Google Looker vs Amazon Quicksight: A Comparative Analysis
Introduction
In the landscape of business intelligence tools, Google Looker and Amazon Quicksight stand out as robust solutions for data analytics and reporting. Each platform offers unique features tailored to different business needs, influencing the choice of organizations looking for data-driven decision-making capabilities.
While Google Looker emphasizes customizable data exploration and Amazon Quicksight focuses on quick insights with machine learning, businesses may seek alternative tools that combine ease of use with powerful functionality.
This page will delve into the specifics of Google Looker and Amazon Quicksight, and introduce how Sourcetable offers a contemporary, spreadsheet-like interface that seamlessly integrates with your data, presenting itself as an innovative option for business intelligence tasks.
What is Google Looker?
Google Looker is a business intelligence platform that is part of the Google Cloud product suite. It is designed to enable users to access, analyze, and take action on their data. As a cloud-based solution, Google Looker provides the infrastructure needed for handling large datasets and complex queries.
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Google Looker is a business intelligence platform that is part of the Google Cloud product suite. It is designed to enable users to access, analyze, and take action on their data. As a cloud-based solution, Google Looker provides the infrastructure needed for handling large datasets and complex queries.
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Core Features
- Facilitates the creation of data experiences by allowing users to build custom applications with trusted metrics.
- Includes chat capabilities that let users interact with their business data.
- Employs generative AI for the development of data-powered applications.
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Integration and Governance
Google Looker supports a self-service model while ensuring data governance. It is capable of integrating with existing BI environments through Looker modeling.
What is Amazon QuickSight?
Amazon QuickSight is a cloud-based business intelligence service that provides insights for organizations. It enables users to connect to various data sources, blend data, and deliver analytics. As a fully managed service, Amazon QuickSight offers enterprise-grade security and global availability, ensuring data safety and accessibility.
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Amazon QuickSight is a cloud-based business intelligence service that provides insights for organizations. It enables users to connect to various data sources, blend data, and deliver analytics. As a fully managed service, Amazon QuickSight offers enterprise-grade security and global availability, ensuring data safety and accessibility.
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Key Features
- Connection to cloud data sources
- Data combination from multiple sources
- Managed service with built-in redundancy
- Enterprise-grade security features
- SPICE in-memory engine for fast responses
- User-management tools for access and control
- Collaborative analytics and dashboard creation
- Automatic forecasting, outlier detection, and trend discovery
- Translation of data into narratives
- Embedding analytics into applications
- Multitenancy support for resellers
- Scripting for dashboard templates
- Simplified access management with folders
- Support for larger data imports and more frequent refreshes
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Economic Value
Amazon QuickSight is designed to offer a low total cost of ownership (TCO) while allowing for scalable and efficient business intelligence solutions.
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Google Looker Features
Integration and Infrastructure |
Google Looker is a core product of Google Cloud, providing enterprise-class business intelligence capabilities. It is seamlessly integrated within the Google Cloud console, offering a unified experience for accessing multiple cloud services. |
Real-Time Data View |
Looker offers a real-time view of data that is fresh, consistent, and governed, ensuring data integrity and timely insights for decision-making. |
Data Exploration and Reporting |
The tool simplifies the creation of reports and dashboards, enhancing productivity in data analysis and sharing insights across an organization. |
Data Modeling with LookML |
Looker utilizes LookML, a SQL-based modeling language, enabling analysts to define and manage business rules and data definitions centrally. The use of Git for version control in LookML models ensures data governance and collaboration. |
Connectivity and Visualization |
Users can connect to Looker's semantic model to analyze, explore, and visualize data using Looker Studio, fostering an environment for proactive insights. |
Extensibility |
Looker's robust APIs and prebuilt integrations allow for customization and extension of its core capabilities, supporting a vast range of business intelligence use cases. |
Amazon Quicksight Features
Browser Support |
Amazon Quicksight provides compatibility with multiple web browsers, ensuring accessibility and convenience for users. Supported browsers include: Legacy support for Internet Explorer was maintained by AWS until July 31, 2022. |
Advantages of Using Google Looker for Business Intelligence
Data Exploration and Visualization
Looker Studio Pro facilitates data exploration, enabling users to answer complex business questions. Its visualization tools help in building clear and interactive dashboards, streamlining the process of reporting and analytics.
Enterprise Capabilities
Designed for medium to large scale environments, Looker Studio Pro provides robust enterprise capabilities. It supports extensive data management and team content, ensuring a scalable solution for growing businesses.
Collaboration and Sharing
With its strong focus on team collaboration, Looker Studio Pro enhances productivity by allowing users to share insights and dashboards efficiently. This feature is critical for teams looking to make data-driven decisions collectively.
