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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData OverviewCoverpage -Introduction -
CriticalCapabilitiesforDeployingEnterpriseAnalyticsandMobilityApplications
ReportgeneratedonOctober2,2017
ThisinformationrepresentstheopinionsofMicroStrategybasedonitsassessmentoftheproductslisted.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData OverviewWhyMicroStrategy -Introduction -
WhyMicroStrategy
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy Tableau
ScoreQlik
SenseScore
IBMCognosScore
SAPBO
Score
MSFTPowerBIScore
OracleScore
MSTRScore
EnterprisePlatform
ObjectOrientedReusability
Anobject-orientedarchitecturecatalogseveryaspectofthebusiness.Dataassets,KPIs,dimensions,users,reports,anddashboardsareallstoredinacentrallocationasuniquelogicalobjectstosupportreusability.
MicroStrategyoffersacentralizedmetadatarepositorythatisbuiltwithandcontainsobjects,asdefinedbydevelopers,andcanbereusedacrosstheBIproject.Objectscanbecombinedtocreatehigherlevelobjects(e.g.,attributesandmetricsmakeupareport;reports,filters,andpromptsmakeupadocument;documents,andotherreportscanbeembeddedintoadocument-allofwhicharestoredas"metadataobjects"),andthistogetherdeliversasingleBIprojectoradatamodel.•ThereusablemodelenablesobjectsacrosstheBIdeploymenttobesecurelyreusedhundredsoftimesbyusersacrosstheenterprise,withoutanyduplicationofeffort.•Themodelnotonlyincludesdimensionsandmetrics,butalsocoversfilters,reports,prompts,customgroups,reports,dashboards,anddocuments-makingitpossibletoflexiblyreusealloftheseobjectsmultipletimesacrossanyapplicationandBIproject.•Changesormodificationsmadetoanyobjectinthemetadataautomaticallyproliferatestoallotherdependentobjects.Thiseliminatestheneedtomanuallyupdatethechangesacrossthedeployment,whichisparticularlyhelpfulforlargerBIprojects.•Thereusablemodelhelpsensurefasterdevelopmenttimes,increasedplatformscalability,efficientmanagement,andalsomaintainsasingleversionofthetruth.
DataGovernance
Uniquedefinitionstoeverydimensionandmetricboundtogetherbystrictrulesthataredefinedbyalogicalmodel,thusensuringasingleversionofthetruth
TheMicroStrategymetadatamodelmakesitpossibleforanyonewiththerightprivilegestopromotenewandexternalcontenttotheServerandtieittoacertifieddatamodel,allwitheasyworkflows.•Itispossibletomapthemetadataatthedimensionlevel,aswellasthecubelevel,givinguserstheflexibilitytocontrolthedatathatispublishedtothemodel.•Theplatformsupportsgovernancefordatafromdisparatesources,evenexternalnon-certifiedsources,thathelpsbuildasystemofrecordthatuserscantrust--whilealsodeliveringflexibilitytoendusers.•Beyondtheabilitytogovernexternaldatasources,theplatformoffersgranularsecurityfeaturesthatallowprojectownersanddatastewardstograntpermissionsandprivilegestotherightpeople.Thisdeliversdatasecurityandalsopersonalizesreportsanddashboardstoendusers.•WorkflowsavailablewiththeMicroStrategyplatformtopromoteexternaldataintothesystemofrecord,combinedwiththeflexibilityofthesystemtodeliverself-serviceaccesstobusinessteamswillincreasetheoveralladoptionoftheBIplatform.
UserSecurity Rolesandprivilegesthatassignrestrictionstousersandgroupsensurethatendusersonlyseepersonalizedandrelevantcontentandareonlyabletoperformauthorizedactions.
