IBM Cognos 8 and SAP Business Objects XI comparison

SAP BO and IBM Cognos software equivalents

Both offered platforms are popular and widely-used, therefore it’s hard to unambiguously choose the better one. All the solutions that have been applied have their advantages and disadvantages, strong and weak points. Even the objective summarization seems practically impossible, separate parts and aspects might be easily compared.

There is no better way than to compare the both companies suite separate components.

The scheme illustrates the SAP BO tools responsible for tasks appropriate to their IBM Cognos equivalents

	IBM Cognos 8 BI	SAP Business Objects XI
Platform architecture	+ complete Performance management system on a single SOA platform ensures no gaps and overlaps in decision making process, offers uniform backbone, facilitates global deployment and new user adoption, enables efficient collaboration and homogeneous view of information in all departments, Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) server available - no benefit to use Web services for intra process communication, low offline analytical capabilities, possible platform instability, no linear scalability with possible bottlenecks (only one active Content Manager allowed at time)	+ good offline analytical capabilities, ensures data quality and lineage, closely integrated with other BI tools - lower level of integration within the platform, products included in the platform are inconsistent at technological level
Heterogeneous data access	+ can combine heterogeneous data source in the semantic layer (mySAP R/3, SAP BW and non-SAP included), uses common metadata and delivers a consistent view of information presented in a business-friendly way	+ provides good ETL tools to manage inconsistent data - no direct counterpart
Business focus	+ focused on Performance Management, provides industry specific solutions supported by online communities of interest and Cognos Innovation Center, easily adaptable applications - the industry specific solutions are rather blueprints than applications, users have to learn how to use new tools	+ universal and intuitional trending and what-if analysis available besides traditional BI reporting improve Performance Management capabilities - no industry specific solutions
ETL solutions	+ ability to combine heterogeneous data sources without having to extract data - poor ETL capabilities, Extract-Transform-Load and data quality tools available via partners	+ competitive data integration and data quality tools, can create and maintain metadata as well as perform complete analysis
Data query, reporting and analysis tools	+ all the tools cooperate within one platform, different reports can be linked if they use the same semantic layer, intuitive and self-service (no participation of IT developers required) - three separate tools for data query (Query Studio), reporting (Report Studio) and data analysis (Analysis Studio)	+ Web Intelligence – an integrated and powerful tool performing end user queries, reporting and analysis, additional Crystal Reports tool for reporting, and Xcelsius for presentation of interactive visual reporting
Data dissemination and collaboration	+ ability to create a full range of reports (production, management, statutory, personalized, analytical, transactional) and to publish them in any language (multilingual environment), format (HTML, PDF, Excel and more available), or location (portal, email, mobile, office) - collaboration limited to scorecards, separate tools for scorecarding (Metrics Studio) and dashboarding (Report Studio) that rely on third party vendors, limited interactivity and insight into ready reports	+ Encyclopedia tool providing capabilities such as documenting reports and providing guided analysis, discussion threads available - inconsistent location of reports created, location limitations

5 Golden Rules for converting Data to Decision

Golden Rule No. 1

Take in account the reporting and analysis needs of all business users (Executives) with the CXO and managers. Data garnered should be appropriate for all the business users with correct and precise insights whenever needed.

Golden Rule No. 2

Educate business users to rely on single source of truthful data. Forbid use of spreadsheets in meetings and presentations. Wide spread use of spreadsheets across the enterprise can create multiple versions of truthful data.

Golden Rule No. 3

Establish data quality competency centre. Establish the system with the data which has an audit trail with referential integrity and data integrity in place. Garbage In Garbage Out.

Golden Rule No. 4

Unlock your enterprise from the transaction based application for reporting needs. Your existing SCM, ERP, CRM etc. are best for recording your transactions but not for generation of intelligent insight reports. Specialized reporting and analysis applications can expose your business users to all together new meaningful way of viewing data and analyzing data.

Golden Rule No. 5

Get the analysis of your data done in house. Do not outsource the reporting and analysis to a third party. It should be a part of daily use and not just a quarterly or yearly report submitted by a third party. Develop and implement the reporting and analysis system in house and roll out for all the business users of your enterprise.

