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SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence vs. ThoughtSpot

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    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

    ThoughtSpot

    Score8.4 out of 10
    N/AThoughtSpot is an Agentic Analytics Platform for enterprises where users ask data questions using natural language and get answers with AI. Code-first for data teams and code-free for business users, ThoughtSpot can handle large, complex cloud data at scale.

    $1,500

    per year (5 users)

    Pricing
    SAP BusinessObjects Business IntelligenceThoughtSpot
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Thoughtspot Analytics - Pro
    $50
    per month (billed annually) per user (25-1000 users)
    Thoughtspot Analytics - Enterprise
    Custom
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    SAP BusinessObjects Business IntelligenceThoughtSpot
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    SAP BusinessObjects Business IntelligenceThoughtSpot
    Considered Both Products
    SAP
    Chose SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    ThoughtSpot is superior for query speed and simplicity but is inferior in merged-dimension query setup and execution. BOBJ is superior to Tableau in that the universes simplify the queries for the end-user, however, it's inferior in visualizations. decisionpoint is a dashboard …
    Incentivized
    ThoughtSpot
    Chose ThoughtSpot
    ThoughtSpot provides a much better UX for self-service analysis.
    Incentivized
    Chose ThoughtSpot
    In ad-hoc reporting...ThoughtSpot is superior in speed-to-results. The other products are capable, however, they require SQL coding and setup that ThoughtSpot only requires on initial load of data. Both PowerBI and ThoughtSpot use a text-based "natural language" query engine, …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    81%
    Would buy again
    13 Answers
    86%
    Would buy again
    37 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    86%
    Delivers good value for the price
    12 Answers
    91%
    Delivers good value for the price
    29 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    81%
    Happy with the feature set
    13 Answers
    86%
    Happy with the feature set
    37 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    90%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    9 Answers
    80%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    24 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    85%
    Implementation went as expected
    11 Answers
    91%
    Implementation went as expected
    29 Answers
    Features
    SAP BusinessObjects Business IntelligenceThoughtSpot
    BI Standard Reporting
    Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence and ThoughtSpot
    Feature
    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    7.8
    56 Ratings
    5% below category average
    ThoughtSpot
    7.3
    89 Ratings
    11% below category average
    Pixel Perfect reports8.550 Ratings6.021 Ratings
    Customizable dashboards6.752 Ratings8.189 Ratings
    Report Formatting Templates8.251 Ratings7.725 Ratings
    Ad-hoc Reporting
    Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence and ThoughtSpot
    Feature
    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    7.1
    53 Ratings
    12% below category average
    ThoughtSpot
    7.5
    91 Ratings
    6% below category average
    Drill-down analysis6.452 Ratings8.390 Ratings
    Formatting capabilities6.551 Ratings7.090 Ratings
    Integration with R or other statistical packages8.335 Ratings5.949 Ratings
    Report sharing and collaboration7.352 Ratings8.888 Ratings
    Report Output and Scheduling
    Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence and ThoughtSpot
    Feature
    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    7.8
    53 Ratings
    5% below category average
    ThoughtSpot
    8.1
    84 Ratings
    1% below category average
    Publish to Web8.344 Ratings8.155 Ratings
    Publish to PDF8.251 Ratings8.478 Ratings
    Report Versioning7.646 Ratings7.918 Ratings
    Report Delivery Scheduling8.052 Ratings8.364 Ratings
    Delivery to Remote Servers6.931 Ratings7.935 Ratings
    Data Discovery and Visualization
    Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence and ThoughtSpot
    Feature
    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    6.0
    48 Ratings
    28% below category average
    ThoughtSpot
    7.2
    86 Ratings
    10% below category average
    Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)5.846 Ratings7.585 Ratings
    Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization6.143 Ratings7.079 Ratings
    Predictive Analytics6.042 Ratings7.565 Ratings
    Pattern Recognition and Data Mining6.16 Ratings6.913 Ratings
    Access Control and Security
    Comparison of Access Control and Security features of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence and ThoughtSpot
    Feature
    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    7.4
    53 Ratings
    14% below category average
    ThoughtSpot
    8.1
    86 Ratings
    5% below category average
    Multi-User Support (named login)7.953 Ratings8.282 Ratings
    Role-Based Security Model7.251 Ratings7.974 Ratings
    Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)7.450 Ratings7.678 Ratings
    Report-Level Access Control7.27 Ratings7.816 Ratings
    Single Sign-On (SSO)7.234 Ratings8.772 Ratings
    Mobile Capabilities
    Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence and ThoughtSpot
    Feature
    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    6.4
    38 Ratings
    19% below category average
    ThoughtSpot
    7.3
    53 Ratings
    6% below category average
    Responsive Design for Web Access5.637 Ratings7.051 Ratings
    Mobile Application5.332 Ratings6.734 Ratings
    Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile5.634 Ratings6.746 Ratings
    Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
    Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence and ThoughtSpot
    Feature
    SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
    7.9
    28 Ratings
    2% above category average
    ThoughtSpot
    7.2
    51 Ratings
    7% below category average
    REST API8.124 Ratings7.342 Ratings
    Javascript API7.723 Ratings6.835 Ratings
    iFrames8.221 Ratings8.134 Ratings
    Java API7.526 Ratings7.013 Ratings
    Themeable User Interface (UI)7.624 Ratings7.235 Ratings
