Google Looker vs SAS Viya: A Comparative Analysis
Introduction
Choosing the right business intelligence (BI) tool is crucial for effective data analysis and reporting. Google Looker and SAS Viya are two prominent platforms that offer advanced BI capabilities, each with its unique strengths and considerations.
This comparison will delve into the features, usability, and scalability of both Google Looker and SAS Viya to help you make an informed decision. Additionally, we'll explore how Sourcetable provides a modernized, spreadsheet-like interface that syncs with your data, serving as an alternative to traditional BI tools for your business intelligence tasks.
What is Google Looker?
Google Looker is a business intelligence platform that is part of Google Cloud. It facilitates the access, analysis, and utilization of data for business purposes.
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Google Looker is a business intelligence platform that is part of Google Cloud. It facilitates the access, analysis, and utilization of data for business purposes.
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Features and Capabilities
As a self-service and governed BI platform, Google Looker offers a range of features that enable users to interact with and leverage their business data effectively.
- Enables data experiences by allowing users to analyze and act on their data.
- Offers a chat feature for conversing with business data.
- Integrates generative AI for the development of data-powered applications.
- Provides cloud-based access to the platform.
- Supports the creation of custom applications with reliable metrics.
- Allows the use of Looker modeling within existing BI environments.
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Integration and Accessibility
Google Looker is designed to be accessible in the cloud and can be integrated with users' existing BI environments, promoting a seamless data experience.
What is SAS Viya?
SAS Viya is an AI platform that delivers comprehensive and end-to-end capabilities for data management and analytics. It is designed to handle data of any size or complexity, providing tools for cleansing, transforming, and building robust data pipelines. With its intuitive interfaces, SAS Viya enables users to create highly performant models rapidly and deploy decision flows effectively.
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SAS Viya is an AI platform that delivers comprehensive and end-to-end capabilities for data management and analytics. It is designed to handle data of any size or complexity, providing tools for cleansing, transforming, and building robust data pipelines. With its intuitive interfaces, SAS Viya enables users to create highly performant models rapidly and deploy decision flows effectively.
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Data Management and Quality
The platform ensures data quality through cleansing and transformation features, enabling trust in data with lineage and transparency tools.
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Model Building and Deployment
SAS Viya accelerates the building of performant models, automates their tuning, deployment, and retraining, and offers performance monitoring to maintain model accuracy over time.
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Automation and Performance
Automating machine learning processes, SAS Viya stands out as the sole tool providing this service, enhancing the value derived from data and AI investment. It is also noted for being 30 times faster than other open source and commercial offerings.
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Scalability and Value
The platform scales in line with AI development, ensuring that results are translated into verifiable and trustworthy outcomes.
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Target Users
SAS Viya is tailored for data scientists and developers, focusing on delivering a seamless and efficient experience for these professionals.
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Google Looker Key Features
Business Intelligence Capabilities |
Looker is a powerful BI tool providing enterprise-class business intelligence. It delivers a real-time view of data that is fresh, consistent, and governed. |
Data Access and Management |
Looker facilitates access to data across multiple clouds. Analysts can use LookML to define and manage business rules, creating a central point of truth for data definitions. |
Integration and Collaboration |
Integrated with Google Cloud, Looker is a core product available in the Google Cloud console. It provides insights directly in the workflow and offers prebuilt integrations and robust APIs. |
Reporting and Visualization |
Looker simplifies the creation of reports and dashboards and integrates with Looker Studio. Users can connect to the semantic model to explore and visualize data. |
Version Control and Proactive Insights |
Using a Git version-controlled data model, Looker ensures that insights remain consistent across the enterprise. It allows for proactive insights, aiding in data-driven decision-making. |
Key Features of SAS Viya
Data Integration and Quality |
SAS Visual Analytics supports importing data from varied sources including databases, Hadoop, Excel, and social media. It enhances data quality with functions to change case, convert, rename, remove, and split columns. |
Report and Dashboard Creation |
Users can quickly create reports and dashboards by dragging and dropping files such as Excel, CSV, and SAS data sets. The platform facilitates the creation of calculated columns and custom transformations. |
Visualization and Autocharting |
The tool offers a wide range of graph objects, including Bar, Pie, Donut, Line, Scatter, and Heat maps. Autocharting is available to select the best graph representation for the data. |
Web Content and Image Integration |
Integration of web content like YouTube videos and images into reports is supported, enhancing the visual appeal and context. |
Collaboration Tools |
Comments can be added to reports for collaborative purposes. Users have the ability to create alerts for report objects. |
Report Distribution and Export |
Reports can be distributed as PDFs or via email securely, with options for setting recurring distribution intervals. Additionally, reports can be exported to Excel. |
Geospatial and Advanced Analytics |
Geospatial data is supported with Esri integration. Advanced analytics visualizations like box plots, heat maps, and decision trees are included. |
Customization and Reusability |
Custom visualizations can be incorporated, including those from D3.js, C3, and Google charts. Users can save report templates and share modifications such as filters and formatting. |
Forecasting and Predictive Tools |
Automated forecasting is available with included confidence intervals, aiding in predictive analysis. |
Advantages of Google Looker for Business Intelligence
Data Exploration and Visualization
Looker Studio Pro facilitates the exploration of data, allowing users to answer complex business questions. It enables the creation of visualizations to clearly communicate data-driven insights.