ThesecuritymodelwithintheMicroStrategyplatformisbuiltaroundusersandusergroups,whicharerepresentedaslogicalmetadataobjects.Thisensuresthatdataissecuredatthemostgranularlevels.•Securityfiltersbasedondimensionvalueshelpensurethatusersarerestrictedtoonlyseedatathatisrelevanttothem.Thiseliminatestheneedtobuildmultiplecopiesofthesameapplication,andmakesitpossibletooptimallyscale.•WithMicroStrategy'stools,administratorscanapplyAccessControlLists(ACLs)tolargeusergroups,restrictingtherangeofdataobjectstheycanaccessoractionstheycanperform,andspecifyingthescopeoftheirprivilegesintheenvironment.•WithUsher,itispossibletoprovidesecuredigitalauthenticationoptions,includinggeo-fencingandtime-fencingcapabilities,makingitpossibletorestrictuseraccessbasedonlocationandtime.
Scalability Deliveranalyticstoeveryoneacrosstheenterprise,andbeyond.Allow1000sofusersto
MicroStrategyisoptimizedinitsdesignforenterprisescaleandspeed;assuch,theplatformcansupporttheanalyticalreportingneedsof100softhousandsofusersacrosstheenterprise.•Theplatformcanbeclusteredwithupto8nodeswithwork-anduser-
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy Tableau
ScoreQlik
SenseScore
IBMCognosScore
SAPBO
Score
MSFTPowerBIScore
OracleScore
MSTRScore
2 / 167
CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyMicroStrategyWhyMicroStrategy -Introduction -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy Tableau
ScoreQlik
SenseScore
IBMCognosScore
SAPBO
Score
MSFTPowerBI
ScoreOracleScore
MSTRScore
EnterprisePlatform
ObjectOrientedReusability
Anobject-orientedarchitecturecatalogseveryaspectofthebusiness.Dataassets,KPIs,dimensions,users,reports,anddashboardsareallstoredinacentrallocationasuniquelogicalobjectstosupportreusability.
MicroStrategyoffersacentralizedmetadatarepositorythatisbuiltwithandcontainsobjects,asdefinedbydevelopers,andcanbereusedacrosstheBIproject.Objectscanbecombinedtocreatehigherlevelobjects(e.g.,attributesandmetricsmakeupareport;reports,filters,andpromptsmakeupadocument;documents,andotherreportscanbeembeddedintoadocument-allofwhicharestoredas"metadataobjects"),andthistogetherdeliversasingleBIprojectoradatamodel.•ThereusablemodelenablesobjectsacrosstheBIdeploymenttobesecurelyreusedhundredsoftimesbyusersacrosstheenterprise,withoutanyduplicationofeffort.•Themodelnotonlyincludesdimensionsandmetrics,butalsocoversfilters,reports,prompts,customgroups,reports,dashboards,anddocuments-makingitpossibletoflexiblyreusealloftheseobjectsmultipletimesacrossanyapplicationandBIproject.•Changesormodificationsmadetoanyobjectinthemetadataautomaticallyproliferatestoallotherdependentobjects.Thiseliminatestheneedtomanuallyupdatethechangesacrossthedeployment,whichisparticularlyhelpfulforlargerBIprojects.•Thereusablemodelhelpsensurefasterdevelopmenttimes,increasedplatformscalability,efficientmanagement,andalsomaintainsasingleversionofthetruth.
DataGovernance
Uniquedefinitionstoeverydimensionandmetricboundtogetherbystrictrulesthataredefinedbyalogicalmodel,thusensuringasingleversionofthetruth
TheMicroStrategymetadatamodelmakesitpossibleforanyonewiththerightprivilegestopromotenewandexternalcontenttotheServerandtieittoacertifieddatamodel,allwitheasyworkflows.•Itispossibletomapthemetadataatthedimensionlevel,aswellasthecubelevel,givinguserstheflexibilitytocontrolthedatathatispublishedtothemodel.•Theplatformsupportsgovernancefordatafromdisparatesources,evenexternalnon-certifiedsources,thathelpsbuildasystemofrecordthatuserscantrust--whilealsodeliveringflexibilitytoendusers.•Beyondtheabilitytogovernexternaldatasources,theplatformoffersgranularsecurityfeaturesthatallowprojectownersanddatastewardstograntpermissionsandprivilegestotherightpeople.Thisdeliversdatasecurityandalsopersonalizesreportsanddashboardstoendusers.•WorkflowsavailablewiththeMicroStrategyplatformtopromoteexternaldataintothesystemofrecord,combinedwiththeflexibilityofthesystemtodeliverself-serviceaccesstobusinessteamswillincreasetheoveralladoptionoftheBIplatform.
