A Comparison Guide: Microsoft Power BI vs. Google Data Studio
The crux of making sound business decisions lies at the ability to analyze raw data. Today’s digital era has made this ability rather simple, through data visualization tools. Data visualization tools help to transform digital data of any organization in presentable formats. If you are seeking to sort your data through data visualization tools, I have compared today, 2 very popular solutions — Microsoft Power BI and Google Data Studio.
What is Microsoft Power BI?
Microsoft launched Power BI in 2013. It was developed to provide business intelligence to the end-user so that they can create customized reports and carry out lucrative activities to execute their business plans.
Power BI provides accessible insight into the data. It excels in data visualization by transforming digital information into visually appealing data in the form of graphs and charts.
Power BI has both, desktop and cloud-based versions. There are various versions to choose from — You could select any of the following based on your budget and requirements:
· Power BI Desktop version is a windows desktop application. It is free and easy to install. It helps you connect with various data sources so that information can be converted to build data models and visuals.
· Power BI Service also referred to as Power BI online offers software as a service and has 2 versions — Pro & Premium.
· Power BI Mobile Apps is a mobile application that enables you to view the reports created in the desktop version for iOS, Window and Android platforms.
· Power BI Embedded service is Microsoft Azure services and can be easily integrated into the Apps.
· Power BI Report Server is an on-premise app and it enables you to publish reports and share data.
What is Google Data Studio?
Google Data Studio made its advent in 2016, just after Microsoft launched Power BI. It was introduced as a data visualization and dashboard tool. Google Data Studio was not a novice idea but it is a free collaborative tool for data visualization and can be easily integrated with various Google services.
Google Data Studio can help you collate and visualize data from various components of the Google portfolio. These sources include but are not limited to Google Analytics 360 Suite, Google BigQuery, Youtube, Search Console, Google Adwords and Google sheets.
As compared to Microsoft Power BI, Google Data studio is only a cloud-based version. The following video gives us an introduction to Google Data Studio:
Now, that you have seen a glimpse of both data visualization tools, let’s explore some important aspects. These aspects will help you gauge which data visualization tool is the best fit for your business.
Ease of Accessibility:
Which among the two is easier to use? This is the most commonly sought query.
It depends on which suite you prefer to work with. Do you prefer to work with Google Analytics or Microsoft Office? Both have drag and drop features that allow you to generate reports almost immediately and easily however; there are some core differences.
Power BI shares its UI aspects with Microsoft Suite such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel whereas Google Data Studio resembles the interface of Adwords and Analytics. So if you are not familiar with Google Analytics and their terms, you may find the navigation slightly difficult. On the other hand, you need to be more than an Excel beginner to get your grasp on Power BI.
In addition to the above, Google Data Studio has fewer functionalities. This makes it simpler and easier to use than Power BI.
Integration with Data Sources:
Google Data Studio is inherently easy to connect with Google suite products but even if you are seeking to connect with data sources outside the Google suite, it won’t be much of a hassle. Google Data Studio can be easily connected with other SQL databases such as MySQL and PostgreSQL. Here is a complete list of every data connector you can connect through Google Data Studio.
Power BI too can collect data from various sources such as Microsoft Excel, Salesforce, GitHub and Azure analytics however; it cannot connect with Google services. If you need Power BI to collect data from Google services, you will need to use a separate connector such as SuperMetrics. Here is a complete list of data connectors you can connect through Power BI.
Power BI can also directly import data from your computer files since it has a desktop-based version. You can do so by downloading Power BI Personal Gateway which can automatically upload data.
Both the tools make it easy to connect and collect data from your social media platforms. Google Data Studio has 18 connectors which enable collecting data from any Google suite/products and 189 partner connectors such as Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin whereas Power BI has 350 connectors that help you connect and retrieve data from various third-party applications.
Data visualization options:
Google Data Studio has an expansive list of visualization but as compared to Power BI, the options are limited. Both visualization tools encompass the capacity to customize colors and fonts however; Google Data Studio is not as interactive as Power BI.
Google Data Studio incorporates standard visualization options such as bar, line, and pie charts. Power BI has everything, from KPI trackers to the ability to create live data dashboards.
Pricing:
Google Data Studio is completely free to use. All you need is a Google account to start converting your data into visually appealing graphs and charts.
Power BI has two versions for businesses:
1. The free version gives you basic reporting features. It has a data limit of 1GB per user.
2. Paid Pro version gives you access to all Power BI features. It costs $9.99 per user per month.
If you are on a budget and want to gain access to visually reporting features, then Google Data Studio is a clear choice. However; if you need access to a full reporting suite, Power BI Pro should be your visualization tool.
So which one should you choose? Well, it entirely depends upon your data visualization requirements and your budget. If you are only seeking basic features, Google Data Console is a great choice. However; if you need data visualization tools that are more complex and complete — go for Power BI.
