TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence vs. SAP Crystal

Save this comparison

Save this comparison

Add Product

Recommended Comparisons

    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence

    Score7 out of 10
    N/AThe SAP® BusinessObjects™ Business Intelligence Platform provides users with ad hoc queries, reporting, data visualizations, and analysis tools. Its integrated, unified infrastructure aims to offer scalability from one-to-many tools and interfaces on-premise, in the cloud, or as a hybrid approach.N/A

    SAP Crystal

    Score7.1 out of 10
    N/ASAP Crystal is an analytics and reporting software solution for SMBs. SAP Crystal comprises Crystal Reports for pixel-perfect reporting, and SAP Crystal Server for automated distribution and self-service access to reports, dashboards and data exploration.

    $295

    per single user license

    Pricing
    SAP BusinessObjects Business IntelligenceSAP Crystal
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Upgrade Version to SAP Crystal Reports 2020
    $295
    per single user license
    SAP Crystal Reports 2020 64-Bit
    $495
    per single user license
    SAP Crystal Reports 2016 32-Bit
    $495
    per single user license
    SAP Crystal Server 2020 1 NUL
    $869
    per user license + first year maintenance to be added
    SAP Crystal Server 2020 5 CAL
    $8,744
    5 concurrent users + first year maintenance to be added
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    SAP BusinessObjects Business IntelligenceSAP Crystal
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
    Additional Details* SAP Crystal Reports 2020 Viewer allows you to view static data within a SAP Crystal Reports file. * SAP Crystal Reports 2020 - Full version allows you to create powerful, richly formatted, and dynamic reports from virtually any data source, delivered in dozens of formats, in up to 28 languages. If you already have an older version of Crystal Reports, buy a license for SAP Crystal Reports 2020 - Upgrade at a discounted, upgrade price. * SAP Crystal Server 2020, 1 NUL includes 1 license of: SAP Crystal Reports 2020 - SAP Crystal Server 2020. * As an add-on to SAP Crystal Server 2020 1 NUL, SAP Crystal Server 2020 5 CAL allows you to support a wider, intermittent audience of end users, up to five logged on at the same time.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    SAP BusinessObjects Business IntelligenceSAP Crystal
    Considered Both Products
    SAP
    Chose SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    When we get the installation of the SAP BO BI Platform done on one of the BO servers, we get a whole of stacks of SAP BO BI suite tools installed. This is a package that has reporting tools inside it. For instance, web intelligence-rich clients, SAP Crystal reports, etc. We can …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    It is unlike any other platform.
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    I have used Data Stage; plug and play extractors help to fetch data from SAP CRM/ECC. It reduces the ETL job design efforts.
    I have used Tableau, the SAP dashboard provides more options in designing legends on charts, in-built hide/show features in charts.
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    The biggest advantage that SAP Business Objects has over these competitors are value and options. Value wise, it brings together a tool set that delivers a bit of something for everyone. With integration into Microsoft Office, additional options are available to for those …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    I had to choose between Tableau, Birst and BO.
    I liked BO over these as the features like derived tables, merge dimensions, context operators are not there in other tools.
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    It connects to MS office, XML and other data sources and if you're interested more in reporting, SAP Business Objects is the way to go. If you have a large company with a big budget, and you’re looking for a highly scalable BI tool that integrates with a number of applications, …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    Microsoft/Caradigm Amalga
    Tableau
    Qlikview
    SAP
    Chose SAP Crystal
    I have done a little bit in Microsoft SSRS and a bunch in SAP Web Intelligence (Webi). Both of those are good at what they do. Like Crystal, SSRS is more technical. Webi is great for quick ad-hoc reports or data analyses. But with Crystal I can easily do things like …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    Comparing Crystal to another SAP offering, Business Objects is currently our ad-hoc and general reporting tool. I design the visualizations and meta-data layers that the general user population can consume without much of a learning curve. Business Objects is robust enough to …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal

    We selected Crystal Reports almost 20 years ago due to its feature set, flexibility, and cost.

    The only other reporting tool evaluate at that time was Cognos and it was much more expensive then.

