Hex vs SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Hex and SAP are both solutions in the BI (Business Intelligence) Tools category. Hex is ranked #22 with an average rating of 9.0, while SAP is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.3. Hex holds a 0.7% mindshare in BIT, compared to SAP’s 2.9% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Hex users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of SAP users who would recommend it.

Hex

Read 3 Hex reviews

1,944 Views
1,944 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

SAP BusinessObjects Busines...

Read 114 SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence reviews

15,752 Views
10,869 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Hex

SAP BusinessObjects Busines...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

SAP BusinessObjects and Hex compete in the business intelligence domain. Hex is considered to have an edge due to its innovative and cutting-edge features.

Features: SAP BusinessObjects provides comprehensive reporting, analytics tools, and a broad range of integration options. Hex offers advanced data exploration, collaboration tools, and a modern interface, making it ideal for decision-making and teamwork.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SAP BusinessObjects requires a traditional on-premise deployment, needing dedicated IT resources for setup and maintenance. Hex benefits from a cloud-based deployment model, offering quick setup and responsive customer service, particularly advantageous for agile teams.

Pricing and ROI: SAP BusinessObjects involves higher initial setup costs, suitable for organizations with larger budgets focused on detailed analytics, achieving ROI over a longer period. Hex offers a cost-effective entry with rapid ROI through its user-friendly approach and collaborative tools, making it attractive for organizations needing quick insights.

To learn more, read our detailed Hex vs. SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Hex vs. SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence

September 2026

Download the complete report

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Hex

Ranking in BI (Business Intelligence) Tools

22nd

Average Rating

9.4

Reviews Sentiment

5.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SAP BusinessObjects Busines...

Ranking in BI (Business Intelligence) Tools

5th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

114

Ranking in other categories

Data Visualization (4th)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the BI (Business Intelligence) Tools category, the mindshare of Hex is 0.7%, down from 1.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence is 2.9%, down from 3.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

BI (Business Intelligence) Tools Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence	2.9%
Hex	0.7%
Other	96.4%

BI (Business Intelligence) Tools

Featured Reviews

Aman Thapa

Data Scientist at Mathco

Transforms analytics with seamless integrations and AI-driven insights for quick decision-making

The best features Hex offers are rich analytics, seamless integrations, ease of use, flexibility, an intuitive interface, and powerful AI features, which I find very valuable.The unique aspects of Hex that stand out compared to other BI tools include its ease of use and flexibility, as well as its ability to seamlessly integrate SQL and Python for data analysis. Its intuitive interface and powerful AI features enable us to gain quick insights and efficient collaboration, making it a very valuable tool for both technical and non-technical users. Hex provides good data security and governance through access controls and permission management, so I feel confident using its AI features. I believe it has been reliable regarding data security. Using Hex's AI has been very helpful; it has been accurate and reliable, generally providing correct and useful outputs for data analysis and SQL generation. Hex integrates very seamlessly with other AWS services we use, especially with Amazon Redshift and Amazon S3, making connecting data straightforward.

Read full review

TarunKumar7

Senior Data Engineer at LTI LATAM and Toubro Improtech

Data insights have driven faster financial forecasts and improved role-based decision making

The best features SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform offers include cross-enterprise sharing, where sharing insights is easier and seamless across my organization, and creating role-based dashboards. The role-based dashboards help my team and organization by providing information to specific users, allowing them to make decisions more easily, anytime, anywhere, across any device. SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform has positively impacted my organization by allowing us to perform financial reporting to make decisions faster. Since we started using SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform, we have been able to make faster, data-driven business decisions based on actual data insights and data analysis, which has accelerated our ability to make better decisions for our business productivity.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The best features Hex offers are rich analytics, seamless integrations, ease of use, flexibility, an intuitive interface, and powerful AI features, which I find very valuable."

"Hex has positively impacted my organization by improving my productivity."

"Hex offers excellent features that make it fast and easy to use."

"The Business Object tool from SAP has provided the business with reports both in graphical and table (spreadsheet) form."

"Since we started using SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform, we have been able to make faster, data-driven business decisions based on actual data insights and data analysis, which has accelerated our ability to make better decisions for our business productivity."

"Has features that can be leveraged to scale out and scale up."

"It is definitely useful as an integrated platform for medium or large enterprises which require a modern information management solution."