UserSecurity Rolesandprivilegesthatassignrestrictionstousersandgroupsensurethatendusersonlyseepersonalizedandrelevantcontentandareonlyabletoperformauthorizedactions.
ThesecuritymodelwithintheMicroStrategyplatformisbuiltaroundusersandusergroups,whicharerepresentedaslogicalmetadataobjects.Thisensuresthatdataissecuredatthemostgranularlevels.•Securityfiltersbasedondimensionvalueshelpensurethatusersarerestrictedtoonlyseedatathatisrelevanttothem.Thiseliminatestheneedtobuildmultiplecopiesofthesameapplication,andmakesitpossibletooptimallyscale.•WithMicroStrategy'stools,administratorscanapplyAccessControlLists(ACLs)tolargeusergroups,restrictingtherangeofdataobjectstheycanaccessoractionstheycanperform,andspecifyingthescopeoftheirprivilegesintheenvironment.•WithUsher,itispossibletoprovidesecuredigitalauthenticationoptions,includinggeo-fencingandtime-fencingcapabilities,makingitpossibletorestrictuseraccessbasedonlocationandtime.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyMicroStrategyWhyMicroStrategy -Introduction -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy Tableau
ScoreQlik
SenseScore
IBMCognosScore
SAPBO
Score
MSFTPowerBI
ScoreOracleScore
MSTRScore
Scalability Deliveranalyticstoeveryoneacrosstheenterprise,andbeyond.Allow1000sofuserstoleverageanalyticswithoutsacrificingperformanceandwithoutrestrictionsondatasize.
MicroStrategyisoptimizedinitsdesignforenterprisescaleandspeed;assuch,theplatformcansupporttheanalyticalreportingneedsof100softhousandsofusersacrosstheenterprise.•Theplatformcanbeclusteredwithupto8nodeswithwork-anduser-fencingoptionstohelpensureperformanceandreliabilityacrosstheentireuserpopulation.•Theplatformhasnorestrictionsondatasizeforeitherdirectorin-memoryaccesstodata•MicroStrategycustomersareleveragingtheplatformtostoredatausingin-memorycubeswithover2billionrowswhiledeliveringsub-secondresponsetimestotheirend-users.•MicroStrategyistheonlycomprehensiveanalyticsvendorthatsupportsbigdataanalyticswithnativeconnectorstoHDFStoaccesspetabytesofdatainrealtime.
Performance Publishanddeliverinformationtoend-userswithquickresponsetimes,anddeliveranalyticswithoutbeingimpededbydatasize.
MicroStrategyemploysavarietyofstrategiestoincreasetheoverallperformanceoftheplatform,makingitpossibletodeliversub-secondresponsetimes-evenwithlargedatasets.•MicroStrategywasamongthefirstBIvendorstosupportpush-downanalyticalfunctionsacrossallleadingdatabases.Thiscapabilityhelpsdrivecomputationsintelligentlytothedatabasewhenneeded,therebyimprovingtheoverallresponsetimetoendusers.•Theplatformcancreatemultipleparallelthreadstothedatabase,increasingthespeedatwhichdataisfetchedfromthewarehouse.•WhereasotherBIvendorsattempttoimplementcachingatasinglelevel,MicroStrategyimplementsself-tuningstrategiesthatcreatecachesatkeypointswithinthequeryflow.TheServercachesdatainthefollowingcrucialareas:Metadataobjectcaching,attributeelementcaching,databaseconnectioncaching,resultcaching,anddocumentcaching.•Theplatformisbasedonanin-memoryarchitecturethatcanpartitioncubesandprocessdatainparallel,makingitpossibletoprocesslargercubesthanothervendorsinthemarket.•VLDBsettingsareavailabletofine-tuneandoptimizeconnectivityforeverytypeofdatasource,deliveringcustomsettingstoorganizationswithuniquedeployments.
