There are certain either/or categories that people tend to fall into. Are you a dog person or a cat person? Night owl or early bird? Thick crust or thin crust pizza? Power BI or Tableau? Each of us has been asked which one we prefer at some point in our lives, right?

Ok, maybe only those of us obsessed with data have been asked about that last one. But if you’re running on Azure, your options have become more diverse! Gone are the days when only Power BI could run on Azure. As Tableau’s ability to integrate with Microsoft SQL Server and Azure cloud becomes more sophisticated and user-friendly, more companies are taking this path.

Combining the Power of Microsoft Data Platform with Tableau in the Cloud

In the world of data analytics, when someone talks about Azure and data visualization, they typically are talking about Power BI. But since Tableau integrated into Microsoft cloud technologies, organizations on Azure now have the option of choosing between Power BI or Tableau as their data visualization tool. Companies who already have Tableau licensing are, in turn, able to easily shift to Azure cloud without data disruption.

Microsoft SQL Server is Tableau’s most common data source to date (in combines cloud and on-premises usage). Businesses are now able to combine the power of Microsoft’s data platform and Tableau across on-premises and the cloud to digitally transform their organizations.

When excluding file-based sources like Excel and web applications like Salesforce and Google Analytics, there are 32 distinct types of databases and Hadoop products used by customers the data set. Two-thirds of these data source types are more frequently deployed in the cloud than on-premise. (Source: Tableau Cloud Data Brief)

Understanding your business goals and aligning them with the right technology should be the first step in your approach to any project. If you’re looking to leverage your data to make better business decisions, Tableau – whether on-premises, hosted in the cloud, or Tableau Online fully-hosted (SaaS) – is an option that should be explored.

The next question is which solution is best for your company – Power BI or Tableau? In our next blog, we’ll compare the functionality of the two platforms to help you make a decision.

Is your company trying to decide on the next step in your data transformation journey? Or are you currently utilizing Tableau and looking to expand in the cloud? Reach out to BDO Digital and we’ll talk data!