(maia-intelligence.com)

SAP – Access and Analyze Data With BI Solutions

SAP BusinessObjects business intelligence (BI) solutions can empower your teams to achieve remarkable results by allowing anyone in your organization self-service access to relevant information. And by helping business users transform their decision making by providing fact-based, quality information regardless of where the data resides.

Small Businesses and Midsize Companies

The SAP BusinessObjects portfolio includes solutions designed to meet the unique needs of small businesses and midsize companies. These powerful solutions offer intuitive, versatile, and proven business intelligence, so you can gain the same insight into your business information and performance that large enterprises enjoy. Benefit from comprehensive features that support everything from flexible ad hoc reporting and dashboards to data integration and performance management – packaged and priced specifically for small businesses and midsize companies.

• SAP BusinessObjects Edge solutions – Leverage powerful business intelligence and performance management software for the midmarket – and improve your business processes, discover new opportunities, and gain a competitive advantage.

• Free trials – Download and try fully functional copies of our software for 30 days. Trials are available in multiple languages.

SAP BusinessObjects BI solutions provide comprehensive functionality for the following:

Reporting & Analysis Dashboards Data Exploration Mobile BI Platform

SAP Crystal Reports – Connect to virtually any data source, design and format interactive reports, and share them internally or externally. SAP BusinessObjects Analysis, edition for OLAP – Perform analysis of multi-dimensional data sets using this OLAP tool designed for financial and business analysts. SAP BusinessObjects Analysis, edition for Microsoft – Perform advanced analysis of data residing in your business warehouse (BW) using an intuitive UI within your Microsoft Office environment. SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence – Perform ad hoc queries and intuitive analysis across heterogeneous data sources online or offline. SAP BusinessObjects Predictive Workbench – Mine your information assets to predict future trends.

Make better decisions faster with SAS

SAS is the first company to call when you need to solve complex business problems, achieve key objectives and more effectively manage your information assets. As the leader in business analytics software and services, we provide a technology platform and market-leading analytic applications to help you not only navigate today’s challenges but capitalize on tomorrow’s opportunities.

Industries Casinos Communications Education Financial Services Government Health Insurance Health Care Providers Hotels Insurance Life Sciences Manufacturing Media Oil & Gas Retail Utilities SAS Solutions for Small to Medium BusinessesLearn how SAS solutions can be customized to meet your existing needs and budget.

Solution Lines Analytics Business Intelligence Customer Intelligence Data Management Financial Intelligence Foundation Tools Fraud & Financial Crimes Governance, Risk & Compliance High-Performance Computing Human Capital Intelligence IT Management OnDemand Solutions Performance Management Risk Management Supply Chain Intelligence Sustainability Management Product Index A-ZReview an entire list of SAS’ products and solutions. http://www.sas.com/software/

5 Top Business Intelligence Tool Vendors According to IDC

Business intelligence dashboarders should immediately read the recently released paper (report dated July 2007 based on 2004-2006 data) written by IDC entitled “Worldwide Business Intelligence Tools 2006 Vendor Share“.

In addition to reviewing the “state of the union” in terms of BI tools and vendors, this excellent report offers some very interesting insight as to the ongoing adoption of business intelligence and dashboards by business users.

As defined by IDC, BI tools such as Dashboards belong to the query/reporting/analysis branch of the business intelligence tools section of the larger family of tools known as performance management tools and applications.

Here is a very interesting view of the taxonomy of business analytics software as seen by IDC:

 

IDC defines the BI tools market as including both stand alone packaged software and embedded business intelligence tools provided by RDBMS software companies.

Business intelligence tools such as query, reporting and analysis tools (including enterprise dashboards) and advanced analytics tools (data mining, statistics) are siblings of analytical spatial information management tools, financial performance and strategy management applications (budgeting, planning, consolidation, profitability management, scorecards), supply chain and services operations analytical applications, CRM applications (sales, customer service, contact center, marketing, website analytics, price optimization), workforce analysis applications and data warehouse platforms (data warehouse management and generation).

Here is a look at the situation report offerred by IDC. They base their study over the market data of the last few years:

How is your business intelligence tool vendor doing? IDC offers a rare survey of the BI vendor landscape by revenue and market share:

There is plenty more in the report so be sure to follow that link to read it for yourself.

