Business Advantages of Microsoft Power BI and Other Things to Know About It
Microsoft doesn’t need any introduction. If today’s world is digitally strong and enjoying various technologies then Microsoft holds some of the credit. It keeps on offering new and cutting edge resources to the world.
Microsoft Power BI is amongst one of them. For businesses trying to incorporate the power of Business Intelligence of BI technology, Microsoft Power BI is a possible way out. Designed to address existing and futuristic data management crises, Microsoft Power BI is becoming famous amongst all sorts of the ecosystem.
What it is?
Why one must bank upon Power BI?
Is it the right choice to make?
If these are the questions running in your mind, this post will calm them down. So, stay tuned and get to know this amazing BI tool.
Microsoft Power BI — Knowing the Wonder-Maker
Launched on 11 July 2011, Microsoft Power BI is a business analytics tool with unmatched data visualization and business intelligence abilities. It is offered to the users as a part of the Microsoft Power Platform. In its early days, only Excel’s Power Query, Power Pivot, and Power View extensions features were offered in Power BI.
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With time, more and more apps and services made their way to Power BI, and presently, it’s a bunch of assorted data analysis and visualization tools whose capacity is far beyond traditional Excel.
Some of the key elements of the Power BI ecosystem are as quoted below:
· Power BI Desktop- It’s a window-based tool, designed for PCs and desktop users. Mostly, it’s used for report designing and publishing. Jobs like data discovery and data model creation can be used effortlessly with the help of this service.
· Power BI Service- A SaaS online service, Power BI Service is here to make dashboard generation and viewing, along with report creation, an effortless task.
· Power BI Mobile Apps- As cleared from the name, Power BI mobile apps are solutions offered to Android and iOS users. The apps are useful for report and dashboard creation.
· Power BI Gateway- The key function of Power BI Gateway is to sync external data within and outside the Power BI. Additionally, Power BI Gateway is used for refresher automation.
· Power BI Embedded- Designed for niche requirements, this feature can be used for building dashboards and reports as per the users’ requirements. Both Power BI users and non-power BI users can take the benefits from these apps.
· Power BI Report Server- This one is an on-premise reporting solution for those online or hosted data storage options that don’t sound convincing. It allows end-user to store data on a private server and set customized access rules.
· Power BI Premium- This is a capacity-based offering of Power BI granting flexibility to the user in report publishing.
· Power BI Visuals Marketplace- A global marketplace allowing third parties to build assorted visualizations for end-users. Custom and R-powered visuals are commonly found here.
Why One Should Consider Using Microsoft Power BI Tool?
Indeed, Microsoft Power BI is not the only BI tool in the market. But, the way it has leveraged BI for all kinds of the ecosystem is hard to beat. Its adoption is going to reap benefits on multiple fronts. Have a look at the major advantages that users of MS Power BI are going to experience:
· Better and real-time data analysis
Data is the gold for businesses and it’s a must to utilize available data sources in full swing to weave success. However, saying this and making it happen in reality are two different things. Data handling is a tough nut to crack. Power BI serves as a one-stop solution to all your data analysis needs.
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Starting from data collection to data analysis, it can handle all kinds of jobs. Power BI Desktop offers data discovery and data presentation tools. It allows end-user to stream data records by using tools like Azure Stream Analytics, REST API, or PubNub. It makes real-time streaming of data possible, which is further useful to present near actual visuals of data and update dashboards in real-time.
When such sorts of high-end data handling and analysis facilities are offered, making most of the available datasets is possible and businesses can march towards fulfillment of their organization goals at a speedy pace.
· It is a cost-effective solution
For businesses, even saving few bucks will make a huge difference as it increases the positive cash flow and profit margin. Microsoft Power BI is one of the most pocket-friendly options available in the market when buying BI tool is the concern. We are not saying it just like that. Gartner has done the market research and has concluded the same. It found it nearly 80% cheaper than the rest of BI tools.
If you have not used it until now that you must be glad to know, that Power BI Desktop is on the house. There is no subscription or set-up fee for this feature. What else one might ask for?
Success Case: Power Platform Utilization for Business Process
· Perform BI with digital assistance
Digital or voice-based assistance is the talk of the town as its allowing users to perform a task over voice command. Seeing the surging popularity of voice-based assistance, Microsoft has integrated Cortana, the proprietary digital assistance of Microsoft, with Power BI. Now, there is no need to type the file name, you just say it, and the desired result will be in front of your eyes.
One can also verbally ask for data reports, charts, and even ask questions. It will bring visually rich answers to all your queries.
· Manage Azure databases easily
For those using Azure already, Power BI has something to make your life easier than ever. It comes with a dedicated feature, called Azure Activity Log Analytics. With its help, one can easily create get the Azure activity data of the previous 90 days and create reports. Furthermore, it allows Azure users to leverage Microsoft Azure Synapse and empower an enterprise at multiple fronts.
Also Read: Benefits of Microsoft Power BI
· Collaboration of the highest kind
Data analysis is teamwork and one has to fetch data from different departments/resources to drive business success. The users of Power BI will face nearly zero hassle at this job as it offers integration with a wide range of platforms tools. Its compatibility with Excel, Azure, and Dynamics 365 is unmatched.
Additionally, it can get along well with any cloud-based data source in a blink of an eye. Zendesk, Google Analytics, GitHub, MailChimp, a QuickBooks; you name it and Power BI will integrate with that tool. Overall, it is compatible with 70 tools.
Also Read: Data Science — Everything That One Should Know About This Cutting-edge Technology
Not only you can fetch the details and share them with others, but also can share the dashboards. Yes, you read it right. Sharing the entire dashboard or some of its parts is possible with Power BI. But, this facility is limited to the users of the Power BI Pro Version. One can share the dashboard details via a link and access it using the Office 365 account.
When such assorted ranges of tools are supported, users will not have restrictions in team collaboration and data sharing.
· Easy learning curve
While Power BI is handling all these jobs, it is not at all complex. It comes with an easy and user interface. Getting started is no longer a hassle.
One does not have to deploy an in-house team of experts for system monitoring and team training. If you or your team has gained expertise in Excel, then learning Power BI will be a piece of cake as it shares great similarities with it.
Though issues won’t be faced during the early phase of Power BI, if there are any, there is a dedicated team to help you out. In short, data analysis and reporting with Power BI is a greenhorn’s job.
· Safeguard sensitive information
Data theft and stealing have been major issues across multiple kinds of enterprises. In the data-driven world where one is defined by the quality of a database, it’s hard to afford any data leak. Well, Power BI addresses this issue as well. It offers a wide range of security features and facilities to keep unwanted access to the stored data.
Power BI also comprises Cloud App Security and Microsoft Information Protection like capabilities, which enables it to categorize and label the crucial data, monitor data access in real-time, notify any suspicious activity, and create remedial solutions. With their help, one can safeguard data at every front.
The Bottom Line
No business can thrive for long without proper and result-driven data analysis. The launch of Microsoft Power BI has simplified data analysis, reporting, and dashboard generation up largely that it is no longer a tedious job.
It can be seen as an extension of Excel Analytics and offers everything that is required for effective data visualization. At present, more than 50,000 companies across the globe are using this tool and are enjoying endless perks.
When are you trying it? Seeing its abilities, we can promise you that you will not be disappointed. It is easy to use and will take a fraction of a second to get along with your existing system. So, don’t wait any longer. Hire a Power BI consultant or a team from Stridely, discuss your needs, and enjoy leveraged data analysis abilities.
