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SAP Business Data Cloud vs SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 15, 2026

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
5.6
SAP Business Data Cloud improves ROI by enhancing analytics, streamlining processes, and reducing costs, benefiting financial performance and management.
Sentiment score
5.8
SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform offers varying ROI, with potential savings and positive returns, depending on usage and implementation scale.
We have saved a lot on the number of employees, and implementation time for the projects has reduced significantly since we started using the standard features of SAP Business Data Cloud.
Principal Architect at a tech consulting company with 501-1,000 employees
There is a return on investment with SAP Business Data Cloud, as it saves money because it performs results quickly and easily, facilitating integrations and speeding up operations compared to other analytics tools, thereby saving time and money.
Consultant-SAP GRC at a tech consulting company with 201-500 employees
The positive impact I see from the product is that it saves me time, approximately 10 to 20%, not more than that.
Director & Co Owner at INFRABEAT TECHNOLOGIES PVT LTD
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.
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.
Data Analytics Manager at Dangote Industries Limited
I have seen a return on investment so far in the form of saved time and resources.
SAP Consultant at Sierra Digital Inc
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.0
SAP Business Data Cloud's customer service is mixed, with users noting variable response times and technical expertise.
Sentiment score
6.5
SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform support is mixed, with some praising reliability and others noting slow, complex issue handling.
The technical support is a very well-organized service, with a lot of tools for me as a consultant and for the end user on how to contact SAP support and get issues solved.
Competence Leader - BI at Sabris CZ s.r.o.
For example, when I provide a set of instructions, they often simply ask me to implement those steps without checking whether they are applicable.
Lead Analyst at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
We are satisfied with the technical support from SAP because when we reached out, we were able to get very good support from SAP colleagues.
Project Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
I would rate their technical support as excellent.
IT at a marketing services firm with 10,001+ employees
I have experience with SAP technical support and have supported customers, including those in financial services.
Data Analytics Manager at Dangote Industries Limited
Sometimes, they forward my ticket to the technical team, especially when my issue involves technical aspects that basis people may not be familiar with.
SAP Consultant at Sierra Digital Inc
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
SAP Business Data Cloud offers scalability for diverse users, supporting long-term growth with a roadmap extending to 2040.
Sentiment score
7.6
SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform is scalable and adaptable, though some report complexity issues in specific scalability scenarios.
SAP Analytics Cloud can be used by a small company, and it can be used by a large corporate.
Competence Leader - BI at Sabris CZ s.r.o.
Since SAP has consolidated everything on one platform, there is ample room to expand as much as needed.
Sap Data & Analytics Consultant at Dezert Innovation Technology Company
I would rate its scalability up to nine on a scale of one to ten.
Project Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
The scalability of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform is adequate; it is very scalable and grows with my organization's needs.
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.
SAP Consultant at Sierra Digital Inc
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
SAP Business Data Cloud is rated stable and reliable, but some users note connectivity and performance issues under load.
Sentiment score
6.9
SAP BusinessObjects is generally stable, dependable, but performance can vary with configuration, sizing, and resource management challenges.
You have a chance to test it on your test tenant in small increments, so it should not break your productive reports and productive environment.
Competence Leader - BI at Sabris CZ s.r.o.
Other than during these quarterly release periods, the availability is excellent.
Sap Data & Analytics Consultant at Dezert Innovation Technology Company
In a typical quarter, the availability has been over 99%; in a few cases, it dropped to around 98.5%.
Lead Analyst at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
When they tried upgrading from 4.2 to 4.3, they found it buggy in some reports, which was quite problematic.
Senior Consultant at Keyrus
 

Room For Improvement

SAP Business Data Cloud needs better integration, visualization, analytics tools, and pricing to enhance connectivity and address current limitations.
SAP BusinessObjects needs better integration, improved UI, enhanced scalability, reduced licensing complexity, and improved self-service BI for broader adoption.
On the other hand, it is perfectly fitting to the SAP environment, with seamless integration to all SAP modules, not only ERP but also SuccessFactors and other tools from the SAP family.
Competence Leader - BI at Sabris CZ s.r.o.
If SAP can come up with innovative options to reduce licensing costs, many customers would incline toward SAP Business Data Cloud.
Principal Architect at a tech consulting company with 501-1,000 employees
With theory alone, I am learning only basics, but with technical components, the content is more detailed and allows me to understand and implement what I have learned.
Infrastructure Specialist at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
I've worked with other tools, for example, Microsoft Power BI, which is visualization-wise very strong.
Senior Consultant at Keyrus
SAP BusinessObjects is expected to be phased out by 2027 as reports are moving to SAP Analytics Cloud.
SAP enterpise cloud architect at ECC Experienced Certified Consulting
I would appreciate integration with Outlook as an additional feature in the future to make it closer to a perfect score.
IT at a marketing services firm with 10,001+ employees
 

