QlikView vs Business Objects: A Comparative Analysis
Introduction
Choosing the right business intelligence tool is crucial for effective data analysis and reporting. Qlikview and Business Objects are two prominent platforms that offer unique features for data integration, visualization, and decision-making.
While Qlikview is known for its in-memory data processing and associative data modeling, Business Objects provides extensive reporting capabilities with a robust universe design. Understanding their strengths and use cases is important for selecting the most suitable tool for your organization.
This comparison will delve into the functionalities of both Qlikview and Business Objects. Additionally, we'll explore how Sourcetable offers a contemporary, spreadsheet-like interface that syncs with your data, presenting an alternative for business intelligence tasks.
What is QlikView?
QlikView is a guided analytics solution designed for the rapid development and delivery of analytics applications and dashboards. It facilitates an interactive and flexible approach to data exploration and visualization.
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QlikView is a guided analytics solution designed for the rapid development and delivery of analytics applications and dashboards. It facilitates an interactive and flexible approach to data exploration and visualization.
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Core Features
- An associative engine that dynamically generates new data views.
- Data compression capabilities allowing large datasets to be held in memory for quick access.
- Capability for multiple users to collaboratively explore data in memory simultaneously.
- Direct connectivity to various data sources for real-time data analysis.
- Provision of an associative experience across all used data without the need for pre-defined drill paths or static dashboards.
What is SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence?
SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence (BI) is a comprehensive suite designed for data reporting, visualization, and sharing. Functioning as the on-premise BI component of SAP’s Business Technology Platform, it enables the transformation of data into actionable insights. This centralized suite supports real-time business intelligence, facilitating informed decision-making accessible anytime and anywhere.
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SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence (BI) is a comprehensive suite designed for data reporting, visualization, and sharing. Functioning as the on-premise BI component of SAP’s Business Technology Platform, it enables the transformation of data into actionable insights. This centralized suite supports real-time business intelligence, facilitating informed decision-making accessible anytime and anywhere.
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Key Features
- Centralized data reporting and visualization platform.
- On-premise deployment ensuring data control and management.
- Real-time insights for immediate business intelligence.
- Enhanced user autonomy through personalized and dynamic information consumption.
The suite's focus on real-time data processing and its availability across devices contributes to a dynamic and flexible BI environment. It empowers users with increased autonomy, allowing for a simplified and personalized approach to data consumption and sharing.
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Key Features of QlikView
Associative Engine |
The associative engine is the core differentiator of QlikView, enabling users to uncover hidden trends and patterns for insightful decision-making. |
Visual Discovery |
QlikView facilitates intuitive visual discovery, allowing users to easily interpret complex data through graphical representations. |
Augmented Intelligence |
Qlik Cloud Analytics and Qlik Sense enhance QlikView by integrating AI-powered insights, promoting an active analytics approach. |
Deployment Options |
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Key Features of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Suite
Reporting and Analysis |
Provides comprehensive tools for BI reporting and ad hoc queries, enabling users to understand trends and root causes. |
Data Visualization and Analytics |
Includes applications for creating visualizations and dashboards that help assess risk, improve efficiency, and identify opportunities. |
Office Integration |
Offers seamless integration with Office applications, enhancing productivity and data manipulation. |
Advanced Data Handling |
Allows filtering and manipulation of multidimensional data, aiding in the identification of trends and outliers. |
Advantages of Using QlikView for Business Intelligence
Self-Service Capabilities
QlikView facilitates self-service BI, empowering users to generate and manipulate reports without extensive technical expertise.
Dynamic Data Visualization
Dynamic dashboards in QlikView enhance quick data analysis, aiding efficient decision-making processes.
Team Collaboration
The platform supports collaborative efforts, streamlining the decision-making process through shared insights.
Implementation and Usability
QlikView's simplicity ensures ease of implementation and usability, minimizing the learning curve for new users.
Data Security
Robust data security measures are integrated into QlikView, ensuring the protection of sensitive information.
Performance
Cost-Effectiveness
With its cost-effective solutions, QlikView delivers a competitive edge in business intelligence.
Disadvantages of Qlikview for Business Intelligence
Inefficiency in Real-Time Data Analysis
Qlikview may not be the most efficient tool for real-time data analysis, which can be a limitation for businesses requiring immediate insights from their data streams.