Support and Management
Users gain access to enterprise-level support, improving the reliability of business intelligence tasks. Looker Studio Pro's management features allow for the effective governance of team data and resources.
Disadvantages of Google Looker for Business Intelligence
Learning Curve and Usability
Google Looker presents a steep learning curve that can be a significant barrier to new users. The platform is not very intuitive, contributing to a challenging onboarding experience. Furthermore, the lack of readily available training materials and documentation exacerbates the difficulty for users to become proficient.
Performance Issues
Users frequently encounter performance-related issues with Google Looker. The platform is known to be slow and laggy, especially when handling many graphs on a single page. Such performance bottlenecks can hinder efficient reporting and data analysis processes.
Integration and Connectivity
Google Looker lacks seamless connectivity options, making it challenging to integrate with certain data sources. Notably, migrating data from AWS to BigQuery has been reported as a painful process, which can impede the smooth transition to using Looker for businesses with existing datasets.
Sharing and Collaboration
The mechanism for sharing reports and analytics within Looker is complicated, which can be a drawback for teams that rely on collaboration. A complicated sharing process may limit the effectiveness of data-driven decision-making across departments.
Cost and Access Limitations
The expenses associated with onboarding and maintaining Looker can be prohibitive for some businesses. Additionally, stringent access controls imposed by security teams can further restrict the utility of Looker, limiting users' ability to fully leverage the platform's capabilities.
Frequently Asked Questions About Google Looker
What are the hours for Looker Support in Japanese?
Support in Japanese is available from 9:00 AM JST to 5:00 PM JST, Monday through Friday, and from 5:00 PM JST to 9:00 AM JST, Monday through Saturday, including weekends and holidays.
Is Looker Support available for all versions of Looker?
No, Looker Support is only available for instances running an officially supported Looker version.
What do I need to do if I am running a customer-hosted instance with an unsupported Looker version?
You must update to a supported Looker version to receive Looker Support.
Who is eligible to receive Looker Support?
Looker Support is available to users with the Tech Support Editor IAM role and to administrators and developers on instances using Legacy Support.
What is required for original Looker instances to receive support?
Original Looker instances must have the Google Cloud Project number filled in on the Admin General Settings page to obtain Looker Support.
Use Cases for Google Looker
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Reducing client report time
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Modernizing business intelligence
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Embedding analytics in platforms
Advantages of Amazon QuickSight for Business Intelligence
Cost-Effective and Fast Performance
Amazon QuickSight provides a cost-effective solution for business intelligence, ensuring that companies can leverage powerful analytics without a significant investment. Its fast performance accelerates the data analysis process, enabling quicker decision-making.
Interactivity and Multiple Data Sources
The tool's interactivity allows for a dynamic user experience, making data exploration intuitive. Amazon QuickSight's capability to handle multiple data sources simplifies the integration of various data streams into a single analytics platform.
Accessibility and Visualization
With accessibility from multiple devices, Amazon QuickSight ensures that users can access insights anytime, anywhere. Its data visualization capabilities facilitate the clear communication of complex data patterns.
Scalability and Self-Service Analysis
Its scalability supports business growth, adapting to the increasing data demands without compromising performance. Self-service analysis empowers users to conduct independent data exploration, fostering a data-driven culture.
Collaboration and Business Metrics
Amazon QuickSight enables simultaneous usage by tens of thousands of users, enhancing collaborative analysis. It allows users to independently measure business metrics, leading to informed strategic decisions across various business domains.
Disadvantages of Amazon Quicksight for BI Reporting and Data Analytics
Amazon Quicksight presents several limitations for businesses seeking advanced business intelligence (BI) capabilities. These constraints affect data modeling, dataset management, and overall functionality within the BI tool.
Amazon Quicksight presents several limitations for businesses seeking advanced business intelligence (BI) capabilities. These constraints affect data modeling, dataset management, and overall functionality within the BI tool.
Limited Data Modeling Capabilities
Complex data modeling is a challenge in Quicksight, limiting the depth of insights from dashboards.
Dataset Management Constraints
Users face peculiar restrictions when working with child datasets, especially for those derived from datasets with Row-Level Security (RLS) settings. Additionally, creating and loading datasets in Quicksight comes with its own set of unusual limitations.
Restricted Dataset Refresh Options
Quicksight's Graphical User Interface (GUI) does not offer flexible options for dataset refreshing, which can hinder timely data analysis.
Advanced Functionality Limitations
Advanced features in dashboards are limited, restricting the tool's ability to provide comprehensive BI solutions.
Quality and Stability Issues
The platform exhibits a higher incidence of bugs and oversights than one would expect from a mature BI solution.
Lack of Environment Staging
Support for segregated development, quality assurance, and production environments is absent, complicating the development lifecycle.
Inadequate Folder Structure
Quicksight's folder management does not feature real folders, which can lead to organizational challenges.
