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SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence vs. Tableau Desktop

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence

    Score6.5 out of 10
    N/AThe SAP® BusinessObjects™ Business Intelligence Platform provides users with ad hoc queries, reporting, data visualizations, and analysis tools. Its integrated, unified infrastructure aims to offer scalability from one-to-many tools and interfaces on-premise, in the cloud, or as a hybrid approach.N/A

    Tableau Desktop

    Score8.1 out of 10
    N/ATableau Desktop is a data visualization product from Tableau. It connects to a variety of data sources for combining disparate data sources without coding. It provides tools for discovering patterns and insights, data calculations, forecasts, and statistical summaries and visual storytelling.

    $75

    per month

    Pricing
    SAP BusinessObjects Business IntelligenceTableau Desktop
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Tableau
    $75
    per month per user
    Tableau Enterprise
    $115
    per month per user
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    SAP BusinessObjects Business IntelligenceTableau Desktop
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsAll pricing plans are billed annually.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    SAP BusinessObjects Business IntelligenceTableau Desktop
    Considered Both Products
    SAP
    Chose SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    ThoughtSpot is superior for query speed and simplicity but is inferior in merged-dimension query setup and execution. BOBJ is superior to Tableau in that the universes simplify the queries for the end-user, however, it's inferior in visualizations. decisionpoint is a dashboard …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    I have used Data Stage; plug and play extractors help to fetch data from SAP CRM/ECC. It reduces the ETL job design efforts.
    I have used Tableau, the SAP dashboard provides more options in designing legends on charts, in-built hide/show features in charts.
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    I had to choose between Tableau, Birst and BO.
    I liked BO over these as the features like derived tables, merge dimensions, context operators are not there in other tools.
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    When we get the installation of the SAP BO BI Platform done on one of the BO servers, we get a whole of stacks of SAP BO BI suite tools installed. This is a package that has reporting tools inside it. For instance, web intelligence-rich clients, SAP Crystal reports, etc. We can …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    Earlier, I used SAP BW's BEx tools for reporting, but it was challenging to format the report data and export to different formats. SAP BEx tools can access data from limited sources where as SAP BO can access data from most of the datasources which is why I prefer using BO …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    I have worked on different BI tools in the market and could not find any other tool that was better and more powerful than SAP BusinessObjects.
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    The biggest advantage that SAP Business Objects has over these competitors are value and options. Value wise, it brings together a tool set that delivers a bit of something for everyone. With integration into Microsoft Office, additional options are available to for those …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    We selected SAP Business Objects in the previous instance because we were implementing SAP ERP and the choice of Business Objects was favorable from an integration and cost perspective. We did not choose SAP Business Objects most recently because of the predicted long …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    Microsoft/Caradigm Amalga
    Tableau
    Qlikview
    Chose SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    Originally, Business Objects was implemented before I joined. When we had issues with Business Objects Version 3, we evaluated:
    Tableau
    Chose Tableau Desktop
    Using Tableau Desktop, we have found it the most actionable and user-friendly application ever. It has the broadest range of APIs and is exceptionally user-friendly. It can handle a large amount of data and produce smooth charts quickly. For data geeks, this is the ideal stack.
    Incentivized
    Chose Tableau Desktop
    Tableau Desktop is the most user-friendly and actionable application we have used in comparison to others. It has the best API connection potential along with easy start-up. They seem to always be updating the platform to solve newer problems which help keep my company up to …
    Incentivized
    Chose Tableau Desktop
    1. As compared to SAP Business Objects, Tableau is very easy to use and quick in terms of implementation. Although SAP BO is reporting tool but both tool servers different purposes. SAP BO is a huge enterprises tool used mainly for creating large tabular reports while Tableau …
    Incentivized
    Chose Tableau Desktop
    • Good drill down capabilities
    • Intuitive and friendly GUI
    • Less dependency on IT
    Incentivized
    Chose Tableau Desktop
    Ease of use, user friendly. The user finds it easy to work with and started creating things from day 1.
    Incentivized
    Chose Tableau Desktop
    Excel is the ultimate jack-of-all-trades Swiss army knife approach. You can do almost anything but it is missing much of the polish of dedicated applications of Tableau. Great for the initial approach to a new dataset. I have created some custom Excel macros that go in and run …
    Incentivized
    Chose Tableau Desktop
    Tableau has superior mapping out of the box but the visualizations within PowerBI are superior. BusinesObjects allows an end-user to explore/write queries without knowledge of SQL and a cursory knowledge of the data whereas both PowerBI and Tableau require some SQL and data …
    Incentivized
    Chose Tableau Desktop
    Tableau is the only tool that can be exposed to end users so that they can build their reports and dashboards and can publish these without the help of a dedicated developer.
    Incentivized
    Chose Tableau Desktop
    SAP Lumira starts off well with its ease of use but the number of visualizations are very limited in Lumira when compared to Tableau Desktop. Also the ability to customize the visualizations is limited. Its integration with the non SAP data sources is poor. Also, the components …