Here are a few highlights that really caught my attention:

IDC continues to evaluate the BI tools market in the context of what has been
identified as a 15-year market cycle that began in 2005. Historical analysis suggests
that most markets experience a typical s-curve pattern. This pattern begins with early
modest growth, which is followed by accelerated growth and then a mature period
with a slowdown in growth, and it ends with a decline until a new market cycle
resumes. The BI tools market is currently in its third s-curve market cycle and is only
in the third year of the current cycle. Therefore, IDC expects acceleration in the BI tools market starting in 2009.

The Top 5 Business Intelligence Tool Vendors According to IDC:

1- Business Objects

Business Objects continues its reign as the leading BI tools vendor. In 2006, the
company’s software revenue in this market reached $894 million. In 2006, Business
Objects experienced a slight slowdown in its BI tools license revenue growth. After
gaining half a percentage point in share in 2005, the company gave it up in 2006.
However, the latest information on the uptake of its Business Objects XI platform
suggests a pickup in growth in the latter part of 2006 and early 2007. Business
Objects is also making an aggressive push into the midmarket, where it targets
organizations with less than $1 billion in revenue. The company’s partner network is
one of its strongest assets, and this effort, which depends in large part on indirect
sales, is expected to contribute to the growth of Business Objects’ BI tools.

2 – SAS

SAS was again the second-largest BI tools vendor, with $679 million in software
revenue and a continued steady increase in market share to 11%. SAS had the
highest growth rate among the top 3 BI tools vendors and the third-highest growth
rate among the top 10 vendors. SAS still derives more revenue from its advanced
analytics tools, but its effort to revamp and more aggressively market its QRA tools
since 2004 has paid off, with QRA’s share of SAS’ total BI tools revenue increasing
from 37% in 2004 to 44% in 2006. As the leader in the advanced analytics market,
SAS holds 31% of that market segment.

3 – Cognos

Cognos maintained the third position in the BI tools market, with $622 million in
software revenue and a 10% growth rate in 2006. It is also one of only three vendors
with at least a 10% share in the BI tools market. Cognos has pursued a two-pronged
strategy of developing and marketing BI tools and financial performance management
applications, with recent expansion into other related performance management
markets such as workforce analytics. Nevertheless, BI tools remain Cognos’ largest
product line. In 2006, Cognos released several enhancements to its core BI platform.

4 – Microsoft

Microsoft had another strong year in the BI tools market, with the highest growth rate
(28%) among the top 10 vendors. IDC’s revenue allocation for Microsoft in this market
differs somewhat from other vendors in that its BI tools revenue is not only made up
of standalone software that the company acquired with its 2006 purchase of
ProClarity Software but also includes what IDC calls embedded BI tools that are
bundled with Microsoft SQL Server. These database-embedded tools include SQL
Server Analysis Services and Reporting Services. As part of its broader business
analytics offerings, Microsoft also includes SQL Server Integration Services within
SQL Server. Its other related tools that the company positions within the business
analytics stack include Microsoft Excel, with specific Excel 2007 features for BI, and
Performance Point Server, a set of performance management applications to be
released in the second half of 2007.

Microsoft’s growth in the BI tools market can be attributed to focused sales and
marketing efforts in recent years, accompanied by both internal R&D and
acquisitions. While, in the past, Microsoft considered BI to be functionality that helps
to sell databases and enhance its partners’ more extensive BI capabilities, the
company has since identified BI as a market worth pursuing directly.

5 – Hyperion

Hyperion maintained its fifth position in the market, with a 5.2% market share and a
12.3% growth rate. Since releasing its latest BI platform, which incorporates the best
of the Hyperion and former Brio components (in addition to certain new performance
enhancements), the company has improved its standing in the BI tools market.
Hyperion’s other major product line includes financial performance and strategy
management applications, where company has been the market leader for years.
In March 2007, Oracle announced its plans to acquire Hyperion. IDC sees the event
as a positive development for both Oracle and former Hyperion clients.

For more information, please see directly the IDC paper entitled “Worldwide Business Intelligence Tools 2006 Vendor Share“.

Note: Independent software vendors often look to a dashboard oem solution as quick answer to secure KPI reporting from their applications. They can eliminate the time and risk of developing a dashboard enterprise software solution by embedding desktop dashboard software designed to their specifications by a company such as Klipfolio. That enables them to use the new desktop dashboard software approach.

Tags: BI Tool Vendor Rankings by IDC, business intelligence software vendors ratings