We primarily use the product for reporting and dashboards. We only have those two use cases, although there are other ways to use them.
Global Product Manager at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Good for reporting and translating data into business language, but difficult to set up
Pros and Cons
- "The user interface should be easier to use and navigate."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
I have a 24-hour company, and the business layer on top of the database can translate database data into business language so that people can easily understand what's happening. It allows us to quickly create reports without IT or programming skills.
The stability is quite good.
What needs improvement?
According to our experience, SAP BO is too heavy and very difficult for customers with medium, or smaller-sized businesses to install and maintain. It is such a heavy reporting tool.
Even though they provide the business layer, it's difficult for the programmer to create their own business layer. It's too complex for them. They need to simplify this.
The user interface should be easier to use and navigate.
The initial setup is difficult.
Technical support could be more responsive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for five years already. I've used it for quite a while.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is pretty good. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable and the performance is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We only have three or four people who are using the solution at our company at this time. They are the admins and the ones who generate the reports for us.
We haven't really looked into scaling as the data volume is very limited. I can't speak to how easy it is to expand or how well it handles extremely large data sets.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support could be better. We tried to get them to help us with the implementation, and they were not quick to respond.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We currently also work with Crystal Reports, which is dated, and Jasper, which is also not that great of a product.
When we began to switch to SAP, we really wanted customization capabilities and we wanted the business layer. We needed something to provide a middle layer or translation layer so that people can generate reports much quicker, and, at the time, SAP was a good option.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not easy. We need a very experienced developer and they need to get enough training from SAP in order to be able to do anything effectively. It's not like other reporting tools that are really easy to use or easy to install and maintain. This one is complex and takes work and inside knowledge.
There isn't too much maintenance required. You just need to update it every once in a while.
What about the implementation team?
We needed some help implementing the solution, however, in the end, we weren't completely satisfied as the level of response time was slow.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I cannot speak to the exact cost of the product, as it's not an aspect of the solution I handle.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
What other advice do I have?
We are SAP partners.
I use the latest version of the solution. I cannot speak to the exact version number.
I wouldn't necessarily recommend the product to others. Even now, for ourselves, we are looking into an alternative option.
I would rate the solution at a six out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Gerente de BI at a government with 201-500 employees
Easy to set up with good stability and helpful technical support
Pros and Cons
- "The setup is pretty easy. It's not hard at all."
- "The UI could be updated a bit."
What is most valuable?
The solution has been extremely stable. We haven't had any issues so far.
The setup is pretty easy. It's not hard at all.
Technical support, overall, has been very good and we've been happy with their level of service.
What needs improvement?
The basic components of the solution could be improved.
The UI could be updated a bit.
I can't think of any features that are currently missing from the product at this time.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using the solution for about seven years at this point. It's been a while. We have a lot of experience with it.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We've found the stability of the solution to be very good. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Plenty of users in our organization actually use the solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support for the most part has been very good. We've had a positive experience and we are quite satisfied with the level of support they provide to us.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I don't recall the company using a previous solution. As far as I know, the company has only ever really used SAP.
How was the initial setup?
We've found the initial setup to be pretty straightforward. It's not so complex. A company shouldn't have any trouble with the implementation process.
What about the implementation team?
We didn't need any assistance with the integration process. It's a process that I manage as an integration manager.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay our licensing fees on a monthly basis. I can't speak to how much they are. I don't recall there being any extra costs above the licensing itself.
What other advice do I have?
We are customers and end-users. We don't have a business relationship with the organization.
On a scale from one to ten, I would rate it as a perfect ten. It's been great. For the most part, we have been happy with the product.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform
October 2024
Learn what your peers think about SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2024.
814,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.
SAP Business Objects Architect at a tech company with 51-200 employees
The Designer gives developers a powerful way to encapsulate business logic and push it out to users. Their data visualization products should be enhanced, made more robust and easier to implement.
Pros and Cons
- "Ease of report development is a key feature."
- "I would like to see their data visualization products enhanced and made more robust and easier to implement."
What is most valuable?
