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Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued) vs. Microsoft BI (MSBI)

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued)

    Score7.2 out of 10
    Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
    Halogen Software offered the TalentSpace talent management solution which was acquired by Saba in 2017 and that is no longer for sale.N/A

    Microsoft BI (MSBI)

    Score8.5 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft BI is a business intelligence product used for data analysis and generating reports on server-based data. It features unlimited data analysis capacity with its reporting engine, SQL Server Reporting Services alongside ETL, master data management, and data cleansing.

    $14

    per month per user

    Pricing
    Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued)Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Power BI Pro
    $14
    per month per user
    Power BI Premium
    $24
    per month per user
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued)Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued)Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    Considered Both Products
    Discontinued Products
    No answer on this topic
    Microsoft
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    71%
    Would buy again
    5 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    15 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    60%
    Delivers good value for the price
    3 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    15 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    86%
    Happy with the feature set
    6 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    15 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    13 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    11 Answers
    Features
    Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued)Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    Onboarding
    Comparison of Onboarding features of Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued) and Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    Feature
    Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued)
    7.8
    8 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    New hire portal7.76 Ratings00 Ratings
    Manager tracking tools7.68 Ratings00 Ratings
    Compliance tracking and reporting8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Performance and Goals
    Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued) and Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    Feature
    Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued)
    5.1
    33 Ratings
    36% below category average
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Corporate goal setting3.528 Ratings00 Ratings
    Subordinate goal setting3.628 Ratings00 Ratings
    Individual goal setting7.232 Ratings00 Ratings
    Line-of sight-visibility4.929 Ratings00 Ratings
    Performance tracking6.432 Ratings00 Ratings
    Performance Management
    Comparison of Performance Management features of Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued) and Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    Feature
    Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued)
    6.1
    32 Ratings
    12% below category average
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Performance plans4.628 Ratings00 Ratings
    Plan weighting8.75 Ratings00 Ratings
    Manager note taking6.012 Ratings00 Ratings
    Performance improvement plans3.625 Ratings00 Ratings
    Review status tracking5.430 Ratings00 Ratings
    Rater nomination workflow7.85 Ratings00 Ratings
    Review reminders6.332 Ratings00 Ratings
    Workflow restrictions8.15 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multiple review frequency7.024 Ratings00 Ratings
    Reporting3.130 Ratings00 Ratings
    Succession Planning
    Comparison of Succession Planning features of Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued) and Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    Feature
    Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued)
    7.8
    5 Ratings
    14% above category average
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Create succession plans/pools7.63 Ratings00 Ratings
    Candidate ranking7.63 Ratings00 Ratings
    Candidate search8.04 Ratings00 Ratings
    Candidate development8.04 Ratings00 Ratings
    BI Standard Reporting
    Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued) and Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    Feature
    Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    9.0
    53 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Pixel Perfect reports00 Ratings8.546 Ratings
    Customizable dashboards00 Ratings9.653 Ratings
    Report Formatting Templates00 Ratings8.951 Ratings
    Ad-hoc Reporting
    Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued) and Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    Feature
    Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.5
    53 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Drill-down analysis00 Ratings8.548 Ratings
    Formatting capabilities00 Ratings8.253 Ratings
    Integration with R or other statistical packages00 Ratings8.342 Ratings
    Report sharing and collaboration00 Ratings8.953 Ratings
    Report Output and Scheduling
    Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued) and Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    Feature
    Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.5
    52 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Publish to Web00 Ratings9.348 Ratings
    Publish to PDF00 Ratings9.148 Ratings
    Report Versioning00 Ratings7.444 Ratings
    Report Delivery Scheduling00 Ratings8.547 Ratings
    Delivery to Remote Servers00 Ratings8.426 Ratings
    Data Discovery and Visualization
    Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued) and Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    Feature
    Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.7
    52 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)00 Ratings9.651 Ratings
    Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization00 Ratings8.748 Ratings
    Predictive Analytics00 Ratings7.745 Ratings
    Pattern Recognition and Data Mining00 Ratings8.76 Ratings
    Access Control and Security
    Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued) and Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    Feature
    Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    9.3
    53 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Multi-User Support (named login)00 Ratings9.449 Ratings
    Role-Based Security Model00 Ratings9.347 Ratings
    Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)00 Ratings8.949 Ratings
    Report-Level Access Control00 Ratings9.36 Ratings
    Single Sign-On (SSO)00 Ratings9.431 Ratings
    Mobile Capabilities
    Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued) and Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    Feature
    Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.0
    42 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Responsive Design for Web Access00 Ratings8.239 Ratings
    Mobile Application00 Ratings8.030 Ratings
    Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile00 Ratings7.839 Ratings
    Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
    Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued) and Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    Feature
    Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.5
    24 Ratings
    9% above category average
    REST API00 Ratings9.221 Ratings
    Javascript API00 Ratings8.821 Ratings
    iFrames00 Ratings8.820 Ratings
    Java API00 Ratings8.718 Ratings
    Themeable User Interface (UI)00 Ratings8.021 Ratings
    Customizable Platform (Open Source)00 Ratings7.319 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued)Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    Cyfe
    Score4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    SumTotal (legacy)
    Score7.9 out of 10
    Qlik Cloud Analytics (Qlik Sense)
    Score8.1 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Cornerstone Galaxy
    Score8.1 out of 10
    Sisense
    Score6.9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued)Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    4.4
    (58 ratings)
    8.9
    (77 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.0
    (11 ratings)
    8.0
    (25 ratings)
    Usability
    9.1
    (4 ratings)
    8.9
    (19 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.5
    (2 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    Support Rating
    4.4
    (12 ratings)
    8.9
    (15 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.9
    (3 ratings)
    Online Training
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.5
    (2 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.1
    (3 ratings)
    9.6
    (7 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Data Sharing and Collaboration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.5
    (42 ratings)
    Data Sources
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.4
    (41 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued)Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Discontinued Products
    I think it's a good platform for tracking and monitoring goals, feedback, and development. We don't use the 1:1 meeting feature, however, I can see how that would be valuable for many organizations. I do like that it is very customizable, however, that also presents problems in that sometimes forms and/or processes can be a bit challenging to create easily and quickly.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Microsoft BI has a lot of features and is a very powerful tool, especially if you have folks on your team that know how to utilize all of its capabilities. To truly unlock all that it can do, it does require people to have a deep understanding of its capabilities. That's where the software really shines. If you are looking for a simpler, more basic reporting tool, there are other programs available that do not require such a steep learning curve.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Discontinued Products
    • 1:1 agendas are easy to create, add comments to and prompt excellent conversation flow on the topics that truly matter to the manager and the employee.
    • The system can be easily customized to reflect your company's language and culture. We did this in several areas of the platform (goals, development, learning), and it made a world of difference in the understanding and adaptation of our users. One example is that in each learning module, we added 3 questions in the course description so that managers would be automatically prompted to ask to follow up / learning transfer questions when their employees enroll and take a learning course.
    • Halogen support is outstanding. Any question I have had has been answered upon the first contact or within 24 hours.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Comparatively easy to use compared to other data analytics solutions, collaborating with other colleagues on data work is simple.
    • Using Visual Studio for database, ETL, reporting, and analytics development save time and money.
    • Transfer of data from one application to another via Excel and comparison of data attributes between applications
    • Dashboard functionality, as well as Python support, are available, allowing you to add additional charts and graphs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Discontinued Products
    • My organization does not use all of the functions/modules that Halogen offers, but I find that those modules still appear on the Halogen main page. I think a great area for improvement is to hide these functions so as not to confuse employees.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • MSBI designs can work on increasing data processing capabilities enough to handle the huge datasets etc.
    • It would be a lot better if it is a little low on cost.
    • it needs to create opportunities little more than they do regarding customization of some very unique visualization effects
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Discontinued Products