Collaboration and Sharing
The platform enhances team collaboration with features for managing team content and sharing dashboards, streamlining the decision-making process in medium to large scale enterprise environments.
Enterprise Capabilities
Looker Studio Pro is tailored for enterprises, offering robust capabilities including advanced data management and access to enterprise-level support, ensuring reliability and scalability for business intelligence tasks.
Disadvantages of Using Google Looker
Connectivity and Integration Challenges
Google Looker users have experienced issues with connectivity, particularly when migrating data from AWS to BigQuery, a process described as painful. The security measures implemented can also result in highly restricted access, complicating data integration efforts.
Complex Sharing and Onboarding
The platform's sharing mechanism is considered complicated, posing hurdles in collaborative environments. Additionally, onboarding is not only expensive but also presents a steep learning curve, impacting the efficiency of adopting Looker in business operations.
User Experience and Performance Issues
Performance drawbacks are evident, with users reporting that Looker can be slow and laggy, especially when handling multiple graphs on a single page. These issues detract from the platform's intuitiveness and can hinder real-time data analysis.
Learning Resources and Documentation
There is a noted lack of easily accessible training materials and documentation for Looker, which can stall the learning process for new users and prolong the time taken to leverage the platform to its full potential for reporting and data analytics.
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 – 5:00 PM JST, Monday – Friday. Additionally, support in Japanese extends from 5:00 PM JST – 9:00 AM JST, Monday – Saturday, including weekends and holidays.
How do I ensure my Looker instance is eligible for support?
To be eligible for Looker Support, your instance must be running an officially supported Looker version. Instances hosted by Looker will automatically update to supported releases. If you are hosting your instance, you must manually update to a supported Looker version.
What are the requirements for accessing Looker Support?
Access to Looker Support requires having the Tech Support Editor IAM role, and Looker instances need to have the Google Cloud Project number filled in on the Admin General Settings page. It is also available to administrators and developers on instances using Legacy Support.
Is Looker Support available 24/7?
Looker Support is available 24/7 in English for instances running an officially supported Looker version.
What should I do when submitting a Looker support request?
When submitting a Looker support request, you may be prompted to choose from a product area to help direct your inquiry to the appropriate support team.
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 quote-to-revenue platforms
Advantages of SAS Viya for Business Intelligence
Cloud-Based Analytics and Reporting
SAS Viya is a cloud-based analytics platform that provides instant access to powerful statistical analysis and reporting applications. This ensures that users can access data and perform analytics from anywhere, facilitating flexible and on-demand business intelligence tasks.
Flexibility and Extensibility
The platform's highly flexible and extensible 4GL allows for the development of customized reports and analytics, supporting a wide range of statistical methods, including advanced procedures for web-based programming, analysis, and reporting.
Data Visualization and Mapping
With SAS Viya, businesses can leverage data visualization tools for creating 3-D relationship graphs and utilize a variety of business maps, charts, and plots to enhance the comprehension of complex data relationships in reports.
Integration and Collaboration
SAS Viya offers seamless integration with tools like Microsoft Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and SharePoint, which streamlines the collaborative process and allows for the easy embedding of analytics into business processes.
Enhanced Productivity
The platform improves programmer productivity by providing a web-based environment and prebuilt library of procedures for faster development and deployment of analytics and reports, ultimately leading to more efficient business intelligence operations.
Real-Time Decision Making
With its capabilities in machine learning and streaming analytics, SAS Viya helps organizations make real-time decisions, enhancing the responsiveness and agility of business intelligence strategies.
Disadvantages of SAS Viya for Business Intelligence
Cost and Accessibility
SAS Viya's pricing structure can be prohibitive for non-enterprise users, making it less accessible to small and medium-sized businesses. The high cost is a barrier to entry for these organizations.
