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SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation) vs. Tableau Desktop

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)

    Score8.3 out of 10
    N/AThe SAP BPC software is designed to help users plan and achieve a faster, more accurate close. The SAP BPC software aims to help users spend more time growing their business and less time closing books. The vendor’s value proposition is that their software delivers planning, budgeting, forecasting, and financial consolidation capabilities in a single application. This, in turn, enables them to easily adjust plans and forecasts, speed up budget and closing cycles, and ensure compliance with…N/A

    Tableau Desktop

    Score8.6 out of 10
    N/ATableau Desktop is a data visualization product from Tableau. It connects to a variety of data sources for combining disparate data sources without coding. It provides tools for discovering patterns and insights, data calculations, forecasts, and statistical summaries and visual storytelling.

    $1,380

    per year (purchased via a Creator license)

    Pricing
    SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)Tableau Desktop
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Tableau Creator License
    $115
    per month (billed annually) per user
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)Tableau Desktop
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—All pricing plans are billed annually. A Creator license includes Tableau Desktop, Tableau Prep Builder, and Tableau Pulse. Discounts sometimes available for volume.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)Tableau Desktop
    Considered Both Products
    SAP
    Chose SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)
    The main advantage SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation) has over Tableau, or Business Warehouse is that the data can be input and reported via Excel spreadsheets instead of navigating the rather clunky world of SAP. The data in SAP BPC (Business Planning and …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)
    We plan to move to a web-based tool within the next two years. Workday is building a planning model within their finance tool, which we are evaluating, and we are looking at other tools such as Adaptive and Tidemark as alternative platforms. We expect to need some …
    Incentivized
    Tableau
    Chose Tableau Desktop
    The online and public versions are only good for the hobbyist because they are not secure enough for most business applications. Dapresy is a marketing tool that is supposed to give executives a snapshot of marketing results. It's not very customizable and the results are …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    93%
    Would buy again
    52 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    91%
    Delivers good value for the price
    50 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    98%
    Happy with the feature set
    55 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    93%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    38 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    44 Answers
    Features
    SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)Tableau Desktop
    Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting
    Comparison of Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting features of SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation) and Tableau Desktop
    Feature
    SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)
    7.8
    41 Ratings
    3% below category average
    Tableau Desktop
    -
    Ratings
    Long-term financial planning7.535 Ratings00 Ratings
    Financial budgeting8.137 Ratings00 Ratings
    Forecasting7.840 Ratings00 Ratings
    Scenario modeling7.336 Ratings00 Ratings
    Management reporting8.140 Ratings00 Ratings
    Consolidation and Close
    Comparison of Consolidation and Close features of SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation) and Tableau Desktop
    Feature
    SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)
    7.3
    40 Ratings
    6% below category average
    Tableau Desktop
    -
    Ratings
    Financial data consolidation8.436 Ratings00 Ratings
    Journal entries and reports7.330 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multi-currency management6.928 Ratings00 Ratings
    Intercompany Eliminations6.930 Ratings00 Ratings
    Minority Ownership7.020 Ratings00 Ratings
    Local and consolidated reporting6.433 Ratings00 Ratings
    Detailed Audit Trails8.227 Ratings00 Ratings
    Financial Reporting and Compliance
    Comparison of Financial Reporting and Compliance features of SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation) and Tableau Desktop
    Feature
    SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)
    7.3
    40 Ratings
    11% below category average
    Tableau Desktop
    -
    Ratings
    Financial Statement Reporting8.035 Ratings00 Ratings
    Management Reporting7.240 Ratings00 Ratings
    Excel-based Reporting7.539 Ratings00 Ratings
    Automated board and financial reporting6.430 Ratings00 Ratings
    Analytics and Reporting
    Comparison of Analytics and Reporting features of SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation) and Tableau Desktop
    Feature
    SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)
    5.6
    36 Ratings
    30% below category average
    Tableau Desktop
    -
    Ratings
    Personalized dashboards5.024 Ratings00 Ratings
    Color-coded scorecards6.922 Ratings00 Ratings
    KPIs3.031 Ratings00 Ratings
    Cost and profitability analysis7.628 Ratings00 Ratings
    Key Performance Indicator setting4.024 Ratings00 Ratings
    Benchmarking with external data7.018 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integration
    Comparison of Integration features of SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation) and Tableau Desktop
    Feature
    SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)
    6.4
    39 Ratings
    23% below category average
    Tableau Desktop
    -
    Ratings
    Flat file integration6.935 Ratings00 Ratings
    Excel data integration6.937 Ratings00 Ratings
    Direct links to 3rd-party data sources5.425 Ratings00 Ratings
    BI Standard Reporting
    Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation) and Tableau Desktop
    Feature
    SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)
    -
    Ratings
    Tableau Desktop
    8.5
    175 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Pixel Perfect reports00 Ratings8.0145 Ratings
    Customizable dashboards00 Ratings9.2174 Ratings
    Report Formatting Templates00 Ratings8.1151 Ratings
    Ad-hoc Reporting
    Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation) and Tableau Desktop
    Feature
    SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)
    -
    Ratings
    Tableau Desktop
    8.5
    172 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Drill-down analysis00 Ratings8.6167 Ratings
