Microsoft Excel vs. SAP Analytics Cloud

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Microsoft Excel
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet application available as part of Microsoft 365 (Office 365), or standalone, in cloud-based and on-premise editions.
$6.99
per month
SAP Analytics Cloud
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
The SAP Analytics Cloud solution brings together analytics and planning with integration to SAP applications and access to heterogenous data sources. As the analytics and planning solution within SAP Business Technology Platform, SAP Analytics Cloud supports trusted insights and integrated planning processes enterprise-wide to help make decisions without doubt.
$36
per month per user
Pricing
Microsoft ExcelSAP Analytics Cloud
Editions & Modules
Excel with Microsoft 365
$6.99
per month
Excel for 1 PC or Mac
$139.99
perpetual license
SAP Analytics Cloud for Business Intelligence
$36.00
per month per user
SAP Analytics Cloud for Planning
Price upon request
per month per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft ExcelSAP Analytics Cloud
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsA 30-day trial with SAP Analytics Cloud is available, supporting analytics enterprise-wide. A trial can be extended up to 90 days on request.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft ExcelSAP Analytics Cloud
Considered Both Products
Microsoft Excel

No answer on this topic

SAP Analytics Cloud
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
Integration with SAP is the key feature to go for SAC with perks of SAP IQ etc offered from SAP. Usability is quite eased in SAC - makes it easy for users to use and develop their own dashboarding. Cloud is one more feature which enables to the cloud world from SAP and probable …
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
SAC is an extension of our decision to use Datasphere as our Data Warehouse / Data Fabric Solution, which is really an extension of our decision to use SAP as our ERP.
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
Integration and Real time analysis make SAC better position compare to MS Power BI
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
SAC includes predictive analytics features, allowing users to perform advanced analytics and forecast future trends. This can be a valuable asset for organizations seeking predictive modeling capabilities.

