Microsoft BI's most valuable feature is flexibility.
Consultant with 51-200 employees
Mapping Business Intelligence Developer’s Tools: Microsoft SQL server & SAP Netweaver BW
This Post is not about Microsoft BI VS Sap BI. NO. NO. NO.
Then What is it?
well, I have been playing with SAP’s Netweaver BW Tools for past three months now as a part of a Business Intelligence class that’s about to conclude – Also, I have been involved with work on Microsoft’s SQL server Business Intelligence Tools. So I thought – it would be FUN to map SAP Netweaver BW Tools (that I got to play with in an academic capacity) and Microsoft’s Business Intelligence Tools (which is currently what I am working on) – so, here you go:
Tool in Microsoft BI | Tool in SAP Netweaver BW | |
ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) | SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) | SAP Netweaver BW: Data Warehousing Workbench |
Cube | SQL Server Analysis Services – Multidimensional Mode (SSAS) | SAP Netweaver BW: Data Warehousing Workbench: Modeling |
Report Design Tool and Reporting Layer(It’s not an exhaustive list and does not include third part tools) |
|
Business Explorer (BEx):
|
Data Mining | Data Mining Projects in SQL Server Analysis Services | SAP Netweaver BW: Data mining – Analysis Process Designer |
Note about SAP BusinessObjects: I mapped the Tools in Microsoft BI with the tools that I got to study in my SAP class. Then I was searching what’s the current scenario in SAP world (I know about Microsoft’s!)– I learned that SAP BI world is comprised of TOOLS in SAP Netweaver BW + SAP BusinessObjects (BO). And in the course I studied the following components of Business Objects:
- Web Intelligence for ad-hoc query and reporting
- Crystal Reports for enterprise reporting
- Xcelsius (BO Dashboard) for Dashboard designing
For those interested I am also mapping few terms used while cube development in Microsoft BI and SAP Netweaver BW
Microsoft: SSAS Multidimensional mode |
SAP Netweaver BW |
Cube | InfoCubes |
Dimensions | Characteristics |
Measures | Key Figures |
Data Source Views (DSV’s) | Data Source |
Note:
1) I have not mapped the Tools in Self Service BI space.
2) This comparison is not for deciding between Microsoft BI vs. SAP Netweaver BI/SAP BusinessObjects – this post is just meant for mapping tools available in Microsoft BI and SAP Netweaver BW and so if you are an expert in say Microsoft BI – this post will help you see what corresponding tool are available in SAP Netweaver BW world. Consider it as a starting guide for your research.
3) Note the date the post was written – the name of the products may have changed in future. refer to official sites for latest & greatest!
Thanks for reading.
This post was republished from Mapping Business Intelligence Developer’s Tools: Microsoft SQL server & SAP Netweaver BW
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Data Analyst at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Cost effective, helpful support, but large datasets performance needed
Pros and Cons
- "Microsoft BI's most valuable feature is flexibility."
- "The performance of Microsoft BI could improve for large datasets and it would be beneficial to have more visualization features."
What is most valuable?
What needs improvement?
The performance of Microsoft BI could improve for large datasets and it would be beneficial to have more visualization features.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft BI for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable, but not as good as other tools I use.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft BI is a scalable solution.
How are customer service and support?
The support of Microsoft BI is good.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Microsoft BI is very cost-effective and this is why we use it.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Microsoft BI a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
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November 2024
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Marketing and Relationship Manager | Customer Journey at Ipiranga
Stable product with good technical support
Pros and Cons
- "The stability is good."
- "Areas for improvement would be the construction of reports and the dashboard budget."
What is our primary use case?
My primary use case is to turn data into analysis.
What needs improvement?
Areas for improvement would be the construction of reports and the dashboard budget.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is good.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was complex.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licenses are available on a monthly basis.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution as nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
MCSE at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
Helpful support, plenty of useful features, and stable
Pros and Cons
- "I like all the tools in Microsoft BI because they all have different purposes. There are a lot of people using Microsoft BI, and everybody is using it. The users have adapted well to the technology."
- "I have a little problem with Synapse Analytics because it's very new. It's a product that has many capabilities, but it is not very well developed. I have to see the list of permissions from one object. I can't do this in Synapse. I have to search on the web for a solution because I don't have the tool for it."
What is our primary use case?
We use Microsoft BI in out data warehouse for analytics. We use it for many purposes.
What is most valuable?
I like all the tools in Microsoft BI because they all have different purposes. There are a lot of people using Microsoft BI, and everybody is using it. The users have adapted well to the technology.
There are plenty of visualization tools, a lot of functionality, and documentation.
