Embracing the New Era of

AI-Driven Analytical Engineering

with dbt Fusion








Scroll to Learn More ↓

Janie Zhan

Data Analytics Engineer

Meet Janie Zhan – one of our brilliant Data Analytics


With a background in customer and insights analysis across industries like gaming, insurance and retail, Olivia brings a sharp eye for data storytelling and dashboard design. She’s skilled in tools like PowerBI, BigQuery, Tableau, Looker and SQL, and has a knack for turning complex datasets into clear, business-friendly insights.

Janie Zhan

Melbourne Technical Lead

Meet Janie Zhan – one of our brilliant Technical Lead


With a background in customer and insights analysis across industries like gaming, insurance and retail, Olivia brings a sharp eye for data storytelling and dashboard design. She’s skilled in tools like PowerBI, BigQuery, Tableau, Looker and SQL, and has a knack for turning complex datasets into clear, business-friendly insights.

The world of data transformation is evolving…Yet again. And once again, dbt is at the forefront. In 2025, dbt Labs launched the Fusion Engine: a reimagined foundation for the next generation of analytics.


This isn’t just a performance boost, it’s a fundamental shift in how engineers and analysts work with data. If you’re a data leader looking to modernise, or an engineer interested in what’s new, here’s what matters most.

  • Sands of Time

    Stark beauty of desolate dunes
    Button

  • Beyond Boundaries

    Visual odyssey across continents
    Button

  • Nature's Symphony

    Breathtaking colors of our planet
    Button

    • The world of data transformation is evolving…Yet again. And once again, dbt is at the forefront. In 2025, dbt Labs launched the Fusion Engine: a reimagined foundation for the next generation of analytics.


    ο»ΏThis isn’t just a performance boost, it’s a fundamental shift in how engineers and analysts work with data. If you’re a data leader looking to modernise, or an engineer interested in what’s new, here’s what matters most.

  • Sands of Time

    Stark beauty of desolate dunes
    Button

  • Beyond Boundaries

    Visual odyssey across continents
    Button

  • Nature's Symphony

    Breathtaking colors of our planet
    Button

    • Visualisation Features

    For me, Tableau takes the lead here. It offers crisp, sleek visualisations and a wider range of options straight out of the box. I’ve found it incredibly versatile, especially when I want to customise visuals, manual sorting, calculation-based colour scaling, and even linking to JavaScript visualisation libraries to build interactive dashboards.


    Power BI isn’t far behind. It gives you a good selection of visualisation options and the ability to download custom visuals from an online library. That said, I’ve run into some limitations when trying to customise visuals, like needing workarounds just to manually sort a table.

    ο»Ώ

    As for Looker Studio, it gets the job done for basic dashboards, but customisation options are pretty limited in my experience.

    Ease of Use Features

    When it comes to ease of use, Looker Studio takes the top spot. Its web-based drag-and-drop interface is intuitive, especially for non-technical users. If you're used to the Google ecosystem, the interface will feel familiar right away.


    Power BI and Tableau come in as close seconds. Both tools have sleek interfaces that make it easy to drag and drop fields into visuals. I’ve seen plenty of beginners pick them up quickly and start building out basic dashboards.


    That said, Power BI does have an edge if you’ve used other Microsoft products before. The DAX formula language feels similar to Excel formulas, and Power Query (used in Excel and Access) adds a nice layer of familiarity. But whether it’s Power BI or Tableau, moving from basic to advanced visualisations does involve a learning curve which I’ve experienced firsthand.

    Ease of Use Features

    When it comes to ease of use, Looker Studio takes the top spot. Its web-based drag-and-drop interface is intuitive, especially for non-technical users. If you're used to the Google ecosystem, the interface will feel familiar right away.


    Power BI and Tableau come in as close seconds. Both tools have sleek interfaces that make it easy to drag and drop fields into visuals. I’ve seen plenty of beginners pick them up quickly and start building out basic dashboards.


    That said, Power BI does have an edge if you’ve used other Microsoft products before. The DAX formula language feels similar to Excel formulas, and Power Query (used in Excel and Access) adds a nice layer of familiarity. But whether it’s Power BI or Tableau, moving from basic to advanced visualisations does involve a learning curve which I’ve experienced firsthand.

    Functionality

    Functionality-wise, both Power BI and Tableau support a wide range of data sources and allow for complex calculations. But Tableau takes the top spot in my view, mainly because it works across both Windows and Mac, processes large volumes of data more efficiently, and provides robust visualisation capabilities for interactive dashboards.


    Power BI, while limited to Windows, still packs a punch. It allows you to transform data before visualising it and includes features like deployment pipelines for better governance. Plus, its tight integration with Microsoft tools like Power Automate adds an extra layer of power I really value.

    ο»Ώ

    Looker Studio is a great lightweight option if your data has already been prepped and transformed. And since it runs in your browser, it’s platform-independent—something that can be quite handy.

    Pricing

    This one’s pretty straightforward.


    > Looker Studio is the most affordable—it’s free as part of the Google ecosystem.


    > Power BI comes next, with flexible pricing options based on your needs:

    • Power BI Pro: $15 per user/month
    • Power BI Premium Per User (PPU): $20 per user/month

    The PPU licence unlocks additional features like automated report exports, deployment pipelines, and increased data capacity (100GB vs 1GB in Pro). It’s worth noting that even to view a Power BI report in a Pro or Premium Workspace, you’ll need a valid licence.


    > Tableau is the priciest option:

    • Tableau Viewer: $15 per user/month (for report viewing only)
    • Tableau Explorer: $42 per user/month (for interacting with dashboards)
    • Tableau Creator: $75 per user/month (for full dashboard creation)

    Pricing

    This one’s pretty straightforward.


    > Looker Studio is the most affordable—it’s free as part of the Google ecosystem.


    > Power BI comes next, with flexible pricing options based on your needs:

    • Power BI Pro: $15 per user/month
    • Power BI Premium Per User (PPU): $20 per user/month

    The PPU licence unlocks additional features like automated report exports, deployment pipelines, and increased data capacity (100GB vs 1GB in Pro). It’s worth noting that even to view a Power BI report in a Pro or Premium Workspace, you’ll need a valid licence.


    > Tableau is the priciest option:

    • Tableau Viewer: $15 per user/month (for report viewing only)
    • Tableau Explorer: $42 per user/month (for interacting with dashboards)
    • Tableau Creator: $75 per user/month (for full dashboard creation)

    In Conclusion

    Each of these tools has its strengths and weaknesses, and the best one really depends on your business needs.


    Personally, I tend to recommend Power BI. It’s beginner-friendly, integrates seamlessly with the Microsoft ecosystem, and offers

    solid functionality at a lower price point than Tableau. That said, if visualisation flexibility is your top priority, Tableau is hard to beat.


    Whichever tool you choose, make sure it aligns with your team’s skills and your data goals.

    That’s what really makes the difference.

    Each of these tools has its strengths and weaknesses, and the best one really

    depends on your business needs.


    Personally, I tend to recommend Power BI. It’s beginner-friendly, integrates seamlessly with the Microsoft ecosystem, and offers solid functionality at a lower price point than Tableau. That said, if visualisation flexibility is your top priority, Tableau is hard to beat.


    Whichever tool you choose, make sure it aligns with your team’s skills and your data goals.

    That’s what really makes the difference.