Automation ReduceburdenonITadministrators,especiallywithlargescaledeployments,bycuttingdownonroutineorredundanttasks.
•MicroStrategyofferstoolsthatallowadministratorstomaintainandupgradesystems,automateworkflows,andensuresuperiordataqualityandsecurity,withoutredundancies.•Theplatformallowsadminstoreducethetimeandeffortspentonroutinemaintenanceandadministrativetasks,likemovingassetsfromtesttoproductionenvironments,tocheckingthedataqualitybetweenupgrades,andschedulinghealthchecksandtaskswithworkflows.•Beyondadministrativetasks,datauploads/refreshesandscheduleddeliveriescanbeautomatedaswell,whichremovestheburdenfromITandhelpsreduceoverallTCO.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyMicroStrategyWhyMicroStrategy -Introduction -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy Tableau
ScoreQlik
SenseScore
IBMCognosScore
SAPBO
Score
MSFTPowerBI
ScoreOracleScore
MSTRScore
Monitoring Easilymonitor,maintain,manage,fine-tune,andautomateactionsandworkflowstoensurethehealthofthesystem.EliminateredundanttaskstoreduceoverallTCO.
•MicroStrategyofferstoolsthatallowadministratorstomonitoreveryenvironmentinaMicroStrategydeployment,acrossmultipleprojectsandevenservermachines-bothon-premisesandinthecloud.•Theinterfaceenablesadministratorstoquicklyandeasilyviewusagepatterns,systemresources,uptime,andalertsacrossenvironments.•Theplatformcollectsinformationfromeachenvironment’sHealthCenter,andpresentskeyusageandperformanceindicatorsusinggraphsandcharts.•Administratorscandefinethresholdsforsystemusageandperformancethatautomaticallytriggeralertswhenthresholdcriteriaaremetorexceeded.•Beyondthe100sofOOTBreportsanddashboardsavailablewiththeplatform,administratorscanbuildtheirownreportswithcustomKPIstomeasureplatformusage.
Deployment Optionstodeployonanyinfrastructure,regardlessofsize,team,orhardwareresources,thusreducingoverallTCOandmaintenancerequired.
MicroStrategydeliversflexibleoptionsfordeployinganalyticsacrosstheenterprisewithon-premises,cloud,andhybridoptionsforteamsofanysize.•TheplatformissupportedonbothWindowsandLinux,andcanbeclusteredwithupto8Servernodes.•PartneringwithAWS,theleadingcloudvendor,MicroStrategyallowsorganizationsaroundtheworldtospinupinstancesforenterpriseanalyticsandmobilityinminutes,allowingcompaniestostartsmallandexpandasneeded.•Pre-configuredenvironmentsinthecloudcanbecreated,managed,maintained,andupgradedwithself-serviceconsoles,enablingextremelylowTCOs.
HighAvailability
Robustarchitecturethatprovidesthehighestuptimeforuserstoalwayshaveaccesstothesystem,withprovisionsandtuningmechanismsforincreasedsystemstabilityandbetterfailovermanagement.
•WithMicroStrategy,usersacrosstheorganizationcanaccessreliableanalyticsdeliveredonarobustarchitecturethatisdesignedforenterprisescale,performance,andstability.•Disasterrecoveryandfailoveroptionsalloworganizationstoavoiddowntimesforend-users.Systemadministratorshavethechoicetosetuphot,warm,orcoldfailoverstrategies(forbackupnodes)dependingonthehardwareresourcesavailabletothem.•Clusteringandworkfencingcapabilitiesmakeitpossibletoproactivelypreventservercrashesbydeflectingheavyjobstospecificserversortimeperiods.•Reliablegovernorsateverylevelofthequerypathmakeitpossibletoavertsystemcrashes,evenunderpeakuseranddataloads.
In-memoryArchitecture
Architecturethatcanhostterabytesofdatain-memorymakingitavailabletoend-userswithfasterresponsetimes.
