What Tabular Tools does

Tabular Tools Corp. is a privately held Delaware-incorporated software company founded in 2023 by the SQLBI team, developing developer tools for the Microsoft Power BI and Analysis Services ecosystem. Its core product, DAX Optimizer, is a cloud-based service that performs static analysis of DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) code to identify performance bottlenecks, prioritize optimization opportunities by CPU and RAM impact, and detect anti-patterns and unsafe expressions — all without executing queries. The underlying engine uses a custom DAX parser built by the founders and integrates with the VertiPaq Analyzer library to incorporate model-level statistics (table cardinality, column uniqueness, relationships) into cost estimation. A complementary free tool, PBI Explorer, provides report inspection, comparison, and best-practice validation for Power BI reports. The company maintains the open VPAX format as a de facto standard for exchanging Tabular model statistics across the DAX tooling ecosystem, which includes DAX Studio, Tabular Editor, and Bravo for Power BI.

The company targets BI Developers, external Consultants, and Enterprise Power BI teams. Its go-to-market combines four motions: product-led growth via a free Basic tier and self-serve web checkout, sales-led enterprise packages, community-led engagement through technical blog content and Microsoft Fabric Community Conference participation, and API-first CI/CD integration via a CLI tool distributed on NuGet. Revenue is generated through monthly/annual DAX Optimizer subscriptions ($69-$99/month), prepaid run bundles ($24-$45 per evaluation), and a freemium upgrade path starting at $5 and capped at $45. DAX Optimizer is also bundled free with Tabular Editor 3 Enterprise Edition, providing distribution into an established DAX professional user base. Infrastructure runs on Microsoft Azure with users able to select data residency regions (US, Netherlands, Australia).

The company is operationally lean, with no disclosed funding rounds, no external institutional investors, and only three named personnel (founders Marco Russo and Søren Joensen, plus contributor David Bojsen). Its revenue, headcount, and customer count are not disclosed. The product reached general availability in March 2024 after a public preview, and the free Basic tier launched in December 2025 to broaden the top of the funnel.

Name

Tabular Tools

Legal name

Tabular Tools Corp.

Website

https://tabulartools.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tabular Tools, founded in 2023 by the SQLBI team, develops DAX Optimizer — a static analysis service that identifies performance bottlenecks in Power BI and Analysis Services semantic models — and PBI Explorer, a free Power BI report inspection tool, serving BI Developers, Consultants, and Enterprise Power BI teams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Intelligence Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Experience Monitoring & Management (DEX/DEM, AIOps for EUC) (BPAEAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Quality Engineering & Test Automation (QE/QA) (BPAEAFAJ)

Keywords

• DAX performance optimization
• Power BI tools
• Semantic model analysis
• BI development tools
• DAX static analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Wilmington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. DAX Optimizer Subscription: Monthly or yearly subscription allowing daily model evaluations. Provides 1 license with 5 active models, 20 runs per day, and email support. Subscription includes models from any tool (Power BI Desktop, Power BI Service, Analysis Services).
2. Prepaid Runs (Consumption): Purchase 'per model evaluations' known as 'runs' individually or in bundles of 10, 20, 50, or 100. Each run expires within 2 years of purchase. Prices range from USD 45 to USD 24 per run depending on bundle size.
3. DAX Optimizer Basic (Freemium): Free tier allowing model analysis without installation. Users can paste diagnostic results, view selection of issues, and download VPAX files. Upgrade prices start at $5 based on model complexity, capped at $45.
4. Tabular Editor 3 Enterprise Bundling: DAX Optimizer included free with Tabular Editor 3 Enterprise Edition at no additional cost. Includes 4 daily runs and 1 model per month at service license level.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tabular Tools sells cloud-based software that performs static analysis of DAX code in Power BI, Microsoft Fabric, and Analysis Services semantic models to identify performance bottlenecks and prioritize optimization. The company also offers PBI Explorer, a free Windows desktop application for inspecting and analyzing Power BI reports, and distributes command-line tools via NuGet for CI/CD automation. Revenue comes from subscriptions and prepaid model-evaluation runs, with a free tier (DAX Optimizer Basic) for self-serve evaluation.

