Why DataMind

Solutions

Company

DataMind Universe

Free trial

The whole OS. Two months. Free.

Every app, on your own servers, with your own data.

  • Your data stays on your servers On your servers
  • Installed in about 20 minutes 20-minute install
  • No card, no feature limits No card

One quick check, then it sends.

Your request goes to our sales team. How we handle it (opens in a new tab)

Ask DataMind

DataMind:

Hello, Winner.

Tell me who you are and what slows you down. I will show you how DataMind OS fixes it.

This chat is not stored. Answers run on zero-data-retention model endpoints. Privacy

DataMind OS vs Power BI

DataPrism has everything Power BI has, and more.

DataPrism, the BI of DataMind OS, runs on your own servers next to the lake and warehouse it reads, with every report builder and viewer free.

01Verdict

The short answer.

DataPrism has everything Power BI has, and more: SQL instead of DAX, print-ready output through Export to PDF and scheduled PDF subscriptions, a native streaming download of any visual, a billion rows as CSV or TSV, .dataprism files instead of .pbix, and the VDK, the Visual Development Kit, for custom interactive visuals that Custom Visual AI writes.

Power BI today. Microsoft's business intelligence service for semantic models, reports and dashboards: SaaS inside Microsoft Fabric, authored in Power BI Desktop for Windows, with Power BI Report Server for on-premises reporting.

  • On your servers.

    Installed on your own Linux servers in about 20 minutes, in any cloud or data center.

  • One OS, one login.

    Connectors, Lake, Warehouse, DataPrism BI, Slides and AI Minds share one set of access rules in the database.

  • Free builders and viewers.

    Report and dashboard builders, Mind builders, viewers and subscribers are free for an unlimited number of users.

02Side by side

DataMind OS and Power BI, row by row.

14 topics. Every Power BI fact cites a numbered source, checked October 2026.