It has an integration with the SAP landscape, seek a unified platform for …
Chose SAP Analytics Cloud
It's very advanced as compared to any other software and its usability is effective with its data usage power to give effective results from that data as well as profitable from the company's perspective, and you can do work in clicks, which are mainly for data inputs, …
Features
Microsoft ExcelSAP Analytics Cloud
BI Standard Reporting
Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Excel
-
Ratings
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.9
309 Ratings
3% below category average
Pixel Perfect reports00 Ratings7.6259 Ratings
Customizable dashboards00 Ratings8.3301 Ratings
Report Formatting Templates00 Ratings7.8277 Ratings
Ad-hoc Reporting
Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Excel
-
Ratings
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.8
315 Ratings
3% below category average
Drill-down analysis00 Ratings8.1306 Ratings
Formatting capabilities00 Ratings7.6302 Ratings
Integration with R or other statistical packages00 Ratings7.2229 Ratings
Report sharing and collaboration00 Ratings8.4292 Ratings
Report Output and Scheduling
Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Excel
-
Ratings
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.7
296 Ratings
6% below category average
Publish to Web00 Ratings7.9253 Ratings
Publish to PDF00 Ratings8.0283 Ratings
Report Versioning00 Ratings7.8244 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling00 Ratings7.7239 Ratings
Delivery to Remote Servers00 Ratings7.033 Ratings
Data Discovery and Visualization
Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Excel
-
Ratings
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.8
303 Ratings
2% below category average
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)00 Ratings8.0289 Ratings
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization00 Ratings7.8278 Ratings
Predictive Analytics00 Ratings7.8278 Ratings
Pattern Recognition and Data Mining00 Ratings7.572 Ratings
Access Control and Security
Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Excel
-
Ratings
SAP Analytics Cloud
8.2
311 Ratings
3% below category average
Multi-User Support (named login)00 Ratings8.2285 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model00 Ratings8.0294 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)00 Ratings8.0286 Ratings
Report-Level Access Control00 Ratings8.299 Ratings
Single Sign-On (SSO)00 Ratings8.5291 Ratings
Mobile Capabilities
Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Excel
-
Ratings
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.5
262 Ratings
3% below category average
Responsive Design for Web Access00 Ratings7.5251 Ratings
Mobile Application00 Ratings7.0221 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile00 Ratings7.2247 Ratings
Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Excel
-
Ratings
SAP Analytics Cloud
7.3
40 Ratings
5% below category average
REST API00 Ratings7.235 Ratings
Javascript API00 Ratings7.132 Ratings
iFrames00 Ratings7.327 Ratings
Java API00 Ratings7.327 Ratings
Themeable User Interface (UI)00 Ratings7.733 Ratings
Customizable Platform (Open Source)00 Ratings7.028 Ratings
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Microsoft ExcelSAP Analytics Cloud
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User Ratings
Microsoft ExcelSAP Analytics Cloud
Likelihood to Recommend
9.3
(77 ratings)
8.7
(326 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.7
(7 ratings)
8.6
(14 ratings)
Usability
8.4
(22 ratings)
8.2
(252 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
10.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(2 ratings)
6.0
(70 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.0
(1 ratings)
7.9
(7 ratings)
Configurability
10.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
10.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
10.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
10.0
(2 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
10.0
(2 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft ExcelSAP Analytics Cloud
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
I don't really know another program as powerful as Excel. I've used Google Doc programs but do not feel they come close. So far, anytime I've needed a table of some sort for data, whether it's budget oriented or information off a survey, the best system has been Excel. We do web audits on occasion and we create an Excel worksheet featuring every URL of the pages we're auditing, notes, data about the content, information about files attached to the page and other information to help us determine what pages need updating, deleting or otherwise. We also use Excel primarily to export our Google Analytics to in order for us to create reports for clients that need to see specific information about their traffic.
Read full review
SAP
SAP Analytics Cloud is great for big companies that want advanced data analysis and planning, especially when they need to work together in real-time or when people need to access data on their phones. It's like a super tool for predicting future trends in industries like retail or finance. SAC also works well for companies that use different types of computer systems because it can easily connect them. But, for small businesses that only need basic reports or don't have a lot of technical resources, a simpler tool might be better. If a company doesn't always have a good internet connection or if they're just starting with analytics, there might be other tools that work better.
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Pros
Microsoft
  • It is very good at embedded formulas and tying cells to one another
  • It allows me to compare deals terms on a side-by-side basis and talk my clients through it easily.
  • It is very helpful as well in terms of allowing me to filter/sort results in many different ways depending on what specific information I am most interested in prioritizing.
Read full review
SAP
  • It makes it easier yo analyse order and related records easily.
  • We can easily maintain and track the performance of employees in organisation.
  • Can easily track various aspects for the growth of an organisation thus allowing real time analysis and tracking of organisation's growth and performance.
Read full review
Cons
Microsoft
  • Excel offers collaboration features that allow multiple users to work on the same spreadsheet, but managing changes made by different users can be challenging. Excel could improve its features by offering more granular control, better tracking of changes, and more robust conflict resolution tools.
  • Itcan be a barrier to productivity when importing and exporting data from other applications or file formats. To improve its features, it should offer better support for standard file formats and more robust error handling and reporting tools.
  • Excel can be challenging for finance students and working professionals, but it can be improved by offering more robust tutorials, better documentation, and more user communities and support forums.
Read full review
SAP
  • Complexity in Data Modeling
  • SAC supports various data sources, but improvements in the ease of connecting to and integrating with certain data repositories, especially non-SAP databases, would enhance the platform's versatility and integration capabilities.
  • An offline mode for SAC could be valuable for users who need to access and analyze data without an internet connection. Additionally, optimizing performance for large datasets and complex visualizations would contribute to a smoother user experience.
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Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
Excel remains the industry standard for spreadsheets and has maintained simple and straight-forward formula writing methods. Although there is a learning curve to do more complex calculations, there are countless help sites and videos on the Internet for almost any need.
Read full review
SAP
We are planning to review the licensing as we have issues with SAC dealing with huge datasets. Analytics area is good for import models but when we have live connections in place that's when we have issue with SAC dealing with huge datasets in live be it BW or be it HANA models in the backend.
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Usability
Microsoft
I'm giving it a 7 because it is my go to. But the fact other prefer Google Sheets when working with a team does get irritating. I've used the online version of Microsoft Excel that other teams can get into and it still seems behind Google Sheets. It's a little clanky and slow? If that's even a term.
Read full review
SAP
On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate 8 SAP Analytics Cloud's overall usability as a 7. SAC has a clean, modern user interface with drag-and-drop features. It is an integrated platform that combines reporting, planning, and predictive analytics in one tool. It has Real-time connectivity with SAP data sources like S/4HANA.


