A Business Intelligence solution is an essential tool for any organization that prioritises data-based decisions. Gartner 2021 Magic Quadrant for Analytics and BI Platforms identifies Microsoft Power BI, Tableau, and Qlik as leading analytics and visualization solutions.
Explore each platform’s key advantages to figure out which one will work best for you.
Power BI (Microsoft)
Microsoft Power BI is an analytics and data visualisation tool that enables users to connect to a wide variety of data sources and create reports and dashboards for small businesses to large enterprises. Power BI is unique because it enables users to do data preparation, data discovery, and dashboards with the design tool.
Key Advantages
- Seamless integration with Microsoft Office technologies and a perpetually free version.
- For most organisations without any existing infrastructure or licences this tool is usually recommended.
Tableau
Tableau offers an expansive visual BI and analytics platform that enables users to connect to a wide variety of data sources, create reports, and dashboards. Its drag-and-drop functionalities are intuitive for creating interactive visualizations and it offers embedded analytic capabilities allowing users to visualize and share data.
Key Advantage
- Tableau has been around since 2003, so the availability of experienced consultants for development is generally slightly higher than Power BI or QlikView.
Qlik
Qlik is another broad spectrum of BI and analytics tools that enables users to connect to a wide variety of data sources, create reports, and dashboards with stunning visual appeal. Embedded functionality is done within a common governance and security framework. It has been around since 1993 but is a less popular tool than Power BI and Tableau making developers harder to find.
Key Advantage
- Superior access control and general security abilities. Data is secured at the row, column, and table levels.
Gartner Peer Insight
How Do You Choose A BI Tool?
There are various factors to consider when choosing a BI tool. Apart from preference of the organization and the level of technical expertise of the employees, one must consider these important qualifiers:
- Platform’s Current Capabilities & Specific Requirements
- Platform’s Development Path & Future Potential
- Availability of Developers in the Market
- Ease of Implementation, Ease of Use, and Potential for Organisational Acceptance
- Cost and Budget
- Customer Support
How To Get Started?
Define the type of deployment you require and check whether the solution supports it.
If you are not completely certain what to look for, find a Business Intelligence Consultant.
- AI Consulting Group can help organisations get the most out of their Analytics and Business Intelligence Platforms
AI Consulting Group has developed frameworks and best practices for the leading Analytics and Business Intelligence Platforms. Our consultants are experts with data ingestion, transformation and visualisation to accelerate development, integration and uptake within your organisation.
Our expert consultants can also lead structured training to enhance self-service visualisation capabilities to accelerate your data visualisation journey.