Google Looker
Incorta

Google Looker vs Incorta: A Comparative Analysis

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    Introduction

    Choosing the right business intelligence tool is crucial for effective data analysis and reporting. Google Looker and Incorta are two prominent platforms that businesses consider for these tasks.

    While Google Looker excels in data visualization and is integrated within the Google Cloud ecosystem, Incorta is known for its Direct Data Mapping engine that allows for real-time insights without the need for pre-aggregation.

    In this comparison, we'll delve into the features, performance, and user experience of both tools. Additionally, we will explore how Sourcetable offers a refreshing alternative with its spreadsheet-like interface that seamlessly syncs with your data, potentially simplifying the complexities of business intelligence operations.

    Google Looker

    What is Google Looker?

    Google Looker is a business intelligence platform that is part of Google Cloud. It enables users to access, analyze, and act on their data. As a self-service and governed BI platform, it facilitates the creation of custom applications with trusted metrics.

    • Features of Google Looker

    • Enables data experience delivery by allowing users to analyze and visualize data.
    • Provides chat functionality for interacting directly with business data.
    • Incorporates generative AI for building data-powered applications.
    • Operates entirely in the cloud, ensuring accessibility and scalability.
    • Supports Looker modeling to enhance existing BI environments.
    Incorta

    What is Incorta?

    Incorta is an analytics company specializing in data accessibility and analysis. It aims to provide users with immediate access to decision-ready data, ensuring that the data reflects the source without discrepancies. This approach facilitates informed decision-making and enhances return on investment.

    Google Looker

    Key Features of Google Looker

    Business Intelligence Capabilities

    Looker is a comprehensive BI tool offering enterprise-class intelligence services. It facilitates the creation of reports and dashboards, simplifying data analysis for businesses.

    Real-Time Data View

    Providing a real-time view that is fresh, consistent, and governed, Looker ensures data accuracy and reliability across various cloud data sources.

    Data Modeling and Management

    LookML, a SQL-based modeling language, allows analysts to define and manage business rules. Looker's data model is version-controlled with Git integration, enhancing collaboration and governance.

    Integration and Accessibility

    Integrated within the Google Cloud console, Looker is a core Google Cloud product, seamlessly connecting with the existing portfolio of services and Looker Studio for enhanced data visualization.

    Extensibility and APIs

    Looker has robust APIs and prebuilt integrations, facilitating customization and extension of its capabilities to meet diverse business requirements.

    Incorta

    Incorta Key Features

    Direct Data Mapping

    Incorta enables transaction-level data access, ensuring users can directly interact with granular data.

    Data Integration Simplification

    By eliminating traditional ETL steps, Incorta streamlines data extraction, modeling, and preparation from various sources.

    Data Integrity

    It provides data that is a 100% match to the source, maintaining integrity and ensuring accuracy.

    Scalability

    Incorta delivers data efficiently at scale to meet growing business demands.

    Advanced Analytics
  • Enhances AI and ML models, allowing them to learn and improve over time.
  • Prebuilt solution accelerators expedite analytics development.
  • Accelerators also enhance AI capabilities by providing optimized data.
    		•

    Data Refreshment

    Ensures that the data remains current and refreshed, supporting accurate decision-making.

    Google Looker

    Advantages of Google Looker for Business Intelligence

    Enterprise Business Intelligence

    Looker Studio Pro is tailored for enterprise business intelligence, supporting medium to large scale environments effectively.

    Data Exploration and Visualization

    Users can explore data, build visualizations, and answer business questions efficiently, enhancing data analytics and reporting.

    Collaboration and Sharing

    Facilitating team collaboration, Looker Studio Pro provides tools for managing and sharing dashboards, making it ideal for teamwork.

    Enterprise Support and Management

    With enterprise capabilities, users benefit from managing team content and accessing robust enterprise support.

    Google Looker

    Disadvantages of Using Google Looker for Business Intelligence

    Complexity and Usability Challenges

    Users often encounter a steep learning curve with Looker, which can complicate the process of integrating business intelligence into their operations. The platform's interface is not very intuitive, leading to difficulties in adoption and prolonged training periods. Additionally, the sharing mechanism's complexity hinders efficient collaboration.

    Performance Issues

    Performance drawbacks are notable, with multiple reports of Looker being slow and laggy, especially when handling many graphs on a single page. This can lead to inefficiencies in data analysis and reporting.

