How to Choose Between Power BI and Tableau

Business intelligence (BI) tools take your business data, analyze it, and present it in a way that is easy to understand and take action on. This might include reports, maps, charts, or dashboards. Learn more about two of Microsoft's business intelligence software tools: Power BI and Tableau.

Read more: 6 Business Intelligence Tools You Need to Know

What is business intelligence (BI)?

Business intelligence (BI) is an important part of any data-driven business. It’s a process using technology to mine, collect, analyze, and store a company’s data so that you can use it to drive business decisions and inform business strategy. 

Common BI technologies

The choice of business intelligence technology is vast. You’ll find various tools covering all aspects of the business intelligence process. These include tools for collecting data, storing data, reporting using data, and visualizing data. Examples include:

• Spreadsheets: These include Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and Apple Numbers.

• Data mining: These tools usually use AI and machine learning to extract large volumes of data.

• Reporting: Reporting software sorts data into a means that’s easy to understand, filter, and organize to use for reporting. 

• Visualization: These tools translate data into something visual so that it is easy to read and learn from. This might be charts, infographics, or graphs. 

Explore two popular BI tools, Microsoft Power BI and Tableau, and see how their features compare. 

What is Power BI?

Power BI is a suite of BI tools offered by Microsoft that makes data analysis, reporting, and visualization possible for businesses, even if they are not technical in nature. As it is a Microsoft product, it is compatible with Excel and other well-known Microsoft programs, with a similar user interface. 

Features

Power BI has four main features:

• Power BI Desktop: Free Windows app used to make reports and visuals

• Power BI Mobile: Mobile app to access services from your phone or tablet

• Power BI Embedded: Use this to incorporate Power BI in any application you develop

• Power BI Report Server: Cloud platform to collaborate on projects and share progress

Pros of Power BI

Power BI has a number of benefits and also some downsides. Let’s take a look at what it does well.

Cost

Power BI has two subscription options and a free option. You can choose Power PI Pro or upgrade to Power BI Premium or use Power BI Desktop for free. The basic option includes visualization and sharing options, with the pro option including mobile access. The premium version includes more sophisticated functions, including AI and machine learning technology. Costs are as follows [1]:

• Power BI Desktop: Free

• Power BI Pro: $10 per month per user

• Power BI Premium: $20 per month per user

Microsoft also offers licensed use for organizations to offset pay-per-user costs.

User interface 

As Power BI is made by Microsoft with a similar user interface to other Microsoft products, it’s easy to use and familiar to Office users. It integrates with Microsoft Office 365, making it a great option for the less technical or for anyone who uses Microsoft Office 365 day-to-day. You’ll also find excellent training, resources, and demos to support your learning.

Machine learning 

Power BI uses natural language queries. You can type in a question, and it will recommend a relevant visualization. This makes it very easy for you, as the user, to choose and create visualizations. 

Read more: What is Natural Language Processing? Definition and Examples

Cons of Power BI

As with anything, some features of Power BI could do with improvement. Let's take a look. 

Customized data visualization

Power BI is easy to use when creating visualizations. It allows you to upload data and select a number of visualizations, from charts to forecasting models to tables. However, to customize visualizations beyond the basics, you need to be able to write code, which might be a drawback for some. 

What is Tableau?

Tableau is a BI tool with a strong user base, having launched twelve years prior to Power BI. As a long-standing favorite BI tool, users know Tableau for creating stunning visualizations, its ease of use, and its use of machine learning and natural language processing to provide an intuitive system. 

Read more: What Is Tableau? Features, Use Cases, and More

Features

Tableau has four main features:

• Tableau Public: Free version to create visualizations and the ability to share them publicly

• Tableau Desktop: A tool for businesses to make visualizations, reports, and dashboards

• Tableau Server: A server providing cloud-based or on-premise access for organizations

• Tableau Cloud: A cloud-based option that doesn’t require on-premise access

• Tableau Prep Builder: Allows users to save time cleaning, combining, and shaping data 

Pros of Tableau

Tableau has a number of benefits and also some downsides. Let’s take a look at what it does well.

Data visualization

Tableau is known for its excellent data visualization functions, intuitive experience, and quality data visualizations. It has a wide range of data visualization options available to choose from, making it a popular option. 

Machine learning

Tableau uses machine learning and AI to allow users to type in questions to receive answers via visualization. This makes it very simple to use without understanding the data structure, but it also has more complex intuitive functions, allowing you to generate forecasts and use large bodies of data quickly. 

Data volume

Tableau has no data storage limits and can quickly process large amounts of data, using less memory. For this reason, companies often choose it if they need to process a large amount of data. 

Cons of Tableau

In addition to its excellent functions, Tableau has some potential challenges. Let's take a look. 

Cost

Tableau has a tiered pricing structure, offering three different options with different levels of access for organizations. While Tableau Public is free, the prices at each stage for organizations to share data privately are higher than Power BI as follows [2]:

• Tableau Viewer: $15 per month per user

• Tableau Explorer: $42 per month per user

• Tableau Creator: $75 per month per user

Power BI vs. Tableau

Power BI and Tableau are popular BI tools used by various companies, from Nissan and Verizon to Chevron and HP. The product that’s right for your business depends on your goals, the staff's technical ability, and your budget. 

Getting started with Coursera

Power BI and Tableau are business intelligence tools that data professionals use to analyze, visualize, and report on key data. This data is then used to make informed strategic decisions. To learn more about business intelligence tools and how they can help you professionally, a great place to start is by understanding more about data analytics. The Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate covers topics for organizing, analyzing, and creating data visualizations. Upon completion, gain a shareable Professional Certificate to include in your resume, CV, or LinkedIn profile.