What needs improvement?
I have a little problem with Synapse Analytics because it's very new. It's a product that has many capabilities, but it is not very well developed. I have to see the list of permissions from one object. I can't do this in Synapse. I have to search on the web for a solution because I don't have the tool for it.
The engine of Synapse Analytics and the ability to export the data that has been published to the web could improve.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Microsoft BI within the past 12 months. I have been working with Microsoft BI tools for approximately 20 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft BI is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have approximately 30 people using the solution in my organization. This includes experts that make reports.
How are customer service and support?
The support is good. We created approximately two or three cases, and they had the solution for us, or they had meetings with us to find a solution.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Microsoft BI is easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
If you purchase a license for a server, for users, or the professional version, you might not have to. The free version I think it can satisfy many customers' needs.
What other advice do I have?
Synapse Analytics is the engine of the data that Power BI consumes.
I would advise those that use the solution to check all the license modes that the tool has because it's very confusing sometimes. You cannot just buy the product, you need to know who needs the product, who will use it, and who will be publishing. There are many aspects to figure out that when you do it will be better for you.
I rate Microsoft BI an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Founder & CEO at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Effective dashboard data transfer, stable, and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "There is a feature in Microsoft BI that allows JSON data to SQL on the dashboards effectively and quickly."
- "I have found using Microsoft BI is not easy. For example, trying to use the auto-refresh feature is not simple."
What is our primary use case?
We provide improved dashboards for our own customers by using Power BI.
What is most valuable?
There is a feature in Microsoft BI that allows JSON data to SQL on the dashboards effectively and quickly.
What needs improvement?
I have found using Microsoft BI is not easy. For example, trying to use the auto-refresh feature is not simple.
If you like to use Microsoft BI as an embedded solution, you need to do many things in the Azure, BI, and 365 portals. it can be complicated. This whole procedure should be simplified.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft BI for approximately two months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Microsoft BI is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have not scaled the solution very much but I know it is highly scalable.
We have approximately five dashboard creators in my organization that is working on the solution.
How are customer service and support?
The customer service was very nice and responsive, when I opened a ticket they called me and emailed me but they could not solve the problem we had.
We have three technicians and one of them is dedicated to the maintenance of Microsoft BI.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have previously used another solution.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very complex.
What about the implementation team?
I used a consultant company to help me do the implementation and it took approximately one month.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
In the beginning, the solution cost approximately $1,000 per month, we have a Microsoft startup subscription. There is a subscription pack for startups company which we are able to have for one year.
My customers will increase their usage of the solution and they will be additional costs for their usage.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have evaluated other solutions before choosing Microsoft BI, such as Tableau. I have found that Tableau does not have a solution that can be embedded. The dashboard should be inside of our applications.
What other advice do I have?
If someone wants an embedded solution then Microsoft BI is very good because it works on many types of data, such as JSON.
I rate Microsoft BI an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Engagement Professional at a consultancy with 51-200 employees
An intuitive business analytics service with tons of connections
Pros and Cons
- "The best feature for me is Power Query. I know that probably sounds strange, but you can't do too much with visuals and reports if the backend stuff is horribly dirty and just bad. But for me, that is absolutely fantastic. I can load the data and do the transformation and be able to load it in a useful way. There are tons of connections, which is absolutely fantastic as well. It's been fairly easy, and it's intuitive."
- "It would be better if they had some video tutorials. Most people from an Excel background may struggle with measures in Microsoft BI."
What is our primary use case?
I have used Microsoft BI for sales analysis. I've also used it to analyze people. Pretty much across the board, whether it's the number of people, number of dresses, number of hamburgers, number of widgets and then creating the dashboards and the metrics and so forth.
What is most valuable?
The best feature for me is Power Query. I know that probably sounds strange, but you can't do too much with visuals and reports if the backend stuff is horribly dirty and just bad. But for me, that is absolutely fantastic. I can load the data and do the transformation and be able to load it in a useful way. There are tons of connections, which is absolutely fantastic as well. It's been fairly easy, and it's intuitive.
What needs improvement?
It would be better if they had some video tutorials. Most people from an Excel background may struggle with measures in Microsoft BI.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Microsoft BI over the last 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I haven't really had any issues, but I haven't given it the full whammy or the full monty. It's been stable for my use.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy for me.
What other advice do I have?
I would tell potential users that there are many other tools out there, but I think it's a steep learning curve. For example, Alteryx and Domo, and Trifacta can be difficult to learn unless you have a SQL background. But if you're a Microsoft person, the transition is fairly easy for Microsoft BI. It's intuitive, and I would recommend it from that perspective.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Microsoft BI an eight.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Manager Analytic & Insights at a hospitality company with 10,001+ employees
Flexible, easy to scale, good reporting, and good support
Pros and Cons
- "The visualization and reporting are the most valuable features of this solution."
