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SAP Analytics Cloud vs SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform comparison

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Buyer's Guide
SAP Analytics Cloud vs. SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform
November 2022
Executive Summary
Updated on Sep 5, 2022

We performed a comparison between SAP Analytics Cloud vs SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.

  • Ease of Deployment: Users of both products note that they are straightforward and simple to set up.
  • Features: Users of both products are happy with their flexibility, stability, and scalability.

    SAP Analytics Cloud users note that its visualization feature and cloud feature are robust, but it falls short when it comes to integrating with non-SAP systems, big data, and social media.

    SAP BusinessObjects users are happy with its flexibility in report dashboards and automatic drill-downs, but some users report that its user interface could be easier to use and navigate.
  • Pricing: Both solutions’ users report that they are expensive. SAP Analytics Cloud users report the price as reasonable, whereas SAP BusinessObjects feel the price is overly expensive and are dissatisfied with the licensing structure.
  • ROI: Users of both products mentioned being pleased with the ROI.
  • Service and Support: SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform are part of the same company. Their service and support are the same. Most users note that SAP’s support is at times sufficient, at times slow to respond.

Comparison Results: SAP Analytics Cloud has the winning edge in this comparison. Customers were more satisfied with SAP Analytics Cloud’s pricing and robust features.

To learn more, read our detailed SAP Analytics Cloud vs. SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform Report (Updated: November 2022).
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657,397 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Wonjae BAE
Changed the culture of meetings for our client with data-driven management
SAP Analytics Cloud changed the culture of meetings with data-driven management for our client. It modernized everything.
Anonymous User
Researched SAP Analytics Cloud but chose SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform: A scalable solution for large organizations
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"We mainly use Analytics Cloud because it integrates with other SAP solutions. Our ERP is an SAP product, and our back-end is SAP Business Warehouse, so integration is an essential factor.""The reporting, dashboards, KPIs, and visualization are the most valuable.""A robust solution.""Data integration is very good.""The features that I have found most valuable with SAP ERP products are their good user interface, stability, functionality, and good interface options.""The most valuable features are the analytical application and the user story.""Planning and integration are the most valuable features. It is useful for planning, and it is useful for integrating with on-prem or cloud SAP solutions.""The features that are most valuable in SAP Analytics Cloud are the planning feature and the predictive analytics feature, though the planning feature needs to be more efficient."

More SAP Analytics Cloud Pros →

"The feature that allows pivot users to create the report dashboards and run them when they want with a lot of flexibility with the drill-downs is very useful. The drill-down features are very good because, in other solutions, such as Excel, you have to create separate pivot tables and a lot of other operations to do drill-downs. SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform tool does the drill-downs automatically. Overall the solution is user-friendly and has a lot of drag and drop features.""It provides flexibility for creating reports. It is very good for creating highly-complex reports. I like this solution because when I buy BusinessObjects, it comes with many components, such as reporting, dashboard, and data visualization tools. Its performance is good. It is running on top of SAP BW and SAP HANA.""The platform uses a lot of Java technologies so the performance and system-level management are tricky because it needs a lot of resources.""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.""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.""The features that I have found most valuable are that we are able to build all dashboards with self-service BI and are able to provide our business users with self-service BI. We are building a repository on top of our data warehouse and building all the dashboards and KPIs.""It is more user-friendly and easier to work with the report creation part, creating reports out of an established universe. Maybe a business person could liberate the existing universe and create a report on top of it, as well. So that's one cool feature.""To share a metadata service layer, you don't need to add a user or write a SQL query. Instead, you can present a raw database to your end user."

More SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform Pros →

Cons
"The scope is limited to a few accounts.""An additional feature that needs to be added to SAP Analytics Cloud is exporting because right now, you can only export to PDF and PowerPoint. It would be good to have multiple export options, for example, to Excel and other apps. Pricing is an area for improvement in SAP Analytics Cloud, apart from exporting.""Technical support could be more helpful and responsive.""SAP could add more templates to the platform.""It's lacking a bit in maturity and we find we can't run our business off it until it's improved.""I would also like to have more advanced features for predictive analytics.""SAC, which is the cloud version, lost some good features from the previous planning product, like BPC or BPS.""What could be improved in SAP Analytics Cloud is integration, particularly in terms of extracting data from the source system. Currently, its data extraction mechanism doesn't have good integration and needs improvement."

