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reviewer2042916 - PeerSpot reviewer
Analytics Insights - Manager at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Able to expand and offers fast reporting but should have direct connectivity to the database
Pros and Cons
  • "The scalability is good."
  • "The most difficult thing I found is that it only deals with the files and does not have direct connectivity to databases."

What is our primary use case?

It's mostly for front-end widgets that we have in our applications and for some of the teams that do ad hoc reporting. We have some scheduled jobs also. So the data is consumed mostly by the stakeholders so that they can view things.

What is most valuable?

Compared to the other experience that I have had with other reporting tools, it is faster. That load time for the dashboard to open is way faster, no matter how big the data is. That is something that I found really helpful.

The scalability is good.

What needs improvement?

The most difficult thing I found is that it only deals with the files and does not have direct connectivity to databases. If we have 10 million rows in the data and every time the only option we have is to do a selection on the database and dump it into a file and then load that file, that's not ideal. There should be another way around it. It causes redundancy of data.

There are many other tools and they do have other connectors for other legacy systems or other databases. That functionality should be there in ThoughtSpot. There should be direct connectivity to the database. That would reduce a lot of redundancies. 

The stability could be better. It takes up to 24 hours for a change to register. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for ten months. 

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Most of the time it is stable. That said, I have faced a few incidents. For example, I was making a change in one of the reports where I introduced a new column, introduced a new table, and joined it. After that, the indexing stopped, and it took 24 hours after the indexing engine was restarted to get going. And after that, users were only able to pull that particular column that was introduced using a join. That is a very common issue that we face every day. It is kind of weird. It is really time-consuming just to wait for 24 hours before that column becomes available due to indexing being an issue in ThoughtSpot.

If someone is making changes on a daily basis, it may not be that stable. 

I am not working directly on the front-end development, I'm doing the development of the back end, adding the columns, new tables, and new joins. Consumers are the end users. If it is taking 24 hours for a change to go live, then that is a really serious issue.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have yet to face an issue scaling the data. 

We have about 5,000 people using the solution. It is a combination of end users, stakeholders, and developers.

How was the initial setup?

The solution was set up well before I joined the company, and therefore I was not a part of the initial setup. 

I don't have any experience with how long a deployment would take. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I don't have any details in relation to pricing. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I'm not sure if other solutions were evaluated or why this solution was chosen. I was not at the company when the decision was made. 

What other advice do I have?

We are end-users. 

I'm not sure which version of the solution I'm using. It is the latest version.

I'd recommend the solution. It's a fast business intelligence tool. However, they should now expect the same functionality as they would in other reporting tools. 

I would rate the solution six 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.
PeerSpot user
Vishnu Derkar - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Big Data Consultant at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Easy to set up, reliable, and good for showcasing matrices
Pros and Cons
  • "It is easy to set up the solution."
  • "If I want to order columns, this feature is not there."

What is our primary use case?

I'm not very actively using it. That said, sometimes it's the requirements, so that's why I have to use it.

I'm basically the Power BI developer, however, our company recently purchased ThoughtSpot. I had to make a shift from Power BI to ThoughtSpot. I use it mostly for reporting purposes for higher management. That's why we're using it.

What is most valuable?

ThoughtSpot is mostly good for showcasing matrices.

It is easy to set up the solution.

The solution is stable.

It's scalable.  

What needs improvement?

There is more flexibility in Power BI than in ThoughtSpot.

In the matrices, for example, the size is very limited and the ratios are fixed. It would be better if they could be adjustable. The formatting for rows and columns separating could be more flexible. 

If I want to order columns, this feature is not there. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have just recently started using the ThoughtSpot. It's been over a month.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable. The solution is reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash and freeze. I'd rate the stability nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I do find the solution to be scalable. 

There are more than 200 people using the solution.

How are customer service and support?

I've never reached out to technical support. Whenever I have had an issue, I'd reach out to the ThoughtSpot team I deal with.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I've also used (and prefer) Power BI. In terms of creating visualizations and formatting backgrounds, it is better. It's also more flexible. 

Our senior management has exposure to ThoughtSpot. They were comfortable with it, so they decided to go with ThoughtSpot.

How was the initial setup?

It's very easy to implement the solution. It's mostly drag and drop. There is not much required to learn in the case of using it and doing the setup, which makes the process fast and simple. 

I'm not sure exactly how long the deployment takes. 

What about the implementation team?

There was a ThoughtSpot team, and they did the installation.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I can't speak to the exact cost of the solution.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

If your work is senior management type and you need only matrices, then I would advise you to use ThoughtSpot. That said, if your work is a very creative thing, and you want to do analysis and show it in proper formatting or in a very themed presentation, then I would say Power BI is better.

What other advice do I have?

I am an end-user.

I'm not sure which version of the solution I'm using. 

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten. It can handle a lot of data.

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?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Business Intelligence & Reporting Manager at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 20
Self-service analytics transforms report creation and visualization
Pros and Cons
  • "ThoughtSpot excels in being self-service oriented, allowing users who aren't developers to easily create their own reports and visualizations, making it very intuitive."
  • "The self-service analytics capabilities are unrivaled, making it a top-notch solution."
  • "Some areas for improvement include the pixel-perfect dashboards, which are not as refined as those in Tableau."
  • "Some areas for improvement include the pixel-perfect dashboards, which are not as refined as those in Tableau."

What is our primary use case?

I have been using ThoughtSpot for various purposes. In the past, I used it for contract management with a healthcare company and workforce management to ensure proper staffing for call centers based on product changes. 

Currently, I'm using it for business and sales, working with Salesforce data, and managing our clients. It's primarily for internal operations.

What is most valuable?

ThoughtSpot excels in being self-service oriented, allowing users who aren't developers to easily create their own reports and visualizations, making it very intuitive. The alerting system and security enablement for both internal and external customers are very good. The self-service analytics capabilities are unrivaled, making it a top-notch solution. It has greatly improved time savings and business sales by facilitating targeted marketing approaches.

What needs improvement?

Some areas for improvement include the pixel-perfect dashboards, which are not as refined as those in Tableau. Enhancing integration capabilities with other tools like DBT would also be beneficial as it would make our lives easier.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with ThoughtSpot for four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The responsiveness of accessing live data is exceptional and faster than most other BI tools. We haven't faced any stability issues except the need for enhanced integration between DBT and ThoughtSpot.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability depends on your contract with them, whether it's consumption-based or row-based. By negotiating well, you can scale it as much as you want.

How are customer service and support?

ThoughtSpot provides a dedicated customer success person and the ability to submit tickets online, with a response time of no more than a day. I would rate their support an eight out of ten, with room for improvement.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have used other BI tools like SAS, which require a BI developer background to build something useful.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was super easy. It was straightforward to align connectors with other tools, such as Snowflake and DBT. It also works with other databases like Fivetran.

What was our ROI?

Using ThoughtSpot has resulted in significant time savings and improved business sales by allowing us to identify sellers and buyers across regions, facilitating targeted marketing.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

ThoughtSpot's pricing is reasonable and in line with other BI tools. Like all BI tools, it involves negotiation, but we settled on a reasonable price.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend ThoughtSpot to anyone who wants to have self-service capabilities for their customers, whether internal or external. 

Overall, I would rate ThoughtSpot as a nine 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?

Other
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Updated: January 2025
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