BlackRock eFront vs. FactSet Workstation

FactSet works for all my IR needs. I do not see a function for which I use it for that it would be less appropriate. I believe that the tool's efforts towards becoming more integrated with AI are strong and that in time the Mercury offering will be just as competitive as some of the other AI offerings out there today such as AlphaSense

Incentivized

• Easy/clear UI for navigation
• Easily find and sort through financial filings to get to the data
• Document search functionality seems to be improving consistently with more robust features

Incentivized

• Excel add-in formulas are not constructed in an intuitive way and too often require assistance from help desk
• No chat function for help desk, which means delayed assistance time or talking with non-native English speakers, some of whom can be difficult to understand
• There should be an AI chatbot that can answer routine queries; for more advanced questions, a human rep can be connected
• Portfolio performance metrics should be downloadable using Excel add-in rather than being available only on Workstation

Incentivized

We need the FactSet data and capabilities to complete 75% of the financial analyses that we complete for both internal and external purposes. It is invaluable and I am not aware of any other provider that would be able to fill this gap that FactSet does

Incentivized

It does everything I need. It is pretty user friendly and easy to work with whatever technology interface I am using (desk top, notebook, tablet, or mobile phone). I am able to get work done whether I am in the office, at home, or traveling. The user up time is very good. They are rarely doing maintenance when I need to use the platform

Incentivized

I think the data delivery could be improved, but it's a good data set.

Incentivized

Bloomberg has more info/data than FactSet Workstation which I pointed out earlier. To be fair, I believe Bloomberg is more expensive. Refinitiv - I have used Thomson Reuters Eikon in the past and I did not like the inflexible interface, FactSet Workstation is much more flexible. To be fair, Refinitiv may have made some upgrades since but my mental impression still lean towards FactSet Workstation because of ease of use.

Incentivized

• We were able to end contracts with a few vendors because FactSet provided everything we need for stock screening, modeling, and analytics directly saving us capital that could be repurposed elsewhere
• Having a an all in one system that does everything speeds up training and learning curve for users
• Cheaper than main competitor Bloomberg

Incentivized