    17 years ago we spent a few thousand dollars on some developer/designer licenses and …

    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    As already stated, some businesses may find SAP Crystal Reports too expensive. While there are cheaper alternatives, it will all depend on your business' specific needs which product to choose. Another factor to consider is, what is the product, the majority of your clients is …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    When we evaluated several options, we found SAP Crystal Server to be more reliable than some of its competitors. We wanted something that we could customise to use in several departments and for all different types of situations where reports would be useful. We also use other …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    SAP Crystal Reports is great because it is easy to use (once you learn the program) and the possibilities are endless. We also use some other programs as well as SAP Crystal Reports for some additional reports and related visuals. We went to SAP because of the possibilities of …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    Much easier than SQRibe from what I remember as it was over a decade ago. Similar to MSRS, but with more functionality.
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    • The support provided for variety of databases, since SSRS only supports SQL Server.
    • The look and feel, and ease of use of the software.
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    It is not really easy to make a comparison with the other competitors' software, I think that every software is appropriate for your needs, certainly SAP Crystal Reports has a few gaps, and if you choose it as a final product it is because it allows you to change down to the …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    We use other SAP BI products and Crystal is the one that provides the pixel perfect formatted reporting and integrates the best with our SAP ERP system in a real-time fashion.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    81%
    Would buy again
    13 Answers
    91%
    Would buy again
    10 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    86%
    Delivers good value for the price
    12 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    10 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    81%
    Happy with the feature set
    13 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    11 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    90%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    9 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    6 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    85%
    Implementation went as expected
    11 Answers
    90%
    Implementation went as expected
    9 Answers
    Features
    SAP BusinessObjects Business IntelligenceSAP Crystal
    BI Standard Reporting
    Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence and SAP Crystal
    Feature
    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    7.8
    56 Ratings
    5% below category average
    SAP Crystal
    7.7
    124 Ratings
    6% below category average
    Pixel Perfect reports8.550 Ratings8.0113 Ratings
    Customizable dashboards6.752 Ratings6.7100 Ratings
    Report Formatting Templates8.251 Ratings8.4117 Ratings
    Ad-hoc Reporting
    Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence and SAP Crystal
    Feature
    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    7.1
    53 Ratings
    12% below category average
    SAP Crystal
    8.3
    136 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Drill-down analysis6.452 Ratings9.0117 Ratings
    Formatting capabilities6.551 Ratings8.8135 Ratings
    Integration with R or other statistical packages8.335 Ratings6.964 Ratings
    Report sharing and collaboration7.352 Ratings8.6120 Ratings
    Report Output and Scheduling
    Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence and SAP Crystal
    Feature
    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    7.8
    53 Ratings
    5% below category average
    SAP Crystal
    8.7
    136 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Publish to Web8.344 Ratings9.191 Ratings
    Publish to PDF8.251 Ratings9.4133 Ratings
    Report Versioning7.646 Ratings7.994 Ratings
    Report Delivery Scheduling8.052 Ratings8.997 Ratings
    Delivery to Remote Servers6.931 Ratings8.454 Ratings
    Data Discovery and Visualization
    Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence and SAP Crystal
    Feature
    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    6.0
    48 Ratings
    28% below category average
    SAP Crystal
    7.6
    89 Ratings
    5% below category average
    Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)5.846 Ratings7.650 Ratings
    Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization6.143 Ratings7.576 Ratings
    Predictive Analytics6.042 Ratings7.841 Ratings
    Pattern Recognition and Data Mining6.16 Ratings00 Ratings
    Access Control and Security
    Comparison of Access Control and Security features of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence and SAP Crystal
    Feature
    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    7.4
    53 Ratings
    14% below category average
    SAP Crystal
    8.5
    88 Ratings
    0% above category average
    Multi-User Support (named login)7.953 Ratings8.481 Ratings
    Role-Based Security Model7.251 Ratings8.480 Ratings
    Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)7.450 Ratings8.480 Ratings
    Report-Level Access Control7.27 Ratings8.43 Ratings
    Single Sign-On (SSO)7.234 Ratings8.940 Ratings
    Mobile Capabilities
    Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence and SAP Crystal
    Feature
    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    6.3
    38 Ratings
    21% below category average
    SAP Crystal
    6.6
    65 Ratings
    16% below category average
    Responsive Design for Web Access5.637 Ratings6.163 Ratings
    Mobile Application5.332 Ratings5.946 Ratings
    Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile5.534 Ratings6.060 Ratings
    Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
    Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence and SAP Crystal
    Feature