"During the first of the 10 years we used it, it was a very valuable reporting product."

"The most important feature of BusinessObjects is its integration with the SAP ERP system. If an organization is using SAP as its ERP system, and they want to do business intelligence, reporting, or analysis, SAP BusinessObjects is the only tool that I see doing that quite efficiently. That's because of the fact it is tightly integrated, and it gives a good user experience in terms of faster reporting. Its integration is the feature that I have found most valuable, but there are also other factors."

"The solution can scale."

"I like the fact that we can integrate it seamlessly within our Epic environment, but probably the best thing that Crystal Reports offers is the ability to do visualizations. They're simple to do, and they're catchy. So, it is a really great tool."

More SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence pros

Cons

"Hex can be improved if they could implement new models because there are new LLMs appearing on a weekly basis, and they are still using the same one."

"Notebooks can quickly become messy once you start creating many cells in the same notebook, making it easy to lose your place while scrolling to find the cell you are looking for."

"Integrations with things like Active Directory and LDAP tend to be a little complex."

"SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform is lacking dashboards and this would be the only reason we are looking for another solution."

"ROI for the reporting product alone, as a component in a whole stack of things contributing to ROI, is in my view a minor contributor."

"In Design Studio version 1.6, when creating a custom geo map component, we are not able to associate a shape layer with data sources."

"Previously there was the Discussion board function, but it was not good and no one used it."

"I really want SAP to focus on the dashboarding side. Based on what I have seen in the past 10 years, dashboarding has captured a lot of markets. Executives at the top-level want data that is summarized, looks good, and tells you a story. That's where Tableau, Qlik, and Power BI have an upper edge. It doesn't mean SAP doesn't give you dashboarding. They do have a dashboarding solution, but Tableau, Qlik, and Power BI are more intuitive and more attractive. I would like SAP to capture the dashboarding market as well, wherein they give at least some competition to other competitors. Presently, Tableau, Qlik, and Power BI are leading the market."

"SAP does force users to manage it a certain way, specifically around queries, and does not integrate well with other platforms, or lacks a certain level of flexibility."

"When we implemented BusinessObjects, the setup was straightforward. After SAP bought BusinessObjects, it gradually became more and more stepwise. There are too many steps, and they take too much time."

More SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"The price and the pricing model are fine. We find the solution does not give us a lot of additional value."

"Just work with SAP to make sure you have enough licenses but don't go overboard."

"There's no additional charge for a Development environment license, so build an additional development server."

"The product's pricing falls on the spectrum's cheaper side, excluding its licensing cost. The product's pricing is good compared to other tools in the market. My company makes payments towards the licensing costs of the product on a yearly basis."

"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."

"It is not an expensive platform. The licensing is for a package of users starting at 10 users."

"SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform is an expensive application."

"The platform's pricing needs to be revised."

More SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence pricing and cost advice

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Comparison Review

it_user6663

BI Expert at a transportation company with 51-200 employees

May 25, 2013

SAP Business Objects vs. Microsoft BI

A quick look at the whole idea on another weblogs gives you a sense that all of them just talked about very brief things like report refresh feature in BO or cube feature in MS Analysis Service. I choose MS BI and I want to share my reasons and opinions on why I choose it and give you another quick…

Read full review

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

11%

Construction Company

Comms Service Provider

Retailer

Outsourcing Company

11%

Construction Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	34
Midsize Enterprise	20
Large Enterprise	67

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Hex?

Hex can be improved if they could implement new models because there are new LLMs appearing on a weekly basis, and they are still using the same one. It would be nice if Hex would have a feature to...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Hex?

My main use case for Hex is that I use it daily as my transcription tool. It is really lightweight and easy to use. As a transcription tool in my daily workflow, Hex helps me to speak faster than w...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Hex?

Regarding Hex's AI capabilities, I think it is secured because it is using a local model. Regarding Hex's AI capabilities, its accuracy and reliability of output are quite nice, and it is one of th...

See all answers

Seeking lightweight open source BI software

There are many...It would rather depend what System BI architecture or Enterprise legacy you have at your end...I would recommend as follows: 1) If you have legacies of SAP, Oracle - look for SAP...

See all answers

Tableau vs. Business Objects - Which is a better solution for visualization and analysis?

