Choosing the Right Jira Reporting Tool: eazyBI vs. Power BI

Picking the right tool can make data analysis easier and more effective. For Jira reporting, two popular choices often come up: Power BI and eazyBI. While both are powerful business intelligence tools, they cater to different needs and user skills.

eazyBI support consultant Elita compares both tools based on her hands-on experience and many trials and errors.

My Journey from Spreadsheets to BI Tools

Before diving into the specifics of Power BI and eazyBI, I’d like to share a bit about how I ended up working with both tools. It is worth mentioning that I don’t have a technical background, and my experience with Power BI has been shorter than that with eazyBI, so my insights potentially miss some best practices that are out there.

I started my career with basic Excel skills. Over the years, I became fluent in Excel, managing countless spreadsheets, building pivot tables, and mastering numerous functions. Power Query was a game-changer, automation saved our team hours of manual work. Transitioning to Power BI was empowering, allowing me to visualize data from systems like SAP, but it also brought challenges—managing complex reports, meeting evolving management demands, and maintaining continuity amidst team turnover was exhausting. With great power (BI knowledge) came even greater responsibility.

When I transitioned to eazyBI, I knew nothing about the tool—or even Jira. Moving from Excel and Microsoft tools to something new felt daunting, but during the interview, my soon-to-be colleague Ilze asked me a question that helped me jump into eazyBI with an open mind: “Do you like Excel for what it is, or because it helps you solve problems?” While eazyBI initially seemed deceptively simple, I soon discovered its steep learning curve, much like Power BI. Yet, it stayed true to its promise: “Simple things easy, complex things possible.” The key takeaway? Learning a new tool with an open mindset is key. Advancing it requires patience. 

Native Integration Matters: Data Import in eazyBI and Power BI

One of the biggest and most important differences between Power BI and eazyBI for Jira reporting is the data import process. eazyBI offers native integration with Jira, making data import intuitive and straightforward, while Power BI requires purchasing third-party connectors or advanced technical skills. Without a connector, someone with limited Power BI experience or database connection knowledge would struggle to import Jira data effectively and successfully.

In eazyBI, the native integration makes importing data a straightforward, guided process that’s accessible even to non-technical users with no coding experience. If any uncertainties arise, clear instructions are readily available on eazyBI’s documentation page. Additionally, eazyBI uses familiar Jira terminology, so users immediately recognize terms and fields (such as add-ons, custom fields, and sprint data) that match their Jira instance.

eazyBI’s Advantage Over Power BI: Data Mapping

Another key difference between Power BI and eazyBI is the complexity of data mapping without a connector.

In Power BI, users must export Jira data or use the Jira REST API, which provides JSON data that’s challenging to parse and flatten for further reporting, especially with Jira’s nested fields (such as sub-tasks and custom fields). Transforming this data into tables in Power BI requires multiple steps in Power Query and can be difficult for those without prior experience.

In contrast, eazyBI’s native Jira integration simplifies data mapping. Users don’t need to export or transform data themselves; eazyBI pulls in Jira data automatically, structuring it with familiar fields. Standard issue hierarchies or Sprint-related data are imported automatically, plans can be added with just a few clicks, and there are numerous examples of additional hierarchies or specific use cases. This makes data mapping in eazyBI accessible, even to users without a technical background.

Similarities Between eazyBI and Power BI: A Shared Mission to Tell Stories with Data

Both Power BI and eazyBI are powerful business intelligence tools designed to help users analyze data from various perspectives and across multiple dimensions. Their flexibility allows users to adapt the tools to a wide range of needs, making them suitable for everything from high-level summaries to deep dives into complex datasets.

Both tools offer built-in formula editors—DAX in Power BI and MDX in eazyBI—that empower users to create highly customized reports tailored to specific requirements.

Both tools share many similarities, which likely explains why the question of which to use—eazyBI or Power BI—comes up so often. At the end of the day, they both share a common goal: turning data into compelling, understandable stories. They help visualize data, bringing it out of the shadows to ensure it is seen, shared, and used to guide better decisions.

Comparing Resource Availability, Support, and Accessibility

A critical difference between Power BI and eazyBI lies in the availability of a dedicated support team and resources. In my experience with large corporations, Power BI often requires a designated internal person or even a reporting team. This reliance on internal expertise can create a significant risk—if those experts leave, their knowledge and expertise leave with them, leaving teams vulnerable and struggling to maintain reporting continuity.

One might argue that it’s the same case with eazyBI. However, with eazyBI, Jira data analysis is more accessible. Individual users can create their reports with the help of the eazyBI support team, who are experts in Jira data analysis, or specially built eazyBI AI assistants. eazyBI provides a set of ready-made Jira sample reports you can use out of the box, a wide variety of publicly available report and dashboard examples, as well as calculations you can add to your reports right away. User access roles allow for controlled sharing, empowering users to learn and operate independently while reducing dependency on colleagues.

New users can always rely on eazyBI’s robust support team and documentation even if reporting responsibilities shift. With eazyBI, there’s always this “extra colleague” in the form of the eazyBI support team to reach out to for help, which makes it easier for employees to grow and improve their skills. This has also been proved by the feedback the eazyBI team continuously receives on Atlassian Marketplace.

Building Report with eazyBI and Power BI: A Use Case

Here’s a simple example: creating a cumulative sum of issues over time, broken down by status categories, in both tools.

In Power BI, you need to do the following to show created tickets over time.

1. Create a date table (Time dimension) with time levels (years, quarters, months, etc.).

2. Make sure that the Created date format matches the format of the Date Table (Time dimension).

3. Map/create a relation for the resolution date to the above-mentioned date table.

4. Define calculated measures for cumulatively summing issues created per status categories.

In eazyBI, creating time-based reports is simpler. Select the Time dimension (year, quarter, month, or day) and the “Issues created” measure; both are available by default. To view unresolved issues, select the “Issues due” measure, and the report will instantly show counts by time period based on the due date. No extra relationship creation is needed because it happens in the background as soon as the user selects the Date field to be imported as a measure. It requires two clicks to add cumulative sum, as that is a function that is built into eazyBI by default.

Here is a visual example of Cumulative Sum analysis with both tools. Because I haven't utilized the Power BI tool for a long time (and never with Jira data), it took me longer to build it, and I struggled to switch to the monthly hierarchy; therefore, I ended up staying at the Quarter hierarchy. 

Building report with Power BI (2:26)

Building report with eazyBI (0:33)

Final Thoughts

Reflecting on my career in data analysis, I’ve learned that building strong reports requires an open mind, patience, and a commitment to learning, often through many trials and errors. In data analysis, each tool available has its own strengths and can enhance decision-making. The true mastery lies in embracing each tool’s potential to help tell the stories behind data.

Each tool has its unique strengths. Power BI excels at handling a wide variety of data sources and providing extensive options for visual customization. At the same time, eazyBI focuses on simplifying Jira data analysis and making Jira data, reporting, and visualization accessible to non-technical users. eazyBI keeps improving by making complex solutions more accessible with AI assistants, new integrations, and features while ensuring users always have access to the dedicated support team for guidance and advice.