    Connectivity and Onboarding Costs

    Limited connectivity options pose a challenge in data integration. The onboarding process is associated with high costs, making it a less appealing option for businesses looking to optimize expenses.

    Accessibility of Resources

    There is a scarcity of readily accessible training materials and documentation, which can impede the users' ability to leverage Looker to its full potential. This lack of resources amplifies the existing challenges related to the platform's steep learning curve.

    Data Migration and Security Concerns

    Migrating data from AWS to BigQuery can be an arduous task, as reported by some users. Furthermore, stringent access controls imposed by security teams can restrict data accessibility, complicating the data analytics process.

    Google Looker

    Frequently Asked Questions About Google Looker

    What are the hours for Looker Support in Japanese?

    Looker 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.

    How do I ensure my instance is eligible for Looker Support?

    To be eligible for Looker Support, your instance must be running an officially supported Looker version. Instances hosted by Looker update automatically, but customer-hosted instances must manually update to a supported version. Additionally, for Looker (original) instances, the Google Cloud Project number must be entered on the Admin General Settings page.

    Who can access 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 are the hours for Looker Support in English?

    Looker Support in English is available 24/7.

    What should I do when submitting a support request?

    When submitting a support request, you may be prompted to choose from a product area.

    Use Cases for Google Looker

    • Google Looker

      Reducing client report time

    • Google Looker

      Modernizing business intelligence

    • Google Looker

      Embedding analytics in platforms

    Incorta

    Advantages of Incorta for Business Intelligence

    Data Consolidation

    Incorta allows for seamless consolidation of data from diverse sources. This capability simplifies the integration process, making it easier to gather and analyze information across the business.

    Unified Data View

    With Incorta, users gain a unified view of their data. This holistic perspective is crucial for comprehensive reporting and analytics, providing a single source of truth for decision-makers.

    Interactive Dashboards

    Interactive dashboards by Incorta enhance user engagement with data. They allow for dynamic reporting and analytics, facilitating deeper insights and more actionable intelligence.

    Cloud-Based Solution

    As a cloud-based platform, Incorta offers scalability and accessibility, which are essential for modern business intelligence, ensuring data is available anytime, anywhere.

    Data Modeling and Virtualization

    Incorta's capabilities in data modeling, preparation, and virtualization streamline the data analytics workflow. This efficiency accelerates the extraction of valuable insights from data.

    Incorta

    Disadvantages of Incorta for Business Intelligence

    Learning Curve

    Incorta presents a steep learning curve that can be challenging for users to overcome.

    Technical Skill Requirement

    Individuals with limited technical skills may require additional training to effectively utilize Incorta for data analytics and reporting.

    User Experience

    Compared to other platforms, users have reported that Incorta falls short in user-friendliness.

    Customization Limitations

    Incorta offers fewer customization options than its competitors, potentially limiting its adaptability to specific business needs.

    Incorta

    Frequently Asked Questions About Incorta

    What type of support does Incorta offer?

    Incorta offers support for their services, although the specifics of the support provided are not detailed in the facts provided.

    Where can I find Incorta's frequently asked questions?

    Incorta has a set of frequently asked questions, which can likely be found on their official website or through their customer support channels.

    Use Cases for Incorta

    • Incorta

      Simplifying reporting for EnergySolutions

    • Incorta

      Operational and financial reporting for Quanta Services

    • Incorta

      Managing daily operations at Doms Kitchen and Market

    • Incorta

      Supply chain management for Redcon

    • Incorta

      Transforming sales operations at Henkel

    sourcetable

    Comparison of Business Intelligence Tools: Sourcetable vs. Google Looker and Incorta

    • Simplification of Reporting and Analytics

      Sourcetable offers a streamlined approach to business intelligence by integrating data from various services into a user-friendly spreadsheet interface. This contrasts with Google Looker and Incorta, which may present steeper learning curves for users not accustomed to specialized BI platforms.

    • Unified Data Syncing

      The ability to synchronize data across all services within Sourcetable's spreadsheet-like environment can enhance efficiency. This feature may provide an advantage over Google Looker and Incorta, where data integration and modeling can be more complex and demanding.

    • Improved Accessibility

      Sourcetable's interface is designed to be intuitive, emphasizing accessibility. This can be particularly beneficial for users seeking a less technical and more straightforward experience compared to the offerings of Google Looker and Incorta.