More SAP Analytics Cloud Cons →

"SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform has to be improved performance-wise. The look and feel of this application, its scalability, setup, and technical support also need improvement.""Its price should be better. It is expensive and not cost-effective. It should also be improved in terms of end-user experience. It requires further improvements for usability and ease of use. It should have more dashboarding metrics and much faster integration with ERP so that when you double click, you can instantly see the scenario-based result.""The integration could be improved. The SAP suite has some integration problems and it has some huge development needs. For example, when you use Power BI, if you publish a dataset to the web, there is no issue in seeing the data with the report. The data and report are integrated automatically. Or when you use QlikView, when you publish the QVD file, the report is integrated with QVD. Also, with Tableau, when you publish the data, it's in the hyper database, in the memory, and the dashboard with data is integrated seamlessly. In the SAP side, it's not easy. There are lots of business layers. There are also some performance issues in the SAP BusinessObjects suite. They should focus on the technologies. We are partners and every step of the way, SAP asks us for money. If you want to see the products, the PDFs, if you want to learn the product, online training, etc., everything has a cost on the SAP site. Because of this, partners try to get to know the products on their own. SAP only focuses on the sales side—only money is important for SAP, not the quality. In that way, the operation is not easy on the SAP side. As a suggestion, they should focus on customers first instead of money.""The UI could be updated a bit.""It needs to be more flexible for the end-user.""Recently, it's become less stable if I am working on Citrix.""It could be a lighter solution.""The user interface should be easier to use and navigate."

More SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "It's not that costly as such for the time being."
  • "Its licensing is on a monthly basis."
  • "Compute and storage features should be sold separately."
  • "Its pricing is okay as compared to its competitors."
  • "Its price is slightly on the higher side."
  • "The pricing of this product is reasonable."
  • "This solution is pricey."
  • "The price is competitive. There is a power user license and normal user license, but the normal user license is reasonable."

    • More SAP Analytics Cloud Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Its price is fair."
  • "It is not cost-effective. It is expensive."
  • "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 purchase licenses through Epic. So, we get an Epic price as opposed to the SAP price. If we were going to use other products like Webby that they offer or exclusively use BI Launch Pad, it would cost a lot because half of our employees would touch it in some fashion. So, we use Epic-Crystal integration to keep the licensing cost down. I believe the BI Launch Pad licensing is something like $800 for each, and the Crystal Report licensing is something like $500 for each, but that's not what we pay."
  • "The price and the pricing model are fine. We find the solution does not give us a lot of additional value."
  • "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."
  • "SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform is an expensive application."
  • "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."

    • More SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Which would you choose - Tableau or SAP Analytics Cloud?
    Top Answer:Tableau is easy to set up and maintain. In about a day it is possible for the entire platform to be deployed for use. This relatively short amount of time can make all the difference for companies… more »
    Read all 6 answers   →
    What do you like most about SAP Analytics Cloud?
    Top Answer:Its user-friendliness is valuable. It is a product for end-users and not for IT, which is an advantage.
    Read all 22 answers   →
    What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAP Analytics Cloud?
    Top Answer:Its pricing is fair when compared to its competitors.
    Read all 11 answers   →
    Seeking lightweight open source BI software
    Top Answer: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… more »
    Read all 8 answers   →
    Tableau vs. Business Objects - Which is a better solution for visualizati...
    Top Answer: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… more »
    Read all 18 answers   →
    What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAP BusinessObjec...
    Top Answer:This is a standard licensing fee. It is not a subscription model, but you must purchase a perpetual license for this.
    Read all 18 answers   →
    Ranking
    6th
    out of 56 in BI (Business Intelligence) Tools
    Views
    14,495
    Comparisons
    10,052
    Reviews
    28
    Average Words per Review
    458
    Rating
    8.1
    3rd
    out of 56 in BI (Business Intelligence) Tools
    Views
    13,154
    Comparisons
    10,150
    Reviews
    33
    Average Words per Review
    659
    Rating
    7.8
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    SAP BusinessObjects Cloud
    SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform, SAP BusinessObjects, Business Objects
    Learn More
    SAP
    SAP
    Overview

    SAP Analytics Cloud is an all-in-one Software-as-a-Service business intelligence tool that provides the key functionalities of an analytics tool to SAP business users. This tool is built on HANA Business Intelligence (BI) platform, providing analytics from data collected from multiple sources, such as ERP, Microsoft SQL, and Salesforce, among other solutions.