    Incentivized
    Chose Tableau Desktop
    Although tableau is the better choice for environments with disparate data sources and multiple database vendors, Microsoft shops may find it makes more sense to adopt Power BI as it more cleanly integrates into a SQL Server environment albeit you are better off concentrating …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    83%
    Would buy again
    10 Answers
    93%
    Would buy again
    51 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    90%
    Delivers good value for the price
    9 Answers
    91%
    Delivers good value for the price
    49 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    83%
    Happy with the feature set
    10 Answers
    98%
    Happy with the feature set
    54 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    88%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    7 Answers
    93%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    37 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    80%
    Implementation went as expected
    8 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    43 Answers
    Features
    SAP BusinessObjects Business IntelligenceTableau Desktop
    BI Standard Reporting
    Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence and Tableau Desktop
    Feature
    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    8.2
    51 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Tableau Desktop
    8.3
    167 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Pixel Perfect reports8.646 Ratings8.8139 Ratings
    Customizable dashboards7.747 Ratings8.4166 Ratings
    Report Formatting Templates8.347 Ratings7.8145 Ratings
    Ad-hoc Reporting
    Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence and Tableau Desktop
    Feature
    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    7.8
    48 Ratings
    3% below category average
    Tableau Desktop
    8.7
    164 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Drill-down analysis7.147 Ratings8.6159 Ratings
    Formatting capabilities8.347 Ratings9.2162 Ratings
    Integration with R or other statistical packages7.333 Ratings7.7122 Ratings
    Report sharing and collaboration8.647 Ratings9.2157 Ratings
    Report Output and Scheduling
    Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence and Tableau Desktop
    Feature
    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    7.9
    48 Ratings
    5% below category average
    Tableau Desktop
    8.1
    158 Ratings
    3% below category average
    Publish to Web9.040 Ratings7.3149 Ratings
    Publish to PDF7.446 Ratings7.9149 Ratings
    Report Versioning6.742 Ratings8.2116 Ratings
    Report Delivery Scheduling8.447 Ratings9.2123 Ratings
    Delivery to Remote Servers7.726 Ratings8.073 Ratings
    Data Discovery and Visualization
    Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence and Tableau Desktop
    Feature
    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    7.2
    43 Ratings
    10% below category average
    Tableau Desktop
    8.4
    156 Ratings
    5% above category average
    Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)6.941 Ratings9.0154 Ratings
    Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization6.939 Ratings8.2149 Ratings
    Predictive Analytics7.938 Ratings8.6126 Ratings
    Pattern Recognition and Data Mining7.32 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Access Control and Security
    Comparison of Access Control and Security features of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence and Tableau Desktop
    Feature
    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    9.2
    48 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Tableau Desktop
    8.7
    142 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Multi-User Support (named login)9.048 Ratings9.0139 Ratings
    Role-Based Security Model9.646 Ratings8.0119 Ratings
    Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)9.045 Ratings8.8129 Ratings
    Report-Level Access Control9.62 Ratings9.03 Ratings
    Single Sign-On (SSO)9.029 Ratings8.877 Ratings
    Mobile Capabilities
    Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence and Tableau Desktop
    Feature
    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    5.8
    34 Ratings
    30% below category average
    Tableau Desktop
    8.0
    135 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Responsive Design for Web Access6.733 Ratings8.2124 Ratings
    Mobile Application3.928 Ratings7.097 Ratings
    Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile3.930 Ratings8.8117 Ratings
    Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
    Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence and Tableau Desktop
    Feature
    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    7.1
    24 Ratings
    9% below category average
    Tableau Desktop
    9.0
    64 Ratings
    14% above category average
    REST API6.721 Ratings9.256 Ratings
    Javascript API7.319 Ratings9.051 Ratings
    iFrames7.318 Ratings9.249 Ratings
    Java API7.122 Ratings10.046 Ratings
    Themeable User Interface (UI)7.321 Ratings8.453 Ratings
    Customizable Platform (Open Source)6.720 Ratings8.446 Ratings
    User Ratings
    SAP BusinessObjects Business IntelligenceTableau Desktop
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.7
    (73 ratings)
    8.7
    (194 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.3
    (24 ratings)
    8.9
    (39 ratings)
    Usability
    7.6
    (16 ratings)
    8.6
    (63 ratings)
    Availability
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    8.0
    (10 ratings)
    Performance
    9.0
    (10 ratings)
    6.1
    (9 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.6
    (16 ratings)
    7.0
    (56 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    10.0
    (4 ratings)
    9.4
    (4 ratings)
    Online Training
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    8.0
    (4 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.0
    (8 ratings)
    8.0
    (34 ratings)
    Configurability
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    8.1
    (2 ratings)
    Data Sharing and Collaboration
    8.2
    (45 ratings)
    8.4
    (115 ratings)
    Data Sources
    8.3
    (45 ratings)
    7.9
    (115 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    7.0
    (3 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    SAP BusinessObjects Business IntelligenceTableau Desktop
    Likelihood to Recommend
    SAP