Ease of report development is a key feature. Also, installation is largely automated. The nicest part of BOE remains the semantic layer (Designer), giving developers a powerful way to encapsulate business logic and push it out to users through Webi or WRC.
How has it helped my organization?
Because I am primarily an installation and configuration architect working independently through a separate company, the product itself doesn't necessarily affect us in a BI sense. That's really the big-picture issue within our community; that companies often misunderstand how BI is supposed to work and that in order for the business to really participate, there needs to be sufficient training and the cultivation of a "culture of BI".
What needs improvement?
I would like to see their data visualization products enhanced and made more robust and easier to implement. Most of the other parts of the tool are fairly easy to get going and it would help getting user buy-in if they could extend that across the entire platform.
Like we always say, the tool is only as good as the person using it. But SAP sort of dropped the ball with their 4.x release, leaving out features that we had become used to with 3.1, which was stable.
For how long have I used the solution?
We started with Crystal Enterprise 10 eleven years ago, transitioning through BOBJ R2, XI and now 4.x.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
BOE 4.2 is currently pretty stable in our experience and we already know that it can scale to any level. The only downside to that is cost.
How is customer service and technical support?
My personal experience with the SAP engineers is that they are very supportive and develop personal connections easily.
How was the initial setup?
Depending on whether you are doing a simple, one-machine install (single-stack) or clustering according to the sizing recommendations from SAP, it can go from easy to more difficult. But the process is thoroughly documented.
What about the implementation team?
We are more or less the vendor team for our clients.
Always determine your prerequisites before you kick off remotely or onsite. It can save a lot of grief. Have a detailed SOW and project plan that you adhere to as much as possible, but be flexible.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are operating in the Electronic Health Record space using Epic and BOE for reporting. Just work with SAP to make sure you have enough licenses but don't go overboard.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I've evaluated other visualization tools, but BOE still has the best out-of-the-box enterprise security.
What other advice do I have?
Planning is critical.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: We are an SAP Partner.
BI & Data Lead, Reporting & Analytics Center of Excellence at a consumer goods company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Most of its tools are also data source agnostic which makes them versatile across all environments.
What is most valuable?
Ability for the user to easily schedule the reports and managing them is a big plus. Most of BOBJ tools are also data source agnostic which makes them versatile across all environments.
WebIntelligence, Analysis for Office, and SAP Lumira were designed for businesses. So the adoption rate by the is very high. Quick intuitive analysis of data, and in just a few clicks WebI and Lumira can Merge Dimensions from different sources.
How has it helped my organization?
- Lot of Automation of routine reports. Analysts can now focus on analysis rather than pulling in reports from multiple places.
- Scheduling of the reports makes sure we are not duplicating work across all regions for the same report.
- Brings in standardization.
- Self-Service BI or DIY-BI
- Reports are easily available on Mobile devices
What needs improvement?
- Reusability of the reports and tables from between the different tools
- Improvements needed in charting
- Direct and easy integrations to easily bring in data from other applications across all the tools like Salesforce, reading RSS streams etc. and not just other databases
- Big data source support across all tools.
- Bringing Predictive Analysis to the main stream
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using it for 12+ years, and all the other products since their inception.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
We had no major issues.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We had no major issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There have been no issues with the scalability.
How are customer service and technical support?
First level support is generally is good for basic issues. Second level support is informative when it comes to bigger issues.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
The BOBJ solution was so ingrained within the organization, and powerful that there was no necessity to change.
How was the initial setup?
It was smooth.
What about the implementation team?
Did both cases. Even if you have an external vendor, make sure you who have an experienced lead in-house who knows how the organization works to guide the implementation team.
What was our ROI?
ROI is absolute.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
SAP has flexible licensing when negotiated correctly.
What other advice do I have?
When deploying SAP BW and BOBJ together, get an experienced practitioner who can educate and implement keeping the business users in mind, not just the deadline and processes of IT.
There are a lot of limitation in SAP BW especially for scheduling, which can limit the full utilization of BOBJ, but there is a solution for it all if you think out of the box.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Sr. Data Warehouse Engineer at a real estate/law firm with 51-200 employees
The setup wizard is pretty straightforward but they need to make more support resources available.