Self-service analytics capabilities allow non-technical users to build simple dashboards.
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Reliability and Availability
Microsoft
I have rarely, if ever, had issues with its availability.
Read full review
SAP
I would rate SAP Analytics Cloud an 8 out of 10 for scalability. It offers a flexible, cloud-based architecture that supports expansion across departments and geographies. The platform adapts well to growing data volumes and user needs, making it a strong choice for organizations looking to scale analytics capabilities efficiently.
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Performance
Microsoft
Excel load and performs calculations immediately. It integrate well with all Microsoft Office applications and does not slow them down.
Read full review
SAP
I would rate SAP Analytics Cloud’s performance an 8 out of 10. Pages generally load quickly, and reports run within a reasonable time frame, even with complex datasets. Integration with other systems is smooth and doesn’t noticeably affect performance. Overall, it’s a responsive and efficient tool for business analytics. But
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Support Rating
Microsoft
I have not had to use it often, but it is good.
Read full review
SAP
Since the implementation stage, the support team has been very helpful and assisting. Even in the later stages, the tech team had quite a rapid response. In general, SAP has provided us with great customer support, let it be for a specific product of SAP or for integration of different modules.
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In-Person Training
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
SAP
Good videos and reference material available in SAP Portal.
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Online Training
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
SAP
it's ok
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Implementation Rating
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
SAP
SAC is a simple solution ad it works fine when connecting it to other SAP tools. On the other hand, connecting it to third party solutions brings difficulties when there's no previous design and the objetives are not clear. It is really important to integrate Business users from the start to provide with valuable business insights
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Alternatives Considered
Microsoft
Out of Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Power BI, IBM SPSS, and Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel is by far the most common tool used for anything data-related across organizations. Accordingly, our organization has also implemented Microsoft Excel as a first-step tool. We recently adopted Microsoft Power BI (the free version), and use it occasionally (mostly for creating dashboards), but it is less commonly understood by stakeholders across our organization and by our clients. Accordingly, Microsoft Excel is more user-friendly and because of its popularity, we can easily look up how to do things in the program online. Google Sheets is a comparable alternative to Microsoft Excel, but because it's cloud-based and we have sensitive data that needs to be protected, we chose against using this software. Finally, a few users (including myself) have access to and utilize IBM's SPSS. For my role, it's a helpful tool to do more rigorous analyses. However, because of its cost and limited functionality as a simple spreadsheet, we only use it for more complex analyses.
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SAP
SAP Analytics Cloud vs. Microsoft Power BI:Cost: Power BI is often perceived as a cost-effective solution, especially for organizations already using Microsoft products. SAP Analytics Cloud might be seen as a higher-cost option.Integration: SAP Analytics Cloud may have an edge in integration with SAP systems, while Power BI is known for its broad integration capabilities, including seamless integration with other Microsoft tools.Usability: Power BI is often praised for its user-friendly interface and quick adoption, while SAP Analytics Cloud may be seen as offering more advanced features.
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Microsoft
N/A I was not involved in this process.
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SAP
unit pricing
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Scalability
Microsoft
Each user can use it to whatever level of expertise they have. It remains the same so users can contribute to another's work regardless of whether they have more or less expertise
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SAP
I would rate SAP Analytics Cloud an 8 out of 10 for scalability. It offers a flexible, cloud-based architecture that supports expansion across departments and geographies. The platform adapts well to growing data volumes and user needs, making it a strong choice for organizations looking to scale analytics capabilities efficiently.
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Professional Services
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
SAP
very simple
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Return on Investment
Microsoft
  • Excel has positively impacted the business as it has increased our efficiency.
  • It also saves us the time that we would have spent on making the calculations that it does for us.
  • Since it works on all devices and is compatible with both Windows and Mac, we do not have to invest in any other alternative.
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SAP
  • Many manual data manipulations and exports in Excel have been replaced by the tool, providing management with improved insight into the amount of time spent at each stage of an invoice's lifetime, allowing bottlenecks to be discovered.
  • We now have more insight into the data, and people with little technical experience can easily build stories.
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ScreenShots