    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    7.9
    28 Ratings
    2% above category average
    SAP Crystal
    7.8
    45 Ratings
    1% above category average
    REST API8.124 Ratings7.48 Ratings
    Javascript API7.723 Ratings8.437 Ratings
    iFrames8.221 Ratings7.18 Ratings
    Java API7.426 Ratings8.437 Ratings
    Themeable User Interface (UI)7.624 Ratings7.439 Ratings
    Customizable Platform (Open Source)8.622 Ratings8.433 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    SAP BusinessObjects Business IntelligenceSAP Crystal
    Small Businesses
    Cyfe
    Score4 out of 10
    Cyfe
    Score4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Qlik Cloud Analytics (Qlik Sense)
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Qlik Cloud Analytics (Qlik Sense)
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Jaspersoft Community Edition
    Score7 out of 10
    Jaspersoft Community Edition
    Score7 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    SAP BusinessObjects Business IntelligenceSAP Crystal
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.1
    (78 ratings)
    6.7
    (159 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.3
    (24 ratings)
    10.0
    (19 ratings)
    Usability
    6.6
    (21 ratings)
    7.1
    (31 ratings)
    Availability
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    9.0
    (10 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.6
    (16 ratings)
    8.6
    (21 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    10.0
    (4 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.0
    (8 ratings)
    8.8
    (14 ratings)
    Configurability
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Data Sharing and Collaboration
    8.2
    (45 ratings)
    8.8
    (124 ratings)
    Data Sources
    8.3
    (45 ratings)
    9.2
    (129 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    SAP BusinessObjects Business IntelligenceSAP Crystal
    Likelihood to Recommend
    SAP
    As mentioned earlier reporting was a big headache for us and the tools we used didn't support large data sets and visualization Performing analytics with such data sets was cumbersome and later post using this SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence we were able to correlate different data sets and prepare the dashboard pretty easier which were helpful and easier to understand.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    Generation of templated reports is the strong suit of SAP Crystal. Allows users to change formats in templates bases on requirement with minimal effort. Automated report delivery requires the user to be aware of sql which cannot be expected from all users. Should support more document export formats and improve the UI for SAP B1 Users
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    SAP
    • This software is easy to initially learn, and very powerful in producing reusable reports.
    • It is much faster than my company's internal manual queries. The ability to build off of a saved query and share queries to other users is a great positive.
    • My favorite part is that you can run queries in the background and it does not interfere with your current work or slow your computer down.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    • Crystal Reports allows us to create a consistent template for all of our reports.
    • Crystal Reports and Server allows us to house a repository for all of our reports to make them easy to find and update when necessary.
    • Crystal Reports can connect to a wide variety of data sources.
    • Crystal Reports can be a little daunting when first implementing. There are a lot of nuances in learning how to truly master this software and it can be frustrating at times.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    SAP
    • The installation can be very complex and time-consuming, it requires a lot of planning and foresight as to what role the software will play in the organization.
    • The software has a relatively large learning curve that takes dedicated users months to get comfortable with, the UI is a bit intimidating for new users.
    • SAP could organize their help better, it can be difficult to find dependable solutions to issues via their website and support channels.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    • The export of reports to Excel is very cumbersome and the results are difficult to format.
    • The design of reports and the graphical features (e.g. charts) feel quite rigid.
    • The learning curve for a non-programmer is incredibly steep, making Crystal a specialty tool.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    SAP
    The institution has decided to move in a different direction, and will be using MSBI for reporting. I have been very happy with the Business Objects suite of tools, and will continue to use them heavily until we make the transition.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    We have been using this product for so many years and it has truly become a cornerstone to our business processes when it comes to developing and distributing information via reports. We currently have over 500 reports developed to date over about 30 systems and that will continue to grow as user needs change.
    Read full review
    Usability
    SAP
    From a server and client side perspective. the Business Intelligence Platform provides a foundation for all aspects of content development, distribution, analysis, collaboration and self service. Ease of use from targeted content delivery through controlled accessibility. Content exporting in the format of the users choice. Scheduling for internal or external delivery. Public and private folders for secure content access when requied. Web based for viewing on the users device of choice without the need to download additional applications.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    Crystal is very robust, but not always easy to use. It create wonderful looking reports, and so deserves a high rating. However, I have to take a couple of points off for the simple fact that I cannot hand it to a user and expect them to be able to do development with it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    SAP
    When we implemented 3.1, we had a tough time managing the system: It took almost a year to stabilize.