    Formatting capabilities00 Ratings8.6170 Ratings
    Integration with R or other statistical packages00 Ratings8.1126 Ratings
    Report sharing and collaboration00 Ratings8.6165 Ratings
    Report Output and Scheduling
    Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation) and Tableau Desktop
    Feature
    SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)
    -
    Ratings
    Tableau Desktop
    8.5
    166 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Publish to Web00 Ratings8.1155 Ratings
    Publish to PDF00 Ratings8.2154 Ratings
    Report Versioning00 Ratings8.6120 Ratings
    Report Delivery Scheduling00 Ratings8.6128 Ratings
    Delivery to Remote Servers00 Ratings9.078 Ratings
    Data Discovery and Visualization
    Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation) and Tableau Desktop
    Feature
    SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)
    -
    Ratings
    Tableau Desktop
    8.4
    164 Ratings
    5% above category average
    Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)00 Ratings8.7162 Ratings
    Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization00 Ratings8.6156 Ratings
    Predictive Analytics00 Ratings8.7131 Ratings
    Pattern Recognition and Data Mining00 Ratings7.87 Ratings
    Access Control and Security
    Comparison of Access Control and Security features of SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation) and Tableau Desktop
    Feature
    SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)
    -
    Ratings
    Tableau Desktop
    9.1
    149 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Multi-User Support (named login)00 Ratings9.1145 Ratings
    Role-Based Security Model00 Ratings9.1125 Ratings
    Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)00 Ratings8.9136 Ratings
    Report-Level Access Control00 Ratings9.210 Ratings
    Single Sign-On (SSO)00 Ratings9.383 Ratings
    Mobile Capabilities
    Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation) and Tableau Desktop
    Feature
    SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)
    -
    Ratings
    Tableau Desktop
    7.9
    141 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Responsive Design for Web Access00 Ratings8.6130 Ratings
    Mobile Application00 Ratings7.5101 Ratings
    Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile00 Ratings7.5122 Ratings
    Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
    Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation) and Tableau Desktop
    Feature
    SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)
    -
    Ratings
    Tableau Desktop
    7.7
    67 Ratings
    1% below category average
    REST API00 Ratings8.459 Ratings
    Javascript API00 Ratings7.653 Ratings
    iFrames00 Ratings6.751 Ratings
    Java API00 Ratings8.048 Ratings
    Themeable User Interface (UI)00 Ratings7.154 Ratings
    Customizable Platform (Open Source)00 Ratings8.548 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)Tableau Desktop
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    Cyfe
    Score4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    IBM Planning Analytics
    Score8.5 out of 10
    Qlik Cloud Analytics (Qlik Sense)
    Score8.1 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Oracle Fusion Cloud Enterprise Performance Management
    Score7.1 out of 10
    Sisense
    Score6.9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)Tableau Desktop
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.4
    (41 ratings)
    9.1
    (204 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.5
    (41 ratings)
    Usability
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    8.4
    (73 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (11 ratings)
    Performance
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.0
    (10 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    1.0
    (57 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.4
    (4 ratings)
    Online Training
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.0
    (5 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.0
    (34 ratings)
    Configurability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.0
    (3 ratings)
    Data Sharing and Collaboration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.4
    (115 ratings)
    Data Sources
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.9
    (115 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    6.7
    (39 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (4 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)Tableau Desktop
    Likelihood to Recommend
    SAP
    SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation) overall is a good package and has helped improve our reporting a lot whilst also making it more efficient due to the reliability of data input / output. There are limitations like graphs being so limited in functionality and reports failing when too much data being processed however i would recommend to others.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Tableau
    The best scenario is definitely to collect data from several sources and create dedicated dashboards for specific recipients. However, I miss the possibility of explaining these reports in more detail. Sometimes, we order a report, and after half a year, we don't remember the meaning of some data (I know it's our fault as an organization, but the tool could force better practices).
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    SAP
    • SAP BPC is real time data. You can send information into the system and see it reflected in your reports immediately. Other systems may require a manual push into a reporting system.
    • SAP BPC is a shared reporting tool, so multiple users can be working in a model/environment at the same time, real time. This is especially helpful if your workbooks incorporated multiple processes requiring multiple users to get into the same model.
    • SAP BPC is a powerful tool designed to help all facets of the company, from cash flow to capital expenditures to headcount management to financial planning to consolidation.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Tableau
    • An excellent tool for data visualization, it presents information in an appealing visual format—an exceptional platform for storing and analyzing data in any size organization.
    • Through interactive parameters, it enables real-time interaction with the user and is easy to learn and get support from the community.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    SAP
    • SAP should focus on delivering one single product for planning, consolidation and budgeting needs rather than providing a large list of options to choose from.
    • The product is not very user-friendly compared to other cloud competitors. There is a heavy dependency on IT teams.
    • SAP BPC should come up a pure cloud option.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Tableau
