Power BI vs Tableau : Which One Would You Choose?

If we were to discuss Business Intelligence and Data Visualization tools in particular, the two names that one could think of would be Power BI and Tableau. These two tools have been at the helm when you mention Data Visualization. Wondering which one would suit your needs the best? Then this ‘Power BI vs Tableau’ blog is definitely for you. Wondering what are the skills, you should master this year? Find out here: Top Technical Skills To master in 2018.

When you are comparing two best tools in the business it is always difficult to pick a clear winner. Just to give you a picture of how these two tools fare in the market, I would want you to have a look at Gartner’s Magic Quadrant below:

However every business has different requirements and based on those, the preference may vary. Let me however consider few important points and throw some light on this Power BI vs Tableau comparison. Those points are :

1. Cost
2. Licensing
3. Visualization
4. Implementation
5. Data Analysis
6. Functional Comparison

So let us continue with this Power BI vs Tableau Blog and see these points one by one:

Cost

This is perhaps the only parameter where these two tools would be positioned poles apart. Power BI costs almost ten times less compared to Tableau. If your business allows you bigger budget then you may go for Tableau which costs you around $1000 for a yearly subscription. Power BI is fairly affordable in this comparison as you will have to shell out $100 for a yearly subscription.

Licensing

This boils down to your choice whether you want to pay upfront cost for your software.If yes then you should have Tableau as your first choice else you should opt for Power BI.

Visualization

When it comes to visualization both tools have their strengths. Power BI can be handier if you want Data Manipulation and better visuals. If your prime focus is visualization then Tableau has an edge over Power BI. Let me try to throw some light on these topics:

Power BI: With Power BI it is easier to upload data sets. You can select various visualizations as blueprints, you also have drag and drop features at your disposal.

Tableau: Tableau on the other hand scales better to larger data sets and gives users better drill down features. It lets you switch between visualizations on the fly.

Implementation

Factors like size of the company, number of users may impact the preferences for implementation. Let us try to understand these tools from that perspective:

Tableau: Tableau offers variety, when it comes to implementation and consulting services. There are quick start applications for deploying small scale applications. Deployment, at an enterprise level follows a step-wise process which last for weeks.

Power BI: Power BI is easier to implement. The only requirement here is a sign-in process which too, is a fairly simple process.

Data Analysis

Power BI: Looking for faster analysis and deep functionality then Power BI is the answer. It let you create relationships between data sources.

Tableau: Tableau provides you extensive features. It lets you study minute data trends and help you hypothesize data better.

Power BI Vs Tableau: Functional Comparison

This pretty much brings us to the end of this ‘Power BI vs Tableau’ comparison. To be honest it all boils down to preferences. As I have already mentioned both Power BI and Tableau have  been highly popular. Given the points discussed above I hope it gives a clear perspective as in which tool would help you the most.

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