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Business Intelligence tools’ comparisonMS SQL Server Vs Pentaho Open SourceMuhammad Adnan Sidiqui and Mr. Shabir MukhiSZABIST, Karachi.Abstract— This paper deals with the Business Intelligence(BI), which is one of the most widely demanding businesssoftware systems.This Independent study deals with the comparison amongthe available BI tools. This Independent study will give theinsight view of leading BI tools and propose BI solution asease of use along with following consideration. BI deployment challenges in an organization.Complexity of BI tools and interfacesCost of BI software and per-user licensesDifficulty accessing relevant, timely, or reliable data.&MoreThis study will provide the better understanding of BI toolswith respect to Industry requirement.Index Terms— BI tools, Business Intelligence tools.1.Open source and commercial products ( Some of theversions of same product are free of cost)1 PentahoReporting, analysis, dashboard,data mining and workflowcapabilities2 Palo (OLAPOLAP Server, Worksheet Serverdatabase)and ETL ServerProprietary BI productsIBM Cognos1SQL Server Reporting Services2SQL Server Analysis Services34Hyperion Solutions Corporation5Oracle Business Intelligence Suite EnterpriseEdition6PentahoSAP Business Objects7INTRODUCTIONBusiness intelligence tool is application software. It is usedto analysis, visualize data and report. This tool has beenapplied on the stored data. It is not essentially required datamart or data ware house. [1]1.1Why do most organisations use BI?There are some concrete reasons that organisations select touse Business Intelligence are to:a.Business Intelligence (BI) is a software terminology. It is acombination of technologies, processes and tools. It helpsto achieve more profit by significantly improving theefficiency, productivity and sales of an organization. Withthe support of BI techniques, the organization data can beorganized, analyzed in a better way and then changed intoan useful knowledge. It needs to initiate a profitablebusiness action. Turning a raw, collected data into anintelligent information by analyzing and re-arranging thedata according to the relationships between the data itemsby knowing what data to gather and manage and in whatsituation. [14]Centralized automated reporting improve dataaccuracy and minimise errorsManual reports take more time and efforts Offline work toproduce (decentralized system) spreadsheets and reports,have more errors chances that shake results.BI online workto produce centralized automated reports may reduce errorchances and time. Users may access across theorganization.b. Enable fact-based decision-makingWith accurate organisation information at their fingertips,employees at all levels can make more informed decisionsto maximize performance.Types of BI ToolsBI tools are divided into main 9 different types. There isReporting and query software. It is our focal point There isa list of BI tools available worldwide. Theses BI tools canbe categorized as open source, commercial, proprietary,Proactively detect issues and opportunities at theearliest possible stageWhen objectives aren’t met, a tailored BI solution alertsand allows you to analyse, understand and report on theunderlying problems.proprietary free products. These following products areOpen source and commercial products but some of theireditions are free of cost.d. Provide self-service informationManagers and executives can access information anytime,anywhere. No longer do they need to make successiverequests through others who may have alternate prioritiesor limited resources at peak times.Journal of Independent Studies and Research – Computingc.Volume 9 Number 1January 2011

