Business intelligence tools (BI tools) are software programs that are used to gather, arrange, display, and analyze data gathered from business operations in order to identify trends and patterns and support decision-making based on actionable facts.
Microsoft Power BI
Microsoft, a software powerhouse, competes in the business intelligence tool market with its Microsoft Power BI product. They’re even hosting a Microsoft business apps summit showcasing Power BI and, unsurprisingly, other Microsoft business products. Power BI offers downloadable software so you can run your analytics either in the cloud or through a report server, unlike some of their competitors who only offer web-based portals.
The software offers a generous 60-day trial and claims to “connect hundreds of data sources,” including Microsoft applications and other sources like Facebook, Sybase, and Oracle. This software can then prepare data for subsequent data analysis on-the-fly, allowing reports to be generated in just minutes.
Single user pricing starts at the Power BI Desktop tier, which is free and fully functional. Power BI Pro, the next level up, offers a 60-day trial and facilitates user collaboration and real-time data processing.
Tableau Desktop
Tableau Desktop aims to provide “live visual analytics” rather than create charts. The user may immediately see trends in the data thanks to a user-friendly drag and drop interface. Many data sources are accepted, including PDF files, Google Analytics, Box, and Microsoft Excel.
Tableau can connect with virtually any database type and employ a wide range of data blending options to produce an even greater variety of visualizations. In addition, dashboard graphics are compatible with mobile devices and are simple to share.
For a single user, Tableau Desktop becomes a pricey alternative, making it more expensive than other competing options. Overall, it also contains Tableau Prep, a related program part of the Tableau Creator set.
Dundas BI
With 25 years of expertise, Dundas is a browser-based business intelligence application. With “granular control over practically all visual design components,” it is intended to be a single tool for data transformation into visual data analytics.
End users may evaluate data without the help of IT by including drag-and-drop capabilities into data files. In addition, due to its HTML5 interface, it may be utilized on many different platforms, including mobile ones.
There is a free 45-day trial period, but after that, the cost is unclear and has to be quoted. However, there are choices to lease annually or own indefinitely.
SiSense
SiSense is a business intelligence solution that incorporates IoT, machine learning, and AI into its platform in an effort to reduce the complexity of data analysis. They assert that because it is so straightforward and efficient, you can get from “data to dashboard in just 90 minutes.
The main features allow you to integrate customized white label analytics, mashup current or cached data, evaluate data across your whole landscape, or concentrate on a single item, piece of data, or system.
Sisense is a business intelligence application that may be used on-premises or in the cloud. For either type, no flat-rate pricing is offered, though. Although it needs a price quote and is regrettably not provided on their website, their bespoke pricing is based on an annual subscription basis.
Zoho Analytics
The developers of Zoho Office, a legendary web-based business application, are responsible for the business intelligence tool Zoho Analytics. In addition to databases like MySQL and a range of files, including Microsoft Office documents, URL feeds, and applications from outside the Zoho ecosystem, such as data from the cloud from services like Box, DropBox and others.
A visually appealing and useful report may then be produced by combining data using integrated mathematical and statistical methods, for instance, marketing costs in an Excel file with sales data in a cloud database. All of this is done using a straightforward web interface, with reports that can be quickly accessed via the portal, as well as printed or emailed, and functionalities that can be implemented with a simple drag-and-drop.