SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence vs ibi WebFOCUS comparison

SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence vs. ibi WebFOCUS

January 2023

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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:

ROI

Sentiment score

6.7

Using ibi WebFOCUS, significant cost savings are achieved with improved processes and high returns, reducing downtime expenses.

Sentiment score

5.8

SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform offers varying ROI, with potential savings and positive returns, depending on usage and implementation scale.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the ibi WebFOCUS report

The initial investment will be more, but the ROI is also good, so they can consider it if they're looking for something in the long run.

Yashwanth H R

Associate Software Enginner at Siddaganga Institute of Technology

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.

EmmanuelOladinrin

Data Analytics Manager at Dangote Industries Limited

I have seen a return on investment so far in the form of saved time and resources.

For more quotes and insights, download the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence report

SAP Consultant at Sierra Digital Inc

Customer Service

Sentiment score

3.6

ibi WebFOCUS support is knowledgeable and prompt, with personalized service, though reaching experts for advanced issues may be challenging.

Sentiment score

6.5

SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform support is mixed, with some praising reliability and others noting slow, complex issue handling.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the ibi WebFOCUS report

The support available for SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform is accessible 24 hours and seven days a week.

Kouadio Enock Kouame

Student at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

I would rate their technical support as excellent.

reviewer2706471

IT at a marketing services firm with 10,001+ employees

Customer support for SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform is responsive, aggressive, and always professional.

TarunKumar7

Senior Data Engineer at LTI LATAM and Toubro Improtech

For more quotes and insights, download the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

8.6

ibi WebFOCUS efficiently manages large-scale applications, supporting both small and large entities, impressing diverse sectors with scalability.

Sentiment score

7.6

SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform is scalable and adaptable, though some report complexity issues in specific scalability scenarios.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the ibi WebFOCUS report

The scalability of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform is adequate; it is very scalable and grows with my organization's needs.

TarunKumar7

Senior Data Engineer at LTI LATAM and Toubro Improtech

I rate the scalability of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform as a nine due to performance issues related to optimizing parts.

For more quotes and insights, download the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence report

SAP Consultant at Sierra Digital Inc

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

8.3

Users praise ibi WebFOCUS for its stability, quick issue resolution, and lower maintenance compared to IBM products.

Sentiment score

6.9

SAP BusinessObjects is generally stable, dependable, but performance can vary with configuration, sizing, and resource management challenges.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the ibi WebFOCUS report

When they tried upgrading from 4.2 to 4.3, they found it buggy in some reports, which was quite problematic.

Declan Dempsey

Senior Consultant at Keyrus

For more quotes and insights, download the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence report

Room For Improvement

Users seek an intuitive interface, improved documentation, simpler security, better SQL embedding, and enhanced charting and training in ibi WebFOCUS.

SAP BusinessObjects needs better integration, improved UI, enhanced scalability, reduced licensing complexity, and improved self-service BI for broader adoption.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the ibi WebFOCUS report

SAP BusinessObjects is expected to be phased out by 2027 as reports are moving to SAP Analytics Cloud.

Mo Sayed

SAP enterpise cloud architect at ECC Experienced Certified Consulting

We need to speed up the performance of our tool because it is slower compared to the SAP Analytics Cloud tool.

For more quotes and insights, download the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence report

SAP Consultant at Sierra Digital Inc

I would appreciate integration with Outlook as an additional feature in the future to make it closer to a perfect score.

reviewer2706471

IT at a marketing services firm with 10,001+ employees

Setup Cost

ibi WebFOCUS offers competitive, scalable pricing with a CPU-based license, ideal for enterprises focused on BI and process improvement.

SAP BusinessObjects BI is costly and complex, best for large enterprises with significant data needs, compared to cheaper alternatives.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the ibi WebFOCUS report

SAP BTP is an expensive solution.

Yashwanth H R

Associate Software Enginner at Siddaganga Institute of Technology

The price is very competitive and reliable.

reviewer2706471

IT at a marketing services firm with 10,001+ employees

I rate the pricing for SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform as a seven or eight.

For more quotes and insights, download the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence report

SAP Consultant at Sierra Digital Inc

Valuable Features

WebFOCUS provides intuitive visualization, robust connectivity, flexible reporting, and reliable scheduling, supporting comprehensive data integration and application development.

SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform offers dynamic scheduling, robust security, and seamless data integration, enhancing reporting efficiency and decision-making.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the ibi WebFOCUS report

For calculations, SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform outperforms all other tools such as Power BI and Tableau, showing more accuracy, reliability, and flexibility compared to all other BI tools worldwide.

For more quotes and insights, download the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence report

SAP Consultant at Sierra Digital Inc

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.

TarunKumar7

Senior Data Engineer at LTI LATAM and Toubro Improtech

The best feature about it for me, and for them, is the fact that you have a universe that is well made.

Declan Dempsey

Senior Consultant at Keyrus

Categories and Ranking

ibi WebFOCUS

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Predictive Analytics (8th), Embedded BI (15th)

SAP BusinessObjects Busines...

