Gartner recently released their 2017 BI Magic Quadrant, a simple quadrant graph that shows how each major BI platform is rated in relation to each other. The platforms are judged primarily by two metrics: execution and completeness of vision. It should come as no surprise that for yet another year, Tableau is towards the top of the pile. We certainly think Tableau is an industry-leading platform, and it seems Gartner’s objective research backs that opinion up. We won’t even start on Tableau’s legions of rabid fans.
Gartner and Their Magic BI Quadrant
For those of you unfamiliar with Gartner, they are one of the largest and most respected technology research entities out there. They conduct a multitude of different research projects and use this knowledge advise businesses across the world with the goal of making better decisions. Gartner’s annual Magic BI Quadrant is only part of what they do. As mentioned before, it shows how different BI platforms are positioned to give consumers a fair look at which BI platforms are truly the best.
Tableau Keeps Delivering
If you’ve seen Gartner’s Magic BI Quadrants in the past few years, you know that Tableau has largely remained at the top for awhile now (with a little dip last year). While others have jockeyed back and forth for position, Tableau has stayed well ahead of the pack. To help you see how each platform has progressed from year to year, Kent Sloan put together an excellent Tableau viz of Magic BI Quadrants from 2012-2017. You can find the viz below.
It’s worth noting that Microsoft Power BI has indeed made some big improvements this year and has remained a top competitor, but we still feel that Tableau has an edge, especially considering it still ranks highest in terms of execution. They’ve been at the top in this respect for the past four years. Regardless, both of these platforms are miles ahead of the rest. If you have any questions as to why we prefer Tableau, we’d love to chat! In the meantime, have fun exploring the viz. We hope it’s yet another effective tool when considering a BI platform.