•TheMicroStrategyplatformenablesorganizationstotakeadvantageofin-memorycubetechnology,whichincreasesperformancebyreducingtheneedtoaccessdatadirectlyfromthedatawarehouse.•MicroStrategyin-memorycubescanbequicklyloadedwithdatausingparallelthreadsfromthedatabasewhichcanalsobeoptimizedandfine-tunedforspecificdatabases.•Dynamicsourcingisaplatformcapabilitythatautomaticallyroutesqueriestothefastestavailabledatasource—whetherit’sacache,acube,ortheoriginalrelationalsource,thushelpingmaximizeperformanceandthroughput.•MicroStrategy'sparallelprocessingandpartitioningcapabilitiesdifferentiateitfromothervendors,helpingtoboostprocessingspeedsinsituationswherethereareterabytesofdatastoredinmemory.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyMicroStrategyWhyMicroStrategy -Introduction -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy Tableau
ScoreQlik
SenseScore
IBMCognosScore
SAPBO
Score
MSFTPowerBI
ScoreOracleScore
MSTRScore
EnterpriseAnalytics
Self-ServiceDataDiscovery
Intuitiveworkflowsforend-userstoaccess,visualize,analyze,andshareinsightswithoutthesupportofIT.
MicroStrategydifferentiatesitselffromotherpointsolutionsbycombiningtheease-of-useofdataexplorationwithenterprisecapabilitiesincludingscalability,performance,security,andgovernance,inasingleplatform.•MicroStrategyDesktopandWebprovideaccessto80+datasources,fromExcelspreadsheets,torelationalsources,bigdata,Cloudservices,Hadoop,andmore.•Built-intoolsareavailablefordatapreparation,aswellastheabilitytoblenddataacrossmultiplesources.•ItprovidestheabilitytovisualizedatawithanychartorgraphnativelyandoffersworkflowstoincludeD3,Highcharts,GoogleCharts,andotherlibraries(includingopensourceandNLGoptions)•Includeseasysharingoptions(PDF,email,sendtofilelocation,print,andmore),andworkflowstopromoteexternaldataintoagovernedmodel.AlsosupportsoptionstoexporttoPDFandemailoptions.•MicroStrategyiscompatiblewithMacandWindowsPC.AnalystscanquicklysetupandinstallMicroStrategywithoutITsupport.•Theplatformsupportsadvancedanalyticswith350+out-of-the-boxfunctions,andcanalsointegratewithR.
OptimizedDataConnectivity
Driversandgatewaysthatdeliverinstantandreliableaccesstoavarietyofdatasourcesandinformationinanyformat,regardlessofsize.
•MicroStrategynativelysupports100softhemostpopulardatasources,fromExcelspreadsheettorelationaldatabases,cloudsystems,HDFSandmore.•OrganizationscanalsobuildtheirownconnectorstocustomdataassetswithAPIs,allowingthemtoconnecttoanynewsourceavailableinthemarket.•Eachconnectorisoptimizedforhighperformance,withtheabilitytointelligentlypush-downcalculationstothedatabaseswhenneeded,generatemulti-passSQL,loadparallelthreadssimultaneously,andcanloaddatawithoutrestrictionsonsizeortype.•EasyworkflowsareavailabletobusinessuserstoblenddataontheirownwithoutITsupport.•VLDBparametersareavailabletofine-tuneandoptimizeSQLgenerationspecifictoeachdatabase.•MicroStrategyleveragesanaggregate-awareSQLgenerationenginetotransparentlynavigateaggregatetables,dynamicallydirectingqueriestosummarytables,withouttheuserhavingtospecifytheuseofthetablewhencreatingthequery.•MicroStrategycangeneratemulti-passSQLtoansweranalyticalquestionsthatcannotbeansweredwithasingleSQLqueryblock,coveringscenariosthatinclude:setanalysis,splitmetrics,andcalculationsatdifferentlevelsofaggregation.
DataPreparationandBlending
Transformandarrangedatatomakeitbettersuitedforvisualexploration,withtheabilitytocreatejoinsacrosstablesfromdisparatesources.
