15 Business Intelligence Tools You Didn’t Know You Needed

Business Intelligence Tools, also known as BI tools, have become almost inevitable in every sector, especially during social distancing as ‘work from home’ gains popularity. We live in a world of data, and the BI tools are the best equipment to get the best possible results out of the accumulated data in every Industry.

The utilization of data for their company’s benefit is no longer exclusive to the big fishes in the market. A plethora of Business Intelligence tools are available now for every big and small company.

You need to be aware of the Business Intelligence tools you require to grow faster. There are various tools to serve different purposes.

The BI software’s most important and popular functions are- Dashboard, Reporting, Visualization, Predictive Analytics, ETL(extract, transform, and load), Data Mining, OLAP (Online analytical processing) Drill-Down.

The modern BI tools are usually dynamic in nature providing companies with ‘all in one’ experience.

In this article, we will discuss the fifteen Business Intelligence tools you didn’t know you needed.

Business Intelligence Tools

1. Zoho Analytics

Zoho Analytics is another versatile BI software that has been quite popular among businesses since it arrived in the market, more than a decade ago. Their specialty is in-depth reporting along with augmented data analysis. Zoho can sync data and mail scheduled reports. It lets you zoom into the important details on the dashboard. It also allows you to make customized reports and dashboards as per your requirements.

With the use of integration API in this BI tool, users can connect and integrate data from 250+ sources, including files, feeds, online and offline databases, and business apps. Zoho Analytics is available on the cloud, on premises, and as embedded/white label versions. Zoho Analytics offers a perpetually free plan, a free Premium trial for 15 days, and plans start from $22 for a month for two users.

Besides offering data analytics, Zoho also has a Customer Relationship Management (CRM), book keeping, business email, an office suite, and 50 more apps that companies use to run their businesses on.

2. SAP Business Intelligence

SAP Business Intelligence mainly offers reporting, analysis, data visualization- both stored and real-time, and all kinds of analytics applications. It is designed to carry out advanced and complex analytical solutions that constantly represent real-time BI predictive analysis, planning, and machine learning. SAP Business Intelligence is particularly apt for office integration.

Business Intelligence tools

The reason behind the popularity of this BI software is its usefulness for all sorts of customers. From the IT sector and management to end-users, SAP Business Intelligence can be equally handy for all. Since  SAP deals with large-scale and high-performing analytics, it is best suited for medium and large scale business enterprises. SAP does not have a free version, but it can provide a demo on request. They are priced at about $14,000 per annum, and you can get a customized price quote.

 Website: https://www.sap.com/index.html

3. Datapine

Datapine is renowned software among all BI tools. They have a global customer base, which is growing every day. Datapine is an all-in-one tool with every possible function. Their extremely user-friendly interface makes using BI tools easier even for the non-technical users. What sets Datapine apart is its brilliant self-service facility. They offer industry-wise and function-wise analytical solutions suitable for data analysts, end-users, and business entities alike.

Datapine

Users can produce advanced data analysis by integrating several data sources, building comprehensive, interactive, and rather attractive dashboards. Datapine can generate practical business insights automatically that is beneficial for all sorts of companies. Datapine is quite affordable, too; it offers a 14 day free trial for whichever plan you choose, and customized plans start from $250 for one user.

4. MicroStrategy

Microstrategy is a more specialized business intelligence tool. It specifically offers high speed dashboarding, and from its dashboard itself, the users can utilize the data to make actionable decisions quickly. Its users can access MicroStrategy either from PC or use their mobile application on the go. The excellent quality of the dashboard allows the users to fetch data from multiple types of sources.

MicroStrategy

This means this BI software can analyze data simultaneously from various sources like a spread-sheet, cloud storage, and other software. They use machine learning for smart predictive analytics, and the ‘Hyper Intelligence’ section of the Microstrategy is exceptionally good at advanced data analysis. Businesses can use this tool to monitor market trends, improve productivity, find inconsistencies, etc. very fast. MicroStrategy has given demonstrations, but it does not publicly put up its price, so you can give your company details and draw a customized quote.