Setup Cost

SAP Business Data Cloud offers robust features with variable pricing, perceived as high yet competitive within the ecosystem.
SAP BusinessObjects BI is costly and complex, best for large enterprises with significant data needs, compared to cheaper alternatives.
Frankly, pricing, setup cost, and licensing seem a bit high compared to other hyperscalers.
Principal Architect at a tech consulting company with 501-1,000 employees
SAP BTP is an expensive solution.
Associate Software Enginner at Siddaganga Institute of Technology
The price is very competitive and reliable.
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.
SAP Consultant at Sierra Digital Inc
 

Valuable Features

SAP Business Data Cloud boosts efficiency and revenue with customizable features, AI integration, seamless connectivity, and insightful dashboards.
SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform offers dynamic scheduling, robust security, and seamless data integration, enhancing reporting efficiency and decision-making.
For SuccessFactors and S/4HANA Cloud, there are pre-built reports available which are commonly used by customers.
Project Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
SAP Business Data Cloud has positively impacted my organization by federating SAP data, which is now available for all to use.
Associate director, SAP technical at a outsourcing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The main standout feature is BDC Connect, as it is very useful for sharing data without replicating to third-party tools such as Enterprise Databricks, Snowflake or even in the near future, Google BigQuery as well as Microsoft Fabric.
Principal Architect at a tech consulting company with 501-1,000 employees
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.
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.
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.
Senior Consultant at Keyrus
 

Categories and Ranking

SAP Business Data Cloud
Ranking in BI (Business Intelligence) Tools
3rd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
86
Ranking in other categories
Data Integration (10th), Business Performance Management (3rd), Cloud Analytics (2nd), Predictive Analytics (2nd), Data Governance (9th), Cloud Data Warehouse (10th)
SAP BusinessObjects Busines...
Ranking in BI (Business Intelligence) Tools
6th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
114
Ranking in other categories
Data Visualization (5th)
 

Featured Reviews

Pavlina Pankova - PeerSpot reviewer
Competence Leader - BI at Sabris CZ s.r.o.
Brings reporting, planning, and prediction together in one seamless workflow
I think the areas of SAP Analytics Cloud that could be improved or enhanced are mentioned by users or companies, and they would definitely mention the price in terms of planning licensing. From a consulting point of view, I don't see any major weaknesses. It is reasonably well-developed, and the perfect strength is that innovations are coming on a quarterly basis. It is slightly behind other tools in terms of the number of graphical outputs. Some tools have it faster, but every increment of innovations contains new features. On the other hand, it is perfectly fitting to the SAP environment, with seamless integration to all SAP modules, not only ERP but also SuccessFactors and other tools from the SAP family, for example, integrated business planning for the production planning. This is really a highlight compared to other tools.
EO
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.
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892,611 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Comparison Review

it_user6663 - PeerSpot reviewer
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…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Construction Company
7%
Retailer
6%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Construction Company
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business27
Midsize Enterprise18
Large Enterprise45
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business32
Midsize Enterprise20
Large Enterprise68
 

Questions from the Community

Which would you choose - Tableau or SAP Analytics Cloud?
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 ...
What do you like most about SAP Analytics Cloud?
In the data warehouse, you're free to make changes. You can make everything text, meaning it's always a string. Even numbers appear as text, giving you the flexibility to work with all columns.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAP Analytics Cloud?
I normally do not deal with the commercials, so I am not aware of the pricing part of it.
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...
 

Also Known As

SAP Analytics Cloud, SAP Digital Boardroom, SAP Analytics Hub
SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform, SAP BusinessObjects, Business Objects, SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards, SAP BusinessObjects Design Studio
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Live Oak Bank
SRAM, Kennametal, Fairfax Water, British American Tobacco, Velux, and FedEx.
Find out what your peers are saying about SAP Business Data Cloud vs. SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
892,611 professionals have used our research since 2012.