Dataki vs Power BI
A Power BI alternative with no DAX to learn
Power BI reports sit on a semantic model: data shaped in Power Query, measures written in DAX, built in Power BI Desktop, which runs on Windows, or in the browser, and shared through the Power BI service. Dataki goes straight to the answer. You ask in plain English, Dataki writes SQL against your database, and the answer becomes a dashboard anyone can open in a browser.
Why Dataki?
- Answers from day one: connect a source, ask in plain English, and Dataki writes the SQL, shows it with the answer and lets you edit and re-run it.
- Runs in any browser on Windows, macOS or Linux. Nothing to install.
- Viewers need no licence. Dataki is priced on data sources and AI messages, and everyone on your team builds.
- Queries run live and read-only on your database, with credentials encrypted and kept away from the model.
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Where Power BI stands
What it does well
- Tight integration with the Microsoft stack, and some Microsoft 365 subscriptions already include a licence
- A full modelling language: DAX measures, calculated columns and row-level security
- Import, DirectQuery and composite storage modes
- Copilot drafts report pages, summarises reports and writes DAX queries
Trade-offs to weigh
- Power BI Desktop, the free authoring app for models and reports, runs on Windows only; the service is web-based
- Measures are written in DAX, which takes time to learn
- Sharing needs a Pro or Premium Per User licence per person, unless content sits in Premium or Fabric F64+ capacity
- Copilot needs a paid Fabric (F2+) or Premium (P1+) capacity; a Pro licence alone is not enough
Dataki and Power BI at a glance
How each one works, what you keep, and where your data is queried.
| Row | DATAKI | Power BI |
|---|---|---|
| How you ask a question | DATAKI Type a question in plain English. Dataki writes the SQL, runs it and charts the answer, with the SQL right there to edit and re-run. | Power BI Build visuals on a report canvas from a semantic model. Copilot answers questions about a report and drafts pages, on Fabric or Premium capacity. |
| Who can build | DATAKI Everyone on the team, SQL or no SQL. Viewers are free and unlimited. | Power BI Pro or Premium Per User licence holders publish and share. Free-licence users can view content only when it sits in Premium or Fabric F64+ capacity. |
| What you keep | DATAKI A live dashboard on a permanent link that refreshes on its own, with filters and a date range. | Power BI A report and its semantic model, published to a workspace or an app. |
| Where the data is queried | DATAKI Live on your database or warehouse, read-only, every time a question is asked or a dashboard refreshes. CSV and Excel uploads update when you upload a new export. | Power BI Import (an in-memory copy refreshed on a schedule), DirectQuery (sent to the source), or a mix of both. |
| Setup before the first chart | DATAKI Connect a source with a read-only user and start asking. Add metric definitions, joins and column notes per source whenever you like; Dataki reads them before it writes SQL. | Power BI Build the semantic model first: shape data in Power Query, add relationships, write DAX measures, in Power BI Desktop (Windows only) or in the browser. |
| AI assistants and MCP | DATAKI A remote MCP server on every plan. Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and VS Code query your sources and save dashboards, and Claude shows the answers as charts. Credentials stay inside Dataki. | Power BI Copilot in reports and a standalone Copilot (preview). An authoring MCP server edits semantic models; Fabric IQ answers natural-language questions over them. |
| Embedding | DATAKI A <dataki-dashboard> web component, a React component or an iframe, with each of your customers seeing only their own data. | Power BI Embed for your customers (app owns data) or your organisation. Production embedding needs a capacity. |
| Pricing model | DATAKI By data sources and AI messages. Everyone on the team builds, and viewers are free. | Power BI Per user (Pro, Premium Per User), plus capacity (Fabric F or Premium P SKUs) for wider sharing and Copilot. |
Which one fits your team
Choose Power BI if…
- Your company is standardised on Microsoft 365 and Fabric, and Power BI licences are already paid for.
- You need one governed semantic model, with DAX measures and row-level security, that many reports share.
- You want Import mode's in-memory speed, or your data lives beyond the sources Dataki connects to.
- Your analysts already know DAX and Power Query.
Choose Dataki if…
- You want everyone to ask in plain English and see the SQL behind each answer, with no DAX to learn.
- Your data is in BigQuery, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Amazon Redshift, Supabase or Google Sheets.
- You want to share dashboards with anyone, including customers through an embed.
- Your team works on macOS or Linux, or in Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor.
Questions about Power BI and Dataki
- Is Dataki a replacement for Power BI?
- For everyday questions and shared dashboards, yes. Dataki turns a plain-English question into SQL, runs it read-only on your database and keeps the answer as a live dashboard. Your business logic lives in plain-language notes per source — metric definitions, joins, column warnings — that Dataki reads before it writes SQL, so nobody has to learn DAX. Teams built around one DAX semantic model shared by many reports can keep Power BI for that model and use Dataki for the questions.
- Does Dataki work on a Mac?
- Yes. Dataki runs in the browser, so it works the same on macOS, Windows and Linux, with nothing to install. The Power BI service is web-based too, and semantic models can now be created and edited there, but Power BI Desktop, Microsoft's free app for building models and reports, requires Windows 10 or later.
- Does Power BI have an AI assistant?
- Yes. Copilot in Power BI can summarise a report, answer questions about its data, draft report pages and write DAX queries. It needs a paid Fabric capacity (F2 or higher) or Power BI Premium (P1 or higher); a Pro or Premium Per User licence alone is not enough. Copilot answers from the semantic model, and Microsoft advises preparing the model for it. Dataki answers straight from the database, with SQL you can read and edit.
- Can people view Dataki dashboards without a licence?
- Yes. Anyone can view a Dataki dashboard for free, and everyone on your team can build one: Dataki is priced on data sources and AI messages. In Power BI, sharing content needs a Pro or Premium Per User licence for each viewer, unless the content sits in a Premium or Fabric F64+ capacity.
Ready to move on from Power BI?
Your first month is free. Connect a data source, ask a question in plain English and share the dashboard the same day.