Product overview

Tabular Tools offers a portfolio of developer tools for Power BI and Analysis Services. The core products are DAX Optimizer (a paid service for DAX performance optimization with a free Basic tier) and PBI Explorer (a free report inspection tool). Both products are part of an ecosystem that includes the open VPAX standard format, shared libraries with Tabular Editor, and integration with third-party BI tools like DAX Studio and Bravo for Power BI.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DAX Optimizer: A static analysis tool that analyzes DAX code to identify performance bottlenecks, suggest improvements, and prioritize optimization efforts in Power BI and Analysis Services semantic models.
• PBI Explorer

Products and services

• DAX Optimizer A cloud-based service that performs static analysis of DAX code in Power BI, Microsoft Fabric, and Analysis Services semantic models. Identifies performance bottlenecks, detects anti-patterns, and provides prioritized optimization recommendations (CPU/RAM impact) to improve report performance and reduce capacity costs. Sold via monthly/annual subscriptions and prepaid run bundles; bundled free with Tabular Editor 3 Enterprise Edition.
• PBI Explorer A free Windows desktop application that provides comprehensive inspection and analysis of Power BI reports. Features include Report Inspector (viewing all visual properties), Data Model View (tracking measure usage), Report Comparer (version differences), and Report Analyzer (best practices validation). Distributed as a free download from pbiexplorer.com.

Quantifiable outcome

• Saves 4 seconds per report when multiplied by 1,000 users and multiple working days annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability3 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Tabular Editor 3coreTechnology or Integration · 1 September 2024DAX Optimizer is integrated into Tabular Editor 3 Enterprise Edition and provided free to Enterprise users. The DAX parser in Tabular Editor serves as the foundation for DAX Optimizer's core analysis engine.
• VertiPaq Analyzer (SQLBI)coreTechnology or IntegrationVertiPaq Analyzer library is used to collect statistical information from Tabular models including table cardinality and column uniqueness. The VPAX format created by SQLBI has become a de facto standard used by multiple tools including DAX Studio, Tabular Editor, and Bravo for Power BI.
• SQLBIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSQLBI is the parent company behind Tabular Tools. SQLBI created the DAX Optimizer concept and developed the foundational technology including the DAX parser and VertiPaq Analyzer. Company founders Marco Russo and Søren Joensen are SQLBI authors.
• Vpax-Obfuscator Tool (SQLBI)coreTechnology or IntegrationThe Vpax-Obfuscator command-line utility enables users to obfuscate VPAX files, masking sensitive metadata. Direct integration into DAX Studio, Tabular Editor, and Bravo for Power BI is expected.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationDAX Optimizer analyzes semantic models from Power BI, Azure Analysis Services, and SQL Server Analysis Services. Partnership ecosystem includes Microsoft Fabric Community Conference participation.
• Microsoft AzurecoreTechnology or IntegrationDAX Optimizer infrastructure runs on Microsoft Azure. Users can choose data storage and processing region (US, Netherlands, Australia based on source data location).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights18 records

Emerging players

• Monte Carlo: Monte Carlo is a data observability platform that monitors data quality and reliability across pipelines. It competes with Tabular Tools for enterprise data quality budget at a higher price point and broader scope, addressing data trust concerns analogous to DAX performance concerns.
• Datafold: Datafold provides data testing, data observability, and data diff for analytics engineering workflows. While focused on data pipelines rather than semantic model code, it targets a similar persona (analytics developers) and competes for the broader data quality tooling budget.
• ALM Toolkit: ALM Toolkit focuses on application lifecycle management for Power BI and Analysis Services models, including version control, deployment, and metadata comparison. It addresses adjacent developer workflow concerns and competes partially with DAX Optimizer's CI/CD gating use cases.

Others

• SQLBI: SQLBI is the parent consulting/educational brand behind Tabular Tools, founded by the same team. While not a direct product competitor, SQLBI's DAX training, consulting, and content ecosystem feeds the top-of-funnel for Tabular Tools and shares the same customer base.

Direct peers

• Tabular Editor: Tabular Editor is the closest direct peer: an open-source/paid modeling tool for Analysis Services and Power BI semantic models. Tabular Tools shares the same DAX parser and VertiPaq Analyzer libraries with Tabular Editor, and the two are commercially linked via the Enterprise Edition bundling.
• Power BI Helper: Power BI Helper is a productivity tool for Power BI developers that provides bulk editing, best practice analysis, and model documentation. It competes in the same Power BI developer tooling category as DAX Optimizer and PBI Explorer.
• DAX Studio: DAX Studio is an open-source tool for running DAX queries and analyzing query performance against Analysis Services and Power BI. It shares the VPAX format with DAX Optimizer and serves the same BI developer audience, though focused on query execution rather than static code analysis.
• Bravo for Power BI: Bravo for Power BI is a Power BI development tool that includes semantic model management, DAX formatting, and VPAX export. It competes directly with Tabular Tools for the Power BI developer tooling budget and uses the same VPAX format for model extraction.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/tabulartools/pbi-explorer/issues
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tabulartools

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tabular Tools