Solutions Review

2015 Buyers Matrix Report - Business Intelligence Solutions

Introduction:
The BI landscape is evolving in real-time, making the challenge of finding and deploying the
right solution a difficult one. At Solutions Review, we put ourselves right in the middle of it all;
making it a point to highlight the software that has the greatest impact on todays buyers and
end-users while also looking ahead to tomorrow. To assist you, weve engineered a tool called
the Buyers Matrix Report, which is a visual reference and summary of the top-28 best-of-breed
BI tools to assist you in your search. The Buyers Matrix is organized by specific categories,
which include: Areas of Focus, Industries, Features, Services, and Support. Heres a more indepth breakdown of how we organize the Buyers Matrix:
Industries:
Today, businesses need BI software solutions to quantify their industry-specific metrics and
present them within visualization and dashboards that can be easily interpreted and
manipulated. Each industry has its own key performance indicators (KPIs) and accepted
standards for analyzing and presenting data. For example, in marketing, its common to
present data pertaining to revenue, return on investment (ROI), and cost per lead. However, in
the field of operations, it is customary to deliver data in terms of throughput, cycle time, and
bottlenecks. In these two examples, the steps for analysis and approach to visualization are
worlds apart and echo the importance of working with BI providers that develop software
within your specific industry. This section in our Buyers Matrix Report highlights which
industries each specific provider is involved in, where they may have strong performance
indicators, and how they might align with your specific needs.
Features:
As noted, the BI landscape is changing constantly. New trends develop as changes in
enterprise goals emerge. Solutions providers are quick to adapt to these shifts in thought and
practice, and are typically swift in innovating to create new product features which support
their customers changing demands. The majority of the selected providers are involved in
many of the same popular spaces, like big data, cloud BI, advanced data analytics, data
visualization, mobile, and self-service; but there are more. The reason these features are
beginning to trend upward in popularity is because of the sharing and mobile economies, along
with the maturation of big data. Its very important to match the mix of features that exist
within your BI solution to your companys strategy in order to handle new market trends.

2015 Solutions Review Matrix Report - Business Intelligence

Areas of Focus:
Not all solutions providers are created equal. Oftentimes, vendors will key in on a niche in the
market. By focusing on a specific part of the space, such as self-service BI for example, solutions
providers can become experts at developing a narrower piece of software that although
vocational, really works for its users. As a result, the vendor increases efficiency and overall
quality and decreases the time it takes to deploy the solution organizationally.
Support:
There is nothing quite as frustrating as a BI tool that doesnt work. Solution downtime leads to
losses in productivity, overhead cost, customer satisfaction, and revenue. Its been welldocumented that the time it takes to deliver measurable results from BI is much longer than what
is expected by business managers. Adding in downtime created by poor support makes the time it
will take to deliver business results from BI unacceptable. That said, professional, effective, and
reliable user support systems are vital to any top-notch BI solution. The support section of our
Buyers Matrix outlines what each provider offers in terms of user support.
Services:
Each solutions provider differs in what they offer, but they all provide something in terms of thirdparty management tools. Some of the vendors will assist you in installing, deploying, and
configuring your new BI solution. Others dont offer setup services, but supply advisory services
on how to properly fit their software into your existing ecosystem. There are more than a dozen
other services that we outline in the Buyers Matrix, with a complete list of providers and side-byside comparisons as to what each includes with purchase of their specific software package.

Timothy King
Editor
Solutions Review
Note: Solutions Review contacted each solution provider listed in this report and requested their input on their solution
features and focus. In some cases we recieved no response and therefore provided what information we could obtain
through online reserarch. That information is marked with an asterisk (w). The information provided to us by a solution
has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Solutions Review disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy,
completeness or adequacy of such information and shall have no liability for errors, omissions or inadequacies in such
information.

2015 Solutions Review. All rights reserved

Solutions Review

2015 Solutions Review Matrix Report - Business Intelligence

2015 Buyers Matrix Report - Business Intelligence Solutions

2015 Solutions Review. All rights reserved

Solutions Review

2015 Buyers Matrix Report - Business Intelligence Solutions

Areas of Focus
Advanced
Analytics

Big Data

Cloud BI
Tools

Dashboards

Data
Blending

Data
Discovery

Actuate (OpenText)

Alteryx

w Arcplan

Birst

BOARD

Datameer

w GoodData

w IBM Cognos

SOLUTION PROVIDER

Information Builders

TIBCO Jaspersoft

Pentaho (Hitachi)

w Platfora

w Prognoz

=
=

=
=

Panorama

=
=

w Oracle

=
=

Small-Sized
Company BI

w MicroStrategy

Reporting

w Microsoft Power BI

Qlik

=
=

=
=

MediumSized
Open Source
Company BI

=
=

=
=

Jedox
Logi Analytics

Data
ERP
Enterprise BI
Visualization
Packaged BI

=
=

=
=

w Revolution Analytics

w Salient

w SAP

SAS

SiSense

Tableau

TARGIT

TIBCO Spotfire

=
=

=
=

w Not provided by company

2015 Solutions Review Matrix Report - Business Intelligence

2015 Solutions Review. All rights reserved

Solutions Review

2015 Buyers Matrix Report - Business Intelligence Solutions

BOARD

Datameer

w GoodData

w IBM Cognos

=
=

=
=

Information Builders

TIBCO Jaspersoft

Jedox

Logi Analytics

w Microsoft Power BI
w MicroStrategy
w Oracle

Panorama
Pentaho (Hitachi)