    Customizable Platform (Open Source)8.622 Ratings7.115 Ratings
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    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    SAP BusinessObjects Business IntelligenceThoughtSpot
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.1
    (78 ratings)
    8.4
    (91 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.3
    (24 ratings)
    10.0
    (6 ratings)
    Usability
    6.6
    (21 ratings)
    8.2
    (85 ratings)
    Availability
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    9.0
    (3 ratings)
    Performance
    9.0
    (10 ratings)
    8.0
    (3 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.6
    (16 ratings)
    8.0
    (4 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    10.0
    (4 ratings)
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    4.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.0
    (8 ratings)
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    Configurability
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Data Sharing and Collaboration
    8.2
    (45 ratings)
    7.8
    (5 ratings)
    Data Sources
    8.3
    (45 ratings)
    8.4
    (5 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    8.0
    (3 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    SAP BusinessObjects Business IntelligenceThoughtSpot
    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
    ThoughtSpot
    It is well suited when the same data is consumed by many different people with different analytics and visualization requirements because, if you have the data available in ThoughtSpot, every user can prepare different views. Also, it is a good reporting tool, you can get rid of slides if you have a good dashboard prepared, gaining flexibility and agility.
    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
    ThoughtSpot
    • Beautiful visualizations. The visuals are distinct, clean, and easy to discern from one another.
    • Intelligent querying functionality. When looking to manipulate the data, the search function makes it easy to manipulate the features in the data, along with aggregating them in the way you'd like.
    • Embedding! It has been a smooth process thus far for our product & technical teams to work with ThoughtSpot and bring it into our product.
    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
    ThoughtSpot
    • It would be great if ThoughtSpot can add the feature to filter by clicking on visualizations. i.e if I click on a particular data point in the chart if the full dashboard can filter just for that particular data point.
    • Color coding the heatmap with different colors like green to orange to red.
    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
    ThoughtSpot
    I give it just waiting because passport is brilliant and it has helped our organisation In advancing to the next stage in the age of AI. It has allowed or non-tech people to better service and clients in a cost-effective way. George port has allowed us to create new products for us and for our clients increasing our revenue streams and reducing clients churn
    Incentivized
    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
    ThoughtSpot
    The rating is because of the ease of use of the interface as it has a no code interface that makes it easy to setup data pipelines without extensive programming. Cloud native integration: It integrates seamlessly with cloud based data warehouses. Automated data loading, Scalability, Cost Effective, Transformations, Data Governance and security.
    Incentivized
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    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
    ThoughtSpot
    it's available unless there is a server or system update etc. sometimes the timing of this is bad (for example during a month end close)
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    ThoughtSpot
    It does what it is supposed to. Would be nice to have a bit more insights
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
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    ThoughtSpot
    I give it this meeting because the team is not only help able to help us in the current solutions but also amazing and taking feedback and feeding it back to their development team which includes more products and features into ThoughtSpot
    Incentivized
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    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
    ThoughtSpot
    inhouse in-person training. Took a bit to long to get the basics.
    Incentivized
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    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
    ThoughtSpot
    poor instructions
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
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    ThoughtSpot
    Understand use case and model and design accordingly
    Incentivized
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    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
    ThoughtSpot
    We also explored Tableau Ask Data. Tableau is our standard for BI in our organization. We want to use the smallest amount of tools in our company to have the best adaption. ThoughSpot will fill a few gaps that we have with our current set up and will also enhance out offering for our employees in the transition of being more data driven within in near future
    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
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    ThoughtSpot
    Because it is very reliable, inside the situation, we need strong internet connection to access a lot of data but easily never had any downtime except during the upgrades
    Incentivized
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    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
    ThoughtSpot
    • Time to market ROI is massive vs hiring the full-time dedicated team to build and maintain a frontend multi-tenant SaaS data viz product.
    • It will be interesting to see over time how the advanced features play out in terms of usability and end value, such as Natural Search, which we are very excited about, and the machine learning tools.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots

    ThoughtSpot Screenshots

    Screenshot of the ThoughtSpot home screenScreenshot of SpotIQ, which offers AI-driven insightsScreenshot of the Spotter AI agent that surfaces insights through natural language queriesScreenshot of AI Assist producing SQL in real timeScreenshot of SpotIQ, which offers AI-driven insightsScreenshot of the integration with dbt models and metrics