Best Business Intelligence Platforms Shortlist
This is my final roundup of the best business intelligence solutions. Keep reading to find platform reviews, essential functionalities and features for BI tools, and answers to the most common questions.
- Compass - Best for ensuring a better developer experience
- Tableau - Best for accelerating decision-making with the help of AI
- Microsoft Power BI - Best for creating rich data visualizations
- SAP BusinessObjects - Best for enterprise-grade self service to increase user autonomy
- IBM Cognos Analytics - Best for web-based data modeling solutions
- QlikView - Best for accessing Qlik Sense® to leverage AI data exploration
- Oracle BI - Best for end-to-end enterprise performance management
- MicroStrategy - Best for using automated SQL generation
- TIBCO Spotfire - Best for business analysts and data scientists
- SAS Business Intelligence - Best for automated insights that prioritize context
- Pentaho - Best for scaling to enterprise-grade data management
- Yellowfin BI - Best for automated analysis and storytelling
If you’re looking for a solution that makes it easier to gain new insights from your data and communicate it efficiently to your team, your clients, and your stakeholders, Business Intelligence (BI) is the solution.
There are several types of BI platforms that can help, including self-service and cloud-based, but they all collect data on every aspect of your business in an attempt to provide answers about how you can improve workflows, productivity, and revenue across the entire organization.
Explore the options I chose to learn how this fast-growing segment of SaaS can enable your team to discover actionable insights that allow you to take advantage of trends, jump on new opportunities, and minimize risk.
What Are Business Intelligence Platforms?
Business Intelligence platforms are software solutions that provide procedural and technical infrastructure to collect, store, and analyze all the data produced by your company’s activities. This broad category also encompasses process analysis, descriptive analytics, data mining, and performance benchmarking.
BI platforms will parse all this data to present you with digestible reports, visualized analytics, and performance measures that can help you improve company operations.
Overviews Of The 12 Best Business Intelligence Platforms
Are you ready to start exploring the top business intelligence tools on my list? Keep reading to discover platform summaries, standout features, pricing and free trial information, and a few pros and cons for each solution. I’ve also included some information on integrations to help you figure out whether a tool fits into your tech stack.
1. Compass - Best for ensuring a better developer experience
As a developer experience platform, compass is designed to bring your collaborating teams and your distributed software architecture together in a single, unified space. Use this platform for data management with a component catalog, improve customer service with health tracking metrics, and reduce context switching by integrating all your data sources.
Why I picked Compass: I added this platform to my list because it serves developers with unique features that untangle architecture and prevent software sprawl. Get a comprehensive view of every component your team relies on and add new components easily with documentation that ensures you know who owns what.
Compass Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include templates that automate consistency and accelerate production paths, and scorecards that help you codify best practices and processes at scale.
Integrations include AWS, Bamboo, BitBucket, Confluence, Crowd, GitHub, Jira, New Relic, TideLift, and Trello.
Pricing: From $7/user/month for a minimum of three users
Trial: Free plan available
Pros
- Easy to deploy and customize
- Simple to add integrations
- Ideal for scaling organizations
Cons
- Design and navigation are a little outdated
- Premium tools come at a premium price
2. Tableau - Best for accelerating decision-making with the help of AI
This BI platform is designed to encourage organizations to become more data-driven with a wide breadth and depth of capabilities that can serve the smallest businesses and the largest. Tableau strives to deliver a seamless end-to-end user experience with unmatched flexibility in automation and customization that can adapt to your environment.
Why I picked Tableau: I chose this tool because it offers a generative AI that simplifies data modeling and exploration to surface insights faster for every business user. Use the Einstein Copilot from Salesforce in Tableau to improve visibility and dashboard quality through prescriptive guidance and automation.
Tableau Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include a data prep tool that cleans your data before analysis and cloud implementation that increases accessibility for everyone in your organization.
Integrations include Asana, ClickUp, Google Analytics 360, MATLAB, OptiSigns, Procore, Salesforce, Smartsheet, SurveyMonkey, and Yodeck.