- "This solution is resource-heavy."
What is most valuable?
The visualization and reporting are the most valuable features of this solution.
It is quite flexible for reporting purposes.
What needs improvement?
This solution is resource-heavy. I would like to see it consume fewer resources. When I use it on my laptop, it consumes a lot of resources.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used this solution within the last 12 months.
We are using the latest version.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It can scale easily.
We have more than 50 people who are using this solution in my company. Across the company, most are in marketing and finance.
How are customer service and technical support?
I would rate the technical support an eight out of ten.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We use Oracle BI and Oracle OBIEE.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was pretty straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It would be better if the price was cheaper.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution and suggest they use it.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Technical Director at Progetti e Soluzioni
Intuitive, stable, customizable, and has a lot of powerful functions
Pros and Cons
- "It is stable enough. It has a lot of powerful functions. It can also be customized with the DAX language. It is also intuitive enough and incremental. You can start with something simple, and then step-by-step, you can increase the reports and dashboards according to your needs."
- "When you go to the cloud, its licensing is not intuitive. It is a little bit complex. When you have to purchase a new license, it is difficult to understand on their website what exactly you need to pay and how you can group. It is something that is applicable to all Microsoft products. They're not always so simple and clear when it comes to licensing. Their support can also be better in terms of explaining how they resolved an issue and what steps they took to resolve it. They are able to resolve the issue, but they can be better at explaining the approach they took to resolve the issue. It could have something in the direction of machine learning. It can have some kind of integration with machine learning where you can ask for some reports with natural language."
What is our primary use case?
We are using it for analyzing transactions. In the products that we develop and supply to our customers, there are some applications that are connected to payments. We analyze the trend of transactions or payments that are done in our system by our clients. We want to understand how our clients are using our solution and if there are some conditions that are making them use our product more than others. We also analyze who is paying and how much, and how and at what time are they using our system.
What is most valuable?
It is stable enough. It has a lot of powerful functions. It can also be customized with the DAX language.
It is also intuitive enough and incremental. You can start with something simple, and then step-by-step, you can increase the reports and dashboards according to your needs.
What needs improvement?
When you go to the cloud, its licensing is not intuitive. It is a little bit complex. When you have to purchase a new license, it is difficult to understand on their website what exactly you need to pay and how you can group. It is something that is applicable to all Microsoft products. They're not always so simple and clear when it comes to licensing.
Their support can also be better in terms of explaining how they resolved an issue and what steps they took to resolve it. They are able to resolve the issue, but they can be better at explaining the approach they took to resolve the issue.
It could have something in the direction of machine learning. It can have some kind of integration with machine learning where you can ask for some reports with natural language.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable enough.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is easy to make it grow as a product. Our organization is not big. We have a total of 10 to 15 people who access this solution. We will continue to use it for sure.
In general, we are producing applications that we sell to our clients in a SaaS model. All data of our clients is inside our database. The clients have to manage the service. All this data that they are loading in our server can have interesting information for them. So, we are using it to understand our clients and the behavior of the user.
How are customer service and technical support?
We had to use some support for licensing. They were fast enough, but sometimes, they were not very clear. We had a few calls with them. In the end, they solved the problem, but they didn't have a very clear approach. It was more of a communication problem. Their support can be better in terms of explaining how they resolved an issue and what steps they took to resolve it.
How was the initial setup?
Its installation is easy on the cloud as well as on the desktop. You can also easily move and publish from desktop to the cloud. We had issues with licensing, but after you have received licenses, it is easy.
It is also good how the data that is being collected on some servers for different data centers is automatically synchronized. It is easy enough to do automatic scaling or collect the data from the source and the publisher.
What about the implementation team?
We did it ourselves. At the moment, we are not using a consultant. It is intuitive enough for our use, and there is one type of analysis and one type of role. However, in the future, we might require a consultant for customizing the dashboard and the reports and splitting the data according to different roles. We would require analysis of different roles based on different sets of data. For machine learning, we'll surely require a consultant.
For its deployment and maintenance, we have three or four people for each specific competency. Some of them are more experienced in the data that has to be collected, and some of them are experienced in how data can be collected from the in-house server. There are also some people who are more competent in the business domain.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay for users who are publishing on the cloud. The desktop version is free.
Its licensing is on a yearly basis.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution. It has many features that are good. It mostly needs improved licensing.
I would rate Power BI a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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