Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services vs Sisense comparison

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 4, 2025

Sisense and Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) are two competing products in the business intelligence and reporting sectors. Sisense appears to have the upper hand with its ease of use and support, although SSRS has strong integration into the Microsoft ecosystem and is known for its stability.

Features: Sisense is noted for its powerful visualization capabilities, ease of deployment, and ability to combine disparate data sources. SSRS stands out in report design, database connectivity, and provides reliable management dashboards, especially beneficial within the Microsoft ecosystem.

Room for Improvement:Sisense could improve in providing more flexibility for advanced users and more native support for statistical tools like R. SSRS users desire enhanced integration capabilities, simpler setup processes, and more advanced visualization features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service:Sisense offers flexible deployment options including on-premises, public cloud, and private cloud solutions. It is praised for its customer service and technical support. SSRS is primarily an on-premises solution with hybrid and public cloud options, with customer support being satisfactory but with a need for faster resolutions.

Pricing and ROI:Sisense is regarded as more expensive than competitors like Tableau and Power BI but is justified through reduced manual labor and increased efficiency. SSRS is seen as budget-friendly yet expensive under its licensing model. Both products' ROI depends significantly on specific business needs.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services vs. Sisense Report (Updated: April 2025).

Microsoft SQL Servering Services vs. Sisense

April 2025

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Helped 848,207 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft SQL Server Report...

Ranking in Reporting

6th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Sisense

Ranking in Reporting

14th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

BI (Business Intelligence) Tools (19th), Cloud Analytics (4th), Data Visualization (15th), Embedded BI (9th)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Reporting category, the mindshare of Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services is 3.5%, down from 4.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sisense is 2.5%, down from 2.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Reporting

Featured Reviews

Gnanavel-Chakkarapani

Junior Consultant at CMA CGM

Offers useful templates but needs to improve the connectivity offered

In Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services, not much of the interface part is used. With Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services, its users face issues with the interface after they use Excel or create Microsoft SSIS Packages. The tool's interface is an area of concern requiring improvement. There needs to be an improvement in the product's connectivity so that the tool can connect easily with other third-party databases. In the dashboard, drag and drop functionality needs to improve, especially when compared to other tools like IBM Cognos Analytics and Qlik Sense. Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services is useful only for standard reports. In IBM Cognos Analytics, query studio can be used by users to drag the data and simply download the reports, so the user doesn't need to have any technical knowledge like developers. Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services is to be improved to offer features like query Studio, which is provided in IBM Cognos Analytics.

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Wiboon Thabsuwan

Senior Consultant at IMD Company Limited

Helps businesses save time and offers good integration features

I would say that using Sisense on Linux's platform might not be advantageous for everyone. I am more familiar with Windows than Linux. With Windows, the system performs very fast. Even if your data size consists of like 10,00,00,000 loads or whatever, it works very fast. When using Sisense, it is better to have some people with a very good understanding of Linux. I need more technical people who understand about Linux OS. Only two people would be enough to operate the tool.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"I'm very satisfied with the customer service. And usually, whenever we have any issue or details, we get to the person for the support. I'm really satisfied with the service. Within a few minutes or within a few hours, the support person will be available."

"We were able to embed the report builder within our internal proprietary systems, improving our reporting capabilities."

"Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) is reliable for management dashboard and reporting purposes. It is helpful for user reporting and administrative tasks, such as monitoring progress. It is easy to use since it is lightweight and integrates well with the SQL Server database, making reporting straightforward. The visualization capabilities enhance our reporting needs with good pagination and KPI features. It integrates well with data servers and workbooks, allowing us to publish reports on mobile applications and tablets easily. Integrating other tools and platforms in our tech ecosystem is generally straightforward. However, if we need to perform something very specialized, we might have to use third-party tools rather than inbuilt options."

"The solution is known for its robust security features."

"I am impressed with the product's seamless integration. It can work with different databases like Oracle."

"The tool's valuable features are its drill-down feature, graphs, and charts."

"The solution's features are all just wrapped up in one nice easy package. I don't need a lot of toolsets to get everything I need done."

"In Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services, the installation and configuration are easy."

More Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services pros

"Visually displaying data."

"Support is very responsive and clearly one of the strengths of Sisense. I have always received a fast response and the staff is very helpful."

"We like that this solution allows us to use data cubes to set up specific visualizations."

"The most valuable thing I have found is the ability for Sisense to connect data from totally different sources."

"Allows us to execute heavy, complex computations on the fly so customers can slice and dice the data based on their business needs."

"Sisense can integrate with multiple sources at one time."

"Sisense has helped us gain knowledge about our customers, as well as highlighting data quality issues to correct."

"This solution is easy to learn how to use."

More Sisense pros

Cons

"The solution's interface is old."

