Choosing Business Intelligence Software

If considering to implement business intelligence tool it doesn’t have to be chase for the sun. First of all each company has to know what is its need and desired functionalities. Thi is knowledge base for chosing best solution among business intelligence vendors. There is no single best solution since every tool has its own strenghts and weekneses and every company has its own specifics derived from processes and environment that are unique. Magic Quadrant of Business Intelligence platforms with strength and cautions per major Business Intelligence vendors by Gartner.

Here is the list of producers of proprietary products:

ACE*COMM; Ab Initio; ActiveReports; Actuate; Advizor Solutions; ApeSoft; COA Solutions; ComArch; CyberQuery; IBM (Applix, Cognos, SPSS); IDV Solutions Visual Fusion; InetSoft; Informatica; Information Builders; Jreport; Klipfolio Dashboard; LogiXML; Microsoft (SQL Server Reporting Services, SQL Server Analysis Services, PerformancePoint Server 2007, Proclarity); MicroStrategy; m-Power; Oracle Corporation (Hyperion Solutions Corporation, Oracle Business Intelligence Suite Enterprise Edition); Panorama Software; Pentaho; Pervasive DataRush; Pilot Software, Inc.; PRELYTIS; Qliktech; SAP Business Information Warehouse (Business Objects, OutlookSoft); SAS Institute; Siebel Systems; Spotfire (now Tibco); StatSoft; Sybase IQ; Tableau Software; Teradata; Thomson Data Analyzer; XLCubed

Source: wikipedia (Business Intelligence Tools) – [2010 - 08]

Beside proprietary solutions there are open source solutions which have to be considered only with very high precaution. What seams like saved money might be spent easily in timeless expert/days for customization and problem solving situations. Problems that are already conceptually solved in proprietary products… Although with high customization of open source solutions please consider dependancy upon programers… To big dependancy can be in many ways contraproductive for company longterm effective exploatition of business intelligence value ad. 

Company has to deeply in details analyze wishes, needs and own resources. Poor analyze, preparation and specification are one of the most frequent causes of business intelligence failure. Yes, weak concept and lack of vision, even would dare to say lack of knowledge assets – intellectual capital are biggest enemies of Business Intelligence. Our site Business Intelligence Secrets serve to fill and complete company knowledge before taking Business Intelligence solution.

Next extremely important fact to consider is roadmap of business intelligence tool. There were many tools that were simply “abandond” buy their owners. Place yourself on vendors position, would you keep in your portfolio competing products? SAP for example has this dilemma. Which product shall be integrated into vertical products platform as complete solution and which shall be abandoned… If company implements product that will soon terminate deployment and development simply due too business intelligence market processes – acquistions or mergers…their implemented business intelligence tool is vaste of investment.

Related posts, articles and documents:

• Business Intelligence PDF
• Measuring decisions with business intelligence solutions
• Business Intelligence goals and expectations