MicroStrategyoffersbuilt-indatawranglingandblendingcapabilitiesandissupportedacrossalldatasources.•EnduserscanperformtransformationsondatapriortovisualizinginformationusingdozensoffunctionsavailableviagraphicalinterfacesandwithoutexportingouttoExcel.•Datawranglingandblendingispossiblebybusinessusersacrossspreadsheets,relationalsources,HDFS,cloudsystems,andotherpopulardatabases.•Userscansplitcolumns,identifyspellingerrors,performtextandnumericfacets,eliminatewhitespaces,pivottables,andperformdozensmoretransformationsbasedonintelligentrecommendationsfromtheproduct.•Historylistsareautomaticallyrecorded,sowhenmorecurrentdataisavailable,theactionsdonotneedtoberepeated.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyMicroStrategyWhyMicroStrategy -Introduction -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy Tableau
ScoreQlik
SenseScore
IBMCognosScore
SAPBO
Score
MSFTPowerBI
ScoreOracleScore
MSTRScore
EnterpriseReports
Optionstoviewlargevolumesofdatainaneasy-to-readgridformat,withtoolstoperformad-hocanalysisforimproveddecision-making.
•MicroStrategyprovidesaflexiblereportingenvironmentthatleveragesOLAPfunctionalitytogiveenduserstheabilitytoquicklysliceanddicedatafromacrossmultiplesources,usingavarietyofoptions:sorting,pivoting,page-by,drilldown,drillanywhere,totalsandsubtotals,one-clickmetrics,derivedelements,viewfilters,lockheaders,switchbetweengrid/graph,fittocontent/window,andmore.•Withtheabilitytopublishbandedreports,theplatformcanrollupandpresentdynamicaggregatesforlargevolumesacross100sofpagesofdata.•WithMicroStrategy,developerscanquicklydesignoperationalreportsandstatementsusingdrag-and-dropfunctionalityandflexibleformattinginordertostructurelargeamountsofdataintoanaturalhierarchyformaximumreadabilityandeaseofnavigation.•MicroStrategyenablesparameter-drivenreportsbysupportingmoretypesofuserpromptsthananyothervendor,allowinguserstoinputselectionsatruntimetoalterthecontentsofthereports.Optionsincludesimpledimensionprompts,hierarchyprompts,listprompts,objectprompts,valueprompts,levelprompts.
Dashboardsanddocuments
Highlyformattedoptionstoauthor,visualize,andinteractwithdatatoidentifytrendsandoutliersandmakeefficientdecisions.
•MicroStrategydeliversgraphicalWYSIWYGdesignertoolstocreatepixel-perfectdocuments,invoices,statements,scorecards,andinteractivereal-timedashboards,allfromasingledesigneditor.•AllstylesofBIdescribedabovesupportresponsivedesignandcanbeconsumedonanybrowserormobiledevice.•Dashboardsarebuiltonthemetadatamodel,sotheyaresecureandpersonalizedforeachuser,andsupporttransactions,offlineconsumption,andcanbedeliveredinanydesiredformat.•Dashboardssupportad-hocdatadiscoveryacross100sofoptionsandletusersvisualizedatawithaccesstonativeandthird-partychartinglibraries.•Transactionalworkflowscanbeembeddedtoenablewrite-backcapabilitiesforbothwebandmobileapplications.
MobileAnalytics
Consumereportsanddashboardsonmobiledevices,withcompleteinteractivity,inordertoperformanalyticsandmakedecisionswhileonthego.
•MobileisfullyintegratedintotheMicroStrategyanalyticsplatform,soorganizationscanleverageexistingvisualizations,reports,anddashboardstoinstantlydeployBIonmobiledevices.•MicroStrategyMobileenhancesthemobileexperienceoniOSandAndroidbydeliveringnativeappsthatletuserstakefulladvantageoftheuniquecapabilitiesoftheirmobiledeviceswheninteractingwiththeirdata,whilealsobeingabletorelyontransactionandofflinecapabilities.•Withflexible,code-freetoolsandaclick-to-configuredevelopmentcanvas,organizationscanmobilizebusinessworkflowsanddeliverahighlyresponsive,nativeuserexperiencewithappsthatcanbebuiltinrecordtimeandatafractionofthecost.
