MicroStrategy - Retail made easy
Updated March 01, 2016

MicroStrategy - Retail made easy

Frank Bluemke | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

9.2.300.106

Overall Satisfaction with MicroStrategy Analytics

  • User Friendly
  • Abillity to manage large volumes of data from multiple sources
  • Narrowcast Reporting & Dashboard options
  • Creating documents is very technical and requires training
  • Graphing tools are difficult to use
  • Setting up alerts and email distributions could be easier
I cannot imagine using a different reporting/data management solution other than Microstrategy. The system is scalable, fast and efficient and allows for users of multiple skill levels to get quick information from the system. Ad Hoc queries can be built very quickly to answer simple questions, while more complicated reports can be designed, scheduled and automated saving time and providing detailed information to manage our business.
Microstrategy is the basis for most of the business decisions we make - how we buy and manage inventory, reacting to sales trends, improving customer service at the store level - the list is endless!
The system is quick and efficient at returning results which is a key factor in any reporting solution.
  • Microstrategy allows our teams to quickly analyze large volumes of information to respond quickly to changing sales trends
  • Narrowcasting Reports keeps everyone in the loop on business and eliminates workload to produce the information
  • All measures of productivity have increased as more teams are trained on the system - from store field teams to corporate managers.
I would make sure you understand what information the users will need and what level of detail is needed to ensure that the integration and setup process is configured with the end use in mind. Having examples of reports and information you already produce, where it is coming from and how it is used will help set you up correctly from the beginning avoiding timely changes later on.

Using MicroStrategy Analytics

35 - Sales/Buying
Retail Planning
Store Operations
Ecom Operations
Retail Store assoiciates
5 - Database management
Project management
Advanced Excel & Access skills
  • Visual Dashboards with product images
  • Inventory Productivity Analysis
  • Store Productivity
  • Inventory Tracking
  • Sales analysis
  • Tracking of inbound shipments to our stores and warehouses
  • Using Alerts to set up red-flag email notifications of specific events (high returns, receipt of specific inventory etc).

Using MicroStrategy

Overall for most functions it is incredibly easy to use and understand - however more complicated features are very technical and require training skill. There is the possibility of creating reports that return inaccurate information if you do not have a solid understanding of the information.
ProsCons
Like to use
Relatively simple
Easy to use
Well integrated
Consistent
Quick to learn
Convenient
Feel confident using
Familiar
None
  • Ad Hoc Reporting
  • Automating Reporting
  • Creating calculations on the fly
  • Graphing
  • Building Documents (using multiple reports to create one report)
  • Dashboards
  • Utilizing images in reports
  • some metrics do not work together in a single report - can be difficult to isolate cause for report errors

Upgrading MicroStrategy