    • Enhanced Collaboration

      The spreadsheet-like format of Sourcetable facilitates collaboration, making it easier to share reports and insights. In contrast, Google Looker and Incorta may require more in-depth knowledge transfer to collaborate effectively on BI tasks.

    Google Looker
    vs
    Incorta

    Comparison Between Google Looker and Incorta

    Business Intelligence

    Both Google Looker and Incorta serve as business intelligence platforms. They provide organizations with tools to analyze and make data-driven decisions.

    Self-Service and Governed BI

    Google Looker and Incorta offer self-service business intelligence capabilities, allowing users to access and analyze data independently. They also support governed BI, ensuring data governance and security.

    Data-Powered Applications

    Both platforms enable the creation of data-powered applications, facilitating the integration of analytics into business workflows and applications.

    Data Access and Analysis

    Users can utilize both Google Looker and Incorta to access, analyze, and act on their data, enhancing data-driven decision-making processes.

    Embedded Analytics

    Each platform can be used for embedded analytics applications, which allow analytics to be integrated directly into user interfaces.

    Google Looker
    vs
    Incorta

    Google Looker vs. Incorta

    Business Intelligence Capabilities

    Google Looker is a business intelligence platform that provides both self-service and governed BI, catering to a range of user needs from data analysis to application development. In contrast, Incorta is known for its Direct Data Mapping engine that facilitates real-time data aggregation and analysis without the need for traditional data modeling steps.

    Data-Powered Applications

    Looker allows users to build data-powered applications with embedded analytics and data modeling capabilities, whereas Incorta focuses on providing analytics with minimal data preparation, positioning itself as a platform for rapid insights.

    Generative AI and Interactivity

    Google Looker's generative AI feature enhances data exploration and natural language processing capabilities. Looker also enables users to chat with business data, offering an interactive data conversation experience. Incorta, while offering robust analytics, may not highlight generative AI and conversational analytics as primary features.

    Embedded Analytics

    Both Looker and Incorta can be utilized for embedded analytics applications. However, Looker emphasizes its ability to deliver trusted data experiences with embedded data modeling, which is integral to its platform. Incorta's embedding capabilities are typically focused on its speed and efficiency in data analysis.

    Self-Service vs. Speed of Insight

    Looker caters to self-service business intelligence, enabling users to perform organizational BI with autonomy. Incorta, on the other hand, is often recognized for its speed in delivering insights due to its Direct Data Mapping technology, which bypasses the time-consuming ETL processes.

    sourcetable

    Comparison of Google Looker, Incorta, and Sourcetable

    Google Looker

    Google Looker is a business intelligence platform offering a range of features for data analysis. It supports self-service and governed BI, enabling users to access, analyze, and act on data autonomously while maintaining data governance. Looker allows for the creation of data-powered applications and provides embedded analytics and data modeling capabilities. Its generative AI feature and chat function facilitate interactive data engagement. Looker is designed for both organizational and self-service BI, making it a versatile tool for building workflows and trusted data experiences.

    Incorta

    Incorta is a data analytics software that emphasizes real-time data aggregation and analysis. It is known for its Direct Data Mapping engine, which allows for the fast processing of large volumes of data without the need for pre-aggregation or data reshaping. Incorta provides a platform for real-time business intelligence and analytics, often catering to enterprises requiring quick insights from complex datasets.

    Sourcetable

    Sourcetable is a multipurpose spreadsheet tool designed for collaboration and data integration from various sources. It is user-friendly and suitable for teams looking for a simple interface to organize, analyze, and visualize data without extensive technical expertise. Sourcetable focuses on the ease of use and flexibility for users who prefer a spreadsheet environment for managing their data tasks.

    Contrast

  • Looker offers a more comprehensive set of BI tools compared to Sourcetable's spreadsheet-focused approach and Incorta's emphasis on real-time data processing.
  • Unlike Looker, Incorta does not prioritize self-service BI but instead focuses on speed and efficiency in data processing for complex enterprise needs.
  • Sourcetable provides an accessible platform for users with less technical background, while Looker caters to both technical and non-technical users with its range of features.
  • Looker's generative AI feature and the ability to chat with business data set it apart from Incorta and Sourcetable, which do not offer these functionalities.
  • Embedded analytics and data modeling are key features of Looker, whereas Incorta and Sourcetable may not provide the same level of embedded capabilities.
    • sourcetable

    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. It is typically used by growth teams and business operations teams.