What is most valuable?
- The "View where used" option is very useful when looking to see where work flows, data flows etc.. have been used throughout the project
- Migration from one version to another because it's simple
- Being able to query the metadata has been very useful
How has it helped my organization?
- The Business Object tool from SAP has provided the business with reports both in graphical and table (spreadsheet) form
- Provided an easy way to send out reports on a schedule
- ETL has been able to be implemented thanks to the many components available in the Data Services tool.
What needs improvement?
- Better community support
- More support resources should be available
- They need to make it possible to rename data stores once they are created.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used Business Objects together with Data Services for 10 months.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
No issues encountered.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The amount of resources used has caused the system to fail from time to time. To resolve the issues, it is necessary to perform server and service restarts.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No issues encountered.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
5/10.
Technical Support:5/10.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
When I came to work for the company they already had this solution. However, we did an upgrade to a more current version.
How was the initial setup?
The wizard is pretty straightforward. The configuration and connections were also aided by a wizard.
What about the implementation team?
A mix of both, before moving forward with the upgrade the vendor gave us suggestions on what we needed to do after looking at our current system. They were helpful in that initial stage of the upgrade, but the actual upgrade was done by an in-house team.
What other advice do I have?
Make sure you understand the needs of the business and to evaluate different products before committing to a specific one.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Managing Partner at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Can cover any business need, but SAP needs to focus on customers and quality first instead of money
Pros and Cons
- "One of the most valuable features of SAP BusinessObjects is that it's not a dashboarding solution. It's a real product. You can create operational reports and publish it to anyone. You can create schedules. You can create a Universe, semantic layers. There's also a security configuration. It's a huge product, so if there is a business need, SAP BusinessObjects can cover it."
- "The integration could be improved. The SAP suite has some integration problems and it has some huge development needs. For example, when you use Power BI, if you publish a dataset to the web, there is no issue in seeing the data with the report. The data and report are integrated automatically. Or when you use QlikView, when you publish the QVD file, the report is integrated with QVD. Also, with Tableau, when you publish the data, it's in the hyper database, in the memory, and the dashboard with data is integrated seamlessly. In the SAP side, it's not easy. There are lots of business layers. There are also some performance issues in the SAP BusinessObjects suite. They should focus on the technologies. We are partners and every step of the way, SAP asks us for money. If you want to see the products, the PDFs, if you want to learn the product, online training, etc., everything has a cost on the SAP site. Because of this, partners try to get to know the products on their own. SAP only focuses on the sales side—only money is important for SAP, not the quality. In that way, the operation is not easy on the SAP side. As a suggestion, they should focus on customers first instead of money."
What is our primary use case?
SAP BusinessObjects can be used for operational reporting. It is an enterprise solution and a suite of products.
What is most valuable?
One of the most valuable features of SAP BusinessObjects is that it's not a dashboarding solution. It's a real product. You can create operational reports and publish it to anyone. You can create schedules. You can create a Universe, semantic layers. There's also a security configuration. It's a huge product, so if there is a business need, SAP BusinessObjects can cover it.
What needs improvement?
The integration could be improved. The SAP suite has some integration problems and it has some huge development needs. For example, when you use Power BI, if you publish a dataset to the web, there is no issue in seeing the data with the report. The data and report are integrated automatically. Or when you use QlikView, when you publish the QVD file, the report is integrated with QVD. Also, with Tableau, when you publish the data, it's in the hyper database, in the memory, and the dashboard with data is integrated seamlessly. In the SAP side, it's not easy. There are lots of business layers.
There are also some performance issues in the SAP BusinessObjects suite. They should focus on the technologies.
As far as additional features, SAP needs a BI analytics solution. I mean, a fully integrated BI analytics suite.
We are partners and every step of the way, SAP asks us for money. If you want to see the products, the PDFs, if you want to learn the product, online training, etc., everything has a cost on the SAP site. Because of this, partners try to get to know the products on their own. SAP only focuses on the sales side—only money is important for SAP, not the quality. In that way, the operation is not easy on the SAP side. As a suggestion, they should focus on customers first instead of money.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using SAP BusinessObjects for 20 years.
