Infor Birst vs. Infor M3

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Infor Birst
Score 4.7 out of 10
N/A
Infor Birst offers multi-tenant cloud BI for deployment in a public or private cloud, or on-premises. It provides an in-memory columnar data store and a BI layer comprising a reporting engine, predictive analytics tools, mobile native apps, dashboards, discovery tools, and an open client interface.
$30,000
Per 20 Users Per Year
Infor M3
Score 6.5 out of 10
N/A
Infor M3 is designed for medium to large global manufacturers, distributors, and after-sales service providers—delivering flexibility to manage mixed-mode and complex value chains. M3 is designed with industry-specific functionality and flexible deployment options, and presents a multi-company, multi-country, and multi-site enterprise resource planning (ERP) cloud solution platform. M3 was originally developed by Intentia, which merged with Lawson (2005), and which in turn was acquired by…N/A
Pricing
Infor BirstInfor M3
Editions & Modules
Basic License
$30,000
Per 20 Users Per Year
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Infor BirstInfor M3
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
Features
Infor BirstInfor M3
BI Standard Reporting
Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Infor Birst
7.4
77 Ratings
9% below category average
Infor M3
-
Ratings
Pixel Perfect reports7.068 Ratings00 Ratings
Customizable dashboards8.077 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Formatting Templates7.159 Ratings00 Ratings
Ad-hoc Reporting
Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Infor Birst
7.0
78 Ratings
14% below category average
Infor M3
-
Ratings
Drill-down analysis8.078 Ratings00 Ratings
Formatting capabilities7.077 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with R or other statistical packages6.127 Ratings00 Ratings
Report sharing and collaboration7.068 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Output and Scheduling
Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Product A and Product B
Infor Birst
8.0
75 Ratings
4% below category average
Infor M3
-
Ratings
Publish to Web8.052 Ratings00 Ratings
Publish to PDF8.067 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Versioning7.28 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling9.066 Ratings00 Ratings
Data Discovery and Visualization
Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Product A and Product B
Infor Birst
6.9
72 Ratings
14% below category average
Infor M3
-
Ratings
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)8.072 Ratings00 Ratings
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization7.058 Ratings00 Ratings
Predictive Analytics5.833 Ratings00 Ratings
Access Control and Security
Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Product A and Product B
Infor Birst
8.3
72 Ratings
2% below category average
Infor M3
-
Ratings
Multi-User Support (named login)9.070 Ratings00 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model8.068 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)8.069 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile Capabilities
Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Product A and Product B
Infor Birst
5.0
54 Ratings
44% below category average
Infor M3
-
Ratings
Responsive Design for Web Access7.052 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile Application3.034 Ratings00 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile3.042 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Infor Birst
-
Ratings
Infor M3
8.6
4 Ratings
18% above category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings8.04 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
Infor Birst
-
Ratings
Infor M3
8.0
4 Ratings
6% above category average
API for custom integration00 Ratings8.04 Ratings
Plug-ins00 Ratings8.04 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
Infor Birst
-
Ratings
Infor M3
8.0
4 Ratings
2% below category average
Single sign-on capability00 Ratings8.04 Ratings
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings8.04 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Infor Birst
-
Ratings
Infor M3
8.7
6 Ratings
19% above category average
Dashboards00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings9.06 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings9.06 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
Infor Birst
-
Ratings
Infor M3
8.4
6 Ratings
9% above category average
Accounts payable00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Accounts receivable00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Global Financial Support00 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Configurable Accounting00 Ratings8.04 Ratings
Standardized Processes00 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
Infor Birst
-
Ratings
Infor M3
8.8
2 Ratings
11% above category average
Inventory tracking00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Automatic reordering00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Location management00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
Infor Birst
-
Ratings
Infor M3
8.6
2 Ratings
9% above category average
Pricing00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Order entry00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Credit card processing00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Cost of goods sold00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Order Orchestration00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Subledger and Financial Process
Comparison of Subledger and Financial Process features of Product A and Product B
Infor Birst
-
Ratings
Infor M3
8.1
4 Ratings
8% above category average
Billing Management00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Cash and Asset Management00 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Travel & Expense Management00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Budgetary Control & Encumbrance Accounting00 Ratings9.03 Ratings
Period Close00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Project Financial Management
Comparison of Project Financial Management features of Product A and Product B
Infor Birst
-
Ratings
Infor M3
8.4
2 Ratings
10% above category average
Budgeting and Forecasting00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Project Costing00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Cost Capture00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Capital Project Management00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Customer Contract Compliance00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Project Revenue Recognition00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Project Execution Management
Comparison of Project Execution Management features of Product A and Product B
Infor Birst
-
Ratings
Infor M3
8.3
2 Ratings
18% above category average
Project Planning and Scheduling00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Task Insight for Project Managers00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Project Mobile Functionality00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Definable Resource Pools00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Grants Management
Comparison of Grants Management features of Product A and Product B
Infor Birst
-
Ratings
Infor M3
8.3
2 Ratings
12% above category average
Award Lifecycle Management00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Procurement
Comparison of Procurement features of Product A and Product B
