As you probably know, Power BI is one of the best tools for powerful data visualization and analytics. Millions of businesses use Power BI, and Microsoft has been recognized as a leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Analytics and BI Platforms for 17 years running.
Businesses love Power BI for its ease of use with a user-friendly interface and the ability to connect with a wide range of data sources. The interactive visualizations you can create bring data storytelling to a new level. Add access to real-time data and analytics and easy collaboration and sharing—well, it’s no wonder this robust BI tool hits the mark for many. And with the introduction of Microsoft Fabric, this powerhouse keeps getting better (with the help of some expert guidance to set you up for success).
But here’s the thing: It’s important to know Power BI’s limitations so you can navigate challenges and be prepared to avoid any pitfalls. To really tap into Power BI’s potential, you need the right setup, strategy, and support. Here’s where a Power BI consultant comes in. They’ll partner with you to create a data strategy, setup Power BI properly, and ensure you’re getting the most out of the tool (and, of course, show you how to avoid limitations).
What Are The Limitations of Power BI?
Some of the perceived limitations of Power BI are listed below and can be worked through with the right knowledge and experience. If, however, you are experiencing Power BI issues today, you might benefit from seeking additional help outside of your current team. By bringing an experienced consultant on board, you can reduce frustration and jumpstart your BI project. Let’s take a look:
Cutting Through the Complexity
One of Power BI’s limitations is its complexity. The list of components within Power BI is long, including Power BI Gateway, Power Query, Power Pivot, Power BI Desktop, and Power View, just to name a few. Knowing what each component does, what you need, and how they interact can be a challenge, especially for new users. In addition, there are no moving parts within Power BI, so it may take you some time and energy to figure out the functions of each.
A Power BI consultant can save the day here. They’ll help you set up exactly what you need, show your team what each component does, and how to use and integrate them properly. Having a consultant in the mix will help you to proactively tackle any complexities before those turn into problems (or headaches) that affect your BI strategy.
Power BI vs. Large Datasets
If you’ve got large and complex datasets that you want to analyze, Power BI’s speed can shrink (kind of like your patience waiting to eat when your stomach is growling). You’ll need to give Power BI more time when managing or analyzing massive data, and you may have performance issues, slow refresh times, and even freezes or crashes.
A consultant can help with solutions and strategies to address this. These include developing optimized data models to improve query performance, setting up incremental refreshes so you’re not refreshing an entire dataset, and data partitioning, or data marts, can split large datasets into smaller, more manageable chunks. A consultant can also help you to use data aggregation within the data source or in Power BI to reduce the amount of data required for analysis.
Customization Options: A Work in Progress
Power BI has a wide range of visualizations, but formatting options can be a bit limited or complex, making it a challenge to apply them as you’d like. Users may end up looking for DAX, custom visual options (or even a few creative hacks) to adjust legends, colors, or data tables.
The good news is that Microsoft has already begun to address this with custom visual options through AppSource, Date Picker by Powerviz, and advanced tables. They’ve also created a new team called the Power BI Core that’s responsible for enhancing and updating visual options. Features like the button slicer and KPI visuals were added in 2023, and updating formatting options for bar charts and data labels are helping to address limited customization feedback from users. The bottom line: Microsoft is committed to constantly improving and updating Power BI and bringing in new features and enhancements.
Working with a consultant can make a big difference. They know how to use smart design and tailor DAX or workarounds to your needs to develop reports that are functional and polished.
As for reliability, Power BI is generally reliable, but potential issues can happen. That’s just life, right? Potential issues include data quality, performance problems with large datasets, and occasional service disruptions. These can be solved by implementing data quality checks, optimized data models, and using service interruption notifications. Work with a consultant and they can implement strategies to minimize reliability issues.
How Do You Solve Performance Issues in Power BI?