Version Control Difficulties
The tool does not facilitate easy version control, posing challenges for tracking changes and maintaining consistency across BI assets.
Frequently Asked Questions About Amazon Quicksight
Which browsers are supported by Amazon Quicksight?
Amazon Quicksight supports Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari.
Can I use Internet Explorer to access Amazon Quicksight?
No, AWS support for Internet Explorer ended on 07/31/2022.
What happens if I try to use Amazon Quicksight with a browser that is not supported?
Using Amazon Quicksight with an unsupported browser may result in a suboptimal experience or the service may not work as intended.
Use Cases for Amazon Quicksight
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Creating visual reports and dashboards that combine AWS data, SaaS data, and other sources for comprehensive business analysis
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Delivering actionable insights to team members across an organization for data-driven decision-making
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Connecting and analyzing cloud-based data to identify trends, make forecasts, and detect outliers using machine learning
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Managing user access and ensuring data security for enterprises, from small teams to large organizations
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Exploring and interpreting complex datasets in a visual environment to uncover hidden insights
Comparing Sourcetable with Google Looker and Amazon Quicksight
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Intuitive Interface
Sourcetable offers a spreadsheet-like interface that is familiar to many users. This reduces the learning curve compared to Google Looker's interface, allowing for quicker adoption and proficiency.
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Data Integration
Unlike Google Looker and Amazon Quicksight, Sourcetable syncs data across all services, providing a unified view without the need for complex data integration processes.
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Reporting Efficiency
Sourcetable simplifies the reporting process, offering efficient tools that streamline the creation and sharing of reports, which can be more intricate in Google Looker and Amazon Quicksight.
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Accessibility of Data Analytics
With its emphasis on ease of use, Sourcetable democratizes data analytics, making it accessible to users regardless of their technical expertise, unlike the more specialized approach of Google Looker.
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Comparing Google Looker and Amazon Quicksight
Business Intelligence Capabilities
Both Google Looker and Amazon Quicksight serve as business intelligence platforms, providing users with tools to access, analyze, and act on data. They offer solutions for organizational business intelligence, enabling data-driven decision-making across enterprises.
Self-Service and Governed BI
Google Looker and Amazon Quicksight deliver self-service and governed BI options, allowing users of varying skill levels the autonomy to explore data while ensuring that data governance policies are upheld.
Embedded Analytics
Embedded analytics is a common feature, with both platforms enabling the integration of analytics into existing applications, which facilitates the creation of data-powered applications and embedded data modeling.
Data-Driven Applications and Workflows
Both platforms allow for the development of workflows and data-driven applications, emphasizing the importance of utilizing data throughout the organizational processes and systems.
Google Looker vs Amazon QuickSight
Google Looker and Amazon QuickSight are both prominent business intelligence (BI) platforms. They offer different features and functionalities that cater to various data analysis needs.
Google Looker and Amazon QuickSight are both prominent business intelligence (BI) platforms. They offer different features and functionalities that cater to various data analysis needs.
Self-Service and Governed BI
Google Looker provides both self-service and governed BI capabilities. This flexibility allows users to perform ad-hoc analysis while maintaining data governance. In contrast, Amazon QuickSight emphasizes more on self-service BI, designed for users to quickly build visualizations.
Data-Powered Applications
With Google Looker, users have the capacity to build data-powered applications, which is not a primary feature highlighted by Amazon QuickSight. Looker's platform is designed for creating applications that are driven by data.
Generative AI Feature
Google Looker offers a generative AI feature that is not available in Amazon QuickSight. This AI capability allows for advanced data insights and predictive analysis.
Embedded Analytics
Business Intelligence Uses
Workflow and Chat Integration
Looker can be utilized to build workflows and applications, and it offers a feature to chat with business data, expanding its collaborative capabilities. Amazon QuickSight does not natively advertise these functionalities.
Comparison of Google Looker, Amazon Quicksight, and Sourcetable
Google Looker
Google Looker is a comprehensive business intelligence platform that offers a range of functionalities. It enables self-service and governed BI, allowing users to access, analyze, and act on data. Looker supports the building of data-powered applications and offers generative AI capabilities. Furthermore, it can deliver trusted data experiences and is suitable for organizational and self-service business intelligence. Looker's features extend to embedded analytics and data modeling, workflow creation, and the ability to interact with business data through chat.
Amazon Quicksight
Amazon Quicksight is a cloud-native BI service that offers quick, easy-to-understand insights. It focuses on providing users with a serverless experience, pay-per-session pricing, and the ability to embed interactive data visualizations. Quicksight emphasizes scalability and is integrated with other AWS services, offering different functionalities compared to Looker, such as ML Insights for predictive analytics. However, it may not offer as broad a spectrum of data management and application development features as Looker.