    You can use SAP Analytics Cloud to compile data and perform ad-hoc reporting and analysis for predictive planning. SAP Analytics Cloud collects and analyzes the raw data from transactional systems into intelligent insights that allow you to make better decisions.

    SAP Analytics Cloud uses machine learning to clean up data, identify errors, and issues, and suggest optimization or filtering options. You can use the modeling feature in Analytics Cloud to create hierarchies and get deeper data insights.

    The three core functions of SAP Analytics Cloud consist of Planning, Predictive Analysis, and Business Intelligence as a holistic SaaS solution that offers real-time analysis to business leaders.

    SAP Analytics Cloud Capabilities

    • Data discovery
    • Machine learning
    • Integrated financial and business planning
    • Predictive analysis
    • Automated data cleansing
    • Custom widgets
    • Mobile extension
    • Role-based customization
    • Data exploration and visualization

    SAP Analytics Cloud Key Features

    • Augmented analytics: SAP Analytics Cloud allows organizations to make the most of AI (Artificial Intelligence)-powered analytics through augmented analytics. It includes a Search to Insight feature that enables users not skilled or experienced in data science to access and use the platform.

      These smart insight tools allow organizations to visualize business data without manual intervention. By combining multiple machine learning algorithms, SAP Analytics Cloud automates predictive analysis so that organizations can have significant insight into secured data.
    • Enterprise planning: As SAP Analytics Cloud is an all-in-one financial planning and analysis solution, organizations can use it to align strategies across all departments. It allows end-to-end, data-driven planning decisions via financial modeling, allocations, smart insights, and automated reporting.

      The Zero-based budgeting feature allows for an effective resources allocation with built-in collaboration tools. The finance team can collaborate easily, create budget templates and make accurate decisions.

    SAP Analytics Cloud Benefits

    • Real-time cloud insights: SAP Analytics Cloud makes it easy for users at every level to generate instant insights and improve data-driven decision-making. With SAP Analytics Cloud, you can have immediate and central access to all figures, diagrams, insights, and evaluations for every employee on every device and updated in real time.

    • Customizable dashboard: You can customize your dashboard according to your requirements. This customization means you can easily access all the relevant data on a single pane of vision tailored to your business.

    • Collaborative planning: As an all-in-one platform, SAP Analytics Cloud integrates the multiple aspects of a business into a single solution, including finance, HR, sales, and supply chain management.

    • Data on any device: You can integrate SAP Analytics Cloud with SAP S/4 HANA and deploy insights to Android and iOS devices. The SAP S/4 HANA integration also enables the rolling out of changes to multiple files and devices from a central location, so you can carry your business operations on the go over a secured cloud network.

    • In-memory technology: Since it is based on SAP HANA in-memory technology, SAP Analytics Cloud can process massive amounts of data in a short time.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Segun O., SAP HANA Developer at SOA PEOPLE, says that "The most valuable features are on the application side, where you can design applications into your analytics on the platform."

    The Head of Finance Enterprise Application at a computer software company adds that "The visualization feature is the most valuable. SAP Analytics Cloud is also very easy to use."

    "Its many features make it the best in the market," sums up a Consultor SAP Business Object, Sap Analytics Cloud at a tech services company.

    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence is a centralized suite for data reporting, visualization, and sharing. SAP BusinessObjects BI provides a flexible, scalable platform that leverages up-to-date technologies and a comprehensive range of data sources to transform data into valuable insights, available anytime, anywhere.

    SAP BusinessObjects BI’s central, user-friendly, web-based interface provides simple data access and interactive analysis through a variety of customizable graphical reporting formats. Intelligent reporting, analysis, and a sophisticated dashboard allow users to ask business questions involving multiple data sources using their own business terms.