Pricing: From $15/user/month
Trial: Free trial available
Pros
- Supports almost all connectors
- Allows for custom SQL
- Can handle large data sets
Cons
- The server can be a bit slow
- Overall UI could be better
3. Microsoft Power BI - Best for creating rich data visualizations
This suite of BI tools from Microsoft is built to ensure you have the capability to analyze and share business data with stakeholders and customers through rich visualizations. You can also access customizable pre-built dashboards and reports that easily integrate with Microsoft’s Query engine to model, unify, and centralize all your information into a single source of truth.
Why I picked Microsoft Power BI: The most unique feature from this platform is the AI-powered visualization. Uncover the potential in your data with the Copilot AI, which can analyze and pull data into a report to answer any question. These in-depth visualizations can provide you with actionable insights alongside charts and graphs for better business decisions.
Microsoft Power BI Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include Power Pages, which allows you to build and launch custom, low-code business websites, and Power Automate, which focuses on optimization for your workflow.
Integrations include Asana, MATLAB, OptiSigns, Quickbooks Online, REACH, Salesforce, Smartsheet, UpKeep, Xereo, and Yodek.
Pricing: From $9.99/user/month
Trial: Free trial available
Pros
- Dashboards and reports are very customizable
- Easy to learn if you already have experience with Microsoft
- No need for technical expertise
Cons
- Editing source materials can break charts
- Initial learning curve is challenging
4. SAP BusinessObjects - Best for enterprise-grade self service to increase user autonomy
SAP BusinessObjects is a BI suite that offers reporting and visualization tools that help you gain insight into the key metrics that matter to your organization, including revenue, sales performance, and resource allocation. You can deploy in the cloud or on-premise to empower your team to access the data they need anytime, from anywhere.
Why I picked SAP BusinessObjects: This enterprise-grade reporting system caught my eye because of its dashboard-based user interface and prioritization of self-service tools. You can access ad hoc reporting, forecasting, and planning without technical experience and use conversational tools to share insights and synchronize workflows.
SAP BusinessObjects Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include sharing tools that allow you to embed analytics into Microsoft PowerPoint and real time analytics through a connection with the SAP Business data warehouse.
Integrations include Google Analytics 360, Google Drive, HubSpot CRM, Meta for Business, Microsoft PowerPoint, Qualtrics CoreXM, QuickBooks, Salesforce Sales Cloud, Twitter, and Zoho Expense.
Pricing: From $14,000/year
Trial: Free demo available
Pros
- No need for technical data analysts
- Robust training and online courses
- Excel-based functionality is easy to use
Cons
- Limited data transformation capabilities
- User interface is a little cumbersome
5. IBM Cognos Analytics - Best for web-based data modeling solutions
This platform is part of the IBM suite of BI solutions, and it’s tailored to provide organizations of all sizes with the standard BI features and advanced functionalities you want, including strategy management, real time performance monitoring, forecasting, and ad hoc reporting. You can use IBM Cognos Analytics to automate and optimize workflows.
Why I picked IBM Cognos Analytics: This tool stood out to me because it offers web-based versatility that’s accessible on every device, including iOS and Android. You can easily join, connect, upload, and model data from a variety of connectors. Use your data to plot decision trees and ask AI assistants to translate the results into data storytelling reports.
IBM Cognos Analytics Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include built-in AI that accelerates data prep and interactive dashboards with auto-generated visualizations that update in real time.
Integrations include CommandCenterHD, eCMS, Delphi AI, Husky Intelligence, LENDperfect, Limelight, Login ERP, MongoDB, SAP Fieldglass, Slack, and VisualCron.
