Switch Guide: Moving from Power BI to Dundas BI
Power BI is a Microsoft product — deeply embedded in the Azure ecosystem, licensed through Microsoft's US entity, and subject to US data jurisdiction. For Canadian organizations that need business intelligence without their data flowing through US-controlled cloud services, Dundas BI is a compelling alternative. Built by Dundas Data Visualization in Toronto, Dundas BI is designed for embedded analytics and enterprise BI use cases with full Canadian data hosting, on-premises deployment options, and a white-label-ready platform that Microsoft's products simply don't offer.
What You'll Gain
- Canadian data hosting: Dundas BI can be deployed on Canadian infrastructure — cloud, on-premises, or hybrid.
- On-premises deployment: Full on-premises deployment option for maximum data control. Power BI Service is cloud-only.
- Embedded analytics: Dundas BI is designed for embedding analytics into your own applications. Superior to Power BI Embedded for complex use cases.
- White-label ready: Full branding customization — deliver BI under your own brand to your customers.
- No per-user Microsoft licensing: Dundas BI pricing doesn't tie you to Microsoft's licensing model.
- Toronto-based support: Canadian support team with deep BI expertise.
What You Might Miss
- Microsoft ecosystem integration: Power BI's native connection to Excel, Azure, Teams, and the whole Microsoft stack is unmatched.
- DAX language: If your team has invested heavily in DAX formulas, those don't transfer to Dundas BI.
- Cost for basic users: Power BI Pro ($10 USD/user/month) is very affordable for read-only consumers. Dundas BI's pricing is higher per user for large self-service deployments.
- Community and resources: Power BI has a massive community, YouTube tutorials, and certified training programs. Dundas BI has a smaller community.
Migration Checklist
- Audit your Power BI reports and dashboards — Inventory all reports by business unit, frequency of use, and data sources. Prioritize which to migrate first.
- Document your data sources — List every data source your Power BI reports connect to (SQL Server, Salesforce, Excel, etc.). Dundas BI connects to all of these.
- Export Power BI report specifications — Document the metrics, dimensions, filters, and visualizations for each report. Power BI .pbix files aren't directly importable into Dundas BI.
- Set up Dundas BI environment — Work with Dundas to provision your environment (cloud, on-premises, or hybrid).
- Connect data sources — Configure data connections in Dundas BI to your existing databases and data warehouses.
- Rebuild priority dashboards — Start with your most-used reports. Dundas BI's visual builder is different from Power BI's but the concepts translate.
- Train your report developers — Plan 2–3 days of hands-on Dundas BI training for your BI developers.
- Phased rollout to report consumers — Roll out rebuilt reports to users incrementally as each report is validated.
Data Export Tips from Power BI
Power BI report files (.pbix) can be downloaded from the Power BI Service. While these don't import directly into Dundas BI, they serve as excellent documentation of your report logic, measures, and data model. Export your underlying data models as Power BI Desktop files — the data model documentation is useful for rebuilding in Dundas. For data sources that live in Azure, ensure your Dundas BI environment has appropriate network access to the same data sources before starting migration.
Timeline Estimate
Most organizations take 2–4 months to migrate their BI environment. This varies heavily by the number and complexity of reports. A company with 20 core dashboards and a small BI team can migrate in 6–8 weeks. An organization with 200+ reports and complex data models should plan 4–6 months. Migrate high-value reports first; let low-usage reports be the last phase.