    Implementing a new system and process company wide is never an easy task. We moved so quickly in such a short period of time that we were able to learn quickly but also have the opportunity to improve the Halogen experience. We will more than likely will renew our use of Halogen as we already are seeing a small impact which hopefully in the long run will lead to a greater impact
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Microsoft BI is fundamental to our suite of BI applications. That being said, Northcraft Analytics is focused on delighting our customers, so if the underlying factors of our decision change, we would choose to re-write our BI applications on a different stack. Luckily, mathematics are the fundamental IP of our technology... and is portable across all BI platforms for the foreseeable future.
    Read full review
    Usability
    Discontinued Products
    Halogen is very intuitive and provides very clean work-space ... lots of white space and modern layouts. There is more than one way to accomplish your action, too!
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    The Microsoft BI tools have great usability for both developers and end users alike. For developers familiar with Visual Studio, there is little learning curve. For those not, the single Visual Studio IDE means not having to learn separate tools for each component. For end-users, the web interface for SSRS is simple to navigate with intuitive controls. For ad-hoc analysis, Excel can connect directly to SSAS and provide a pivot table like experience which is familiar to many users. For database development, there is beginning to be some confusion, as there are now three tool choices (VS, SSMS, Azure Data Studio) for developers. I would like to see Azure Data Studio become the superset of SSMS and eventually supplant it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    The product has been reliable.
    Read full review
    Performance
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) can drag at times. We created two report servers and placed them under an F5 load balancer. This configuration has worked well. We have seen sluggish performance at times due to the Windows Firewall.
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Discontinued Products
    We only purchased the appraisal module and without the other modules offered, you are really limited in what you can do and the process becomes much more involved with needing to maintain information across multiple platforms. We found that they charge for everything and call it "consulting." We poured so much money and time into a system that was just overkill for what we really needed.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    MSBI natively has a site that allows you to vote on user enhancements and bug fixes. This allows the largest nagging issues to float to the top and the development team can prioritize accordingly. As mentioned earlier, the large community base of MSBI developers assist technical resources in handling technical questions.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    This training was more directed toward what the product was capable of rather than actual programming.
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Discontinued Products
    It is very easy to use and I can do my own programming instead of paying a technician and waiting sometimes days for them to program the changes.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    I have used on-line training from Microsoft and from Pragmatic Works. I would recommend Pragmatic Works as the best way to get up to speed quickly, and then use the Microsoft on-line training to deep dive into specific features that you need to get depth with.
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Discontinued Products
    Get to know your CAM - Customer Account Manager! They are a lifesaver! (Thanks Jorie Basque!)
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    We are a consulting firm and as such our best resources are always billing on client projects. Our internal implementation has weaknesses, but that's true for any company like ours. My rating is based on the product's ease of implementation.
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Discontinued Products
    I have used other systems in the past and I like that Halogen provides everything in one space. I would like to see a more developed way to report training, not in the LMS, but I think that for the most part that Halogen is a robust system that is superior to its competition.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    We have used the built in ConnectWise Manager reports and custom reports. The reports provide static data. PowerBI shows us live data we can drill down into and easily adjust parameters. It's much more useful than a static PDF report.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Discontinued Products
    • We are able to get our reviews done in a quicker amount of time. Instead of 4-8 weeks we were able to get it done under a month.
    • Halogen has gotten better at given us a heads up when the system will be down. Most patches are done overnight so we can at least verify it was done, but their success rate of a patch not breaking something is not at 99%. So we do lose productivity when the system is down.
    • The tool is easier to do so there are fewer questions from users outside the core team.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • As a SaaS provider we see being able to provide self-service BI to our client users as a competitive advantage. In fact the MSSQL enabled BI is a contributing factor to many winning RFPs we have done for prospective client organisations.
    • However MSSQL BI requires extensive knowledge and skills to design and develop data warehouses & data models as a foundation to support business analysts and users to interrogate data effectively and efficiently. Often times we find having strong in-house MSSQL expertise is a bless.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Halogen TalentSpace (discontinued) Screenshots

    Screenshot of ReportsScreenshot of TalentviewScreenshot of 1-1 CoachingScreenshot of Create performance appraisalsScreenshot of Giving FeedbackScreenshot of Score report