SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform (BOBJ) and SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) compete in the business intelligence and analytics category. Based on feature set and integration capabilities, SAC seems to have an advantage for cloud-based requirements and modern analytics.
Features: SAP BusinessObjects offers comprehensive BI features including Live Office, Xcelsius, Crystal Reports, and Web Intelligence, excelling in full report generation flexibility. Its semantic layer development and multi-source connectivity add to its capabilities. SAP Analytics Cloud integrates BI, planning, and predictive analytics with tools for data visualization and AI-driven insights.
Room for Improvement: SAP BusinessObjects needs to simplify tool integration and improve cross-platform compatibility. Upgraded performance and visualization features also require enhancement. SAC can improve predictive analytics, real-time data integration support, and offer more cost-effective licensing options.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SAP BusinessObjects is often deployed on-premises or privately, needing better technical support response times. SAC, deployed primarily in the public cloud, receives favorable reviews for its customer service, though there is room for quicker technical issue resolution.
Pricing and ROI: SAP BusinessObjects generally involves higher licensing costs due to extensive user access, justified by its robust SAP system integration. SAC, despite perceived expense, offers tiered subscription pricing providing value through integrated planning and analytics, appealing to organizations using SAP's broader product suite.
For most of my clients using the on-premises version of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform, the return on investment is positive due to its affordability and ability to handle diverse reporting needs while automating information distribution.
We are satisfied with the technical support from SAP because when we reached out, we were able to get very good support from SAP colleagues.
I would rate their technical support as excellent.
I have experience with SAP technical support and have supported customers, including those in financial services.
I would rate its scalability up to nine on a scale of one to ten.
When they tried upgrading from 4.2 to 4.3, they found it buggy in some reports, which was quite problematic.
Documentation-wise, we see some gaps when trying to connect different solutions.
If SAP could split the analytics side from financial analytics, it would become more affordable and easier to learn for technicians.
I've worked with other tools, for example, Microsoft Power BI, which is visualization-wise very strong.
SAP BusinessObjects is expected to be phased out by 2027 as reports are moving to SAP Analytics Cloud.
The price is very competitive and reliable.
For SuccessFactors and S/4HANA Cloud, there are pre-built reports available which are commonly used by customers.
It helps in decision-making, which impacts ROI, especially in terms of efficiency.
The important features include a dashboard and reporting capabilities through SAP Analytics Cloud, which I consider to be a better version than the initial BusinessObjects platform.
The platform has many drivers that I can use to connect to virtually all available databases, making it easy to integrate with Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, and many others.
SAP Analytics Cloud is an all-in-one Software-as-a-Service business intelligence tool that provides the key functionalities of an analytics tool to SAP business users. This tool is built on HANA Business Intelligence (BI) platform, providing analytics from data collected from multiple sources, such as ERP, Microsoft SQL, and Salesforce, among other solutions.
You can use SAP Analytics Cloud to compile data and perform ad-hoc reporting and analysis for predictive planning. SAP Analytics Cloud collects and analyzes the raw data from transactional systems into intelligent insights that allow you to make better decisions.
SAP Analytics Cloud uses machine learning to clean up data, identify errors, and issues, and suggest optimization or filtering options. You can use the modeling feature in Analytics Cloud to create hierarchies and get deeper data insights.
The three core functions of SAP Analytics Cloud consist of Planning, Predictive Analysis, and Business Intelligence as a holistic SaaS solution that offers real-time analysis to business leaders.
SAP Analytics Cloud Capabilities
SAP Analytics Cloud Key Features
SAP Analytics Cloud Benefits
Reviews from Real Users
Segun O., SAP HANA Developer at SOA PEOPLE, says that "The most valuable features are on the application side, where you can design applications into your analytics on the platform."
The Head of Finance Enterprise Application at a computer software company adds that "The visualization feature is the most valuable. SAP Analytics Cloud is also very easy to use."
"Its many features make it the best in the market," sums up a Consultor SAP Business Object, Sap Analytics Cloud at a tech services company.
SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform is a versatile and flexible solution for reporting and dashboards, focusing on analytics and ad hoc reporting. It can be deployed on-premise or in the cloud. The solution includes tools such as Web Intelligence, Crystal Reports, SAP Lumira, and Analytical Cloud and is primarily used for comprehensive business intelligence reporting.
The most valuable features include excellent reporting features, good technical support, scalability, and the ability to translate database data into business language. The solution has helped organizations by providing analytics, monitoring KPIs, and making important decisions as a financial business.
SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Key Features
Reviews from Real Users
SAP BusinessObjects BI stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Several major ones are its user-friendly dashboard, its impressive reporting and analytic features, and its ability to integrate with multiple solutions.
A managing partner at a tech services company writes, "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."
An associate manager at a consultancy notes, "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."
A manager of data analytics and interfaces at a healthcare company says, "It has got great flexibility. As a reporting tool, it has a great deal of flexibility for numerous data resources that you can bring into it. It allows you to write your SQL query directly within the product. It has great visualization.
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