Tools Overview: Power BI vs Tableau vs Looker Studio

You don't need to build dashboards to benefit from understanding the most common tools. Knowing which tool your organization uses helps you navigate dashboards and communicate with data teams.

The Big Three: Quick Comparison

Feature	Power BI	Tableau	Looker Studio
Best for	Microsoft users	Advanced visualizations	Google ecosystem
Learning curve	Moderate	Steeper	Easy
Cost	$10/user/mo	$15+/user/mo	Free
Key strength	Excel integration	Visual flexibility	Google data sources

Power BI (Microsoft)

Who uses it: Organizations already invested in Microsoft 365, Office, or Azure.

What it looks like:

• Familiar Microsoft interface
• Excel-like feel
• Dark blue and gold color scheme by default

As a dashboard consumer, you'll:

• Access via web browser or mobile app
• Use filters on the left or top
• Export to Excel or PowerPoint easily
• See familiar Microsoft formatting

Common terms:

• Report = A collection of visualizations
• Workspace = Folder for organizing reports
• Slicer = Interactive filter control
• Drill through = Click to see underlying details

Key strength for consumers: If you know Excel, Power BI will feel somewhat familiar.

Tableau

Who uses it: Organizations prioritizing sophisticated data visualization and analytics.

What it looks like:

• Clean, highly visual interface
• Often more colorful and design-focused
• Emphasis on interactive exploration

As a dashboard consumer, you'll:

• Access via Tableau Server, Cloud, or Public
• Click charts to filter other charts
• Hover to reveal rich tooltips
• Use the toolbar for download/sharing

Common terms:

• Workbook = A file containing dashboards
• Sheet = Individual visualization
• Dashboard = Collection of sheets
• Story = Guided presentation of dashboards

Key strength for consumers: Tableau dashboards tend to be visually stunning and highly interactive.

Looker Studio (Google, formerly Data Studio)

Who uses it: Organizations in the Google ecosystem (Analytics, Ads, Sheets, BigQuery).

What it looks like:

• Google's clean, simple aesthetic
• Often white backgrounds with colorful charts
• Google Docs/Sheets-style sharing

As a dashboard consumer, you'll:

• Access via simple web link
• See real-time data from Google products
• Use dropdown filters
• Share easily with Google accounts

Common terms:

• Report = A dashboard or set of pages
• Data source = Where the data comes from
• Control = Filter or date selector
• Blend = Combining multiple data sources

Key strength for consumers: Free, simple, and integrates seamlessly with Google products.

Which Tool Will You Encounter?

Your Organization Type	Likely Tool
Microsoft-heavy (Office 365, Teams)	Power BI
Data-driven, analytics-focused	Tableau
Google Workspace (Gmail, Drive)	Looker Studio
Startup or small business	Looker Studio (free)
Enterprise with budget	Power BI or Tableau

Navigation Cheat Sheet

Power BI

FILTERS: Usually left sidebar or top bar
EXPORT: "Export" button in toolbar
REFRESH: Look for refresh icon (circular arrow)
FULL SCREEN: "View" → "Full Screen"
SHARE: "Share" button (requires account)

Tableau

FILTERS: Right side or embedded in viz
EXPORT: Download icon in toolbar
REFRESH: Usually automatic on load
FULL SCREEN: Click maximize icon
SHARE: "Share" link or "Download" menu

Looker Studio

FILTERS: Usually dropdowns at top
EXPORT: Three-dot menu → "Download report"
REFRESH: Automatic or manual refresh button
FULL SCREEN: "View" → "Full screen"
SHARE: Blue "Share" button (Google-style)

Tool-Agnostic Best Practices

Regardless of which tool you encounter:

1. Find the date range first. Make sure you're looking at the right time period.

2. Check for active filters. A dashboard showing "North Region only" tells a partial story.

3. Look for the refresh timestamp. Know how current your data is.

4. Hover over data points. Most tools show additional details on hover.

5. Try clicking charts. Many dashboards are interactive—clicking one chart filters others.

6. Look for download options. You can often export data or images for offline use.

Talking to Data Teams

When requesting dashboard changes or asking questions:

Instead of: "The dashboard is broken" Say: "The revenue chart on the Q3 dashboard shows unexpected data for September—can we verify the data source?"

Instead of: "I need a new dashboard" Say: "I need to track [specific metrics] filtered by [specific dimensions] to make [specific decisions]"

Instead of: "This is confusing" Say: "Can you add a legend to the color coding? I'm not sure what red vs. green represents."

Key Insight: You don't need to master any tool. You need to understand enough to read dashboards critically and communicate clearly with those who build them.

Next: Learn how AI uses data and how to critically evaluate AI-generated insights. :::