    As mentioned earlier reporting was a big headache for us and the tools we used didn't support large data sets and visualization Performing analytics with such data sets was cumbersome and later post using this SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence we were able to correlate different data sets and prepare the dashboard pretty easier which were helpful and easier to understand.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Tableau
    The best scenario is definitely to collect data from several sources and create dedicated dashboards for specific recipients. However, I miss the possibility of explaining these reports in more detail. Sometimes, we order a report, and after half a year, we don't remember the meaning of some data (I know it's our fault as an organization, but the tool could force better practices).
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    SAP
    No answers on this topic
    Tableau
    • An excellent tool for data visualization, it presents information in an appealing visual format—an exceptional platform for storing and analyzing data in any size organization.
    • Through interactive parameters, it enables real-time interaction with the user and is easy to learn and get support from the community.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    SAP
    No answers on this topic
    Tableau
    No answers on this topic
    Likelihood to Renew
    SAP
    The institution has decided to move in a different direction, and will be using MSBI for reporting. I have been very happy with the Business Objects suite of tools, and will continue to use them heavily until we make the transition.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Tableau
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    SAP
    No answers on this topic
    Tableau
    Tableau Desktop has proven to be a lifesaver in many situations. Once we've completed the initial setup, it's simple to use. It has all of the features we need to quickly and efficiently synthesize our data. Tableau Desktop has advanced capabilities to improve our company's data structure and enable self-service for our employees.
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    SAP
    No answers on this topic
    Tableau
    When used as a stand-alone tool, Tableau Desktop has unlimited uptime, which is always nice. When used in conjunction with Tableau Server, this tool has as much uptime as your server admins are willing to give it. All in all, I've never had an issue with Tableau's availability.
    Read full review
    Performance
    SAP
    Overall, the tool (Web Intelligence 4.2) is fast and solid. One issue is a dependability on JAVA for a full feature report creation/edit capabilities (as opposed to limited HTML option). Second, planned end of JAVA support by major browsers (Chrome is already not supporting JAVA applet).
    Read full review
    Tableau
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    SAP
    SAP has released various versions of SAP BO BI. starting from 3.1 and going to 4.0,4.1,4.2 and latest being 4.3. SAP provides support to these new versions. As new versions keep on coming, support for the very old software goes out of scope from SAP. it is when the different organization plans to get their BO content migrated from a lower version to a newer version. The newer version had definitely added functionality and features which ease the work of users.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Tableau
    No answers on this topic
    In-Person Training
    SAP
    SAP authorized training is best, Please go ahead with it. Even lot of online training options/videos available for self learning
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Tableau
    It is admittedly hard to train a group of people with disparate levels of ability coming in, but the software is so easy to use that this is not a huge problem; anyone who can follow simple instructions can catch up pretty quickly.
    Read full review
    Online Training
    SAP
    No answers on this topic
    Tableau
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    SAP
    Hire specialists and experienced staff. Mix some beginners so that everyone is not a leader but a learner too. Plan well; architect well; break down implementation in small steps and move towards larger steps. Create a centralized and authorized SAP Business Objects implementation team.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Tableau
    Again, training is the key and the company provides a lot of example videos that will help users discover use cases that will greatly assist their creation of original visualizations. As with any new software tool, productivity will decline for a period. In the case of Tableau, the decline period is short and the later gains are well worth it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    SAP
    We selected SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence (BI) based on price. It can stack up against others in terms of price and honestly, that's about it. Salesforce Commerce does a hell of a better job at handling it. However, in the space of Business Intelligence, SAP can do more, and that's why at the end we went with it
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Tableau
    No answers on this topic
    Scalability
    SAP
    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence (BI) Platform supports SOA Service Oriented Architecture. You can start/restart/enable/disable all the servers. You can seamless do load balancing and clustering. It supports all leading application and web server. Supports LDAP SSO integration. People who can work on excel with training they can work on SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence, dashboard, Lumira, Information design tool product suite. Tool is very user friendly and easy to learn and implement
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Tableau
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    SAP
    No answers on this topic
    Tableau
    • Tableau was acquired years ago, and has provided good value with the content created.
    • Ongoing maintenance costs for the platform, both to maintain desktop and server licensing has made the continuing value questionable when compared to other offerings in the marketplace.
    • Users have largely been satisfied with the content, but not with the overall performance. This is due to a combination of factors including the performance of the Tableau engines as well as development deficiencies.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots