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Differences Between Power Bi And Tableau

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On the surface, it was difficult to discern the differences between Power BI and Tableau because both tools provide similar functions of visualization. So, I decided to solve some common analytic questions and see if there are differences in terms of user experience. A summary table is created, as shown below, based on the questions solving experience. Power BI provides powerful functions with moderate level of visualization, however, the learning curve to reach to intermediate level can be largely steeper compared to Tableau. Many times, to even solve a very simple problem, a Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) script was needed during the test. Same problem was solved by 3 times of clicking at Tableau. This DAX was more difficult to utilize compared to the Tableau’s scripting language and the absent of staunch Power BI user communities exacerbated the difficulty when writing DAX scripts. The user communities for Power BI are currently in a nascent stage, and many times, I had to go over the references which were mainly written for experienced programmers. Unlike Power BI, Tableau have strong user communities and they provide a quick fix, allowing a novice to solve intermediate level of questions. The absent of mature user community of Power BI should not be overlooked. The availability and utilisation of user communities are very important when choosing IT products, considering that web searching is the most common and effective way when to learn new technology

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