In 2024, decision-making will remain increasingly important to organizations that use SaaS BI (software as a service business intelligence) tools. So, what is business intelligence tools?
BI is a software apparatus that gathers, sorts, and processes data to facilitate better business decisions from unlocked, real-time information. These business intelligence solutions offer the tools to analyze and visualize the data and share it. Therefore, it offers organizations, especially those that cannot afford specialized software, a cost-effective way to improve their business.
Here are seven top business intelligence tools with their salient features, compatibility, and plans. Let's look over these solutions to boost your business productivity.
1. Microsoft Power BI
Power Business Intelligence or Power BI is among the perfect business analytics tools
for short. It is a highly recommended SaaS business intelligence solution developed by Microsoft. For both small and large companies, this BI software allows users to explore, share, or display data in visualizations.
Key Features:
- Extensive Integrations: Connects smoothly with other Microsoft tools, Azure, and a variety of external data sources.
- Real-Time Analytics: This has real-time streaming, which means that interface users can get up-to-date information while making decisions.
- AI and Machine Learning: A service that makes use of Artificial Intelligence to assist users in finding patterns and possible forecasts.
- Interactive Dashboards: Flexible dashboards where one can arrange or drag and drop the important metrics on the screen.
Pricing:
- Power BI Desktop: Free for individual users.
- Power BI Pro: This version costs $10 per user per month and is designed for small teams.
- Power BI Premium: From $20 per user per month or $4995 per user per month for big businesses with more requirements.
2. Tableau Online
Tableau Online is an online Business Intelligence tool that is very effective at analyzing data and creating beautiful dashboards and reports from raw data. Popular due to the graphical interface, it is largely used in data analysis, for creating highly clickable and engaging graphics, as well as in business intelligence applications.
Key Features:
- User-Friendly Visualizations: The latest version offers a variety of visualization tools that allow for easier analysis with additional chart types.
- Collaboration Tools: Enables collaboration so more than one user can create and edit different reports at once.
- Diverse Data Connectivity: It integrates with more than 50 data sources – they may be cloud-based or on-premises.
- Mobile Accessibility: The dashboards are mobile-friendly, with responsive design as a key feature.
Pricing:
- Creator: At $75 per user per month, all the features are unlocked, including personal and shared space creation.
- Explorer: On average it costs $42 per user per month for team collaboration.
- Viewer: It costs $15 per user per month for basic viewing permission.
3. Google Data Studio
Google Data Studio seems to be a free business intelligence tool that empowers users with multiple opportunities for data visualizations regardless of the company’s size. Being a part of Google's instruments, it makes sense for organizations that are already utilizing other services provided by Google.
Key Features:
- Google Ecosystem Integration: Compatible with Google Analytics, Google Ads, Google BigQuery, and all other Google products.
- Pre-Built Templates: There are several templates that you can edit, which is very beneficial for creating attractive reports.
- Real-Time Collaboration: Enables team members to work on the reports and view them while making the work more efficient.
- Simple Interface: Non-technical users can build reports through an easily understandable drag-and-drop interface.
Pricing:
- Free: the use of Google Data Studio is free, though some features may require payment through the Google store. Google Data Studio is an affordable solution for businesses who want to get started with basic business intelligence tools.
4. Qlik Sense Cloud
Qlik Sense Cloud provides a better business intelligence software solution called an associative data engine through which data signals can be heard. Dedicated to business professionals and analysts, it is designed for all users, technical or non-technical, who want powerful tools for analytics.
Key Features:
- Associative Data Engine: Enables users to discover data relationships in a manner more advanced than simple linear analysis.
- Augmented Intelligence: Brings artificial Intelligent business analytics for data-intense analytical exploration and predictability.
- Self-Service Reporting: Offers users the opportunity to implement their reports and dashboards.
- Secure Data: Security measures, particularly for the enterprise level, guarantee that private information will remain private and only authorized users will have access to it.
Pricing:
- Qlik Sense Business: It starts at $30 per user per month and is designed for small to mid-sized teams.
- Qlik Sense Enterprise: It starts at $70 and is most suitable for organizations with a large amount of capital.
5. Looker (Google Cloud)
Looker is one of the best SaaS BI tools for Google Cloud for data discovery and real-time reporting of a business. It is very highly scalable; therefore, it can work well with large data sets that are common to most firms.
Key Features:
- Unified Data Model: Provides the organization with a single and stable underlying structure to enable good data analysis work.
- Real-Time Data Access: Links it to the databases that allow for actual data to be accessed without prior caching.
- Embedded Analytics: Extends analytics for use in applications, portals, and workflows so it is more easily available.
- Strong Google Cloud Integration: Integrates brilliantly with BigQuery and other Google services, making them much more effective in synergy.
Pricing:
- Standard: $5,000/month for up to 50 users, provides standard embedding and API features.
- Enterprise: A yearly license with multiple users is allowed, a higher level of protection is required, and numerous settings are available.
- Embed: Monthly, yearly, or custom contracts, unlimited number of users, higher API options, single sign-on embed, and brand customization.
6. Sisense
Sisense is fast becoming a popular BI solution that offers tools to combine and analyze big data. It has an API-first approach when the analytics need to be added to applications, making it perfect for product and development teams.
Key Features:
- In-Chip Processing: Incorporates in-chip technology to fasten data processing to avoid cases of lagging.
- Embedded Analytics: Enables one application to have an interactive dashboard implemented within it.
- Unified Data Views: Presents data from different perspectives to give the big picture.
- Customizable Dashboards: It is rather easy for users to configure dashboards and reports for any particular application.
Pricing:
- Essential: From $40,600 per year and more with bulk discounts for multiple years of services.
- Advanced: It begins from $69,600 per year but offers benefits based on the terms of a multiyear deal.
- Pro Version: 501+ employees- highest-tier package begins at $109 000 per year with volume discounts available.
7. Domo
Domo is a complete business analytics tool with strong support for cloud applications and the ability to create very good visualizations. This type of Saas Business intelligence software has access to many data systems and is used by teams trying to analyze data from multiple sources.
Key Features:
- Cloud Connectivity: Interacts with different cloud sources and databases for a single entity user interface of data.
- Built-In ETL: Has data wrangling features to transform and analyze data easily.
- Collaboration Features: Integrates with collaboration tools, allowing for discussions right within the program/portal.
- Mobile-Friendly: Built for mobility, it allows the user to get all the functionalities of BI on a mobile device.
Pricing:
- Free Trial: 30-day trial, all features unlocked, and unlimited number of users in your company, including support and training during the trial.
- Standard: For the rest of all teams with smaller data needs, comprised of Tier 1 support involvement of the shared account team and Add.
- Enterprise: Popular due to its higher data volume, lower cost per terabyte, and dedicated account team.
- Business Critical: Includes AWS private link, AWS HIPAA environment, and volume end-user access.
Conclusion
BI-SaaS tools are revolutionizing the possibilities of data analysis and decision-making. When it comes to using business intelligence solutions, some of the best ones available in the market include Microsoft Power BI, Tableau Online, and Domo. The right business intelligence tool for your company will depend on your business needs, its size, and your budget.
This awesome set of business intelligence tools uses enhanced features to get insight into operations for better decision-making today, given the importance of business intelligence in emerging data-driven environments for competitive business advantage.
