Power BI Governance and Tableau are powerful visualization tools that both leverage their data analytics capabilities to maximize the value of your investment. Comparisons between the two products are unavoidable, with most people believing that they are opposite sides of the same coin.
Naturally, this poses a problem to an enterprise with a limited budget. If you can only afford one, which solution will you choose?
Power BI is a business intelligence software that allows users to aggregate data from diverse sources, then reproducing the information in a visual format. The Adhoc report feature helps analyze disparate data. You can also generate dashboards that can easily be published on the Web. Although it is fairly easy to understand, you need the help of experts if you are going to pursue and deploy Power BI Governance in your organization.
Tableau, meanwhile, is another business intelligence software with an excellent user interface that can collect data, create dashboards, and generate reports that will help shape your decisions. Even those with no technical knowledge can understand the data through easily readable graphs and visuals.
Ease of Use
When comparing the user experience, Power BI has an edge over Tableau. The former is much easier to learn, and anyone can do it in a matter of hours. The DAX mode that is inherent in Power BI makes it easier to learn due to fewer complications compared to the MDX in Tableau. For instance, you can transfer application insights coding and then transfer it as a text script to Power BI if you need to visualize or analyze data.
On the downside, Tableau can support a million rows due to its Tabular nature, which means it accommodates more storage space. However, IT teams should learn SQL basics at the very least for them to maximize either Power BI or Tableau. Power BI Governance experts can certainly help you in this regard.
Dashboards
Both Power BI and Tableau have quite interesting and powerful dashboards. They both can access real-time data and generate reports at no time at all. Drag-and-drop capability makes it easier to manage and operate the dashboard. However, Tableau is less intuitive and takes more time to learn.
Price
In terms of cost, Power BI holds an edge over Tableau because of its more affordable entry-level pricing scheme. However, you are going to spend more as you scale up. With that said, even the basic program will already give you a lot of features to play around with. As an added advantage, Power BI also has native integration with other systems like SQL, Azure, and Excel for an even more comprehensive data warehousing and visualization. You do not spend extra to integrate the different programs. Also, unlike with Tableau, Power BI can interface with Office 365 at no additional cost. So, if you are using Office 365 in your systems, the transition is going to be seamless.
Conclusion
If you are going to only choose one, you can’t go wrong with Power BI because of the native apps and its powerful data-collecting and analysis feature. Your choice becomes even easier if you are already using Office 365 your business. However, It is recommended that you perform your due diligence and study both products. You can also try the free trial to make sure that the platform is ideal for your organization.
About the author
Erica Jones is a freelance writer and a GOT fan. Apart from writing Technologies, she likes to read & write fiction. More than anything, she loves to spend her time with her family, explaining technologies to the elders.
