6  The right tools for the job


Summary

Concept Description
Tool Landscape
Excel Versatile spreadsheet for ad-hoc analysis and small datasets
Power BI Microsoft BI suite for connecting, modelling, and visualising data
SQL Databases Relational stores queried with SQL for structured enterprise data
Python and R Programming languages for advanced statistics and data science
Cloud Data Platforms Azure, AWS, or GCP services hosting modern data warehouses
Choosing the Right Tool
Spreadsheet vs BI Trade-offs When to leave Excel for a dedicated BI or database platform
Tool Selection Matching tools to data volume, refresh frequency, and audience
Power BI Components Desktop, Service, Mobile, Gateway, and Report Server in one suite