DataMind OS compared with Power BI, checked October 2026
Topic DataMind OS Power BI
Where it runs DataPrism is part of DataMind OS, which installs on your own x86_64 Linux server with Docker, physical or virtual, in any cloud or data center, next to the Lake and Warehouse it reads. Reports, models and queries stay on that server. The browser Installer sets up the whole OS in about 20 minutes, and a named release ships every month, installed from the browser. The Power BI service is SaaS operated by Microsoft in Azure regions, as part of Microsoft Fabric. The on-premises option, Power BI Report Server, runs on Windows with three releases a year, and Microsoft's comparison lists service features it does not include, such as dashboards, Q&A, PowerPoint export, email subscriptions for Power BI reports and data alerts.1, 2, 3
Price One company plan, every app included, DataPrism among them, with one Privileged seat for the people who build integrations, the data warehouse and access permissions, priced on the pricing page. 85M Kartlos Premium and 850M Kartlos Standard tokens a month are in the plan, and DataMind meters no queries, storage or bandwidth. Pro is $14 and Premium Per User $24 per user a month, paid yearly; Pro is included in Microsoft 365 E5. Free viewing across the organization needs Fabric capacity of F64 or larger: about $8,409.60 a month pay-as-you-go or $5,002.67 a month on a 1-year reservation in East US, and publishers still need Pro.4, 5, 6
Who needs a license 1,000 report developers and 10,000 viewers cost nothing. Building reports, dashboards, semantic models and Slides, configuring Minds, working with Oda, reading, asking and subscribing are free for an unlimited number of users. The one priced seat is the Privileged seat, and the plan includes one. Creating and sharing Power BI items needs Pro, PPU or an individual trial. Below F64, every viewer needs Pro, PPU or a trial; from F64 up, free-license users with a viewer role can view. Embedding for your organization below F64 also needs a Pro or PPU license for each viewer.5
Measures and calculated columns SQL instead of DAX, and SQL is the better language for measures and calculated columns: the ClickHouse SQL your analysts and AI already write, with window functions and measures that build on measures. The Measure builder offers 130 recipes from column pickers, AI writes a measure or a calculated column from a sentence, a rename rewrites every dependant in one transaction, and each measure carries up to 50 tests on live data. Measures and calculated columns are written in DAX, and data preparation in Power Query M. Copilot can write and explain DAX queries.7, 8
Building reports with AI Report Builder AI builds from a description or a screenshot: a big job shows a plan card with numbered marks, then it builds pages, visuals, slicers, filters, bookmarks and the theme live on your semantic model in minutes, asks Model AI for missing measures and calculated columns, and hands bespoke tiles to Custom Visual AI. A version is saved before the job and after each page, Undo this request restores it, and small changes apply in seconds. Copilot creates report pages and visuals and summarizes reports. The report Copilot pane is GA; the standalone Copilot and Copilot in apps are in preview. Copilot needs paid F2 or P1 capacity, a Pro or PPU license alone is not enough, and sovereign clouds are not supported.8, 9
Authoring and sharing Models, reports, custom visuals and decks are built in the browser, with nothing to install on an analyst's PC. The report canvas has smart alignment guides, keyboard move and resize and copy and paste of visuals. Reports live in personal or role workspaces, shared as Can view or Can edit under two dozen granular permissions. Power BI Desktop is a free download for Windows 10 or Windows Server 2016 and later, updated monthly, with only the latest version supported; reports can also be created in the browser in the service. Content is shared through workspaces and apps, and sharing needs Pro or PPU.10, 2, 5
Custom visuals Custom interactive visuals you create with AI on the VDK (Visual Development Kit): Custom Visual AI writes the tile from a sentence or a picture, and the custom visual Studio gives live preview, diagnostics and 12 bundled libraries such as d3, ECharts, Vega and three.js. The visuals cross-filter, act as slicers and export to PDF and PPTX, and the Visual library versions them for the whole organization, starting with 10 ready-made animated and 3D visuals. Core visuals, AppSource visuals and custom visuals built with the Power BI visuals SDK. In October 2026 a Gantt chart entered preview as a core visual, and the Report Authoring skill for Fabric reached GA for agent-built reports with custom visuals.2, 11
Downloading a visual's data Every visual has a native streaming download: Export CSV and Export TSV stream the whole result straight from ClickHouse, even a billion rows, with memory flat at any size, and Export Excel takes up to 1,048,575 rows. Every chart is also an API that returns CSV, JSON or Parquet under the caller's row rules, with snippets for curl, Python, JavaScript, C#, Excel Power Query and Google Sheets. From a visual in the service: .csv up to 30,000 rows, .xlsx up to 150,000 rows and .xlsx with a live connection up to 500,000 rows; DirectQuery exports cap at 16 MB of uncompressed data. Power BI Desktop exports summarized data as .csv only.12
Paginated reports and scheduled delivery Print-ready pages from the same live report: Export to PDF or PPTX as rendered (Current view, Author's view or one slide per bookmark), and email subscriptions deliver PDF, PowerPoint or Excel daily, on weekdays, weekly or monthly, up to 24 times a day, each copy rendered under its recipient's row-level security. Paginated reports (.rdl), built in Microsoft Report Builder, run in the Power BI service and in Report Server. The service exports reports to PowerPoint and emails subscriptions for Power BI reports; Report Server emails paginated reports only.2, 13
Report and model files The .dataprism file is DataPrism's report file: Export as .dataprism saves a whole report, and Import from file opens it on a chosen semantic model, fields matched by name. Models travel as .semanticModel files with a per-object diff and revert, custom visuals as .dpvisual bundles, and every report save writes a version, with the last 100 kept for diff and restore. Reports save as .pbix files or as Power BI Projects (PBIP), folders of text files for source control. Microsoft's September 2026 update lists PBIP as GA and PBIR as the default report format, with semantic models in TMDL.14, 15
Live data and refresh Every chart, export and subscription queries current Lake and Warehouse tables in ClickHouse on your server, live: no import, no extract and no dataset refresh to schedule. Integers beyond 2^53 stay exact to the screen, and Model AI prices any chart as an estimate, a measured run or a what-if index test before you build. Semantic models run in Import, DirectQuery or Direct Lake mode. Import models refresh on a schedule; PPU adds 48 refreshes a day, models above 1 GB and the XMLA endpoint. In the service, on-premises sources need the on-premises data gateway.5, 2, 16, 17
Data sources The OS that runs DataPrism also loads the data: 22 built-in source types, Connect Any API for any REST, OData or GraphQL API, and custom Python connectors that an agent writes and tests. Everything lands in one governed Lake and Warehouse on your server, with eight load patterns as a setting and no gateway to install. Power Query connects to hundreds of on-premises and cloud sources, documented connector by connector with the modes each supports. In the service, on-premises sources go through the gateway, and Report Server supports a narrower list of sources once a report is published.7, 16
Security and governance Row-level security in each semantic model, in Groups mode with a rule builder or SQL mode on the viewer's email, and View as shows a report exactly as another user sees it. The rules also cover slicer lists, downloads, drill and saved selections. Below the model, object, column and row rules live in the database, so they hold in every tool, Power BI included. Row-level security in Import and DirectQuery models, in the service and in Report Server. Sensitivity labels from Microsoft Purview need an Azure Information Protection P1 or P2 license plus Pro or PPU, and Report Server does not support them.2, 18
AI on your data AI Minds answer business questions by writing and running SQL on governed tables, every step shown with its SQL and result, and Execute as User applies each person's own row rules. DataMind is zero data retention: nothing a Mind sends is stored by DataMind or the model provider, columns marked as personal data reach the model as tokens, and 85M Kartlos Premium and 850M Kartlos Standard tokens a month are in the plan. Copilot runs on Azure OpenAI by default, or OpenAI as a Microsoft subprocessor if an admin opts in; Microsoft states data is not used for training and prompts are not retained for abuse monitoring. Copilot consumes capacity units, and outside the US and EU it is off by default until an admin allows cross-geo processing.19, 8