RealTimeAnalytics
Theabilitytodeliverinstantanalyticsandinsightswheredataisavailableinreal-time.
MicroStrategydeliverstheabilitytovisualizedatafromexternalstreamingapplicationsandtriggeralertsfromthesesources.•Theplatformcaninstantlyingestreal-timefeedsfromStorm,Spark,andKafka.Forotherrelationalsystems,theplatformcanalsosupportdatarefreshesatthesmallestintervals,andcanperformatthespeedofincominginformation.•MicroStrategycanmanagereal-timeinformationandgiveaninstantviewofthedata.•Theapplicationcanalsosendthreshold-basedalertstoanydeviceallowingdecision-makerstotakeinstantandproactiveaction,allinrealtime.•MicroStrategycanalsointegratewithvisualizationsandwidgetsthatsupportreal-timemappingofinformationonbothWebandMobile.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyMicroStrategyWhyMicroStrategy -Introduction -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy Tableau
ScoreQlik
SenseScore
IBMCognosScore
SAPBO
Score
MSFTPowerBI
ScoreOracleScore
MSTRScore
PredictiveAnalyticsandMachineLearning
Advancedalgorithmsandworkflowsforuserstobeabletoperformsummarizations,optimizations,predictions,statisticalcalculations,orcreatecustomgroups,training,andscoringmetrics.
WithminimalhelpfromIT,MicroStrategyuserscancreateandvisualizeadvancedmetricsandperformthemostcomplexcalculations.•EnduserscanbuildsophisticatedstatisticalandmathematicalmodelswiththenativelibraryoffunctionsavailabledirectlywithMicroStrategy.Theycangeneratepredictive,scoring,ortrainingmetricsusingnativelyavailablealgorithms.•MicroStrategyoffersover350nativefunctions,outofthebox,sothatbusinessusersareabletoperformdataminingandcreatehighlyadvancedstatisticalalgorithmsontheirown,withminimalsupportfromIT.•UserscanintegrateMicroStrategywithdataminingmodelsfromotherapplicationsbyimportingPredictiveModelMarkupLanguage(PMML),SAS,andSPSSintothemetadatarepository.•Theplatformintegrateswiththird-partyoptionslikeRusinggraphicalinterfaces.
BigDataAnalytics
AccessdatafromHadoopandotherdistributedfilesystemswithoutlimitationsonsizeandwithoutexperiencingdropsinperformance.
MicroStrategyistheonlycomprehensiveplatformthatsupportsaccesstobigdatawithnativeconnectorstoHDFSwhilealsoprovidingbuilt-inworkflowsfordatapreparationontopofHadoopdata.•Whetherit’sapersonalspreadsheetoradispersedHadoopDistributedFileSystem(HDFS),userscaneasilyconnecttotheirdatawithoutrelyingonITandwithoutlimitsondatasize.It'seasytoaccessdatafromanyflavorofHadoop,includingCloudera,Hortonworks,andMapR,withcomprehensivesupportforSpark,Kerberos,andthetopfileformats.•WithMicroStrategy,userscanleverageinformationfromclickstreams,webactivity,callcenterlogs,andIDscans-andblenditwithdatafromothersourcesusinggraphicalworkflows.•MicroStrategyconnectstobigdatasourcesandNoSQLoptionssuchasMongoDBandCassandra,andalsoconnectstoHDFSvianativeconnectorstoClouderaHive,Impala,MapRDrill,Pigscripts,SparkSQL,andmore.•WithMicroStrategy,userscanalsolimitandmanagetheamountofdataimportedfromHDFS,orperformaggregationsontopofthedatapriortoimportingitintoMicroStrategyforanalysis.•Userscanalsoapplyadvancedfunctionsandfilterstocontrolandrestricttheamountofdata.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyMicroStrategyWhyMicroStrategy -Introduction -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy Tableau
ScoreQlik
SenseScore
IBMCognosScore
SAPBO
Score
MSFTPowerBI
ScoreOracleScore
MSTRScore
AutomatedDistributionandAlerting
Distributereports,dashboards,anddocumentstolargeaudiencesinapersonalizedandautomatedmanner.Thishelpstoensuretheon-timedeliveryofinformationtoend-userssotheycanmaketimely,informeddecisions.
