The licensing cost for SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform can be significant due to its complexity. It is crucial for customers to carefully assess the value they expect to derive from the implementation. Start with a basic version before opting for more advanced options like SAP HANA to manage initial expenses wisely.
Learn what your peers think about SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
BI & Analytics Manager at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
May 4, 2022
There is an annual license to use SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform. I rate the price of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform a four out of five.
Business Intelligence & Data Management Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Mar 21, 2022
We are satisfied with the solution, but we are not satisfied with the licensing cost which SAP offers. They offer one lumpsum licensing which does everything. That is not the right strategy, because sometimes you don't have power users, they are only viewers, but we need to buy the full license for them. This is not something we want to continue with. We are on an annual subscription to use this solution.
SAP is losing market to its competitors because of its costly user license and licensing model. They can do much better on the licensing side. That's what Microsoft has been doing, and that's why Power BI is gaining market share at the moment. SAP needs to relax a little bit on the licensing part. If Microsoft is giving people a solution that is half of the cost of SAP, people will definitely go with Power BI.
Business Intelligence Architect at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Jan 5, 2022
Factoring in total implementation and maintenance costs, SAP BusinessObjects is too expensive. If you deal with a huge amount of data, you can go with BusinessObjects. However, if you are a medium-sized company with a modest amount of data, you can opt for another solution.
Technical Lead at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Dec 22, 2021
I think the licensing depends upon the user base. If it is a limited license, the user base has some restrictions. If we need to expand our user base, I guess there needs to be enhanced licensing. At a high level I can share that, but we haven't faced it as we have the full premium license with them, but I know the starter packages are limited on the number of users. Maybe not for all licensing, but only the lowest range licensing fee may have some limitation on the number of concurrent users.
Data Science Manager at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Sep 10, 2021
We have an on-premise license. We have one license for an admin and we have a license for our users, enough for 27 user licenses. We pay on a yearly basis. We are selling support, but as I said, we are using only the Web Intelligence and the dashboards. We didn't buy the other models or feature. We don't have the predictive analytics or the SAP HANA. We don't have any of that. The servers and the preparation to go on the servers are costs beyond the licensing fees.
Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Mar 3, 2021
I have always found SAP BI to be expensive. It is expensive even when you compare SAP BI Cloud with Microsoft Power BI. Power BI is probably around $9.99 per month, and the cheapest SAP BI is around $20, which is double. In terms of price, Power BI is definitely a lot better. If you have budget issues, you may want to go for Power BI.
Gerente de BI at a government with 201-500 employees
Real User
Feb 10, 2021
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.
Cost to setup and run is high as it is complex but then again one also gets a highly functional product. SAP do have a small business pricing so, at least, the licensing is not too expensive.
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...
SAP BTP is an expensive solution.
I rate the pricing for SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform as a seven or eight.
The price is very competitive and reliable.
The pricing of the solution is expensive.
The licensing cost for SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform can be significant due to its complexity. It is crucial for customers to carefully assess the value they expect to derive from the implementation. Start with a basic version before opting for more advanced options like SAP HANA to manage initial expenses wisely.
The solution’s pricing is very high.
The SAP model for licensing is quite complex and they generally don't deal with service providers.
The license is cheaper, but the support is costlier.
This is a standard licensing fee. It is not a subscription model, but you must purchase a perpetual license for this.
There is an annual license to use SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform. I rate the price of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform a four out of five.
We are satisfied with the solution, but we are not satisfied with the licensing cost which SAP offers. They offer one lumpsum licensing which does everything. That is not the right strategy, because sometimes you don't have power users, they are only viewers, but we need to buy the full license for them. This is not something we want to continue with. We are on an annual subscription to use this solution.
The license is included with the SAP portfolio.
SAP is losing market to its competitors because of its costly user license and licensing model. They can do much better on the licensing side. That's what Microsoft has been doing, and that's why Power BI is gaining market share at the moment. SAP needs to relax a little bit on the licensing part. If Microsoft is giving people a solution that is half of the cost of SAP, people will definitely go with Power BI.
Factoring in total implementation and maintenance costs, SAP BusinessObjects is too expensive. If you deal with a huge amount of data, you can go with BusinessObjects. However, if you are a medium-sized company with a modest amount of data, you can opt for another solution.
I think the licensing depends upon the user base. If it is a limited license, the user base has some restrictions. If we need to expand our user base, I guess there needs to be enhanced licensing. At a high level I can share that, but we haven't faced it as we have the full premium license with them, but I know the starter packages are limited on the number of users. Maybe not for all licensing, but only the lowest range licensing fee may have some limitation on the number of concurrent users.
We pay for an enterprise license. We pay yearly when we renew our license.
We have an on-premise license. We have one license for an admin and we have a license for our users, enough for 27 user licenses. We pay on a yearly basis. We are selling support, but as I said, we are using only the Web Intelligence and the dashboards. We didn't buy the other models or feature. We don't have the predictive analytics or the SAP HANA. We don't have any of that. The servers and the preparation to go on the servers are costs beyond the licensing fees.
I cannot speak to the exact cost of the product, as it's not an aspect of the solution I handle.
Licensing is paid on a yearly basis. There is room for improvement in the pricing. It could be more reasonable.
I don't have the exact number, but SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform is not too cheap.
I have always found SAP BI to be expensive. It is expensive even when you compare SAP BI Cloud with Microsoft Power BI. Power BI is probably around $9.99 per month, and the cheapest SAP BI is around $20, which is double. In terms of price, Power BI is definitely a lot better. If you have budget issues, you may want to go for Power BI.
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.
It is not cost-effective. It is expensive.
Its price is fair.
Cost to setup and run is high as it is complex but then again one also gets a highly functional product. SAP do have a small business pricing so, at least, the licensing is not too expensive.
Have a big wallet if you want to be serious