Pyramid vs. Power BI

Row level security in Power BI is implemented through the DAX formula engine – adding
another significant and compounding factor that
impacts both performance and complexity.

Row level security in Pyramid can be implemented simply through the data model
structure itself and resolves using standard SQL
operations, with a negligible impact on performance.

Power BI’s direct query interface only delivers
basic querying. Any advanced logic is complicated to enact or unavailable. This pushes
solutions towards using the Power BI in-memory Tabular solution instead, which has its own bottlenecks and performance issues.

The PYRANA query engine is a direct query
engine. Every aspect of its query and advanced logic handling works on any SQL-based
technology. This gives customers the freedom to
choose one or more data stack alternatives based on
business purpose, scaling requirements or cost.

The Power BI Tabular database does not handle large data volumes or high concurrency well. Further, request memory is capped (up to ~10Gb) – which becomes a major limiting
factor when data grows.

Pyramid’s optional in-memory database uses standard SQL constructs so it handles large, broad data sets and queries efficiently without request size limits. The efficiency also delivers far better concurrency rates.

Resolving too many analytic components simultaneously severely impacts the overall speed and user experience in a Power BI dashboard. The same impact is observed as user concurrency grows. Both compel designers to limit the scope of content in any given instance.

Pyramid’s scale-out architecture allows customers to run as many concurrent queries in parallel as required – whether they are generated from multiple components executing simultaneously or from growing user engagement, or both.

Power BI’s siloed project architecture makes the usage and re-usage of common business logic elements impossible. This engenders both duplication of efforts as well as inconsistencies
in reporting, logic and treatments across an enterprise implementation.

Content and business logic in Pyramid can
be naturally cross-used and reused multiple times across different projects and analyses because it's centralized. Duplication and inconsistencies are practically eliminated, and collective knowledge, collaboration and trust are dramatically increased.

The combination of siloed content and an untethered desktop authoring tool complicates and weakens governance and security in Power BI - allowing users to operate detached; creating their own unsanctioned data models, business logic and visualizations.

All content, data and logic is housed and
centralized in Pyramid’s server-based platform for both authors and consumers. Governance is natively built into the solution, making
control and security a natural externality of implementation by design.

Power BI’s DAX query language is complex
with a very steep learning curve - making the job of writing and maintaining logic problematic and very costly. With few point-and-click, no-code options, Power BI requires the participation of advanced developers for most real-world implementations.

Powerful calculations in Pyramid can be built
without writing a line of code. Its graphical formula builder further allows end users to self-write, manipulate, and maintain customized logic with point-and-click simplicity. In Pyramid, sophistication does not come at the cost of complexity.