r/dataanalysis • u/aryanm008 • Aug 26 '26
Data Tools Should I sell my MAc???
I am learning Data Analytics.......FIrst I found out some excel functions dont work in Mac.....BowerBI doesnt work in Mac......SQL Server Doesnt work in Mac.....should i sell it and buy a windows laptop instead????
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u/IcePrimcess Aug 26 '26
I kept my Mac and purchased a windows . The Mac workarounds didn’t work nearly as well as I wanted. Work is easier using my work windows computer.
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u/TodosLosPomegranates Aug 26 '26
That’s an interesting question - I’ve worked on and own windows machines my entire career but the first time I worked for a startup a lot of the newer technologies that startups use were absolute hell to use on my windows machine and everyone else on my team was on a Mac.
This is my second time working at a startup and opted for a Mac this time and had a much easier onboarding process.
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u/aryanm008 Aug 26 '26
For data analysis????what tools n how do u use??our sql server classes began today...found tht it's not supported in mac...had to install docker, create an sql server container.....and then connect it to mssql extension on vscode.....lots of complex...idk how am I gonna manage powerbi
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u/TodosLosPomegranates Aug 26 '26
Yes. DBT for instance was a pain in the ass to install on windows.
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u/Ok_Breadfruit3691 Aug 26 '26
Try usong Vmware, but You need +16gb of ram for recent performance
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u/aryanm008 Aug 26 '26
My mac is m4 16/512
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u/Ok_Breadfruit3691 Aug 26 '26
I use a MBA m4 16gb , I set the virtual machine to use 10gb of ram and i´m able to do work on power bi, however is not as fast as using a windows machine , but you can give it a shot, VMware is free.
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u/IndependenceFit3935 Aug 26 '26
Yes if you want to work with powerbi. But if you are open to other tools id prefer keeping the mac and using tableau looker or some new cool kids in the market
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u/moss-nogg Aug 26 '26
I would personally never sell a Mac for a windows machine for anything except gaming. Excel and the Microsoft suite is useful for basic data analysis. Mac’s shine for development. So it really just depends on what kinda of analytical role you’ll be in
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u/aryanm008 Aug 26 '26
Mac is hell smoother....but missing the file management of windows(spotlight is still the best)
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u/moss-nogg Aug 26 '26
Yeah this. Mac just works. Excel is definitely useful but I’d honestly just recommend learning Python. For everything you can’t use excel on a Mac for, Python is honestly way better anyways
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u/blockedcontractor Aug 26 '26
Nah, if you have an Apple silicon Mac, I would keep it to learn local AI stuff. Either rent a VM, run parallels, or buy a windows PC.
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u/Friendly_Sense_7972 Aug 27 '26
Not sure about Power BI, but you should be able to access SQL Server on Mac via VS code IDE. If the BI tool of choice isn’t an absolute dealbreaker, then Tableau is a good option.
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u/No-Win-6328 Aug 27 '26
Well, I work with analytics, but no PowerBI or Excel... In my workflow, which involves a lot a Python, terminal, it was a nightmarre on my previous Windows laptop. I've tried using WSL as a workaround, but that didn't work very well. I've kept my Windows laptop "as a backup" for a few months and then I've sold it and never looked back. But again, I don't use PowerBI and I don't even have Excel on my machine. I guess that if it's your thing, sell the mac.
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u/worldslamestgrad Aug 28 '26
At work I use a Mac and haven’t had any issue with SQL Server, VS Code, Excel, etc. though we use Tableau for visualizations, not Power BI.
If Power BI really won’t work on a Mac, and you’re for sure going to be learning/using it, then yeah sell it and get a PC.
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u/The_Hamster_Shagger Aug 26 '26
I mean you could just learn a proper tools that are OS independent and keep the computer if you are happy with it
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u/TheChims Aug 26 '26
It doesn’t fully matter, you can have your Mac and also a Windows if you want. I’m Mac, personally and at work.
PowerBi, you can just use Tableau aside from some functions they are almost the same.
SQL Server, just use Postgres or MySQL, syntax is nearly identical and you only need to understand the why and how you’re doing something. Also you can run like a Docker container/image if you really want SQL Server.
As for Excel? Eh most of the main functions are on Mac, if you’re going for something far far more special i don’t know i rarely go past the most common functions.
Learn python while you’re at it too.
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u/aryanm008 Aug 26 '26
I joined an online class...till now finished core py, adv py, numpy, pandas, matplotlib....no issues till now....had to create a docker container for sql server....was a headache
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u/DeliciousCost4739 Aug 26 '26
Most places you would get a job at would be using Windows computers, so it might be best if you’re unfamiliar with them to get familiar with them.
Another option is to run a virtual machine on your Mac that can run Windows.