Sisense and Power BI are two prominent business intelligence platforms designed to query raw data and generate visual metrics for executives. Choosing the right tool requires evaluating user experience, data connections, and pricing models to match an organization's unique needs.
Platform Overviews
Sisense provides an end-to-end solution for data preparation, analysis, and visualization. It features a drag-and-drop interface that requires no coding, making it accessible on desktop and mobile devices. The platform integrates with applications like Salesforce, Zapier, and Slack.
Microsoft’s Power BI is part of the Office 365 suite, enabling real-time collaboration and data visualization. Users can upload data from on-premises sources like SQL Server using the desktop application, then customize graphs, maps, and scorecards with specific formatting and color coding.
Ease of Use
Sisense offers a straightforward, intuitive interface that lets users build dashboards without complex formulas. In contrast, Power BI requires a certain level of Excel knowledge. Operating outside the Power BI graphical user interface requires understanding Data Analysis Expressions (DAX), a formula language also used in Power Pivot.
Data Visualization
Both tools provide extensive visualization options. Sisense allows users to embed interactive dashboards, widgets, and filters into external websites or applications. Its drag-and-drop canvas eliminates technical barriers for business users.
Power BI features built-in templates and integrates with Excel and SharePoint. Users can access a library of pre-configured charts and timelines, and they can embed interactive content in emails, blogs, or social media using the publish-to-web option.
Business Analytics
Sisense processes raw data from multiple cloud sources into a single location, offering self-service reporting that reduces reliance on data teams. It supports ad hoc analysis, allowing teams to view and digest big data on the fly without SQL knowledge.
Power BI delivers real-time insights from historical and current data through prebuilt dashboards and interactive reports. It also supports ad hoc analysis, providing alerts for information updates so users can monitor key performance indicators.
Data Connections
Sisense connects to over 80 data sources, including NoSQL databases, cloud warehouses, and flat files. It utilizes ElastiCube, a proprietary high-performance analytics database, and offers custom ODBC and JDBC drivers.
Power BI features over 100 data connectors, supporting SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, Teradata, and Netezza. Microsoft integrates the platform with Azure Machine Learning services and Cortana Intelligence Suite AI Services for advanced analytics.
AI Analytics
Sisense includes a natural language processing (NLP) engine that lets users ask questions in plain English to generate visual answers. It also provides predictive insights and customizable user interfaces for different employee roles.
Power BI offers AI Insights through the power query editor, granting access to pre-trained machine learning models. It leverages Azure Cognitive Services for text analytics, sentiment analysis, key phrase extraction, language detection, and image tagging.
Pricing
Sisense requires customers to contact them for a custom quote based on project needs and concurrent users. According to the source, it can be more expensive for an all-inclusive or one-time purchase with annual billing.
Power BI publishes three pricing tiers: a Pro plan starting at $9.99 per user per month, a Premium plan at $20 per user per month, and a Premium per capacity plan starting at $4,995 per capacity per month. Both providers offer free trials.
Which Tool to Choose
Organizations needing embedded analytics, near real-time updates, and tools for non-technical users may find Sisense to be the better fit. Conversely, Power BI is recommended for businesses seeking the best performance across multiple databases, servers, and platforms.