    How does Sourcetable help in working with data?

    Sourcetable is great for centralizing, analyzing, and modeling data that updates over time. It replaces workflows done in Excel, Google Sheets, and Business Intelligence tools, and does not require coding.

    How often does Sourcetable sync data?

    Data integrations update every 15 minutes on the regular plan and every 5 minutes on the pro plan.

    How much does Sourcetable cost?

    Sourcetable costs $50 / month on the starter plan and $250 / month on the pro plan. Each additional seat costs $20 / month.

    Is there a trial period for Sourcetable?

    Yes, all plans have a 14-day free trial period.

    Google Looker

    Google Looker Pricing Structure

    • Platform Pricing

      Looker's platform pricing is the foundational cost for running a Looker instance. It covers platform administration, integrations, and semantic modeling capabilities.

    • User Pricing

      User pricing applies to individual licenses required for accessing the Looker platform. This cost varies depending on the user type and their permissions.

    • Billing Account

      Each Looker instance is linked to a billing account, which is charged for any new instances and named user additions.

    • Platform Editions and Costs

      Looker offers three platform editions: Standard, Enterprise, and Embed. Costs for these editions are determined by user types and permissions.

    • Subscription Terms

      Looker provides annual subscription options with one, two, or three-year terms.

    • License Types

    • Developer User
    • Standard User
    • Viewer User
    Incorta

    Incorta Platform Cost Structure

    Incorta offers a predictable pricing model through its open data delivery platform. This approach ensures that organizations can anticipate their expenses without the concern of overpaying for resources they do not use. By employing a fixed consumption model, Incorta provides transparency in pricing, allowing businesses to scale their analytics in alignment with their needs.

    • Benefits of Fixed Consumption Model

    • Enhanced predictability in budgeting for analytics costs.
    • Elimination of risks associated with overpayment for unused cloud resources.
    • Transparent pricing structure supporting financial planning.
    • Protection against unexpected cloud-related expenditures.
    Google Looker

    User Reviews of Google Looker

    • Performance and Usability Concerns

      Users have expressed dissatisfaction with Looker, criticizing its speed and user experience. Common complaints highlight that the platform is "slow" and "buggy," with some finding it "unintuitive" to use.

    • Comparative Analysis

      When compared to other products in the market, both free options like Data Studio and paid ones like Tableau are often regarded as superior to Looker. Such opinions suggest that alternative solutions offer better value and performance.

    • Overall Sentiment

      A segment of the user base has gone as far as to label Looker as "the worst reporting tool on the market," indicating strong dissatisfaction among this group.

    Incorta

    User Reviews of Incorta

    Incorta holds a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars. The majority of its users, 75%, have given it a 5-star rating, while 21% have rated it 4 stars. This data suggests a high level of satisfaction among its users.

    • Performance and Usability

      Users find Incorta to have a user-friendly interface, with the ease of use frequently highlighted. Its speed of information access and real-time data analysis capabilities are also praised. The platform's self-service features and drag-and-drop functionalities contribute to its reputation for ease of use.

    • Visualization and Data Analysis

      Reviewers commend Incorta for its graphical data representation, visualizations, and heatmaps. These features are viewed as instrumental in making Incorta a dynamic tool for accurate analytics and reporting. Users appreciate the platform for its efficiency in data preparation, processing, and ERP reporting.

    • Connectivity and Integration

      The platform's ability to connect to many databases and consolidate data in one platform has been well-received. This makes it easier to extract and read data from databases, aiding in data mapping and real-time analysis.

    • Support and Documentation

      Users report positive experiences with Incorta's technical support and find the documentation to be helpful. This support is crucial, given the steep learning curve and need for additional training or support for some advanced features.

    • Security and Reliability

      Good data security is consistently noted among the benefits of using Incorta. However, some users report occasional issues with slow rebuilding of schemas and bugs, as well as lags that can occur with the tool.

    Conclusion

    In comparing Google Looker and Incorta, it is evident that each platform offers unique features for business intelligence. Looker provides deep integration with Google's suite of tools, while Incorta offers a high-performance analytics database.

    For organizations seeking a more streamlined approach, Sourcetable may be a suitable alternative. It offers real-time data synchronization across services within a familiar spreadsheet interface, simplifying the business intelligence process.

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