Business Intelligence (BI) has become a must for any business, hoping to survive in today’s digital climate. The widespread need has led to lots of growth in companies that offer BI tools, making it harder and harder for companies to sift through and find the one that works for them. For that reason, we’re comparing some of the top players in the BI game.
In this blog, we’ll be focusing on two that have had enormous success and receive raving reviews from clients every year: Jaspersoft and Tableau.
Jaspersoft
TIBCO Jaspersoft is one of the market’s leading BI tools and has been for quite some time. Year after year, Gartner’s Magic Quadrant includes Jaspersoft as a strong competitor and a leader in providing open-source, innovative functions for business analytics and reporting. Let’s take a more thorough look into these features and see why so many businesses choose Jaspersoft for the BI needs.
Strong Features
- When customers are looking to invest in a BI platform, the first step is evaluating their needs and reviewing which platforms provide them with the necessary features to meet those needs. In most cases, Jaspersoft meets those needs with ease. There is a long list of features and reporting/dashboard services Jaspersoft offers so businesses can get the most out of their data for business insight. Here are some of the features that stand out:
- Multi-Dimensional Analytics
- Custom Visualizations
- Interactive Report Workbooks
- Ad Hoc Report Designer
- Data Virtualization
- Mobile Applications for iPhone/Android
Support and Availability
- Within any software, support and availability for use on multiple operating systems. Jaspersoft offers several potential points of support (email, phone, and live support), and various forms of training to help companies find their footing. And, Jaspersoft – as well as Tableau – can be run on numerous operating systems and devices including Windows, Linux, macOS, Android/iPhone, and a web-based platform. Users often claim that, though both Jaspersoft and Tableau work on the aforementioned operating systems, Jaspersoft access is much more straightforward.
Multi-Business Applicability
- Many BI tools aim to satisfy the needs od one audience, but Jaspersoft has the unique capability of catering to businesses small, medium, or large. No matter how much data you have or how many customers you have, Jaspersoft can give value and insight into your business. Concerning Tableau, their BI tools are primarily aimed toward medium to large scale businesses and cater less to smaller companies.
Easy Implementation/Fast Reporting
- Jaspersoft can be easy to implement, learn to use, and thus quick to begin giving your business the power of BI. The training services offered are understandable, and many third-party vendors also provide such services. On the other hand, Tableau users claim that Tableau is just as or even less-demanding to install than Jaspersoft.
Tableau
Tableau is not open-source, but just like Jaspersoft, it’s been a prominent figure in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for years. For many business users and dashboard consumers, Tableau’s virtualization, ease of chart customization, and predictive analytics have made them loyal customers. Here are some of the areas that Tableau excels as a BI tool in:
Strong Features
- The longer the list of features/functions is for a BI tool, the more potential there is to improve your business operations. In that sense, Tableau stands as the superior BI tool for many users; the list of robust reporting, data analysis, analytics, and dashboard capabilities goes on and on. Though it might seem overwhelming, it’s integrated into the software in a way most users (not all of them) find easy to navigate through. Here are just a few:
- Share/Embed/Mobile-Ready Dashboards
- Metadata Management and Visualization
- Tableau Public for Data Sharing
- Native Data Connectors
- Predictive Analytics
- Import Various Data Sets
Advanced Customization
- Customizing is key for precise business reporting. Tableau offers customization in multiple areas (dashboards, reports, and data notifications). Customization is also available in Jaspersoft, but not in the simplified way that Tableau presents it.
Powerful Visualization
- Whether it’s for viewing data sets, translating queries, or creating reports, the visualization features in Tableau make it easy to use and understand. Users can highlight/filter data, review data sets and reports via the Tableau Reader, and create “stories” with insights from various reports. Users have said that Jaspersoft is far behind when it comes to visualization.
Easy Implementation/Installation
- Not only is Tableau easy to install (there’s little necessary infrastructure or additional hardware), but connecting your data sources is just as simple. The administration is where the trickier processes come in. Where Jaspersoft might be more challenging to install, it’s much easier to maintain/manage.
If your business is trying to decide between Jaspersoft and Tableau, the decision won’t be easy to make. Both BI tools offer top-of-the-line services that will help your team align your company’s data with your goals and customers. At XTIVIA, we’ve helped many different businesses decide which software was right for them, and we can help you too. Feel free to engage with us via the comments below or reach out to us here.