Pricing: From $10/user/month
Trial: 30-day free trial available
Pros
- Mobile accessibility with web-based logins
- AI-generated visualization
- No need to understand SQL
Cons
- Integrating data sources is a little clunky
- Lag time when processing big data sets
6. QlikView - Best for accessing Qlik Sense to leverage AI data exploration
QlikView was the original data analytics revolutionary, and they’ve now release Qlik Sense to set a new benchmark for analytics with a full range of use cases that includes interactive dashboards, self-service analytics, customer behavior tracking, and embedded analytics. Use this tool with AI-powered suggestions to get the most out of your data.
Why I picked QlikView: The reason this platform stood out to me was because of Qlik Sense, an analytics tool that empowers anyone to get next-level insights out of their data. Using powerful AI, Qlik Sense can transform data into storytelling with NLP and automatically generate visualizations that are simple to read and understand.
QlikView Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include data integration through open and standard APIs and no-code automation that interprets data for you.
Integrations include Amazon Aurora, Couchbase, Databricks, Firebird, Google Analytics, JSON, Mailchimp, MongoDB, OpenAI, Facebook Insights, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Pricing: From $20/user/month with a 10 user minimum
Trial: Free trial available
Pros
- Ideal for mid-level organizations
- Has solutions for technical and non-technical users
- Supportive online community
Cons
- High tier plans are expensive
- Initial learning curve is steep
7. Oracle BI - Best for end-to-end enterprise performance management
The Oracle BI platform is a suite of applications and technology designed to offer you an integrated, end-to-end enterprise performance management system with a BI foundation and tools. You can use this solution to analyze and query data, set up alert and notification automation, and create reports with interactive visualizations.
Why I picked Oracle BI: This tool made my list because it offers the flexibility and scalability you need to achieve enterprise status. With the Oracle Business Intelligence Server, you gain access to the enterprise edition, which prioritizes optimizing concurrency and parallelism to ensure accessibility for the largest possible audience.
Oracle BI Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include Oracle Business Intelligence Answers for end user ad hoc capabilities and Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher to get efficient reporting in the most complex environments.
Integrations include Accountagility ORYX, DataTerrain, Espresso, iOS14, Kodiak Hub, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft PowerPoint, Rayven, TSM, and VKS.
Pricing: From $160.00/month for up to 10 users
Trial: 30-day free trial available
Pros
- Provides tutorials to guide you through the tools
- User friendly interface and navigation
- Minimal training needed to get started
Cons
- Limited customization in reporting
- Limited mobile capabilities
8. MicroStrategy - Best for using automated SQL generation
As a self-service business intelligence solution, MicroStrategy is designed to help you make data-driven decisions faster through a selection of data exploration and sharing tools. With access to intuitive visualizations, unlimited data sources, and mobile tools, every person in your organization can analyze data and report on relevant metrics.
Why I picked MicroStrategy: One unique thing about this platform is the way it allows you to query your data. You don’t have to deal with the complexity of SQL using MicroStrategy. Instead, this platform will automatically translate your questions into an SQL query through natural language processing.
MicroStrategy Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include an AI chatbot that provides answers and summaries based on a single dashboard or report, as well as embedded analytics that you can integrate into any product.
Integrations include Amazon Redshift, Cloudera, databricks, Google, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Word, MongoDB, Salesforce, Snowflake, and Vibe.
Pricing: Pricing available upon request
Trial: Free demo available
Pros
- Easy to learn the tools
- Intuitive user navigation
- Quick implementation and installation
Cons
- Cost is higher than other tools
- Platform isn’t as responsive on smaller screens
9. TIBCO Spotfire - Best for business analysts and data scientists
An analytics platform that strives to transform your business data quickly and intuitively, TIBCO Spotfire offers convenient connections with a variety of databases, files, APIs, servers, and web services to facilitate deep data discovery. With 16 types of data visualizations, you can then interpret your data with map, bar, line, heat, and pie charts.
Why I picked TIBCO Spotfire: This platform made my roundup because it was specifically designed for data scientists and business analysts. Whether you use R or Python, you can empower yourself with seamless data science workflows and point-and-click functionalities that scale to fit your needs.