    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Key Features

    • Central management: Access all your BI from a single, central launchpad that can be customized to meet user-specific needs. The launchpad provides business users with access to all their BI tools, reports, notifications, and applications in a single place. This includes the ability to launch SAP Analytics Cloud.

    • Data visualization and analytics: Create powerful visualizations, dashboards, and applications to assess risk, improve efficiency, identify opportunities, and enable users to analyze developments and data. Business insights can be shared with colleagues across enterprises.

    • Integration with Microsoft Office: Integrate with SAP Business Warehouse and SAP HANA to power real-time analytics. For large-scale data analysis, you can integrate with Microsoft Excel to discover in-depth business insights and forecasts. Data analytics information can also be embedded into Microsoft PowerPoint presentations.

    • Cloud support: Extend and expand your BI on the cloud. SAP Analytics Cloud connects your BI to the cloud and offers enterprise planning and advanced analytics from a single online solution.

    Reviews from Real Users

    SAP BusinessObjects BI stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Several major ones are its user-friendly dashboard, its impressive reporting and analytic features, and its ability to integrate with multiple solutions.

    A managing partner at a tech services company writes, "One of the most valuable features of SAP BusinessObjects is that it's not a dashboarding solution. It's a real product. You can create operational reports and publish it to anyone. You can create schedules. You can create a Universe, semantic layers. There's also a security configuration. It's a huge product, so if there is a business need, SAP BusinessObjects can cover it."

    An associate manager at a consultancy notes, "It provides flexibility for creating reports. It is very good for creating highly complex reports. I like this solution because when I buy BusinessObjects, it comes with many components, such as reporting, dashboard, and data visualization tools. Its performance is good. It is running on top of SAP BW and SAP HANA."

    A manager of data analytics and interfaces at a healthcare company says, "It has got great flexibility. As a reporting tool, it has a great deal of flexibility for numerous data resources that you can bring into it. It allows you to write your SQL query directly within the product. It has great visualization. 

    Offer
    Learn more about SAP Analytics Cloud
    Learn More
    Learn more about SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform
    Learn More
    Sample Customers
    Live Oak Bank
    SRAM, Kennametal, Fairfax Water, British American Tobacco, Velux, and FedEx.
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company22%
    Government11%
    Manufacturing Company11%
    Retailer11%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company20%
    Comms Service Provider9%
    Manufacturing Company9%
    Financial Services Firm7%
    REVIEWERS
    Manufacturing Company20%
    Healthcare Company12%
    Energy/Utilities Company8%
    Retailer6%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company17%
    Financial Services Firm12%
    Comms Service Provider9%
    Government9%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business30%
    Midsize Enterprise19%
    Large Enterprise51%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business16%
    Midsize Enterprise13%
    Large Enterprise71%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business29%
    Midsize Enterprise16%
    Large Enterprise55%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business16%
    Midsize Enterprise12%
    Large Enterprise71%
    Buyer's Guide
    SAP Analytics Cloud vs. SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform
    November 2022
    Free Report: SAP Analytics Cloud vs. SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform
    Find out what your peers are saying about SAP Analytics Cloud vs. SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform and other solutions. Updated: November 2022.
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    657,397 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    SAP Analytics Cloud is ranked 6th in BI (Business Intelligence) Tools with 28 reviews while SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform is ranked 3rd in BI (Business Intelligence) Tools with 33 reviews. SAP Analytics Cloud is rated 8.0, while SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform is rated 7.8. The top reviewer of SAP Analytics Cloud writes "Easy to set up with good forecasting capabilities but requires knowledge of programming languages". On the other hand, the top reviewer of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform writes "Integrates very well with SAP ERP, allows you to scale up or down anytime, and is absolutely trustworthy". SAP Analytics Cloud is most compared with Tableau, Microsoft BI, IBM Planning Analytics, Oracle Analytics Cloud and IBM Cognos, whereas SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform is most compared with Microsoft BI, Oracle OBIEE, MicroStrategy, IBM Cognos and Qlik Sense. See our SAP Analytics Cloud vs. SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform report.

    See our list of best BI (Business Intelligence) Tools vendors.

    We monitor all BI (Business Intelligence) Tools reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.