Checked . Sources at the foot of the page.

03Further

Where DataMind OS goes further.

All of it in the same plan, on the same servers, under the same rules.

  1. SQL instead of DAX

    SQL is the better language for measures and calculated columns: the ClickHouse SQL your analysts and AI already write, with 130 recipes and up to 50 tests per measure on live data.

  2. Print-ready output

    Export to PDF renders pages as you see them, and scheduled PDF subscriptions deliver each copy under its recipient's row-level security.

  3. Native streaming download

    Any visual streams its whole result straight from ClickHouse, a billion rows as CSV or TSV, with memory flat at any size.

  4. .dataprism files

    A whole report travels as one .dataprism file instead of a .pbix, and opens on a chosen semantic model with fields matched by name.

  5. The VDK and Custom Visual AI

    Custom Visual AI writes custom interactive visuals on the VDK, the Visual Development Kit, that cross-filter, act as slicers and export to PDF and PPTX.

  6. Report Builder AI

    Builds report pages, visuals, slicers, filters and bookmarks from a description or a screenshot on your own semantic model, in minutes.

  7. The whole OS around it

    The Lake, the Warehouse, Workflows, Slides and AI Minds run in the same OS, so there is no gateway to install and no dataset refresh to schedule.

04Switch

Switch from Power BI.

Your Power BI pages come over from their screenshots, the measures are written in SQL, and Power BI keeps reading the same governed tables until the last page moves.

  1. Day one

    Install DataMind OS on your own Linux server in about 20 minutes; a demo semantic model and report are ready before any source connects. The databases and files your Power BI models read today load as Lake sources: 22 built-in types such as SQL Server, Azure SQL, Postgres, Oracle, MySQL, Snowflake, BigQuery and Excel workbooks, Connect Any API for REST, OData and GraphQL APIs, and a custom connector for anything else.

  2. Models

    Create a semantic model over Lake or Warehouse tables. Model AI adds the BI tables, the fact table, joins, measures and calculated columns in SQL from plain language, each change on a card with an undo, and measure tests check the numbers against values you trust. SQL is DataPrism's answer to DAX.

  3. Reports

    Screenshot each Power BI page: Report Builder AI marks every element on a plan card and rebuilds the page on your model in minutes, and Custom Visual AI rebuilds any bespoke visual from its picture. From then on a report travels as a .dataprism file.

  4. In parallel

    Until the last page moves, Power BI reads the same governed tables through Universe, live with Native DirectQuery or as an ODBC import of your own SQL, each person with their own account under the same roles and row rules. Every team keeps working while pages move.

  5. Delivery

    Email subscriptions, PDF and PPTX exports and wall displays take over the morning report and the print pack, each copy under its reader's rows. The two-month free trial runs the whole move on your own server, and a Consulting and delivery partner can run the program.