Sourcetable
Sourcetable is a spreadsheet-based BI and analytics tool that targets a different segment of users who prefer a familiar spreadsheet interface for data analysis. Unlike Looker, it may not provide the same level of comprehensive BI capabilities or the ability to build complex data-powered applications. Sourcetable is designed for ease of use and quick insights but may lack the depth of Looker's embedded analytics and AI features.
Contrasting Features
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Frequently Asked Questions About Sourcetable
What is Sourcetable, and who typically uses it?
Sourcetable is a spreadsheet that allows users to access data from most 3rd party applications, query data, and build live models that automatically update. It replaces workflows typically done in Excel, Google Sheets, and Business Intelligence tools. Growth teams and business operations folks typically use Sourcetable.
Do I need to know how to code to use Sourcetable?
No, Sourcetable does not require coding to use.
How often does Sourcetable sync data from other applications?
Sourcetable syncs data from over 100 applications and most databases, updating every 15 minutes on the regular plan and every 5 minutes on the pro plan.
How much does Sourcetable cost, and is there a trial period?
Sourcetable costs $50 per month on the starter plan and $250 per month on the pro plan. All plans have a 14-day free trial period.
How quickly can I start creating reports with Sourcetable?
Users can start creating reports with Sourcetable within minutes.
Google Looker Cost Overview
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Platform Pricing
Platform pricing is the foundational cost of running a Looker instance. It encompasses expenses for platform administration, integrations, and semantic modeling capabilities.
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User Pricing
User pricing relates to the licensing of individual users. This cost varies depending on user type and permissions within the Looker platform.
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Billing and Account Management
Charges incurred through instance creation or addition of named users are billed to the Looker instance's attached billing account.
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Platform Editions and Costs
Looker offers three platform editions: Standard, Enterprise, and Embed. Costs for each edition differ based on user type and permissions.
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Subscription Terms
Looker provides annual subscription options, available in one, two, and three-year terms.
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License Types
- Developer User
- Standard User
- Viewer User
Amazon Quicksight Pricing
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Paginated Reports
Amazon Quicksight charges a flat rate of $500 per month for paginated reports.
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Interactive Sessions
A cost of $0.30 per session is applied for interactive sessions, with a maximum cap of $5 per month.
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Alerts Cost
- Alerts are billed at $0.50 per 1000 metrics evaluated.
- The cost per metric evaluated for alerts is $0.0005.
User Reviews of Google Looker
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General Sentiments
Google Looker, a business intelligence (BI) and analytics platform, has received varying feedback from users. Reviews sourced from user testimonials indicate a mix of opinions regarding its performance and usability.
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Negative Reviews
- Some users have identified Looker as the worst reporting tool available.
- Common complaints highlight that the platform is slow, buggy, and unintuitive.
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Comparative Performance
According to user feedback, alternative BI tools such as Data Studio and Tableau offer superior functionality. Both free and paid competitors are considered to be much better options compared to Looker.
Amazon Quicksight User Reviews
Amazon Quicksight is a business intelligence tool that allows for the analysis of large datasets, supporting up to 1 TB. However, user reviews indicate some limitations in its capabilities. Notably, the absence of a comprehensive data model compared to solutions like PowerBI is a concern for some users.
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Amazon Quicksight is a business intelligence tool that allows for the analysis of large datasets, supporting up to 1 TB. However, user reviews indicate some limitations in its capabilities. Notably, the absence of a comprehensive data model compared to solutions like PowerBI is a concern for some users.
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Dataset Management and SPICE Limitations
Users have reported constraints when working with the SPICE engine in Quicksight, particularly when trying to create child SPICE datasets from existing ones with Row-Level Security (RLSS). Additionally, there are challenges with refreshing datasets which can impact data analysis processes.
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Environment Configuration
The process of setting up separate development, quality assurance, and production environments in Quicksight is hampered by limitations, as noted by users. This could affect the management and deployment of business intelligence resources within organizations.
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Dashboard Organization
Organizing dashboards effectively is a common need in business intelligence platforms. Quicksight users have identified limitations in using folders as a method to manage dashboards, which can hinder the ability to maintain a clean and structured workspace.
These insights into Amazon Quicksight stem from user reviews and highlight the platform's limitations. While reviews provide valuable feedback for potential improvements, it's important to note that users also benefit from Quicksight's capacity to handle large datasets.
Conclusion
In comparing Google Looker and Amazon Quicksight, it's clear that both platforms offer robust business intelligence capabilities to cater to various user needs.
Looker provides extensive customization options and deep integration with Google's suite of tools, while Quicksight is known for its quick setup, ease of use, and seamless integration with AWS services.
Sourcetable, however, offers a more streamlined approach to business intelligence by allowing real-time data sync across multiple services within a user-friendly spreadsheet interface.
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