"Sometimes, we need to make sure that the configuration stays consistent across the reporting instances. They all connect to the same database. So, it shares that same backend, but the reporting services itself can also be configured. On the application level, for reporting level. And it is, based on my own experience, it is a manual effort to make sure that the reporting servers are configured the same across the environment."

"The complex tuning for report performance is complicated. There is a lack of native support for source code control. We often need to use separate tools like VS Code or other software to manage version control and changes in the database. It would be beneficial if source code management were integrated directly into SSRS, thus eliminating the need to rely on external tools. While CLI-based operations are exemplary, the trend is towards GUI for a better user experience. Integrating both visualization and source code management within SSRS would simplify the process for users."

"They could improve the scalability and stability of SQL Server Reporting Services."

"The setup is difficult because you have to install different servers."

"Technical support is in minor need of improvement so that they can solve problems in a more timely manner."

"The product should improve its performance."

"We have had issues with the refresh interval since we have too many reports scheduled. Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services is also expensive."

More Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services cons

"They should improve the filters to create downloaded data by moving them to the top of the dashboard."

"The solution's setup process could be easier."

"I would like to see an improvement in the live data connection, specifically making the process faster."

"The initial version we purchased only ran on Windows servers, which was less than ideal for our DevOps team. I believe that has been remedied in the latest release."

"At present there are additional costs involved if we wish to share our data queues within this solution, which we would like to see removed."

"I would also like to be able to run a bursts of reports based on different field values with PDF output right in the tool, rather than filtering on each field value and generating each PDF manually."

"I would like to see an improvement in the live data connection, specifically making the process faster."

"This solution does not have tabs. In order to have tabs, you have to download an add-on to mimic the tabs. They should be integrated to improve the solution."

More Sisense cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool's licensing costs are expensive."

"The solution is cheaper than its alternatives."

"Value-wise, the solution's pricing is good for the price that we pay."

"The price is pretty good."

"The pricing is high."

"The product pricing is reasonable in terms of suitable features for business."

"The solution is free to use for developers."

"The solution is expensive."

"Compared to Power BI or Tableau, Sisense is much more expensive."

"This solution is more expensive than Tableau, Qlik and Dundas. It is an expensive tool. They charge $75,000 while Tableau is $45,000."

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848,207 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

Government

12%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

22%

Computer Software Company

16%

University

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services?

I mainly use the solution for the ease of reporting and for executive dashboards.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services?

I don't recall the current pricing as it changes frequently.

What needs improvement with Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services?

They could improve the scalability and stability of SQL Server Reporting Services. I haven't used it recently, so I can't provide detailed suggestions on improvements.

What do you like most about Sisense?

The solution's technical support team is good.

What needs improvement with Sisense?

I would like to see an improvement in the live data connection, specifically making the process faster. Additionally, incorporating more self-service capabilities would benefit the product.

What is your primary use case for Sisense?

I was looking into some of our business operations with tow truck companies. I focused on evaluating turnaround times for tow trucks to arrive on-site for accidents and how long it took them to cle...

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Comparisons

Compared 19% of the time

Tableau vs Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services

Compared 16% of the time

IBM Cognos vs Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services

Compared 13% of the time

Oracle OBIEE vs Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services

Compared 12% of the time

SAP Crystal Reports vs Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services

Compared 9% of the time

More Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services Competitors

Microsoft Power BI vs Sisense

Compared 34% of the time

Tableau vs Sisense

Compared 23% of the time

Apache Superset vs Sisense

Compared 14% of the time

Databricks vs Sisense

Compared 7% of the time

Qlik Sense vs Sisense

Compared 5% of the time

More Sisense Competitors

Product Reports

Microsoft SQL Servering Services

March 2025

Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services report

Download Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services product report

Download Sisense product report

March 2025

Also Known As

SQL Server Reporting Services, Microsoft SSRS, SSRS, MS SQL Server Reporting Services

No data available

Overview

At Microsoft, our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Our mission is grounded in both the world in which we live and the future we strive to create. Today, we live in a mobile-first, cloud-first world, and the transformation we are driving across our businesses is designed to enable Microsoft and our customers to thrive in this world.

We do business in 170 countries and are made up of 114,000 passionate employees dedicated to fulfilling our mission of helping you and your organization achieve more.

Microsoft

Sisense is an end-to-end business analytics software that enables users to easily prepare and analyze large, complex datasets. Sisense’s Single-Stack BI software includes data preparation, data management, analysis, visualization and reporting capabilities.

Sample Customers

CMS Wire, The New York Times

Ebay, WIX, Wave Accounting, ESPN.com, Magellan Luxury Hotel, Paylogic, Sony, Merck, EDA, One Hour Translation, NASA, Plastic Jungle, Philips, Yahoo