Power BI or Tableau?

This is probably one of the most debated questions in data analytics. I have been involved in many of these discussions. Knowing both tools, I lean heavily towards Power BI because it seems to solve all my stakeholder’s problems from Tableau.

However, it’s not about what you like to use. It’s about user experience. The skill levels and the preference of data teams should not affect the choice of visualization tools.

IT tends to pick a tool for the business with little exploration of user experience. I guess it’s probably because of the poor communication between tech professionals and business leaders.

Let’s break down the decision process based on stakeholder’s preference and fields of expertise.

Power BI

1: They Love Excel Tables

Your stakeholders are from the traditional financial world. It’s hard to compete with Excel. I used to be a healthcare actuary. The whole pricing exercise in insurance is ingrained in Excel. SQL or SAS just can’t do it sometimes. For financial professionals, they look at P&L reports all day. It’s hard to introduce visuals vastly different from what Excel already has.

Power BI can create tables that highly resemble Excel visuals and allow users to download the data for further analysis if needed. Tableau doesn’t have that option.

You must fulfill their needs. You may wonder why people want a modern visualization tool to look exactly like Excel. Remember, you’re building a dashboard for them. What you think about it doesn’t matter as long as you follow the best practices, and the backend ETL process is top-notch.

2: They Have a Microsoft Tech Stack

If an organization is already a Microsoft shop, it makes total sense to use Power BI. It integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Teams, Azure Cloud, etc. The user experience will be consistent and similar to whatever they have already.

It’s easy to roll out a dashboard and increase usage for future use cases. Make an effort to reduce user resistance to a new tool.

3: They Are Budget-Conscious

It not only integrates well with Microsoft’s ecosystem, but is also very affordable. If your organization is on E3, it only costs $10 per user to add a Pro license. When you upgrade to E5, it’s free to have Power BI Pro. You can get a capacity-based plan for $5000 per month when you reach 500 users, which breaks even at the monthly cost.

When your stakeholders are new to data analytics, Power BI is the perfect option because it allows them to grow at their own speed. Every user is given a 60-day free trial. You can slowly recruit users as you build out dashboards for different teams. Power BI is budget-friendly. Microsoft customer support is also unparalleled in my experience.

Tableau

1: They Love Modern Data Dashboards

Your stakeholders don’t belong to the traditional corporate world. They’re used to modern tech stacks and don’t use Excel in their daily functions. Often, the KPIs they need are totally customizable, meaning they don’t have to follow GAAP or government regulations.

For example, online retailers have much freedom in their KPIs. They can use a cool bubble chart or a heat map to understand their customers. They probably love presenting their data to investors using a Tableau Storyboard.

2: They Have an AWS Tech Stack

Their system is mature within an AWS environment. Although Power BI can also connect to an AWS cloud, it probably makes more sense to just use Tableau or QuickSight. Having Power BI doesn’t provide any advantage unless they really need the Excel look and feel or they’re budget-conscious.

3: They Are Willing to Experiment

They have unconventional data, such as streaming data, etc. Unlike insurance claims and SAP data, they get to define what data points are important to the business. It can be a fun opportunity to partner with them.

You get to experiment with new data, charts, and presentation styles. However, Tableau is not cheap at all. Its upgrade and maintenance are also a pain in the neck from my experience. Their customer service has a lot to be desired.

Which One Would You Choose?

Regardless of your preference in either tool, as data professionals, you need to focus on user experience. A data analytics project is like a home remodeling project. You’re a contractor. If a homeowner wants a black toilet, no matter how strange it is, he/she shall have it as long as you don’t break any building codes. Give your stakeholders what they want.

Your stakeholders’ preference always trumps your comfort level and your preference in a tool. Choose a tool that fits their needs and budgets.

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I’d love to know how my experience has helped you and the problems you’re facing now.

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