5. Microsoft Power BI

This is the official Microsoft business intelligence tool. It has exclusive features like ‘Microsoft Information Protection’ for protecting BI data, smooth office integration and sensitivity labels, better privacy, and security with the option of blocking risky user activities with the help of Microsoft Cloud App Security. This business intelligence tool suite is a game-changer in terms of data visualizations.

They offer commendable connectors that can keep you ahead of your competitors by producing the newest real-time trends. Although Microsoft Power BI does not have any mobile application yet, it is user-friendly because it is primarily web-based. Thus anyone can access it from anywhere and on any device.

Microsoft Power BI

The Microsoft BI tool is particularly apt for business campaigns because it allows the users to blend data from integrated applications and generate and deliver real-time reports and dashboards. Microsoft Power BI has a 60-day free trial, a period longer than most BI tools would offer. Their pricing is pretty reasonable; its plans start from $9.99 for a month per user.

Website: www.powerbi.microsoft.com

6. Looker

Looker is another great BI tool. It is particularly feasible because it is integrated with the SQL (Structured Query Language) database. Their comprehensive visual features make data analysis easier. This BI software is particularly useful for small and medium-sized businesses and many enterprises.

Looker

It is known for its powerful bridging features that let the users share easily made reports through USL and mail. Users can even integrate the reports with other applications. Another pro for Looker is its active and responsive technical support team. The con for this Business Intelligence Software is- it is not compatible with bigger businesses. Looker offers a free demo for buyers, and its range starts from $3,000 a month for 10 users while you can add additional users for $50 each.

7. Sisense

There is a BI tool for everybody. If you are not that tech-savvy, you do not need to be worried about business analytics. Sisence is the perfect self-serving business intelligence software for non-technical entrepreneurs. Its easy interface would allow all the members of your team, organization, or enterprise to handle the bulk of data and generate interactive reports.

Sisense

To use this BI tool, you would not need to get your tech-department involved. Entities can choose industry-wise as well as function-wise service like Datapine, on a simpler interface. Sisense has custom pricing features along with both free demo and free trial.

8. Metric Insights

Metric Insights is more of a portal than a tool itself. It has multiple collaborations to produce actionable real-time data; thus, you can get your business insights anytime, anywhere from any device. They offer several plug-ins; you can select the ones you require and easily identify the presence of an anomaly. Metric Insights can integrate with a Tableau server or a QlikView server as well as the Qlik Sense solutions.

Business Intelligence Tools

You can fetch data from different databases like Facebook, Adobe Analytics, Zendesk, Power BI, Hubspot, 101data, Spreadsheets, Google Analytics and Google BigQuery, iTunes, Adaptive Insights, Jira, Basecam, SalesForce,  using their smart plug-ins. They use the Dashboard 2.0 app and allow users to share customized dashboards by allowing them to generate role-based permission. Reportedly they are more expensive than other BI tools available in the market. They offer a free trial, demo, and custom pricing.

9. Exago

Exago is another BI software that makes experts and non-technical users feel alike. It is easy to handle and offers the comfort of user-control to all. It allows users to generate and share customized reports and offers a drag-&-drop ExpressView designer to give the liberty and flexibility of custom creation. This Business Intelligence tool is flexible, even in terms of integration with other software.

Exago

They have a fully open API and CSS that users can configure as per their needs, comprehensive extensions, and single sign authorization allowance for being integrated with your software in what they have termed “stealth mode.”  Exago is not the best option for bulk data handling, as they lack some features like using MySQL over MySQL. Exago is an affordable BI tool, perfect for start-ups. They have a customized quote facility and a 30-day free trial.

10. Logi Analytics 

Logi Analytics is a business intelligence tool that lets users multitask. It has an embedded analytical feature that Logi Analytics has made possible using machine learning, AI (Artificial Intelligence) within the application. You can generate advanced reports or schedule them for self-serving automatically. Hence you can have actionable data without even leaving the embedded dashboard.