Infor Birst
-
Ratings
Infor M3
8.4
2 Ratings
19% above category average
Bids Analyzed and Compared00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Contract Authoring00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Contract Repository00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Requisitions-to-Purchase Orders Integrated00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Supplier Management00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Risk Management
Comparison of Risk Management features of Product A and Product B
Infor Birst
-
Ratings
Infor M3
8.7
2 Ratings
28% above category average
Risk Repository00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Control Management00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Control Efficiency Assessments00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Issue Detection00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Remediation and Certification00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Logistics
Comparison of Logistics features of Product A and Product B
Infor Birst
-
Ratings
Infor M3
8.3
2 Ratings
22% above category average
Transportation Planning and Optimization00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Transportation Execution Management00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Trade and Customs Management00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Fulfillment Management00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Warehouse Workforce Management00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Manufacturing
Comparison of Manufacturing features of Product A and Product B
Infor Birst
-
Ratings
Infor M3
8.7
2 Ratings
16% above category average
Production Process Design00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Production Management00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Configuration Management00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Work Execution00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Manufacturing Costs00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Supply Chain
Comparison of Supply Chain features of Product A and Product B
Infor Birst
-
Ratings
Infor M3
9.0
2 Ratings
24% above category average
Forecasting00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Inventory Planning00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Performance Monitoring00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Product Lifecycle Management
Comparison of Product Lifecycle Management features of Product A and Product B
Infor Birst
-
Ratings
Infor M3
7.9
2 Ratings
10% above category average
Proposal Management00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Product Master Data Management00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Infor BirstInfor M3
Small Businesses
BrightGauge
BrightGauge
Score 8.9 out of 10
Acumatica
Acumatica
Score 8.7 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Reveal
Reveal
Score 10.0 out of 10
Infor VISUAL
Infor VISUAL
Score 7.4 out of 10
Enterprises
Jaspersoft Community Edition
Jaspersoft Community Edition
Score 9.7 out of 10
SAP Business ByDesign
SAP Business ByDesign
Score 8.5 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Infor BirstInfor M3
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(96 ratings)
8.0
(7 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(35 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(12 ratings)
9.0
(3 ratings)
Availability
4.1
(6 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
7.5
(6 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
6.0
(19 ratings)
9.0
(3 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.1
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
8.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
5.3
(6 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
7.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
5.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
6.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
5.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
7.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Infor BirstInfor M3
Likelihood to Recommend
Infor
Birst is well suited for an organization looking for a cloud-hosted analytics solution that is contained within one package. It is able to connect to a very wide variety of different data sources, and has options for either light or involved ETL procedures, depending on the users experience with preparing data. As with any BI project, it would not be suitable for an organization where there is no dedicated team to maintain and manage the project.
Read full review
Infor
Manufacturing: Infor M3 is designed specifically for manufacturers and provides robust production planning and supply chain management features. The software can help optimize production processes, improve inventory management, and automate purchasing and order fulfillment.Distribution: Infor M3 offers advanced supply chain management capabilities, including inventory management and order tracking, making it an ideal solution for distribution companies.Large Organizations: Infor M3 is a scalable solution that can accommodate the needs of large organizations with complex supply chain and production requirements. The software's modular design allows organizations to customize their implementation to their specific needs.Global Operations: Infor M3 provides multi-language and multi-currency support, making it a suitable solution for organizations with global operations.
Read full review
Pros
Infor
  • Birst is an platform that provides connectors to some of the applications we use, but also allows us to bring in data from disparate systems to perform ETL and integrate all of the data for analyses. It makes no assumptions about your data, which is good for us, as we have a lot of customizations to many of our systems.
  • Birst is making inroads towards a more modern UI.
Read full review
Infor
  • Very stable product. Some of its weaknesses are also its strengths. The lack of web services seems to actually increase stability.
  • No software vendor in this space is perfect. Lawson does perform as advertised.
  • Again, a weakness of this (limited functionality) is a hidden strength as well. In software there is a complexity/feature tradeoff. Where Lawson lacks in features, it does give you a more simple setup for your organization.
Read full review
Cons
Infor
  • Birst prices are fairly expensive. License plus cost of users can add up pretty quickly
  • Depending on the size of data, rendering of reports can take a little bit. Need faster processing of data
  • Takes a little time to understand how to build reports, not the most intuitive UI
Read full review
Infor
  • Not intuitive at all, difficult to learn.
  • System is archaic, seems to be largely unchanged since the early 2000's.
  • Reports are all in PDF form, which for financial reporting purposes is tedious to turn back into Excel sheets.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Infor
We have been able to overcome any of the drawbacks we've found with Birst easily and it has fulfilled almost all of our analytic needs to date. Having seen their roadmap it would be highly unlikely we would move away from this platform any time soon. You simply can't beat the functionality that Birst provides for the price and the things I see coming out of the company solidify that our decision to choose Birst was the best possible choice. We have never regretted the decision.
