The Rise of Copilot and the Decline of Power BI
For those in the world of data analysis, the era of Power BI — and other BI tools — has begun its decline. Power BI, like other BI tools, is becoming obsolete in favor of Copilot. However, obsolete does not mean useless, so allow me to explain this perspective and outline the reasoning behind it.
Why Do We Use BI?
The primary goal of any Business Intelligence (BI) tool is to answer key business questions that enable better decision-making after the decision-maker processes these answers within their specific context. Thus, developing effective dashboards or reports requires not only technical expertise (e.g., databases, data pipelines, data analysis, etc.) but also soft skills like business understanding, data storytelling, and visual design.
Despite this effort, well-made dashboards typically answer only five to 10 well-formulated business questions. Decision-makers constantly require answers to new questions that dashboards weren’t designed to address, creating a need for frequent changes and updates. As data evolves along with business dynamics, dashboards inevitably become outdated, unable to fully meet the demands of modern enterprises.
This limitation has long been the bottleneck… until now.
What Has Changed?
In the age of large language models (LLMs) and chatbot interfaces, the need for dashboards themselves can be bypassed. By integrating a chatbot powered by an LLM with the underlying data model, users can query the system directly using natural language. This approach enables decision-makers to receive answers in graph format, as summarized text, or both, all while justifying the results to build user confidence. Unlike traditional dashboards, these chatbots provide flexibility and auditability, which reduces the reliance on tools like Excel for verification.
One standout solution in this space is Copilot for Power BI (stand-alone), distinct from Copilot in Power BI and Copilot Studio. While Copilot in Power BI helps developers and consumers, and Copilot Studio focuses on creating specialized Copilots, Copilot for Power BI (stand-alone) revolutionizes user interaction with data models by enabling unlimited natural language queries.
The implications of Copilot are transformative. The emphasis shifts from designing dashboards to crafting robust and well-documented data models enriched with metadata. With Copilot, users can ask unlimited questions, receiving answers without exhausting a developer. Reports, summaries, and detailed analyses are available any time — even at 3:00 AM — without human intervention. Furthermore, Copilot can collaborate with other agents to generate executive summaries tailored to individual users or teams.
This shift heralds a new era: the era of metadata. As metadata provides context for raw data, it becomes the cornerstone for solutions built on LLMs, ensuring better functionality and outcomes.
Learning Outcomes for Professionals
For those tempted to skip learning Power BI and jump directly into Copilot, beware. Understanding BI principles is essential to grasp data models and semantic models effectively. Similarly, expertise in deep learning and LLMs is vital for developing advanced solutions. Copilot’s ease of use should not overshadow the importance of foundational knowledge, just as Power BI was never merely “Excel on steroids.”
The Cost Perspective
Copilot offers various licensing options, ranging from $20 per user per month to group licenses with no token limits. For Copilot for Power BI (stand-alone), an F2 Fabric license costs $0.36 per hour or approximately $156.33 per month at the Workspace level. While these costs may seem high, consider the expense of repeatedly updating dashboards with a BI developer. In comparison, Copilot delivers greater efficiency and scalability, offering significant value for its price.
Be prepared for the transformations ahead. Copilot is reshaping the landscape of data analysis by empowering metadata-driven solutions and enabling unprecedented levels of flexibility for decision-makers.