e.Provide a shared understanding across theorganisationEmployees need a clear, consistent view of the organisationto make decisions that will improve performance. Yourdata is one of your most valuable assets, and it makes senseto ensure it is visible and usable in day-to-day operations.2.1Business Intelligence Tools Market SurveysIn different surveys, BI tools market was being divided intotwo parts (Segment/ categories).f. Focus your business and ensure plans are executedBI allows the Executives to define business objectives thatare visible and measurable across the whole organisation.A central system means that plans can be reviewed hourly,daily, weekly – not just once a month or once a quarter.1.2 Who uses Business Intelligence?BI users may be from Novice computer users to Expertcomputer users in an organization. They may belong todifferent functional areas or dept. and different levels likein an educational institute e.g.Executive ManagementOperational ManagementResearch and DevelopmentStudent AdministrationFinanceMarketingHR2. Chapter – Literature ReviewThe collection of topic related information was verydifficult. There was no BI tools comparison related paperpublished on ACM,IEEE during 2009-2010 that providedthe leading vendors tools comparison e.g. SAP’s Businessobjects, Oracle’s OBIEE, IBM’s cognos. There was onlysource the leading consulting firms’ BI tools relatedsurveys. These latest surveys were very expensive toobtain.We studied previous years’ BI tools market surveys. Thesesurveys provided us the insight view of the BI Industry andBI tools’ market trends. These surveys were very helpfulfor selecting the BI tool for our research.We selected two tools for comparison.1. Microsoft BI Suite2. Pentaho1.Selected BI tool “MS BI Suite” from proprietary BITool list. This was one of the top ranking tool asmentioned in different surveys. See surveys2.Second selected BI tool was “Pentaho BI Suite” fromopen source BI tools list.In Gertner’s Jan2010 report, Pentaho declared one ofthe top emerging open source BI Tool.a. Query, reporting , and analysisb. Advanced analytics.a.Query, reporting, and analysis (QRA)QRA BI tools includesA .Ad hoc query. (Query and reporting tools) andB. Multidimensional analysis tools (OLAP servers andclient-side analysis tools) as well as dashboards andproduction reporting tools.Excluded : Application development tools that may be usedfor building reports but are not specifically designed forthat purpose.b. Advanced analytics.Adv. analytics1. data mining and2. statistical software (previously called technical dataanalysis).In short, BI tools are available in single package that coversabove all areas. BI tools market is the combination ofStandalone BI Suite vendors like Pentaho and Jaspersoftand embedded BI suite supplied by leading Industryvendors like MS, SAP and oracle .Here we included some surveys’ tables to understandWorldwide BI Regional Markets, BI Growth, BI vendors,BI Competitors, BI leaders during 2003 - 2007.Recent surveys’ are available on the net but they are costly.During research, we found BI related videos very useful tounderstand difficult BI related terminologies.Journal of Independent Studies and Research – ComputingVolume 9 Number 1January 2011

Worldwide BI Tools revenue share by regionYear: 2005Year : 2007Year: 2006In Gartner’s Jan2010 report, It mentioned that SAP,Oracle, IBM and Microsoft are leading BI players.Journal of Independent Studies and Research – ComputingVolume 9 Number 1January 2011

Pentaho and Jaspersoft have emerged as possible playersin the Business Intelligence market. These two open-sourceplayers provide total solution for BI.Both vendors' strategy is to forge OEM relationships withcommercial independent software vendors (ISVs) lookingto easily embed BI functionality at a low price point.2.2 BI FutureOld Chinese saying, "To accomplish a goal, make surethe proper tools are selected." This is very true whenthe goal is to manage right business intelligence tool.During 2008, the business intelligence (BI) tools marketreached 7.8 billion in terms of software license andmaintenance revenue. IDC predicted the BI market growthof 10.6% in 2008 which surpassed. Organisations spent andfocused on BI projects that help them to reduce operationalcosts or retain clients. There is growing proof that morepervasive BI have a direct effect on competitiveness. Itsupport to take better decision to consumption of resourceswhen resources become restricted during a recessionperiod, so BI projects will essential [2]“The Microsoft's BI Tools annual revenue in 2005 wasmore than 25 percent, growing at more than twice the rateof the overall market. MS's impact on the BI tools marketcannot be overemphasized. This impact will mark anevolutionary change that has been put into motion by thedatabase vendors overall and will reshape the BI toolsmarket over the next 15 years.” [2]Our topic is comparison between two products.Step 1: Correlation“A connection between two or more things” [9]We selected two products for comparison. We take BI suiteas connection to make easy for apple to apple comparison.These products were MS SQL Server 2008 and Opensource BI Pentaho.Step 2: CorrespondenceBI Future – HR demands“There is a BI skills shortage, particularly at senior levels,but also at a technical level. In the meantime, demand andmonetarily investment in BI continue in flow. Now weneed to focus or bridge the gap between demand andsupply for appropriately skilled professionals to design,implement and manage BI projects and, the limitedsupply.” [8]3.Chapter – Research Methodology3.1 Our Research MethodologyThe foundation for all our research solutions involves athorough and proven, step methodology besides ReviewArticles published in magazines and on web and discusprofessionals.“A connection between two things” [10]Journal of Independent Studies and Research – ComputingVolume 9 Number 1January 2011