Read full review
Infor
No answers on this topic
Usability
Infor
I would like to see additional usability put into the ETL scripting. Recently, Birst added a nice function reference inline to formula creation which has kept me from having to return to documentation so much. The same in ETL would be very beneficial. The interface problems related to the Flex framework are being addressed in a rewrite to HTML 5, but for now they are still a hindrance to a higher usability rating.
Read full review
Infor
This is a highly configurable product. Where all available support provided by [Information] is very good and exceeds our expectations! The investment in this product by Infor continues to be significant and is showing results! Infor is going a long way and is here to stay! No doubt about that!
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Infor
We frequently experience -103 errors due to us using the Live Connect functionality, which does not seem to handle even minor interruptions in connectivity, and treats all future connection attempts or data requests as errors, even if the issue does not exist any longer
Read full review
Infor
No answers on this topic
Performance
Infor
Everything runs very fast and smoothly. The only process that I wish was faster would be processing the data after uploading new data or making changes to the existing data model. It can take 15-20 minutes (roughly) to upload and process new data once you start getting into 10's of millions of rows. Given my experience with how long it takes me to pull the same data using SQL Server Management Studio, I don't think Birst is unreasonably slow - but for me to give a higher rating, I would want it to be unreasonably fast
Read full review
Infor
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Infor
When we have an issue that is stopping our business from proceeding, I want answers sooner than later. While Birst does have a published response time for each case level, we always wish it could be quicker. What response improvement could there be with a larger support team? In response to first question: Blackhole of issues - Birst needs to improve upon closing issues that resolution was dependent upon code fixes or enhancements, perhaps someone to add a comment on all case tickets at least every 60 days. Escalation - I always have the ability to electronically or via phone escalate a ticket. I also have my Customer Success Manager through whom I can escalate topics.
Read full review
Infor
The support is satisfactory, given the large user base of the product. We had no issues to meet our reporting deadlines with Lawson. The organizational support team internally are well trained and hence only on exceptional basis issues are escalated to Lawson support team. We had no negative experience so far with the support of Lawson.
Read full review
In-Person Training
Infor
I have attended two different training sessions. The first one was my initial training on the system. It was well paced, clear and concise. If there were questions that were not able to be answered by the instructor, he took down the question and actually followed up and provided us a response quickly. The second session was specific to the dashboard and report design components. This training was very good though there were some attendants who had little or no experience and their questions slowed the class.
Read full review
Infor
No answers on this topic
Online Training
Infor
Although I found the online resources helpful, a lack of appropriate examples for certain tasks key to report creation and advanced modeling make the online training/documentation less than perfect. For an inexperienced BI professional, the online training would not enable a streamlined launch of the product.
Read full review
Infor
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Infor
Have clean data! Birst flexibility allows - Start small, then introduce functionality and complexity along the way. If you try to present all the functionality [bells and whistles] and wow them, but bad data is uncovered, the end user blames the new application and turns away.
Read full review
Infor
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Infor
During the vetting process, we looked at 14 different products (one of them internal) to see if they would fit our needs and whittled it down to this one over a three month period. We did not contact sales for all of them (sales sites were enough to rule out some), but did have a lot of demos with a significant portion of them and reviewed several of the major industry studies as well. We had representatives of both user interests/design and the technical backend on the evaluation process.
The major features we were looking for a product that we could embed inside our own SaaS application, connect to a sharded Postgres database, had multitenancy and allowed for customer generated reports/ self-reporting. Some of the minor "nice to have" features we were looking at was scheduled reports, especially if we could plug it into our own scheduling system (for CAN-SPAM compliance), internationalization, and support.
In the evaluation, Birst hit all of the must-haves and enough of the nice to haves that they made it down to our final two and the trial was the clincher to make it our final choice.
Read full review
Infor
Lawson is comparable to the other ERP's I have used. Similar functionality and interface. Usability is comparable.
Read full review
Scalability
Infor
we can see that loading a lot of data can cause a noticable slow down in performance. Birst support indicated that they don't really consider anything less than 30 seconds to be an issue, but that is not the case for our customers, so we have had to change some of implementation to address this
Read full review
Infor
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Infor
  • Being a manufacturing company we tend to lag behind technologically. But having all the data for different ERP systems in one place has been an eye opener for the executives. It has lessened the need to convert some legacy ERP systems.
  • Having such a simple reporting tool is a great asset to some of our sites that have traditionally had trouble gathering data from AS400 systems.
Read full review
Infor
  • I wish Infor M3 (formerly Lawson Intentia) were more detailed. But, this actually may be a weakness of my employer and not Infor M3 (formerly Lawson Intentia).
Read full review
ScreenShots

Infor Birst Screenshots

Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of