TIBCO Spotfire Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include no-code, drag-and-drop functionality for non-technical users and affinity analysis that finds unique connections between various data points.
Integrations include Benchling, EZ-MES, GreaseBook, Grooper, JobScore, MATLAB, MongoDB, Productioneer, Smartsheet, Workable, and ZEMA.
Pricing: From $125/month
Trial: 30-day free trial available
Pros
- Easy to use and learn
- Cloud and web deployment
- Truly beautiful data visualizations
Cons
- No version for Mac OS
- No universal pricing model
10. SAS Business Intelligence - Best for automated insights that prioritize context
SAS Business Intelligence is a BI tool that delivers actionable insights through augmented analytics. With machine learning and artificial intelligence, this platform helps you access fast, automated insights for better decision-making that positively impacts your organization.
Why I picked SAS Business Intelligence: One thing I really liked about this platform was that it focused on sending you automated insights without you having to do anything. You simply set your most important metrics, and the SAS Business Intelligence AI platform will automatically run forecasting and modeling before sending you an alert that explains and contextualizes the results.
SAS Business Intelligence Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include natural language generation that automatically provides easy-to-understand results and low-code analytics through a drag-and-drop editor.
Integrations include Adobe Audience Manager, Facebook, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Salesforce CRM, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Snowflake, Twilio, WeChat, and WhatsApp.
Pricing: Custom pricing available upon request
Trial: 14-day free trial available
Pros
- Best for data mining
- Easy to use the tools
- No-code and low-code options
Cons
- User interface can feel boring
- Report creation can be difficult
11. Pentaho - Best for scaling to enterprise-grade data management
As a data solution for enterprise-level organizations, Pentaho can support the data analytics needs of organizations in industries like retail, healthcare, and financial services by allowing them to access, combine, and manage data from a variety of sources. Use Pentaho to drill-drown into your data and find new revenue streams, minimize risk, and operate more efficiently.
Why I picked Pentaho: This tool from Hitachi stands out because it’s all about enterprise solutions. Using an expanded library of data connectors you can rapidly integrate and blend data from any source in the cloud or on-premise, as well as aligning data prep and modeling management that scales to any data pipeline workload.
Pentaho Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include codeless software that makes it easier to prepare and analyze data, and dataflow orchestration that allows you to switch between Kettle and Spark engines.
Integrations include AlayaCare, AWS, Azure, Bitium, COMP4, Creatio CRM, DataKitchen, GCP, Studio Creatio, and VIENNA Advantage ERP & CRM.
Pricing: Pricing available upon request
Trial: Free trial available
Pros
- Easy to set up and build reports
- Nice-looking data visualizations
- Hardware-compatible ETL system
Cons
- Limited communication and collaboration tools
- Small community of users
12. Yellowfin BI - Best for automated analysis and storytelling
As an enterprise and embedded analytics platform, Yellowfin BI is designed to combine automated analysis, action-based dashboards, and storytelling to simplify actionable insights and provide next-step recommendations. This highly flexible and scalable solution is a web application that’s easy to embed seamlessly into your app.
Why I picked Yellowfin BI: One really cool feature from this platform is the Automated Business Monitoring. This tool from Yellowfin BI consistently monitors changes and outliers in your data in real time through threshold based alerts (or fully automated AI-driven signals) to ensure you’re notified the minute anything critical changes in your operations.
Yellowfin BI Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include action-based dashboards with embedded operational workflows and automated storytelling through natural language processing.
Integrations include GitHub, Google Analytics 360, Google Sheets, Instagram, Meta for Business, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Salesforce, Tableau, Xero, and Zendesk Suite.
Pricing: From $19/user/month
Trial: Free demo available
Pros
- No-code options for non-technical users
- Intuitive user interface
- Robust online forum for advice
Cons
- Minimal improvements to core functionalities
- Report performance could be improved
Other Options
I couldn’t complete this list of analytics platforms without mentioning a few more options. Check out these additional solutions to see if one of them fits your needs better than those on the main list.