If your dashboards are slow or you’re dealing with a long load time, it can be frustrating. No one wants performance issues to bring their reporting to a crawl. But you can fix these problems with the right strategies. At P3 Adaptive, our Power BI consultants are experts at helping you put these strategies in place, so Power BI performance can go from a snail’s pace to galloping like a racehorse. Here’s how:
- Optimize your data models and queries. A poorly structured data model can be the biggest culprit behind slow performance. A consultant can optimize your data models by simplifying relationships, removing unnecessary columns, and optimizing DAX calculations. They can also refine queries to reduce load times and make reports run faster.
- Keep dashboards clean and current. Like your garage or basement, dashboards can get cluttered over time with unused or outdated visuals and filters or complex interactions. These can seriously drag performance down. A BI consultant can show you how to maintain your dashboards regularly by removing visuals or filters you no longer need and cleaning up interactions.
Sometimes performance issues aren’t just one thing but a result of small inefficiencies that add up. Our expert consultants work with you to streamline your processes. We’ll come in and show you how to apply the right strategies, setting you up to avoid performance issues. Our team can create scalable data models, build reports, pinpoint any bottlenecks, and tailor a solution that fits your business needs.
Plus, our customized, expert-led training can give your team the expert guidance to develop efficient workflows that will keep your Power BI environment running at its best. From foundations to Power BI dashboard training, let’s design a custom curriculum for your team.
Is Microsoft Getting Rid of Power BI?
Rest assured, Power BI is here to stay. Its popularity across industries and the important role it plays in the Microsoft ecosystem mean it isn’t going anywhere. Microsoft proves their commitment to Power BI’s future with regular updates and added features. Features for April 2025 include Azure Maps auto-zoom for reference layers and mobile-optimized report layouts. Keep up with all the updates in the Microsoft Power BI Updates blog.
Power BI can play a major role in your business strategy. It enhances decision-making by transforming raw data into insights, so decisions are not only faster but are driven by data. And collaboration? Power BI makes it easy with a single source of truth for your data across your entire organization. Power BI also empowers you to streamline and optimize processes. Increased agility allows you to quickly pivot to changing market conditions and customers’ needs. With so many benefits, the choice is pretty simple. Make Power BI a part of your business strategy, and it can transform what you do with data.
Part of Microsoft’s strategy is the introduction of Microsoft Fabric. Power BI and Fabric make a dream team for data and analytics. Fabric works behind the scenes, handling data storage, integration, and real-time analytics, supporting the whole data life cycle. Then Power BI comes in, taking that data and turning it into interactive reports and dashboards. All your data and analytics needs are in one place with this unified force.
That said, setting up Power BI (and integrating Fabric) properly is not a walk in the park. A Business Intelligence consultant or Fabric consultant can come in to configure everything the right way to ensure you’re getting the most out of this dynamic duo.
How P3 Adaptive Can Help
At P3 Adaptive, we know a thing or two about data. We understand that data is the fuel that runs your business. Our expert BI consultants have the Power BI experience to help you transform your organization with a custom Power BI solution. Our team partners with you to assess where you are and where you want to be, ensuring that the solution fits perfectly with your specific business needs.
When you work with us, our team of experts is skilled at data visualization and analytics but offers so much more. Our top-tier consulting services bring the experience to not only develop visuals, but also to show you how to dig into the analytics behind the dashboards to support better decisions. We’ll create innovative dashboard designs with well-designed data models that are interactive and user-friendly. Working side by side with your team, we’ll empower them with the knowledge to explore the real-time insights that you’ll gain. When you tap into the power of Power BI, you’ll make faster, more informed decisions and stay ahead of the competition.
With our guidance, we support your team with the efficient use of Power BI. In addition, we offer tailored, expert-led training solutions built to match your goals and fill your specific knowledge needs—from foundations to advanced-level courses to Power BI dashboard training, we can get your team up to speed.
And all those complexities, customization limits, and performance issues we talked about? No worries, we can show you how to get past all that, too. Work with our team of data-minded experts and take your business to the next level. Let’s get started.
Get in touch with a P3 team member