Power BI is a platform that is used to connect, visualize and share data with

other users. It is a business analytics and data visualization tool that converts
data from sources and extracts information from that data and represents it in
interactive visualizations and reports.
Microsoft Power BI comes with a free or paid version. The free version only
provides Power BI tools like Power BI Desktop and Power Q&A to dashboards.
Whereas, in the Pro version they provide services like live report sharing,
Power View, and more Power BI apps. Power BI Desktop is available in 32-bit
and 64-bit versions. The Power BI desktop app is used to create reports, while
Power BI Services (Software as a Service – SaaS) is used to publish the
reports, and Power BI mobile app is used to view the dashboards and reports.
Business Intelligence is the talk of a new changing and growing world that can
be defined as a set of concepts and methodologies to improve decision-making
in business through the use of facts and fact-based systems. The Goal of
Business Intelligence is to improve decision-making in business ideas and
analysis.
Some Important features of Business Intelligence are:
 Fact-based decision making.
 360 degrees perspective on your business.
 Virtual team members are on the same page.
 Measurement for creating KPI (Key Performance Indicators) on the basis of
historic data fed into the system.
 Identify the benchmark and then set the benchmarks for different processes.
 Business Intelligence systems can use to identify market trends and also to
spot business problems that need to be identified and solved.
 Business Intelligence helps in data visualization will increase the quality of
data and then also increases the quality of decision making.
 Business Intelligence systems can be used by large enterprises, and
organizations along with Small and Medium Enterprises, because it is quite
affordable.
Types of Users of Business Intelligence:
 Analyst (Data Analyst or Business Analyst): They are the statistician of
the company, they used BI on the basis of historical data priorly stored in the
system.
 Head or Manager of the Company: Head of the company uses Business
Intelligence used to increase the profitability of their company by increasing
the efficiency in their decisions on the basis of all the knowledge they
discovered.
 IT Engineer: For his company.
 Small Business Owners: Can be used by a small businessman because it
is quite affordable too.
 Government Officials: In the decision-making of the government.
Types of Decisions Supported by Business Intelligence:
 Strategic Level: The strategic level is the level where the Heads of the
company decide the strategies of any business.
 Tactical Level: Once the strategy is made though for handling all the details
and matters have a tactical level where all the technologies and
methodologies come under one umbrella. This level is further responsible for
continuously updating the data.
 Operational Level: Operation decisions are made at this level. Operational
decisions help in operating the system.
Applications of Business Intelligence:
 In Decision Making of the company by decision-makers of the organizations.
 In Data Mining while extracting knowledge.
 In Operational Analytics and operational management.
 In Predictive Analytics.
 In Prescriptive Analytics.
 Making Structured data from unstructured data.
 In Decision Support System.
 In Executive Information System (EIS).
Business Intelligence Tools and Software
1. Tableau: A business intelligence and data visualization application that
enables users to connect to different data sources, build interactive
dashboards, and share findings with others.
2. Microsoft Power BI: A cloud-based business intelligence program that
enables users to connect to a variety of data sources, produce
visualizations, and communicate findings.
3. QlikView is a business intelligence and data visualization platform that
enables users to build interactive dashboards and examine data in novel
ways.
4. Data visualization, reporting, and analytics tools are all included in SAP
BusinessObjects, a complete business intelligence suite.
5. IBM Cognos: A tool for performance management and corporate
intelligence that enables users to build reports, scorecards, and dashboards.
6. Data visualization, reporting, and analytics technologies are all part of the full
business intelligence suite known as Oracle Business Intelligence.
7. Create dynamic dashboards and reports with MicroStrategy, a business
intelligence and data visualization tool.
8. Data visualization, reporting, and analytics tools are all part of the full
business intelligence suite known as SAS Business Intelligence.
9. TIBCO Spotfire is a business intelligence and data visualization platform that
enables users to build interactive dashboards and investigate data in novel
ways.
10. Looker: A tool for business intelligence and data visualization that
enables users to build interactive dashboards and investigate data in novel
ways.
Advantages of Business Intelligence
1. Decision-making is improved because users have access to real-time data
and insights through business intelligence tools. This enables users to base
their decisions on correct and current information.
2. Efficiency gain: Many manual data analysis operations are automated by
business intelligence systems, freeing up time and resources for other tasks.
3. Better data management: Business intelligence technologies aid in the
administration and organization of data, making it simpler to locate the facts
required for decision-making.
4. Greater visibility: Business intelligence solutions give users a
comprehensive picture of the functioning of the firm, enabling them to spot
areas that could use improvement.
5. A better understanding of customers: Business intelligence technologies
helps firms understand their customers better, enabling them to customize
products and services to suit their needs.
6. Cost savings: Business intelligence technologies assist firms in locating
inefficiencies and cost savings, which boosts revenue.
7. Better forecasting: Organizations may evaluate past data and predict future
patterns using business intelligence technologies, which enables them to
plan more successfully for the future.
8. Competitive advantage: By granting access to important data and insights
that can guide them in making better decisions, business intelligence
technologies provide firms a leg up on their rivals.
9. Collaboration is improved as a result of using business intelligence
technologies to disseminate information between teams and departments.
This promotes better decision-making and collaboration.
10. Better Monitoring: Business intelligence technologies assist firms in
tracking important metrics like revenue, customer happiness, and staff
performance and in monitoring performance.
Disadvantages of Business Intelligence
1. Complexity: The implementation and upkeep of business intelligence
systems can be extremely difficult and complicated. This may be a drawback
for companies with constrained IT resources.
2. High costs: Some businesses find it prohibitively expensive to implement
and purchase business intelligence technologies.
3. Business intelligence strongly depends on accurate and current data. The
insights produced by business intelligence technologies could not be
accurate if the data is inconsistent, erroneous, or incomplete.
4. Data Security: Business intelligence systems handle and store a lot of
sensitive data, which, if not adequately protected, is susceptible to security
breaches.
5. Dependence on IT: Because business intelligence solutions frequently rely
largely on IT assistance, it may be challenging for enterprises to quickly get
the data they require.
6. Limited scalability: For firms with huge data volumes, business intelligence
solutions may not be able to handle enormous amounts of data.