Logi Analytics

It makes the workflow of the companies smoother and prompter. They offer detailed guiding through tutorials, videos, and other documentation, specifically for complex programming. Logi Analytics is currently working with huge databases of Amazon, 101 data, Google BigQuery, HP, MapR, MongoDB Snowflake, Hadoop, Infobright, and other servers like Oracle, SQL, clouds and online services like Hubspot, SFDC, Marketo, and many more. Logi Analytics offers free demonstration and custom price quotes.

11. InetSoft

InetSoft is a Business Intelligence software that produces robust data for all your analytical needs starting from the Human Resource department to financial reporting and sales analytics by combining advanced machine learning methods with human analytical developments. It has a high performing dashboard for taking care of your critical needs related to supply-chain management, asset management, business insights, and market trends.

InetSoft

InetSoft is good for all sorts of scalable architecture, but it lacks usability. Their tutorials are not enough for non-technical users. However, your IT team can use this Business Intelligence tool in your software by integrating it through configurable CSS,  dashboard, or IFrame integration, using the JSP Tag Library for J2EE and other web services for producing advanced models. InetSoft has a rather short free trial period of 5 days and custom pricing.

12. Yellowfin BI

Yellowfin Business Intelligence Tool is a highly rated software with great usability. It offers an end-to-end analytics feature with data visualization, multiple collaborations, and machine learning.  The Business Intelligence tool allows users to filter through data streams with the help of customized search smartly.

Yellowfin BI

Their dashboard is easily accessible from both webpage and mobile phones. This software is flexible regarding data pulling and data manipulation as well. Yellowfin BI offers a free trial, has a free version for up to 3 users, and their basic pricing starts from $50/month/user.

13. Clear Analytics 

If you are a dedicated MS-Excel user, then this is the best self-service BI tool for you. All the organization employees can use this software for data manipulation on excel irrespective of their skill level.

Clear Analytics

It has intuitive usability that is suitable for all kinds of businesses, and it offers all basic features of business intelligence, including creating, automation, data visualization, etc. Clear Analytics offers a 30-day free trial. Their pricing starts at $11/month for each user.

14. IBM Cognos Analytics 

Sponsored by world-class company IBM, Cognos Analytics is basically an AI-powered Business Intelligence tool. Business Intelligence Tools can take care of all your analytical needs and operations. Its AI gives you the upper hand in the market by producing comprehensive visual data after recognizing the hidden data. 

Business Intelligence Tools

It can produce real-time actionable data that you can share right away with either all or selected members. IBM offers active technical support, and since the company is in the market for a long now, they have a colorful community to help you out. IBM Cognos Analytics has a free trial for 30 days. They offer custom pricing, but their popular plans start at $15/user/month.

Website: https://www.ibm.com/products/cognos-analytic0

15. Izenda

Finally, Izenda is a Business Intelligence Tool that has the provision of self-serving automated reports embedded within the application. They have configurable and interactive dashboarding, reporting, and data connectivity managing features. This BI tool has an admin UI facility, which makes it easier to set user permissions.

Although the agenda has pretty good tutorials and tech-support, basic knowledge of SQL is needed for advanced reporting. Izenda can deal with various kinds of data- PDF, XML, DOCX, XLSX, etc. Izenda gives you custom price quotes according to your company’s needs and has the provision of free demo and trial.

Concluding

These Business Intelligence Tools can get you scheduled automated reports, real-time inventory and sales visualization, and pull and analyze data simultaneously from multiple databases, SQL servers, and CRM. You can also find the inefficiencies of your supply chain and keep track of your customers’ demographic scenario.

Their preferences and monitor and evaluate growth (basically, you can visualize the enormous amount of needful data, keeping aside the redundant ones). BI software further provides you with predictive analysis that enables you to set goals, targets, and predict growth rate. Get the one you need today, and grow your business!