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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Entrinsik Informer

    Score10 out of 10
    N/AEntrinsik Informer is a web-based reporting and business intelligence application popular in the higher education vertical market. It helps organizations transform real-time data into actionable information by delivering ad-hoc reporting, data analysis, and interactive dashboards.N/A

    Microsoft SQL Server

    Score8.7 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft SQL Server is a relational database.

    $1,418

    Per License

    Pricing
    Entrinsik InformerMicrosoft SQL Server
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Subscription
    $1,418.00
    Per License
    Enterprise
    $13,748.00
    Per License
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Entrinsik InformerMicrosoft SQL Server
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Entrinsik InformerMicrosoft SQL Server
    Considered Both Products
    Entrinsik
    Chose Entrinsik Informer
    Very cheap solution with 90% same features as top software solutions
    Incentivized
    Microsoft
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Would buy again
    53 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    96%
    Delivers good value for the price
    45 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    53 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    39 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    45 Answers
    Features
    Entrinsik InformerMicrosoft SQL Server
    BI Standard Reporting
    Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Entrinsik Informer and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Entrinsik Informer
    7.3
    8 Ratings
    11% below category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Pixel Perfect reports5.51 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customizable dashboards9.17 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Formatting Templates7.57 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad-hoc Reporting
    Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Entrinsik Informer and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Entrinsik Informer
    8.6
    11 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Drill-down analysis9.19 Ratings00 Ratings
    Formatting capabilities8.210 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integration with R or other statistical packages8.21 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report sharing and collaboration9.110 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Output and Scheduling
    Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Entrinsik Informer and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Entrinsik Informer
    9.1
    11 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Publish to Web9.14 Ratings00 Ratings
    Publish to PDF9.19 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Versioning9.13 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Delivery Scheduling9.17 Ratings00 Ratings
    Delivery to Remote Servers9.11 Ratings00 Ratings
    Data Discovery and Visualization
    Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Entrinsik Informer and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Entrinsik Informer
    7.3
    1 Ratings
    9% below category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)7.31 Ratings00 Ratings
    Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization7.31 Ratings00 Ratings
    Access Control and Security
    Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Entrinsik Informer and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Entrinsik Informer
    9.1
    11 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Multi-User Support (named login)9.111 Ratings00 Ratings
    Role-Based Security Model9.19 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)9.18 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report-Level Access Control9.11 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile Capabilities
    Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Entrinsik Informer and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Entrinsik Informer
    9.1
    1 Ratings
    16% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Responsive Design for Web Access9.11 Ratings00 Ratings
    Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile9.11 Ratings00 Ratings
    Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
    Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of Entrinsik Informer and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Entrinsik Informer
    8.2
    1 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    REST API8.21 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Entrinsik InformerMicrosoft SQL Server
    Small Businesses
    Cyfe
    Score4 out of 10
    Amazon RDS
    Score8.1 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Qlik Cloud Analytics (Qlik Sense)
    Score8.1 out of 10
    SingleStore
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Sisense
    Score6.9 out of 10
    SAP IQ
    Score5.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Entrinsik InformerMicrosoft SQL Server
    Likelihood to Recommend
    10.0
    (77 ratings)
    7.9
    (107 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.7
    (67 ratings)
    9.0
    (8 ratings)
    Usability
    9.1
    (14 ratings)
    7.6
    (17 ratings)
    Availability
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    8.3
    (2 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    10.0
    (11 ratings)
    7.9
    (26 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    7.3
    (2 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.0
    (5 ratings)
    9.0
    (6 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Data Sharing and Collaboration
    8.0
    (12 ratings)
    9.0
    (5 ratings)
    Data Sources
    8.0
    (12 ratings)
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    7.1
    (2 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Entrinsik InformerMicrosoft SQL Server
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Entrinsik
    It makes creating queries very easy for end users so not only research or technicians can do it. The availability for creating Live reports that are accessible via Excel on the network has given many of our users the ability to get the information they need in a format they can use without needing someone to translate the raw data
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Microsoft SQL is ubiquitous, while MySQL runs under the hood all over the place. Microsoft SQL is the platform taught in colleges and certification courses and is the one most likely to be used by businesses because it is backed by Microsoft. Its interface is friendly (well, as pleasant as SQL can be) and has been used by so many for so long that resources are freely available if you encounter any issues.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Entrinsik
    • Simple user-interface: Informer is relatively easy to learn and end users can begin running reports and creating new reports quickly.
    • Email "burst" functionality: This feature allows emails to be sent out based on data in the report. So for example, a report could be scheduled that would email all student employment managers listing out the specific employees that report to them that haven't submitted their time sheets. Each manager would only see the rows that correspond to their email address.
    • Analytics and grouping: Users can quickly drag columns to group and sub-total, and can use the analytics tab to get deeper insights into the data.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Easy to configure and use with Visual Studio and Dot Net
    • Easy integration with MSBI to perform data analysis
    • Data Security
    • Easy to understand and use