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

114

Ranking in other categories

BI (Business Intelligence) Tools (6th), Data Visualization (5th)

Mindshare comparison

While both are Business Intelligence solutions, they serve different purposes. ibi WebFOCUS is designed for Predictive Analytics and holds a mindshare of 4.2%, up 1.5% compared to last year.
SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence, on the other hand, focuses on BI (Business Intelligence) Tools, holds 2.4% mindshare, down 3.9% since last year.

Predictive Analytics Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
ibi WebFOCUS	4.2%
Alteryx	6.9%
SAP Business Data Cloud	6.1%
Other	82.8%

Predictive Analytics

BI (Business Intelligence) Tools Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence	2.4%
Microsoft Power BI	8.0%
Tableau Enterprise	6.0%
Other	83.6%

BI (Business Intelligence) Tools

Q&A Highlights

Ariel Lindenfeld

VP Product at PeerSpot

Mar 28, 2014

What are some of the reporting tools in WebFOCUS vs. Business Objects?

I don't want to interfere in a community discussion, but I need to note that the information posted by Nurul Haszeli isn't good to work from. The Microstrategy brief is old and contains statements that were badly inaccurate even when it was created. The Summary of New Features document is for WebFOCUS 5.2, while the latest release is WebFOCUS 8. The technologyevaluation.com link is from 2000. WebFOCUS Express is not the full product. The NCAT document is for an old version as well. Please disregard the content provided in that answer. Current information is available from http://www.informationbuilders.com. Disclosure: I work for Information Builders

Business Intelligence, reporting, data integration, ETL, data migration - everything is handled within one unified platform and highly scalable solution.

Featured Reviews

Twanette Jurd

Technical Director / Solutions Architect at InfoBuild

WebFOCUS goes beyond just dashboards. It's also used for operational reporting, making it crucial for mission-critical systems. In fact, a core strength is that it's not "just" a BI tool; it can be used to build complete applications. It is the best tool because of its all-in-one nature. Data integration, ETL, data migration, everything is handled within the same platform. Then, on the front end, it offers portals, reporting, distributed analysis, and more. For customers who have data in the right structure and right format, the WebFOCUS Designer tool is very powerful. It allows them to create self-service reporting applications.

Read full review

EmmanuelOladinrin

Data Analytics Manager at Dangote Industries Limited

Solution empowers self-service reporting and delivers comprehensive performance insights

Empowering business users means they should be able to work independently without depending on the developer. One advantage of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform is self-service capabilities, allowing users to do drag and drop to build their own reports and perform analyses without needing technical know-how.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. With the cloud version, I can fetch data on-premises and to the cloud for analysis easily. It is so flexible that I can make choices for fetching data. For authentication in an SAP environment, I can choose to integrate with SAP logon for SSO or use AD authentication for convenience, along with the flexible integration options.

Read full review

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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

Answers from the Community

Ariel Lindenfeld

VP Product at PeerSpot

Mar 25, 2014

What are some of the reporting tools in WebFOCUS vs. Business Objects?

2 out of 6 answers

it_user6534

BI Expert at a retailer with 501-1,000 employees

Mar 23, 2014

I could answer the Business Objects questions ... Webfocus is not my expertise.

Read full answer

it_user78798

Director of Data Analytics at a healthcare company

Mar 23, 2014

I can provide some feedback on WebFOCUS, and have SOME experience in BO. What questions can I answer for you?

Read full answer

See all 6 answers

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

13%

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	14

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	32
Midsize Enterprise	20
Large Enterprise	68

Questions from the Community

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

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...

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...

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

SAP BTP is an expensive solution.

Tableau Enterprise vs ibi WebFOCUS

Comparisons

Compared 17% of the time

Microsoft Power BI vs ibi WebFOCUS

Compared 11% of the time

Red Hat Lightspeed vs ibi WebFOCUS

Compared 11% of the time

PredicSis vs ibi WebFOCUS

Compared 9% of the time

Zoho Analytics vs ibi WebFOCUS

Compared 4% of the time

More ibi WebFOCUS Competitors

SAP Business Data Cloud vs SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence

Compared 26% of the time

Microsoft Power BI vs SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence

Compared 8% of the time

Tableau Enterprise vs SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence

Compared 6% of the time

Oracle OBIEE vs SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence

Compared 5% of the time

IBM Cognos vs SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence

Compared 4% of the time

More SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Competitors

Product Reports

Download ibi WebFOCUS product report

ibi WebFOCUS

April 2026

SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence

March 2026

SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence report

Download SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence product report

Also Known As

WebFOCUS

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

Overview

WebFOCUS is a strategic enterprise business intelligence (BI) and analytics platform that enables any executive, manager, analyst, employee, partner, or customer to execute smarter business from trusted data. The platform includes cutting-edge capabilities that provide organizations with everything they need to turn data into insight, and insight into impact.

Information Builders

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

Ace Hardware, AutoZone, Fred Hutch, MasterCard, OFS Brands, PostFinance, Real D, Yellow Pages, ABC Financial, AcuSport, BBVA, Babcock

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