User Experience and Support
The platform's complexity presents a steep learning curve, potentially deterring users without advanced skills. A lack of beginner tutorials exacerbates this issue. Furthermore, users have reported inadequate customer support, which can hinder problem resolution.
Technical Considerations
With a considerable installation file size, SAS Viya might require substantial system resources. The absence of integration with popular open source tools such as Python, Julia, and R limits its versatility in diverse environments.
Functionality and Performance
The software's drill-down capabilities, important for in-depth data analysis, are in need of improvement. This limitation can affect the efficiency and depth of data exploration.
Frequently Asked Questions About SAS Viya
What are the pricing options for SAS Viya?
SAS Viya may be priced by users, core capacity, total revenue, transactions, and more. It can also vary by deployment options such as SaaS, on-premises, or cloud.
What is the starting price for SAS Viya?
SAS Viya pricing starts at $1500 per user and $10,000 for core capacity for select offerings.
How much can a full implementation of SAS Viya cost?
A full implementation of SAS Viya can go up to multiple millions.
Can I get assistance in determining the best SAS Viya licensing option?
Yes, a SAS account representative can help determine the best SAS licensing option for your needs.
Are there any discounts available for SAS Viya?
Yes, students, educators, and researchers may get academic discounts for training and certification exams. SAS also offers a variety of other discounts for training and certification exams.
Use Cases for SAS Viya
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SAS Viya providing complementary services to SAS Grid Manager in different steps of a project
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SAS Viya feeding into SAS Grid Manager for enhanced data processing
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SAS Visual Analytics customers leveraging SAS Grid Manager for improved analytics capabilities
Comparing Sourcetable with Google Looker and SAS Viya for Business Intelligence
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Streamlined Data Integration
Sourcetable offers a simplified approach to data analytics by integrating data from multiple services into a familiar spreadsheet interface, unlike Google Looker and SAS Viya which may require more complex data integration processes.
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User-Friendly Interface
The spreadsheet-like interface of Sourcetable can be more accessible for users who are accustomed to working with spreadsheets, allowing for easier adoption and use compared to the interfaces of Google Looker and SAS Viya.
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Efficiency in Reporting
Sourcetable's interface allows for quick and efficient reporting capabilities. This streamlined reporting can save time and resources, providing an edge over the more traditional reporting methods in Google Looker and SAS Viya.
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Data Analytics Simplification
By syncing data across services, Sourcetable simplifies the data analytics process, making it more straightforward than the potentially more complex analytics offered by Google Looker and SAS Viya.
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Comparing Google Looker and SAS Viya
Business Intelligence Capabilities
Both Google Looker and SAS Viya serve as business intelligence platforms. They provide tools for accessing, analyzing, and acting on data, enabling organizations to derive insights from their business information.
Self-Service and Governed BI
Google Looker and SAS Viya offer self-service business intelligence, allowing individual users the flexibility to explore data. They also support governed BI, ensuring data management and security policies are adhered to.
Data-Powered Applications
The platforms enable users to build data-powered applications. They offer frameworks for embedding analytics and data models into custom applications, facilitating data-driven decision-making.
Trusted Data Experiences
Both platforms can deliver trusted data experiences. They are designed to ensure that users can rely on the accuracy and integrity of the data provided for analysis.
Google Looker vs. SAS Viya
Business Intelligence Capabilities
Google Looker is a business intelligence platform that provides both self-service and governed BI, enabling users to access, analyze, and act on data. Looker offers capabilities for organizational and self-service business intelligence. In contrast, SAS Viya also provides advanced analytics but emphasizes a broader range of analytics solutions including AI and machine learning.
Data-Powered Applications
Google Looker allows the building of data-powered applications, offering tools for embedded analytics and data modeling. Looker's approach to application development is centered on its BI capabilities. SAS Viya, while offering analytics in applications, tends to focus more on the analytics lifecycle and deployment options.
Generative AI Feature
Google Looker includes a generative AI feature, which may not be a focal point in SAS Viya's offerings. SAS Viya's strengths lie more in traditional and advanced statistical analysis rather than generative AI.
Data Accessibility and Interactivity
Looker can be used to chat with business data, providing a conversational experience. SAS Viya offers different interactive capabilities, with a focus on visual analytics and robust reporting features.
Trusted Data Experiences
Google Looker can deliver trusted data experiences, ensuring that users have reliable insights for decision-making. SAS Viya also places a strong emphasis on data governance and security to support trustworthy analytics.