    • Pricing should be more user-friendly and usage-driven
    • Making edits to the production reports is fairly tough and has a vast scope of additional capabilities
    • Tableau Desktop should be able to differentiate itself from the Tableau server else there is no major meaning of two different products being offered
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    SAP
    No answers on this topic
    Tableau
    Our use of Tableau Desktop is still fairly low, and will continue over time. The only real concern is around cost of the licenses, and I have mentioned this to Tableau and fully expect the development of more sensible models for our industry. This will remove any impediment to expansion of our use.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    SAP
    Unlike other SAP traditional products, SAP BPC was meant to be simple and familiar to financial users
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Tableau
    Tableau Desktop has proven to be a lifesaver in many situations. Once we've completed the initial setup, it's simple to use. It has all of the features we need to quickly and efficiently synthesize our data. Tableau Desktop has advanced capabilities to improve our company's data structure and enable self-service for our employees.
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    SAP
    No answers on this topic
    Tableau
    When used as a stand-alone tool, Tableau Desktop has unlimited uptime, which is always nice. When used in conjunction with Tableau Server, this tool has as much uptime as your server admins are willing to give it. All in all, I've never had an issue with Tableau's availability.
    Read full review
    Performance
    SAP
    No answers on this topic
    Tableau
    Tableau Desktop's performance is solid. You can really dig into a large dataset in the form of a spreadsheet, and it exhibits similarly good performance when accessing a moderately sized Oracle database. I noticed that with Tableau Desktop 9.3, the performance using a spreadsheet started to slow around 75K rows by about 60 columns. This was easily remedied by creating an extract and pushing it to Tableau Server, where performance went to lightning fast
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    SAP
    We need a big support team with various skillset like BPC, ABAP, BW, HANA, FICO etc
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Tableau
    Tableau support has been extremely responsive and willing to help with all of our requests. They have assisted with creating advanced analysis and many different types of custom icons, data formatting, formulas, and actions embedded into graphs. Tableau offers a weekly presentation of features and assists with internal company projects.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    SAP
    SAP BPC training content and trainers are very good. The training is structured and provides a very good understanding of the product features and functionalities. I attended 6 separate training sessions of week-long or more. I had very good experience in all the sessions. The training is organized very well.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Tableau
    It is admittedly hard to train a group of people with disparate levels of ability coming in, but the software is so easy to use that this is not a huge problem; anyone who can follow simple instructions can catch up pretty quickly.
    Read full review
    Online Training
    SAP
    SAP Training contents are very good, informative and exhaustive.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Tableau
    I think the training was good overall, but it was maybe stating the obvious things that a tech savvy young engineer would be able to pick up themselves too. However, the example work books were good and Tableau web community has helped me with many problems
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    SAP
    The implementation was carried out in two phases spread over a period of 4 years with 2 upgrades in between. We also had multiple upgrades to HANA.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Tableau
    Again, training is the key and the company provides a lot of example videos that will help users discover use cases that will greatly assist their creation of original visualizations. As with any new software tool, productivity will decline for a period. In the case of Tableau, the decline period is short and the later gains are well worth it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    SAP
    With Hyperion we struggled as it didn’t have integrated planning and consolidation, whereas BPC does have it. BPC is easier for reporting as it is Excel-based. Also BPC has prepackaged business process flows that helped a lot. Hyperion on the other hand has a faster response time for user queries or report generation.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Tableau
    I have used Power BI as well, the pricing is better, and also training costs or certifications are not that high. Since there is python integration in Power BI where I can use data cleaning and visualizing libraries and also some machine learning models. I can import my python scripts and create a visualization on processed data.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    SAP
    No answers on this topic
    Tableau
    Tableau Desktop's scaleability is really limited to the scale of your back-end data systems. If you want to pull down an extract and work quickly in-memory, in my application it scaled to a few tens of millions of rows using the in-memory engine. But it's really only limited by your back-end data store if you have or are willing to invest in an optimized SQL store or purpose-built query engine like Veritca or Netezza or something similar.
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    SAP
    • When originally implemented (as the predecessor product Outlooksoft) BPC took ASU from trying to budget and forecast for a 2B enterprise out of spreadsheets and into a far more consolidated tool. It has saved us considerable time over the years and paid for itself several times over.
    • BPC also allows us to present our budget in multiple different views to support management, board and departmental reporting.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Tableau
    • Tableau was acquired years ago, and has provided good value with the content created.
    • Ongoing maintenance costs for the platform, both to maintain desktop and server licensing has made the continuing value questionable when compared to other offerings in the marketplace.
    • Users have largely been satisfied with the content, but not with the overall performance. This is due to a combination of factors including the performance of the Tableau engines as well as development deficiencies.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation) Screenshots

    Screenshot of SAP BPC Home ScreenScreenshot of SAP BPC Web ClientScreenshot of SAP BPC DashboardScreenshot of SAP BPC Web Report