team of two people to maintain this solution.

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

There are licensing fees.

It's an expensive solution.

What other advice do I have?

I am not sure if we will continue to use this solution, it depends on the business requirements.

Depending on their business size and setup, I may recommend this solution.

I would rate Microsoft BI a seven 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
reviewer1501212 - PeerSpot reviewer
Part Owner at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Great technology and some very good features
Pros and Cons
  • "Good CS and administration."
  • "Creating dashboards could be easier."

What is our primary use case?

I am a consultant for a big company. We deal with energy companies, petroleum, sales companies and we deal with everything from financials to operations. We deal with market strategy and we provide consultancy services - I'm a part owner of the company. 

What is most valuable?

I like the CS, administration, most of the features are good as well as the technology.

What needs improvement?

I think creating dashboards could be easier. Compared to other solutions, the cost of the license is expensive and that could be improved. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for over 20 years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is excellent. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is excellent, all our professional consultants use it. Where we deploy in the banking sector, they can have 1,000 licensed users; in smaller companies there can be 50 users. 

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is quite good, but I'd like to see a quicker response time. 

How was the initial setup?

Deployment time depends on the company, it can take up to two months. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate this solution a nine 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.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1517895 - PeerSpot reviewer
Partner at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Real User
Easy to use, good scalability, and reliable
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is easy to use."
  • "There are some problems with the functionality of this solution. The dashboard is not very user friendly and is quite complicated."

What is our primary use case?

I have used the solution for analytics which is displayed on the dashboard for my client.

What is most valuable?

The solution is easy to use.

What needs improvement?

There are some problems with the functionality of this solution. The dashboard is not very user friendly and is quite complicated. They need to make it easier for developers because they could bring key components into the dashboard. I have found using scripting language in other competitor solutions easier.

Since I am new to using this solution I am not sure what should be in a future release. I probably do not need all of the features in this current version.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for a couple of months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is good. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. We have a couple of people using the solution in my organization.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have used Qlik Sense in the past and it is more functional than this solution. I prefer Qlik Sense and I will most likely be switching soon.

How was the initial setup?

The solution is easy to install and it does not take long.

What about the implementation team?

I did the implementation.

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

As far as I am aware you do not need a license for the solution.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Comparing this solution to others such as Tableau and Microstrategy, this solution is probably better. However, I think overall Qlik Sense is best for me.

What other advice do I have?

I am not going to be using the solution in the future because I prefer Qlik Sense.

I rate Microsoft BI an eight 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
reviewer1499169 - PeerSpot reviewer
Research & Development Expert at a energy/utilities company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Good visualization and graphing functions, integrates with Python
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is integration with Python."
  • "The integration with third-party products could be more stable."

What is our primary use case?

I use Microsoft BI for my own projects that are related to integrating with Excel datasets. I use the visualization and graphing functions, and I have tried using the Python integration.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is integration with Python.

What needs improvement?

The integration with third-party products could be more stable.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft BI for approximately one month.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft BI could be a little more stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have approximately 10 users. I don't expect that we will expand our usage or continue using this product.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have not been in contact with technical support.

How was the initial setup?

There is no complexity in the initial setup. It takes approximately 15 minutes to deploy.

What about the implementation team?

There are twenty people in the team that handles the deployment and maintenance of our solutions.

What other advice do I have?

In summary, this is a good product and I recommend it.

I would rate this solution a nine 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.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Power BI Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: May 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Power BI Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.