    • Very easy to export database and tables in the form of SQL query or a script
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Entrinsik
    • There are a lot of reports that we have in Informer that say they have never been run, even though I know they have been run. So that makes it really difficult to determine which reports can be deleted to keep a tidy report list.
    • The only other complaint I have about Informer is that there doesn't seem to be a properly detailed error code/message when the student information system can't be accessed. For example, I am currently trying to move Informer to its own standalone server and I get an error message saying that our license isn't valid. Informer Support sent a new license, which prompted the same message, and the only explanation they have given me is that Informer can't reach the student information system. I would think that if that were the case, the error message would say that instead of an invalid license.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise edition has a high cost but is the only edition which supports SQL Always On Availability Groups. It would be nice to include this feature in the Standard version.
    • Licensing of Microsoft SQL Server is a quite complex matter, it would be good to simplify licensing in the future. For example, per core vs per user CAL licensing, as well as complex licensing scenarios in the Cloud and on Edge locations.
    • It would be good to include native tools for converting Oracle, DB2, Postgresql and MySQL/MariaDB databases (schema and data) for import into Microsoft SQL Server.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Entrinsik
    Informer has been handily meeting most of our reporting needs, and we've created a library of hundreds of reports that are used every day. They have a terrific support service to help when you have questions, and I've found them to be great at listening to what customers would like and adding new features. They are a small company that really listens and really cares, and I've been very pleased over the past few years getting to know them.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    We understand that the Microsoft SQL Server will continue to advance, offering the same robust and reliable platform while adding new features that enable us, as a software center, to create a superior product. That provides excellent performance while reducing the hardware requirements and the total cost of ownership of our solution.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Entrinsik
    From the perspective of the new user and a seasoned user I would say eight would represent both parties. It presents a 'familiar' interface and easy to navigate display. Tagging is quite nice and allows for organization of reports based on those tags. These have to be monitored like anything else to keep them consistent but provides a better than average means of organizing reports.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    SQL Server mostly 'just works' or generates error messages to help you sort out the trouble. You can usually count on the product to get the job done and keep an eye on your potential mistakes. Interaction with other Microsoft products makes operating as a Windows user pretty straight forward. Digging through the multitude of dialogs and wizards can be a pain, but the answer is usually there somewhere.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Entrinsik
    We have 10 concurrent licenses and we average between 6-8 at any given time during the day; and we host the application.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Its does not have outages.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Entrinsik
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    SSAS data cubes may some time slow down your Excel reports.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Entrinsik
    Always able to get acceptable solutions in reasonable time from friendly support staff. Initial contact is always with knowledgeable person - not someone reading from a script trying to screen calls. Thanks Entrinsik for being in tune with my needs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    We managed to handle most of our problems by looking into Microsoft's official documentation that has everything explained and almost every function has an example that illustrates in detail how a particular functionality works. Just like PowerShell has the ability to show you an example of how some cmdlet works, that is the case also here, and in my opinion, it is a very good practice and I like it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Entrinsik
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    It was good
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Entrinsik
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    very hands on and detailed training
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Entrinsik
    We bought the product on a Thursday morning, and we were writing reports on Friday afternoon. We did take about a month to manage the Mapping, Linking and Security to allow us to open it up across campus. We are now mapping from as many third-party vendors as we can to enable the creation of more ad-hoc reporting.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Other than SQL taking quite a bit of time to actually install there are no problems with installation. Even on hardware that has good performance SQL can still take close to an hour to install a typical server with management and reporting services.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Entrinsik
    I have experience with Advizor AnalystX, and it was just awful. It is advertised as an interactive reporting tool, in which you can use your mouse to select and segment constituents by where they live (by clicking on a map), how much they've given to your institution, when they last gave, etc. In practice, their map feature was unusable; it's a static map image (imagine a paper map hung on your wall), rather than draggable and zoomable Google Maps, and it required hours of work to configure one map region. As far as computing constituents' giving statistics, it required way too much back-end work to build simple giving totals.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    [Microsoft] SQL Server has a much better community and professional support and is overall just a more reliable system with Microsoft behind it. I've used MySQL in the past and SQL Server has just become more comfortable for me and is my go to RDBMS.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Entrinsik
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    SQL server does handle growing demands of a mid sized company.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Entrinsik
    • We have definitely improved customer service due to better reporting using Informer. All departments are better empowered to help our students in a more timely and accurate manner.
    • Using Informer has given us the ability to eliminate functionality within our ERP system and offload reporting to a data store instead of the transactional system. This has resulted in successfully upgrading our core systems and improved response times.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Increased accuracy - We went from multiple users having different versions of an Excel spreadsheet to a single source of truth for our reporting.
    • Increased Efficiency - We can now generate reports at any time from a single source rather than multiple users spending their time collating data and generating reports.
    • Improved Security - Enterprise level security on a dedicated server rather than financial files on multiple laptop hard drives.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Entrinsik Informer Screenshots

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