RAM Limitations
Despite having less RAM limitations, Qlikview might still encounter performance issues when dealing with large datasets or complex data models.
Technical Expertise Required
The need for technical expertise to develop applications in Qlikview can be a barrier for users without a technical background, potentially increasing the time and cost of BI initiatives.
Integration Challenges
Embedding Qlikview with other software applications may be cumbersome, leading to difficulties in achieving a seamless user experience.
Customer Support Issues
There are indications of poor customer support, which could hinder the resolution of issues and slow down BI processes.
Outdated Tools and Interfaces
The presence of old tools and interfaces in Qlikview may affect user adoption and productivity, particularly when compared to more modern solutions.
Cost Prohibitive for SMEs
Qlikview's pricing structure may be expensive for small or medium-sized businesses, making it a less viable option for those with limited BI budgets.
Subpar User Ratings
Poor ratings in surveys suggest that Qlikview may not meet user expectations in various aspects of business intelligence and data analytics.
Frequently Asked Questions About Qlikview
How does QlikView handle data loading and memory usage?
QlikView uses 3-4 times as much memory when running a script as when working in the layout. It can handle a few million rows of typical transaction data on a PC with 512MB of RAM and up to one billion rows on large servers.
Can QlikView automatically join fields from different data sources?
Yes, QlikView can automatically join fields with the same name, and it can also join fields with different names using an alias or AS statement.
Is it possible to update QlikView documents with new data?
QlikView can update a document using incremental reloads, allowing for the addition of new data without having to reload the entire dataset.
How can QlikView be shared with others?
QlikView can be shared with others using QlikView Server or QlikView Publisher, which also provide options to manage user access and document distribution.
Can QlikView limit access to documents?
QlikView can limit who can use a document using section access, providing a way to control access at the user level.
Use Cases for Qlikview
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Improving efficiency, customer service, and sales
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Simplifying analytics through a company-wide portal
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Boosting operational success
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Lowering costs and reducing effort in converting loan prospects
Advantages of Business Objects for Business Intelligence
User-Friendly Applications
BusinessObjects simplifies business intelligence with user-friendly applications, enhancing productivity in data-driven tasks.
Enterprise Reporting Management
Organizations leverage BusinessObjects to efficiently manage their Enterprise Reporting needs, ensuring timely and accurate information dissemination.
Ad-Hoc Queries
The platform's capacity for ad-hoc queries empowers users to swiftly obtain and analyze data without predefined reports.
Robust Data Analysis
BusinessObjects offers robust data analysis tools, facilitating deep insights into business operations and performance.
Cost-Efficiency
By reducing the total cost of ownership, BusinessObjects presents a cost-effective solution for business intelligence requirements.
Productivity in Business Intelligence
The increase in business intelligence productivity with BusinessObjects stems from its streamlined and intuitive interface.
Operational Stability and Efficiency
BusinessObjects enhances operational stability and efficiency, which is critical for maintaining competitive advantage in fast-paced markets.
Scalability and Flexibility
As a scalable and flexible business intelligence platform, BusinessObjects adapts to growing data needs of businesses of all sizes.
Disadvantages of Business Objects
High Deployment Costs
Business Objects requires a substantial financial investment for deployment, making it an expensive option for business intelligence and data analytics.
Upgrading Challenges
Businesses face difficulties when attempting to upgrade Business Objects, which can lead to disruptions in reporting and analytics processes.
Data Migration Complexities
Migrating data to Business Objects is particularly challenging compared to other platforms, posing significant hurdles in data management.
Frequently Asked Questions About Business Objects
How do I use the reporting feature in BusinessObjects?
Some FAQs explain how to use BusinessObjects features such as the reporting feature. For detailed instructions, refer to the how-tos that provide step-by-step guidance.
Can you provide tips for optimizing the performance of BusinessObjects?
Yes, there are FAQs that provide tips for using BusinessObjects more effectively, including performance optimization.
What should I do when I encounter an error while using BusinessObjects?
There are FAQs about troubleshooting that can help you resolve errors you might encounter while using BusinessObjects.