Comparison: Google Looker, SAS Viya, and Sourcetable
Google Looker vs. SAS Viya
Google Looker and SAS Viya are both advanced business intelligence platforms, but they cater to different needs in data processing and analytics. Looker focuses on self-service and governed BI, enabling users to build data-powered applications and workflows with an emphasis on embedded analytics and data modeling. Its generative AI feature distinguishes it by allowing conversation with business data. On the other hand, SAS Viya provides a cloud-enabled, in-memory analytics engine, promoting advanced analytics with AI and machine learning capabilities. While Looker emphasizes self-service, SAS Viya tends to require more specialized knowledge, making it better suited for data scientists and statisticians.
Google Looker vs. Sourcetable
Sourcetable is a spreadsheet-like interface designed for data analysis without the need for technical expertise, which contrasts with Google Looker's more robust BI capabilities. Looker's platform allows for more complex data modeling and application development, providing a comprehensive suite of tools for enterprise-grade analytics. Sourcetable, while user-friendly, may not offer the same level of depth in analytics or the ability to handle large-scale data operations as Looker does.
SAS Viya vs. Sourcetable
SAS Viya is a powerful analytics platform that supports complex data analysis with AI and machine learning, aimed at users with a strong background in data science. Sourcetable, in contrast, simplifies data analysis with a user-friendly interface that appeals to users who may not have specialized data expertise. The choice between SAS Viya and Sourcetable would depend on the user's analytical needs and technical proficiency.
Common Capabilities and Differences
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Frequently Asked Questions About Sourcetable
What is Sourcetable and who typically uses it?
Sourcetable is a spreadsheet application that replaces workflows typically done in Excel, Google Sheets, and Business Intelligence tools. It is widely used by growth teams and business operations teams.
How does Sourcetable integrate with third-party applications?
Sourcetable syncs data from over 100 applications and most databases, allowing users to access and query data from these sources.
Do users need to know how to code to use Sourcetable?
No, Sourcetable does not require coding, making it accessible for users to build live models and analyze data without technical expertise.
How often does data update on Sourcetable?
Data integrations update every 15 minutes on the regular plan and every 5 minutes on the pro plan. Models update automatically as data updates.
What are the pricing plans for Sourcetable and is there a trial available?
Sourcetable costs $50 per month for the starter plan and $250 per month for the pro plan. All plans come with a 14-day free trial.
Google Looker Cost Overview
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Platform Pricing
Platform pricing is a fixed cost for running a Looker instance. It covers platform administration, integrations, and semantic modeling features.
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User Pricing
User pricing is variable and dependent on the license type for each individual accessing the Looker platform. License types include Developer User, Standard User, and Viewer User, with costs scaling based on user permissions and roles.
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Billing and Subscriptions
Each Looker instance is tied to a billing account that consolidates charges from instance creation and user licensing. Subscriptions are offered in one to three-year terms.
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Platform Editions
- Standard
- Enterprise
- Embed
The cost for each platform edition is influenced by user roles and permissions within the Looker platform.
SAS Viya Cost Overview
SAS Viya is available for purchase on the Azure Marketplace. This accessibility offers users streamlined procurement and deployment options. The platform supports a pay-as-you-go pricing model, providing flexibility and cost management based on usage. This cost structure aligns with scalable cloud services, allowing businesses to adapt their investment with their analytical needs.
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SAS Viya is available for purchase on the Azure Marketplace. This accessibility offers users streamlined procurement and deployment options. The platform supports a pay-as-you-go pricing model, providing flexibility and cost management based on usage. This cost structure aligns with scalable cloud services, allowing businesses to adapt their investment with their analytical needs.
- Azure Marketplace availability
- Pay-as-you-go pricing model
User Reviews of Google Looker
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General Sentiment
Google Looker is recognized as a business intelligence (BI) and analytics platform. However, user feedback indicates a less favorable view, with some considering it the worst reporting tool available.
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Performance Issues
Common complaints highlight that Looker is slow, prone to bugs, and lacks intuitiveness, according to user reviews.
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Comparisons to Competitors
Users suggest that alternative BI tools, both free options like Data Studio and premium ones like Tableau, offer superior experiences compared to Looker.
Conclusion
In summary, Google Looker and SAS Viya offer robust business intelligence capabilities, each with its own set of features and strengths. Looker integrates deeply with Google Cloud services, while SAS Viya offers advanced analytics with a focus on artificial intelligence and machine learning.
For businesses seeking a more streamlined and accessible approach to business intelligence, Sourcetable may be a suitable alternative. It simplifies the process by synchronizing data across various services in real-time within a spreadsheet interface, which may be more familiar to some users.
Choosing the right business intelligence tool depends on the specific needs, technical expertise, and existing infrastructure of a business. It is important to consider these factors when comparing Looker, SAS Viya, and alternatives like Sourcetable.
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