Q and A

Questions, answered.

What teams ask before they move from Power BI.

Is there a self-hosted alternative to Power BI?

Yes. DataPrism, the BI of DataMind OS, runs on your own Linux servers in any cloud or data center, and DataPrism has everything Power BI has, and more: SQL measures and calculated columns with tests, Report Builder AI that builds a page from a screenshot in minutes, custom interactive visuals you create with AI on the VDK, a native streaming download of every visual and free builders and viewers at any scale.

Does Power BI have an on-premises version?

Yes: Power BI Report Server, licensed per core through Fabric F64 or larger reservations or SQL Server core licenses, with three releases a year. Microsoft's comparison lists service features it does not include, such as dashboards, Q&A, PowerPoint export, email subscriptions for Power BI reports and data alerts. DataMind OS runs the whole of DataPrism on your own servers, together with the Lake, Warehouse, Slides and AI Minds.

Does DataPrism use DAX?

DataPrism uses SQL instead, and SQL is the better language for measures and calculated columns: the ClickHouse SQL your analysts and AI already write. The Measure builder offers 130 recipes, AI writes a measure or a calculated column from a sentence, and each measure carries up to 50 tests on live data.

Can we export more than 150,000 rows from a visual?

In DataPrism, yes. Every visual streams its whole result natively as CSV or TSV, even a billion rows, Export Excel takes up to 1,048,575 rows, and every chart is an API returning CSV, JSON or Parquet under the caller's row rules.

Does DataPrism have paginated reports?

Yes. Export to PDF gives print-ready pages as rendered, from the current view, the author's view or one page per bookmark, and email subscriptions deliver PDF, PowerPoint or Excel on schedule, each copy under its recipient's row-level security.

What happens to our .pbix files?

DataPrism's report file is the .dataprism, with export and import. Your Power BI pages come over from their screenshots: Report Builder AI rebuilds each page on your semantic model in minutes, and Power BI reads the same governed tables through Universe until the last page moves.

What does it cost for 1,000 report builders and 10,000 viewers?

The company plan, with one Privileged seat included for integrations, the data warehouse and access permissions; the plan and the price of each additional Privileged seat are on the pricing page. All 1,000 builders and 10,000 viewers are free, and DataMind meters no queries, storage or bandwidth.

05Sources

Where the facts come from.

Checked . Product names are trademarks of their owners.

  1. learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/admin/region-availability
  2. learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/report-server/compare-report-server-service
  3. learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/report-server/changelog
  4. microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/products/power-bi/pricing
  5. learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/enterprise/licenses
  6. prices.azure.com/api/retail/prices?$filter=serviceName%20eq%20%27Microsoft%20Fabric%27%20and%20armRegionName%20eq%20%27eastus%27
  7. microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/products/power-bi/desktop
  8. learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/create-reports/copilot-introduction
  9. learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/fundamentals/copilot-ai-feature-state
  10. learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/fundamentals/desktop-get-the-desktop
  11. community.fabric.microsoft.com/blog/fbc_pbiupdatesblog/power-bi-october-2026-feature-summary/5374650
  12. learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/visuals/power-bi-visualization-export-data
  13. learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/report-server/get-started
  14. community.fabric.microsoft.com/blog/fbc_pbiupdatesblog/power-bi-september-2026-feature-summary/5325831
  15. solv-systems.com/resources/power-bi-pbip-pbir
  16. learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/connect-data/power-bi-data-sources
  17. azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/fabcon-and-sqlcon-2026-unifying-databases-and-fabric-on-a-single-data-platform
  18. learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/enterprise/powerbi/service-security-enable-data-sensitivity-labels
  19. learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/fundamentals/copilot-privacy-security
  20. microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=105945
  21. community.fabric.microsoft.com/blog/fbc_pbiupdatesblog/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner%C2%AE-magic-quadrant%E2%84%A2-for-analytics-and-/5262403
  22. learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/enterprise/powerbi/service-admin-power-bi-licensing
  23. learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/fundamentals/fabric-trial
  24. beyondintranet.com/blog/top-power-bi-consulting-companies-in-usa

Try it beside Power BI.

Two months, the whole OS, on your servers. Free.