Use Cases for Business Objects
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Enterprise Reporting
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Data Visualization
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Dashboard Creation
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Ad-Hoc Reporting
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Self-Service BI
Why Sourcetable is a Superior Choice for Business Intelligence
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Simplified Reporting and Analytics
Sourcetable offers a streamlined approach to business intelligence by providing a spreadsheet-like interface that easily syncs data from various services. This integration simplifies the reporting process, making it more efficient than the traditional interfaces of Qlikview and Business Objects.
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Enhanced Data Syncing Capabilities
With its ability to synchronize data across all connected services, Sourcetable reduces the complexity and time required to manage data spread across multiple platforms, a challenge often encountered with Qlikview and Business Objects.
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User-Friendly Interface
The intuitive spreadsheet-like interface of Sourcetable is user-friendly, allowing for quick adoption and reduced training time compared to the more complex interfaces of Qlikview's visual discovery and Business Objects' analytics tools.
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Real-time Collaboration
While Qlikview and Business Objects offer real-time collaboration, Sourcetable's approach integrates seamlessly with the spreadsheet environment that is familiar to most users, facilitating immediate and effective teamwork.
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Comparison Between QlikView and Business Objects
Both QlikView and Business Objects are established analytics solutions used for business intelligence (BI). They provide organizations with tools to analyze their data for strategic decision-making. Each platform offers intuitive interfaces for visual data discovery, enabling users to gain insights from complex datasets. The solutions cater to the needs of businesses seeking to enhance their BI capabilities, allowing for the visualization of data in a meaningful way.
Both QlikView and Business Objects are established analytics solutions used for business intelligence (BI). They provide organizations with tools to analyze their data for strategic decision-making. Each platform offers intuitive interfaces for visual data discovery, enabling users to gain insights from complex datasets. The solutions cater to the needs of businesses seeking to enhance their BI capabilities, allowing for the visualization of data in a meaningful way.
Intuitive Visual Discovery
QlikView and Business Objects facilitate intuitive visual discovery. Their interfaces allow users to interact with data visually, making it easier for non-technical users to understand and derive insights.
Deployment Flexibility
Both platforms offer deployment flexibility, with options for cloud-based SaaS deployments and on-premises solutions. This flexibility ensures that organizations can choose a deployment strategy that aligns with their IT infrastructure and data governance policies.
Enhanced Business Intelligence Accessibility
QlikView and Business Objects democratize access to business intelligence. They empower a broader user base within organizations to work with data analytics, regardless of technical expertise.
Real-Time Collaboration
Each solution supports real-time collaboration and action. Teams can work together on data analysis projects, sharing insights and making informed decisions swiftly.
QlikView vs Business Objects
Associative Engine
QlikView uses an associative engine to process data which allows for intuitive visual discovery. This contrasts with Business Objects, which traditionally relies on a semantic layer for data manipulation.
Deployment Options
QlikView offers flexible deployment options, available both on the cloud with Qlik Cloud Analytics and on-premises with Qlik Sense. Business Objects, while also offering cloud and on-premises deployments, typically has a more complex infrastructure.
User Experience
The intuitive visual discovery in QlikView puts business intelligence in the hands of more people, making it accessible for a wider audience. Business Objects requires a steeper learning curve and is often considered less user-friendly.
Real-Time Collaboration
QlikView and Qlik Sense facilitate real-time collaboration and action, leveraging AI-powered insights. Business Objects has collaboration features, but they are generally not as real-time oriented.
AI Integration
QlikView, through its cloud analytics and on-premises solutions, integrates AI to enhance human intuition. Business Objects also incorporates AI features but may not be as focused on enhancing human intuition.
Comparison: Qlikview vs Business Objects vs Sourcetable
Qlikview
Business Objects
Sourcetable
Qlikview stands out for its associative engine and AI integration, providing a robust solution for organizations requiring advanced analytics. Business Objects, although strong in traditional reporting, lacks the associative data discovery that Qlikview offers. Sourcetable provides an accessible, collaborative environment for data analysis but does not compete with the depth of analytics and AI features found in Qlikview.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Sourcetable
What is Sourcetable and who typically uses it?
Sourcetable is a spreadsheet application 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 people.
How does Sourcetable help users with their data?
Sourcetable replaces traditional workflows done in Excel, Google Sheets, and Business Intelligence tools. It is designed to centralize, analyze, and model data that updates over time without the need for coding.
How often does Sourcetable sync data?