What other advice do I have?
I rate SAP BusinessObjects a six out of ten.
To those looking into implementing this solution, in the SAP side, there are modules. You should focus on one of the modules. There's HR, FI, SDMM, et cetera. Also, there are BI modules, and there are lots of products on the BI side: BW, Hana, SAP BusinessObjects. There is also a cloud side of SAP. So, they are time consuming. You should focus on one of them before jumping to the second one.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Associate Manager at a consultancy with 1,001-5,000 employees
Flexible, useful for complex reporting, and comes with many components
Pros and Cons
- "It provides flexibility for creating reports. It is very good for creating highly-complex reports. I like this solution because when I buy BusinessObjects, it comes with many components, such as reporting, dashboard, and data visualization tools. Its performance is good. It is running on top of SAP BW and SAP HANA."
- "Its data visualization tool is not as good as Power BI and Tableau. Currently, for data visualization, you need to spend more money to buy another solution such as Power BI or Tableau. It is also very hard to integrate it with other third-party solutions. Its integration with other solutions should be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use it for reporting.
What is most valuable?
It provides flexibility for creating reports. It is very good for creating highly-complex reports. I like this solution because when I buy BusinessObjects, it comes with many components, such as reporting, dashboard, and data visualization tools.
Its performance is good. It is running on top of SAP BW and SAP HANA.
What needs improvement?
Its data visualization tool is not as good as Power BI and Tableau. Currently, for data visualization, you need to spend more money to buy another solution such as Power BI or Tableau.
It is also very hard to integrate it with other third-party solutions. Its integration with other solutions should be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for around seven years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have around 200 users of this solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
They are helpful and quite professional. Sometimes, they don't respond faster, and sometimes, they say that it needs to be upgraded to the next version, which is something that I don't like.
How was the initial setup?
Its installation was straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
I did the installation.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Its price is fair.
What other advice do I have?
For data visualization, I would recommend Power BI and Tableau. For the report format, I would recommend SAP BusinessObjects.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Team Leader at a comms service provider with 501-1,000 employees
Extremely valuable for combining data from various sources, but UI is not user-friendly
Pros and Cons
- "It has been extremely valuable, to combine data from various data sources."
- "SAP BusinessObjects is actually losing popularity within our company because people find the user interface and the way things are set up not to be as easy as many other tools that are on the market, like Qlik and things like that."
What is our primary use case?
Management reporting and also some ad-hoc reporting.
How has it helped my organization?
During the first of the 10 years we used it, it was a very valuable reporting product. It really is the only product we have for reporting out of the data warehouse that we have. It has been extremely valuable, to combine data from various data sources.
What needs improvement?
SAP BusinessObjects is actually losing popularity within our company because people find the user interface and the way things are set up not to be as easy as many other tools that are on the market, like Qlik and things like that.
In addition, we would definitely like to be able, through the tool, to show more metadata, and access a data dictionary directly from the tool.
Also, a user should see data lineage, because we have found out that the abstraction being done in the Universes is sometimes too much for the more specific kind of users. They want to see the origin of the data.
For how long have I used the solution?
More than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability is perfect.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is also very good.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have not used technical support directly. We have a local specialist that we go to. It's easier.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
The company implemented BusinessObjects 10 years ago. At that time, it was the best product on the market. A lot of things have changed in 10 years.
The most important criteria when selecting a vendor, if we're talking about a reporting tool, is the ease of use for the end-user as well as integration with other tools, like data dictionaries and data catalogs. That would make the underlying data more visible to the end-user. And, of course, price is important.
What other advice do I have?
Look at who will be your end-user group. Who is going to use the tool?
I would rate this solution at seven out of 10. Seen from the administrative and compliance point of view, it's an excellent tool for an enterprise. But I can't give it any more than that because the user interface for the average user is not very intuitive. You need too much training before you're able to use the tool effectively.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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