Compare Tableau and Microsoft SQL Server - BI - May 2022

Shlomi Lavi

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Bottom Line: Which is Better - Tableau or Microsoft SQL Server - BI?

Microsoft SQL Server - BI is more expensive to implement (TCO) than Tableau, and Tableau is rated higher (90/100) than Microsoft SQL Server - BI (70/100). Tableau offers users more features (14) than Microsoft SQL Server - BI (5). There is a clear winner in this case and it is Tableau!

Looking for the right Business Intelligence solution for your business? Buyers are primarily concerned about the real total cost of implementation (TCO), the full list of features, vendor reliability, user reviews, and the pros and cons. In this article we compare between the two software products:

Tableau Software Vs. Microsoft

Tableau Software: Tableau Software provides easy-to-use software applications for fast analytics and visualization. Its products include Tableau Desktop and Tableau Server

Microsoft: Microsoft Corporation is an American corporation that develops, manufactures, licenses and supports a wide range of products and services related to computing. The company was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen on April 4, 1975. Microsoft is the world's largest software maker measured by revenues.

Who is more expensive? Tableau or Microsoft SQL Server - BI Edition?

The real total cost of ownership (TCO) of Business Intelligence software includes the software license, subscription fees, software training, customizations, hardware (if needed), maintenance and support and other related services. When calculating the TCO, it's important to add all of these ”hidden costs” as well. We prepared a TCO (Total Cost) calculator for Tableau and Microsoft SQL Server - BI Edition.

Tableau price starts at $15 per user/month , On a scale between 1 to 10 Tableau is rated 2, which is much lower than the average cost of Business Intelligence software. Microsoft SQL Server - BI Edition price starts at $931 per provider , When comparing Microsoft SQL Server - BI Edition to its competitors, the software is rated 8 - higher than the average Business Intelligence software cost.

Bottom line: Microsoft SQL Server - BI Edition is more expensive than Tableau.

Which software includes more/better features?

We've compared Tableau Vs. Microsoft SQL Server - BI based on some of the most important and required Business Intelligence features.

Tableau: this software is considered "feature-rich" with more than 10 important features, here is a partial list: Ad-Hoc Analysis, Ad-Hoc Reporting, Automatic Scheduled Reporting, Customizable Dashboard, Customizable Features, Dashboarding, Forecasting & Budgeting, Graphic Benchmark.

Microsoft SQL Server - BI Edition: Business performance management, Database Management, Full Backup, Backup, Data recovery.

Target customer size

Tableau is ideal for small to large scale industries, freelancers and nonprofit organizations. and Microsoft SQL Server - BI Edition's target customer size include: Small, medium and large size businesses.