    With 4.0, we want to roll out to more users, and are holding back because of fears about the performance issue
    Read full review
    SAP
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    SAP
    Overall, the tool (Web Intelligence 4.2) is fast and solid. One issue is a dependability on JAVA for a full feature report creation/edit capabilities (as opposed to limited HTML option). Second, planned end of JAVA support by major browsers (Chrome is already not supporting JAVA applet).
    Read full review
    SAP
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    SAP
    SAP has released various versions of SAP BO BI. starting from 3.1 and going to 4.0,4.1,4.2 and latest being 4.3. SAP provides support to these new versions. As new versions keep on coming, support for the very old software goes out of scope from SAP. it is when the different organization plans to get their BO content migrated from a lower version to a newer version. The newer version had definitely added functionality and features which ease the work of users.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    The support community can be difficult to navigate. I've also run into issues with my login. The SAP system has a bizarre mechanism for validating users that requires users to have what is called an S-ID. A basic ID may not give you access to all the features in the portal. The limitation may include not being able to perform a simple task like downloading patches and updates. This isn't a big deal for single user license but for teams it can be a pain.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    SAP
    SAP authorized training is best, Please go ahead with it. Even lot of online training options/videos available for self learning
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    Trainer was patient and thorough in going through the basics and willing to answer questions by email after the initial training
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    SAP
    I haven't used it or got feedback from the end user.

    Content looks to be pretty detailed. Focused on SQL but not BW.
    Read full review
    SAP
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    SAP
    Hire specialists and experienced staff. Mix some beginners so that everyone is not a leader but a learner too. Plan well; architect well; break down implementation in small steps and move towards larger steps. Create a centralized and authorized SAP Business Objects implementation team.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    Just like any other implementation: When designing the differing reports, get end users' input, make sure to design the reports so that they display the information that the company requires, in the best and clearest way possible.
    Test, test, test, revise when needed, and, particularly, do sufficient training so users are comfortable using Crystal Reports!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    SAP
    We selected SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence (BI) based on price. It can stack up against others in terms of price and honestly, that's about it. Salesforce Commerce does a hell of a better job at handling it. However, in the space of Business Intelligence, SAP can do more, and that's why at the end we went with it
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    Crystal reports is useful in case we want to import data from data base . We can write queries in it but Google Charts require to be implemented in our application using code so crystal reports is better than Google Charts.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    SAP
    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence (BI) Platform supports SOA Service Oriented Architecture. You can start/restart/enable/disable all the servers. You can seamless do load balancing and clustering. It supports all leading application and web server. Supports LDAP SSO integration. People who can work on excel with training they can work on SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence, dashboard, Lumira, Information design tool product suite. Tool is very user friendly and easy to learn and implement
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    SAP
    • By generating and distributing reports in a timely manner, we were able to save millions of dollars for the company which otherwise would not have been visible.
    • Almost realtime dashboard, saved the company a huge amount by showing the outages and kept the company from buying a tool to do just that.
    • It showed the customers who were not paying the bills and were missing in the system due to some loophole. This was visible by doing reporting on the theft usage of electricity.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    • It is a decent buy for specific departments in terms of reporting capabilities but updates and cost (frequent) demands are higher with the benefits offered.
    • So long as the requirements are not ever changing, with scheduling functionality, it's a handsome tool.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    SAP Crystal Screenshots

    Screenshot of Pixel-perfect reporting solutionScreenshot of Refresh with a clickScreenshot of Build pixel-perfect documentsScreenshot of Connect to all data sourcesScreenshot of Use drag and dropScreenshot of Build interactive reports