Alteryx Analytics vs SAP Crystal

• Data ingestion: Alteryx is capable of connecting with a multitude of data sources from SQL databases to cloud-hosted solutions like Salesforce, Tableau, or Google Analytics. Also supports OleDB & ODBC connections.
• Dynamic data munging: Alteryx has a great variety of processing tools to clean and prep data including: dedupe, formulas, joins, union, sort... Performing these functions really quickly on even moderately equipped laptops or desktops. It's dynamic in that it can easily handle changes in data by allowing extra columns to flow through.
• Macros: have a process that you are consistently running in separate workflows? Build a macro, be it a batch or iterative, Alteryx can do it. I've built 40-50 macros and use at least 4+ in every workflow I design so data is handled the same way in every workflow for consistency and cutting down on copy/pastes.

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• Crystal allows you to connect to virtually any type of data that is available.
• Crystal Reports has a rich ecosystem of third party products that extend its capabilities. My site lists dozens of tools that provide viewing, scheduling and managing reports, along with formula UFLs that can let your report interact with your operating system and other applications and services.
• Crystal, especially the more recent versions, let you create virtually any desired layout with the ability to locate objects anywhere and move them based on conditions in the data.
• Crystal uses the classic "recurring bands" structure for page layout. I find this efficient and very flexible for generating different types of reports.
• Crystal doesn't require that you set up a meta data layer before creating reports. It gives you direct access to your tables and fields.
• The interface in Crystal Reports, while sophisticated, is still primarily designed for end users rather than a programmers.

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• I've had issues with the scheduler tool getting frozen or stuck in previous versions. For about the last 2-3 months the latest software version has been much more reliable. Previously I had to restart the Alteryx service on my machine at least once a week, which meant my workflows weren't running while the service had been stuck and data wasn't moving.
• Some of the connectors, like the Tableau Online connector, should become supported by Alteryx. The online community is fantastic and has created a ton of useful macros and it would be great if Alteryx would adopt, support, and enhance some of the most widely used and useful.

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• It would be nice to have sometime of functionality that would better detect an improper linking of two or more tables. Sometimes I don't know that I have an improper link until after I run a report and realize data records are repeating.
• Sometimes the pass through of formula values from multiple sub reports to a main report can be in error based on the placement of the sub reports in relation to each other. It would be great to have functionality that warns you about those issues.
• There should be more intellisense provided in the formula interface when creating conditional statements.

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• Alteryx does an excellent job of integrating consumer and spatial data to calculate and visualize things like locations within a certain drive-time radius.
• For visualization purposes I had to move the data to excel for some decent graphs.
• It can become very expensive.

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• It has allowed us to focus over 80 percent of the labor spent in the past on report distribution on other areas of the business.
• It provides us with a tool to meet all of our internal and external report demands
• Allows us 24/7/365 ability to get data to users without staffing for these jobs to get done.

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