Microsoft Power BI
In Blue Dynamic We have a soft spot for tools from the Microsoft family and BI tools are no exception. Microsoft Power BI is for us the most comprehensive set of tools for enterprise BI solutions. It is an integrated tool for interactive data visualization and analysis that offers a very wide range of possibilities for data collection, dashboarding and reporting, and with its cloud-based Power BI Service gives you the ability to share information throughout the organisation.
BI tools such as Microsoft Power BI allows (among other things):
- Easily analyse data from different sources
- Advanced interactive visualisations
- Sharing data and outputs across the company
- Connecting to tools Office and MS Teams
- Gaining control over company processes
- Data security and permission management for access to corporate data
If you've been working with tools from the workshop for years Microsoft, typically Microsoft Word or Excel, environment Microsoft Power BI will be pleasantly friendly for you. It is built similarly to other MS products. And it's not just a feeling. A big plus is the easy integration with MS Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, etc. Importing data from Excel and then exporting visualizations to PowerPoint is easy peasy.
Tableau
Tableau allows you to create interactive and attractive visualizationsthat are very user-friendly. Tableau is a very dynamic tool when creating visualizations. It is also handy for sharing data - you can collaborate with colleagues to analyse data, leave comments, etc.
Both Tableau and MS Power BI help you present data in different ways, and on both platforms you can use visualizations work and create interactive dashboards. Both tools draw data from a variety of channels and sources - typically MS Excel, CSV, Salesforce, etc. At first glance, both platforms are similar - they give you the ability to have all relevant data right at your fingertips.
Microsoft Power BI was developed by Microsoft. If you use Office, you will find it easier to integrate it into your work environment.
SAS Viya
In addition to the two aforementioned giants, which roll the charts of popularity of BI tools, we have selected other representatives. One of them is robust SAS Viya. Although its interface is not the most elegant, it is a tool worth mentioning. We'll tell you why.
The application is equipped with a very rich library of visualizations divided into several categories. Although it is a tool developed in the 1970s, it is quite flexible. When creating reports, you will appreciate the ability to use drag-and-drop without the need for additional configuration. You can customize axis labels, chart colors, backgrounds, transparency of visualizations, etc. Working with SAS Viya feels more like working in a graphical editor (which already remembers something).
Despite the "tons" of automation options that make it easier to create reports and personalize dashboards, we have to mention a few flies. A rather outdated interface is what we would expect from a tool with such a history. Harder to forgive relatively slow loading and the fact that the tool has so many features that it is quite difficult to make friends with him.
IBM Cognos Analytics
IBM Cognos Analytics is another very good tool for automatic generation of data visualizations. We have selected him for our review for advanced AI functionality. No matter what you're working on in IBM Cognos Analytics, you can intelligent assistantwho is quick to help with almost anything and speaks to you very naturally.
This assistant will even help you with charting. Just tell it what data you want to present in the chart and you'll get a menu of options. And the "artificial intelligence" of this assistant goes a little further. If you're interested, it will also offer predictive analysis, taking into account a range of algorithms including seasonality.
The downside of this extremely intelligent tool is its complexity. Especially the beginnings are not easy. But that's how it is with some BI tools.Did our overview of popular and interesting BI tools make your head spin? We'd love to introduce you to the world of business intelligence we will introduce you to its possibilities and benefits for your company. Contact our specialists and start your "smart business".