- Sisense - Best for using analytics tools to enhance your final product without any coding
- Looker - Best for BI software built on Google’s robust advanced analytics infrastructure
- Domo - Best for intuitive dashboards and reporting tools that democratize your data
- GoodData - Best for AI-fueled analytics that harness the power of machine learning
- Klipfolio - Best business intelligence tool for self-service analytics and reporting
- Zoho Analytics - Best for connecting to any source, including files, feeds, and apps
- Mopinion - Best all-in-one business intelligence software for digital channels
- Qualtrics - Best self-service BI for surfacing insights on how to interact with customers
Selection Criteria For Business Intelligence Platform
Here’s a short summary of the main selection and evaluation criteria I used to develop my list of the best business intelligence platforms for this article:
Core Functionality
The best data analysis tools have a number of core functionalities that enable widespread adoption and valuable insights, including:
- Self-service functionality
- Data gathering and storage
- Analytics and exploration in real time
- Interactive data visualization
Key Features
To ensure you’re getting the best BI tools, I’ve prioritized those platforms that deliver on the functionalities I listed above with a variety of features. Some of these might have specialized names due to trademarks, but they deliver the same capabilities, including:
- Drag-and-drop interface: Whether you’re customizing a dashboard or creating a report, being able to drag-and-drop various charts and graphs into place means you don’t have to know how to code to get the job done. Make sure everyone on your team can use your BI tools to enhance company processes.
- Mobile BI: If you have remote employees or team members that go out into the field, they still need access to data while on-the-go. Many business analytics tools offer mobile apps or web-based accessibility on any device.
- Graphs and charts: These data visualizations are an essential part of business analytics tools because they can make your data easier to understand. You can include these visualizations into any report or dashboard to keep track of the most important metrics and KPIs.
- Interactive dashboards and charts: In addition to making sure your charts and reports update data on a regular basis, you also want people to be able to click into them for more information. Some BI products offer natural language processing, which translates your charts into simple language to provide data through storytelling.
- Predictive analytics: All the raw data for your analytics is based on historical or current data that can be used to forecast market changes, future customer behavior trends, and other industry scenarios. You can use this information for better decision-making as you plan ahead.
Usability
BI tools can be pretty advanced, so to ensure adoption, you want them to be as user-friendly as possible. I looked for tools that simplified onboarding and implementation, offered robust training guides, and had accessible customer support teams to create an environment where your team was excited to learn about data analytics.
Software Integrations
Since you’re trying to aggregate as much data as you can to give your BI platforms more to work with, having access to a variety of connectors, apps, and integrations is key. Check each platform review to see which data integrations are most popular with every tool on my list.
Pricing
Because these tools vary in capabilities, the price range is pretty vast. You’ll find some tools that offer basic data discovery and analysis for free. But prices can go up to as much as $800 - $1,000/month. The average tool cost will range between $25 - $90/month, and you’ll also see some customizable plan options that are built for your business.
People Also Ask
There is plenty more to learn about business intelligence tools, so what other questions do you have? Here are some answers to the most common concerns to get you started.
Who uses business intelligence platforms?
What are the benefits of business intelligence platforms?
What are 5 systems for business intelligence?
Other RevOps Software
There are tons of other tools you may need to round out your tech stack. Check out my overviews of all these other solutions to find the right blend for your business needs:
- Cloud BI Tools
- Sales Analytics Software
- Revenue Intelligence Platforms
- Sales Intelligence Software
- Predictive Analytics Software
- Business Development Software
- Sales Forecasting Software
Moving Forward
You may feel overwhelmed with all the information I just dropped on you, but it should be simple to narrow down your top few preferences from my list. Sign up for the free trials and demos to see how these tools actually perform and narrow your choices down even further. I’m confident you’ll be able to find the right tool for your needs.
And if you want to stay updated on the newest trends in the revops world, sign up for the newsletter to get weekly insights from the experts!