Sourcetable syncs data from over 100 applications and most databases every 15 minutes on the regular plan and every 5 minutes on the pro plan.
What are the pricing plans for Sourcetable?
Sourcetable costs $50 per month for the starter plan and $250 per month for the pro plan. Additional seats cost $20 per month per user.
Is there a trial period for Sourcetable?
Yes, all plans have a 14-day free trial period.
Qlikview Pricing Structure
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Standard Plan
The Qlikview Standard Plan is designed for a minimum of 20 full users and provides 25 GB/year of data for analysis. It includes capabilities such as connecting to hundreds of data sources, interactive data visualizations, dashboards, augmented analytics with AI, team collaboration features, and round-the-clock customer support.
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Premium Plan
Building upon the Standard Plan, the Premium Plan offers 50 GB/year of data analysis. It adds features like automated report compilation and delivery, predictive analytics with automated machine learning, no-code automation builder triggers, and additional data source connections.
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Enterprise Plan
The Enterprise Plan extends the Premium Plan's offerings to cater to larger organizations by including 500 GB/year for data analysis and enterprise-grade data governance. It also provides a personalized customer success plan to ensure optimal use of the platform.
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Data Capacity Alerts
Qlikview has a system in place to alert users as they approach their data capacity limit across all plans, ensuring users can manage their data usage effectively.
Business Objects Cost Analysis
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Initial and Ongoing Costs
SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence (BI) offers a starting price of $14,000.00 per year, alongside a monthly option at $75.00. When compared to competitors like Tableau and Domo, SAP BusinessObjects BI emerges as a less expensive alternative.
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Cost Comparison with Other BI Tools
In the market of BI tools, SAP BusinessObjects BI stands out for its cost efficiency. It is priced lower than both Tableau and a range of other BI products, providing a more budget-friendly solution for businesses seeking intelligence capabilities.
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Value-Added Features and Limitations
- SAP BusinessObjects BI is recognized for its effective customer service.
- The tool allows standardization across different company operational regions and ensures consistent reportage through rule cross-checks.
- However, it does have limitations such as a restricted view of dashboards, a limit on the number of rows, and constraints on query combinations.
- Additionally, it lacks an integrated solution for data masking.
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Usability and Integration
Business Objects has a medium learning curve for new users, indicating that while it is not the simplest tool to master, it offers a balanced approach to usability. This aspect should be factored into the overall cost consideration as it may influence training and implementation expenses.
User Reviews of QlikView
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Overall Ratings
QlikView has received an overall rating of 4.3 out of 5. Users have rated its functionality highly with a score of 4.5, while ease-of-use, customer support, and value for money all stand at 4.
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User Experience and Functionality
Users find QlikView versatile for data visualization and capable of combining data sources for complex reports. However, they note a slow response with heavy data volume and a slight delay in real-time data sync. Despite its in-memory processing and fast data handling, the software is criticized for not allowing export of a list of currently licensed users.
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Comparisons and Limitations
Comparatively, users suggest QlikView is not as robust as Qlik Sense, Tableau, or PowerBI, especially in visualization capabilities. It is also mentioned to be expensive and lacking in detailed reporting, with limitations like no write back to the database and no possibility of R integration.
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Usability and Support
QlikView's user interface is described as clunky and less user-friendly with certain data sources like BW and Big Data. Nonetheless, it is perceived as easy to use and implement, with an intuitive interface, and is particularly praised for its utility in automating report distribution and creation. A support forum is available for its wide user group.
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Use Cases and Community
It is highlighted as a powerful BI tool, useful in creating sales and inventory dashboards. Students writing thesis find QlikView greatly beneficial, and it is acknowledged for providing a ton of value. The software allows customization using VBA or other programming languages and has scheduled batch jobs for ETL.
Conclusion
In summary, both Qlikview and Business Objects offer robust business intelligence solutions, each with unique strengths. Qlikview provides an intuitive, user-friendly interface and powerful in-memory processing, while Business Objects offers comprehensive reporting and analysis tools with strong governance features.
For a more streamlined experience, Sourcetable presents a simplified business intelligence approach by synchronizing data in real-time across various services into an easily manageable spreadsheet interface. This can be particularly beneficial for users seeking immediate insights without the complexity of traditional BI tools.
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