“Microsoft Power BI is a killer BI platform,” according to Forrester

And we at Releye couldn’t agree more! We’ve spoken with two of our talented Power BI experts, Kristjan Stephensen and Markus Rundal, who are helping us answer common questions about Power BI that we know many of you have.

What are the main differences between Power BI and other data visualization tools?

“PowerBI was developed by Microsoft, and with that in mind—if you’ve worked with other Microsoft products, you’ll feel right at home with Power BI. This familiarity makes it easier for you, as a user, to understand how the tool works. Another difference is the ability to connect to various data sources, which can vary between different tools,”explains Markus.

Can you use different data sources in Power BI? And how do you connect them?

– Yes, you can connect Power BI to various data sources, such as files, databases, cloud-based environments, live data, and much more. To set up a connection, open the Power BI Desktop tool and click the “Get Data” button. There, you’ll find a wide range of pre-built connections to popular sources to choose from. If, for example, you’d rather import data from an Excel file—well, then you locate and select the file on your computer. If, on the other hand, you’d like to connect to an SQL server, you enter your login credentials to connect to the server and then select what you want Power BI to retrieve and display, says Kristjan.

Do you have to use Microsoft's other platforms, such as ERP and CRM, to run Power BI?

“No, you don’t need to do that. It’s no problem to connect Power BI to other ERP or CRM systems. The important thing is that there’s a connection to the service. Power BI is completely standalone and independent of other systems,” says Kristjan, while Markus continues:

– For example, you can link data from Facebook and Google Analytics to display it in a single view—this allows you to analyze your data at a much more detailed level.

Can Power BI only be used in the cloud, or can it also be run on-premises?

“You can use Power BI both in the cloud and on-premises. But to use it on-premises, you need to set up your own internal report server in Power BI (Power BI Report Server),” explains Kristjan, and Markus continues:

– If a company has specific security requirements—for example, regarding data management—it may be better to use an on-premises solution, since all data is stored on local servers.

Do you have to be a developer to create reports in Power BI?

“No, you don’t need to be a developer to create reports or visual charts in Power BI, but it helps if you’ve worked with other Microsoft products such as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint,” says Markus, and Kristjan continues:

– Anyone can learn Power BI – and if you’re curious to try it out, you candownload it for free hereand experiment with it. You only need a license when you start sharing and publishing reports or creating new connections.

Can you give an example of a really cool and useful feature in Power BI? Or what do you think is the best thing about Power BI?

– The coolest thing about Power BI right now is that you can embed reports into other systems. That means you don’t have to use the Power BI portal to present your reports; instead, you can choose to display them directly in another system, as we’ve done—we display our Power BI reports in our own CRM system. You can also customize the report’s appearance for both desktop and mobile, says Markus, and Kristjan continues:

– I’d say the best thing about Power BI is that the reports are dynamic and interactive. You can really dig into your data and gain new insights at a granular level.

We’ve compiled a summary of some key points mentioned in the Forrester report on Power BI. If you’d like to read the full report, you can find ithere.

• Augmented BI, such as machine learning and natural language querying.
• Extensive options for customizing and expanding the platform.
• Features that support work with big data.
• Built-in data preparation tools.
• Multiple deployment options: cloud, on-premises, and mobile.

Would you like to learn more about Power BI or other BI solutions?Contact us at Releye!