Data science is one of the most high-demand fields in today’s world, and any Data scientist worth their salt will have a good grip on one or both of these tools: Microsoft Power BI and Tableau. Although they are both amazing in their own right, what if you had to choose just one of them?

What is the purpose of data visualization?

Data analysts use data visualization to explore data analytics. Businesses use data visualization to analyze business analytics to help calculate their profit or loss. Further, data scientists use data visualization to analyze different data models. 

Data visualization is used in endless fields, including government, education, marketing, and many more. To provide ease for the user, data visualization tools are designed according to specific user needs. The programs offer an easy approach to observing and analyzing trends, outliers, and patterns in data by utilizing visual components like charts, graphs, and maps. The two most popular tools are Power BI and Tableau.

What is Power BI, and how do I get started using it?

Microsoft's Power BI is an excellent interactive data visualization software program with an emphasis on business intelligence. Power BI offers desktop-based Power BI Desktop and cloud-based BI (business intelligence) services, referred to as "Power BI Services." To get started, you can begin Power BI online courses and learn from experts such as Nexacu.

What is Tableau, and how do we get started using it?

Tableau is a visual analytics tool that revolutionizes how we utilize data by enabling individuals and companies to maximize their data. Tableau can link to geographic data, plot latitude and longitude coordinates, and includes a mapping functionality. Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, Text Files (txt, CSV), Import from Workbook (TBM), and Table Data Extract are among the data sources that Tableau Software may connect to (TDS).

Any other alternatives?

There are many alternatives like MS Excel or Tableau, which are MS Excel, Kibana, QlikView, and Qlik sense. Each has a slightly different set of utilities according to the user's needs. Apart from others, MS Excel is mainly used because it has a vast variety of tools that are easy to use and understandable by even a non-technical user. It can act as a database for other programs and visualize Excel data.

Power BI vs. Tableau

Connectivity

Power BI

You can connect to a vast amount of data after Power BI Desktop is installed. Select Get Data>More in the Power BI Desktop Home tab, then go down the list of All data sources in the Get Data panel to view the various types of data sources that are available.

Power BI vs. Tableau

Tableau

When Tableau Catalog is enabled in an environment, the connection can be made to databases and tables from Tableau Server.

Ease to Use

Is Power BI or Tableau Easier to Use? 

Power BI is thought to be simpler for new users who are not data analysts. Tableau has a slightly steeper learning curve and is more popular among experienced data analysts, but which tool is simpler to use?

Power BI is generally considered easier for new users and non-data analysts. Tableau is more popular amongst experienced data analysts given its steeper learning curve. For an overview of each tool’s strengths and weaknesses, see our analysis of user reviews below.

Power BI

The following are the steps to use Power BI:

  1. Log in to Power BI online or create an account if we do not already have one.
  2. Open Power BI.
  3. Collect information and data sets and examine in the report view.
  4. Create visualizations with data, then save them as a report.
  5. Tiles from the report may be pinned to create a dashboard.
  6. Using the Q&A natural-language tool, add additional visualizations to the dashboard.
  7. Edit, resize, and rearrange the information for the dashboard's tiles.
  8. Delete the dataset, report, and dashboard to free up resources.

Tableau

The following are the steps to using Tableau:

  1. Obtain access to data.
  2. Drag and drop to get a glance.
  3. Streamline output.
  4. Physically explore the data.
  5. Go further into the specifics.
  6. Create a dashboard to display the findings.
  7. Create a narrative to share.
  8. Share what was learned.

Now, by comparing both the steps of usage, Power BI seems like a better fit if we look for simplicity and speed. Since Power BI is built on a user interface with its origins in Microsoft Office 365, which most end customers are already familiar with, it offers an advantage in terms of usability.

Plug for Power BI training

The best way to learn Power BI is through online sources such as Nexacu. Several different extensive or short courses are available from these experts and provide practical hands-on experience. A person with knowledge of Excel is likely to quickly pick up on the software, as originally, Power BI was created as an extension of Excel. But to operate the program on a more advanced level, we must consider learning Power BI in depth.

What is Tableau Prep? 

Tableau Prep empowers more people to get to analysis faster by quickly combining, shaping, and cleaning their data. A direct and visual experience gives customers a deeper understanding of their data. Additionally, intelligent features simplify data prep, and integration with the Tableau analytical workflow allows for faster insights.

Tableau Prep is intended to make the process of preparing your data simple and clear. To integrate, shape, and clean your data for analysis in Tableau, the use of Tableau Prep is common.

What is more popular, Power BI or Tableau? 

According to Slintel, Tableau has a market share of 12.97% as of June 2021, with 31,568 companies using it. Power BI, on the other hand, has a market share of 5.43% with 13,201 user companies.

It is worth noting that Power BI was released 12 years after Tableau (in 2015). Because of its ease of use and Microsoft credentials, it has quickly gained market share. Google search term analysis reveals that there are more than twice as many Power BI searches as Tableau searches. This implies Power BI’s superiority. 

The overall objective is to get valuable insights from the data. As such, technicians must make a discerning program choice. Many factors are involved when selecting data visualization software, as discussed above. Power BI is recommended when comparing the relative aspects of Power BI and Tableau. Before choosing between the two, there are several factors to be considered. Check out great training on Tableau and Power BI with Nexacu.