Both tools have their positives and negatives. First, I should mention that I am relatively new to Tableau. I have been working on and off Tableau for about a year, but getting to work on it consta...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform?

SAP BTP is an expensive solution.

See all answers

Comparisons

Sigma vs Hex

Compared 19% of the time

Tableau Enterprise vs Hex

Compared 12% of the time

ThoughtSpot vs Hex

Compared 9% of the time

Mode Enterprise vs Hex

Compared 7% of the time

Zoho Analytics vs Hex

Compared 2% of the time

More Hex Competitors

SAP Business Data Cloud vs SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence

Compared 20% of the time

Microsoft Power BI vs SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence

Compared 6% of the time

Tableau Enterprise vs SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence

Compared 5% of the time

Oracle OBIEE vs SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence

Compared 4% of the time

IBM Cognos vs SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence

Compared 3% of the time

More SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

BI (Business Intelligence) Tools

October 2026

Download Hex product report

Buyer's Guide

SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence

October 2026

SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence report

Download SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence product report

Also Known As

No data available

SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform, SAP BusinessObjects, Business Objects, SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards, SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio

Overview

Hex is a modern platform designed for data professionals to collaborate and share insights efficiently, improving teamwork and decision-making processes through a focus on analytics and data management.

Hex offers a comprehensive suite of tools that cater to the analytical needs of data teams. It is built to support collaborative workflows, enabling users to seamlessly share insights and conduct data-driven storytelling. Its versatility allows for integration with diverse data sources, making it a valuable asset in any data-driven organization. The platform continuously evolves by incorporating user feedback, though there is room for improvement in areas such as integration capabilities and user experience to enhance overall functionality.

What are Hex's valuable features?

Collaboration: Facilitates teamwork by allowing multiple users to work on projects simultaneously.
Data Integration: Supports seamless connectivity with numerous data sources.
Interactive Visualizations: Enables the creation of dynamic charts and graphs for better data storytelling.
Version Control: Ensures data integrity and facilitates project tracking with version history.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Efficiency: Saves time through streamlined data workflows and enhanced collaboration features.
Scalability: Easily adapts to growing data needs, supporting both small teams and larger enterprises.
Cost-Effectiveness: Reduces expenses by integrating multiple analytics tools into one platform.
Innovation: Maintains competitive edge by regularly updating features based on user feedback.

In industries like finance and healthcare, Hex is applied to improve data analytics and reporting. It allows professionals to draw meaningful insights from large datasets, streamline analytical processes, and enhance cross-functional collaboration, leading to data-driven decision-making and strategic growth.

Hex

SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform offers powerful tools for enterprise reporting and data visualization, enhancing strategic decision-making through robust integration and secure analytics capabilities.

Designed for comprehensive enterprise reporting, SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform integrates seamlessly with SAP ERP, supporting organizations in creating detailed financial, operational, and academic reports. The platform allows data manipulation across multiple sources using a semantic layer and provides intuitive tools like Web Intelligence and Lumira for user-driven report creation. It features centralized management, versatile connectors, and supports large-scale data analytics critical for business forecasting.

What are the key features of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform?

Integration Capabilities: Seamless connection with SAP ERP and various data sources.
Dynamic Scheduling: Automate report generation for timely insights.
Robust Security: Protects data with stringent security measures.
Semantic Layer: Simplifies data manipulation across sources.
Intuitive Tools: Facilitates user-driven report creation with Web Intelligence and Lumira.

What benefits should be considered in reviews?

Comprehensive Reporting: Enables detailed and accurate enterprise reports.
Decision-Making Support: Enhances strategic decisions with reliable data.
Scalability: Efficiently manages large-scale and complex data analytics.
Versatility in Analysis: Offers flexibility for ad hoc analysis and KPI monitoring.

Organizations across sectors like healthcare, education, insurance, and retail leverage SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform for its capability in facilitating detailed reports and integrating dashboards for key performance indicators. Its extensive reporting features support in-depth analytics vital for business prediction and decision-making processes.

SAP

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

SRAM, Kennametal, Fairfax Water, British American Tobacco, Velux, and FedEx.

Buyer's Guide

Hex vs. SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence

September 2026

Free Report: Hex vs. SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence

Find out what your peers are saying about Hex vs. SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.

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