=
=

w Platfora

w Prognoz

Qlik

w Revolution Analytics (Microsoft)

w Salient

w SAP

=
=

=
=

=
=

=
=
=

=
=

=
=

=
=

=
=

=
=

=
=

=
=

=
=

=
=

SAS

SiSense

Tableau

TARGIT

TIBCO Spotfire

=
=

=
=

=
=

=
=

Self-service BI

Search-Based BI

Scorecards

Reporting

Real-Time
Monitoring

Birst

Predictive
Analytics

=
=

OLAP

Mobile BI

Microsoft Office
Integration

Metadata
Management

Mapping

In-Memory
Processing

Location
Intelligence

Development
Tools
Embedded
Advanced
Analytics
Embedded
Analytics

Data Integration

Data Warehouse

Data Discovery

Data Quality

Dashboards

Collaborative BI

w Arcplan

Cloud BI

Business User
Data Modeling

Big Data Support

Big Data Analytics

BI Infrastructure

Application
Development

Alteryx

Analytics

Actuate (OpenText)

SOLUTION PROVIDER

Advanced
Visualization

Ad-Hoc Query

Solution Features

=
=

w Not provided by company

2015 Solutions Review Matrix Report - Business Intelligence

2015 Solutions Review. All rights reserved

Solutions Review

2015 Buyers Matrix Report - Business Intelligence Solutions

Life Science &

Chemical

Logistics

Manufacturing

Marketing Service
Providers

Media

Online Services

w Arcplan

=
=

Transporation

Insurance

Tourism, Travel &

Hospitality

Independent
Software Vendor

Telecom &
Communication

High Tech

Supply Chain
Analysis

Healthcare &
Medical

Subscription
Business

Government,
Public Sector &
Non-Profit

Sports &
Entertainment

Finance

Retail & Dining

Enviromental

Real Estate

Energy & Utilities

Education

Alteryx

eCommerce

Actuate (OpenText)

Defense, Security
& Law
Enforcement

SOLUTION PROVIDER

Consumer Goods

Industries of Focus

Birst

BOARD

Datameer

w GoodData

w IBM Cognos

Information Builders
TIBCO Jaspersoft
Jedox

Logi Analytics

w Microsoft Power BI

w MicroStrategy

w Oracle

Panorama
Pentaho (Hitachi)

=
=

w Prognoz

w Revolution Analytics (Microsoft)

w Salient

=
=

=
=

=
=

=
=

=
=

=
=

=
=

=
=

=
=

w Platfora

Qlik

w SAP

SAS

SiSense

Tableau

TARGIT

TIBCO Spotfire

w Not provided by company

2015 Solutions Review Matrix Report - Business Intelligence

2015 Solutions Review. All rights reserved

Solutions Review

2015 Buyers Matrix Report - Business Intelligence Solutions

Birst

BOARD

Datameer

w GoodData

TIBCO Jaspersoft

w Oracle

Panorama
Pentaho (Hitachi)

Qlik

Upgrade
Assistance

Security Services

Production Audits

Pilot Programs

=
=

=
=
=

=
=

=
=

=
=

=
=

=
=

w Platfora
w Prognoz

Networking
Services

Mobility Services

Mid-market
Expertise

Live Access Design

& Configuration

=
=

w Microsoft Power BI
w MicroStrategy

=
=

Information Builders

Jedox

w IBM Cognos

Logi Analytics

Jumpstart
Programs

IT Managed
Services

w Arcplan

IT Infrastructure
Services

Interactive
Experience

Health Check

Full Lifecycle
(Turnkey) Solution
Implementation

Deployment

Custom
Visualization

Data Model Design

Cloud Services

Data Center
Services

Business Strategy

Business Analytics

Application
Innovation

Alteryx

Advisory Services

Actuate (OpenText)

Advance Reporting
Workshop

SOLUTION PROVIDER

Ad-Hoc Consulting
Assistance

Solution Services

=
=

=
=
=

w Revolution Analytics (Microsoft)

w Salient

w SAP

=
=

SAS

SiSense

Tableau

TARGIT

TIBCO Spotfire

=
=

=
=

=
=

=
=

=
=

=
=

w Not provided by company

2015 Solutions Review Matrix Report - Business Intelligence

2015 Solutions Review. All rights reserved

Solutions Review

2015 Buyers Matrix Report - Business Intelligence Solutions

w Arcplan
Birst
BOARD
Datameer
w GoodData
w IBM Cognos

Information Builders

TIBCO Jaspersoft

Jedox
Logi Analytics

=
=

=
=

w SAP

SAS

SiSense

Tableau

=
=

=
=

=
=

=
=

w Salient

TIBCO Spotfire

Partner Portal

=
=

=
=

w Revolution Analytics (Microsoft) =

TARGIT

=
=

w Prognoz
Qlik

w Platfora

w Microsoft Power BI

Pentaho (Hitachi)

Panorama

=
=

w Oracle

w MicroStrategy

=
=

=
=

Weekly Case
Report

On-site Visits

Weekend
Assistance

Online Software
Updates

Unlimited Contacts

Multi-Language
Support

Training

Multi-Continent
Support

Self-Help Portal

Multi-Channel
Communication

Professional
Service Days

Licenses
Activation

Product Tutorials
& Docs

Email Local
Support Center

Prioritized Bug
Requests

Dedicated Support
Engineer

Phone Local
Support Center

Community
Forums

Alteryx

Certification
Program

Beta Programs

Actuate (OpenText)

Account Manager

SOLUTION PROVIDER

24/7 Tech Support

Solution Support

w Not provided by company

2015 Solutions Review Matrix Report - Business Intelligence

2015 Solutions Review. All rights reserved