Microsoft Corp. today debuted a new version of its Power BI business intelligence platform that features a revamped user experience and analytics features powered by machine learning.

Power BI enables analysts to turn raw data such as sales figures into visualizations that can be easily shared with decision-makers. The product competes in the same category as Tableau Software Inc., which was acquired by Salesforce.com Inc. earlier today for $15.7 billion.

One area where Microsoft hopes to set Power BI apart is the interface department. The company has given the desktop and web versions of the service an Office 365-style makeover, adding a ribbon toolbar similar to the one in Word that provides centralized access to editing options above the work area. The iOS app, in turn, now packs an integration with Microsoft’s Siri voice assistant that allows users to pull up files with spoken commands such as “Hey Siri, open the quarterly report.” Read more:

RB Note: Another article of equal interest on the same topic