MicroStrategyisdesignedforhigh-volume,automateddeliveryofreportsanddashboards.•Theplatformmakesitpossibletoscaledistributionofanalyticalcontentto100softhousandsofusers,withtheabilitytoautomateandschedulethedeliveryofreportsanddashboards,basedontime-,event-,andthreshold-basedalerts.•MicroStrategysupportsthewidestvarietyofdeliverymethods,withoptimalformattingforeachdeviceandapplication.•MicroStrategyprovidesburstingcapabilitiestodeliverslicingorpage-byexecutions,allowingasinglereporttobeextractedfromthedatawarehousethatcanbeparsedintosub-reportsforindividualsubscribers.Thisavoidshavingtorundifferentreportsfordifferentrecipientswhilestillbeingabletogeneratepersonalizedreports.•AlertingcapabilitiescanmonitorKPIvalueswhennewdataisavailableandsenddetailedreportsoralertmessageswhenthresholdsarereached.•SecurityfiltersandACLssetontheuserlevelguaranteespersonalizedandsecureinformationto1000sofuserswiththedeliveryofasingledashboard.•MicroStrategyleveragessegmentationcapabilitiestomanageresourceutilizationinlargescalereportdeliverydeploymentsbyanalyzingthelistofsubscriptionstodetermineifseveralsubscriptionssharethesamecombinationofsecurityandpersonalizationandgroupingthemintobucketssincetheyreceivethesamecontent.
FromburstingandsmartpaginationforPDFexportstothedeliveryofhighlypersonalizedcontent,MicroStrategydeliverssophisticateddistributioncapabilitiesthatmakeitpossibletopublishdataandinsightsacrosstheorganizationwithouttheneedtoinvestinothertechnologies.
EnterpriseMobility
TransactionalWorkflows
Write-backcapabilitiesthatallowmobileuserstosubmittransactionstoERP,CRM,orotheroperationalsystems.
•MicroStrategyprovidesmobilewrite-backcapabilitiesthatletusersupdatesystemsofrecordfromthefield.Userscanchangedataonthefly,insertnewinformation,andviewupdatedreportsanddashboards.•Thesetransactionscanincludeone-tapapprovalsanddenials,inputsforcapturingnewinformation,andeditingexistinginformationinERPsystems,CRMsystems,andotheroperationaldatabases.•Appdeveloperscancreatesmartformsthatarecontextualandconditional,basedonauser’spermissionsorlocation.•MicroStrategyoffersabroadsetofinputcontrols,includingbarcodescanners,signaturecapture,starrating,textandnumberfields,calendar,camera,steppers,sliders,andmore.•TransactionServicescanalsoauto-captureadditionalinformationalongsidetheuserinputstofurtherstreamlinebusinessprocesses.Forexample,theuser’sprofileinformationaswellaslatitude,longitude,andatimestampcanbeincludedinatransactionalsubmissionwithoutrequiringadditionalworkbytheuser.•Userscanaccesstransactionalinputsandformsregardlessofinternetconnectivity.Whenoffline,transactionsarequeuedforsubmissionandexecutedwhentheusernextconnects.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyMicroStrategyWhyMicroStrategy -Introduction -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy Tableau
ScoreQlik
SenseScore
IBMCognosScore
SAPBO
Score
MSFTPowerBI
ScoreOracleScore
MSTRScore
EmbeddedMultimedia
Abilitytodownloadandviewmultimediafilesonlineandoffline,suchaspresentations,videos,PDFs,andePUBbooksonmobiledevices.
•MicroStrategyprovidesin-appviewingofmultimediacontentincludingvideos,PDFs,images,presentations,spreadsheets,documents,email,andwebcontent—allseamlesslyembeddedinthemobileapp.•Asisthecaseforothercontentintheapp,multimediacanbepre-cachedorstoredforconvenient,offlineaccess.•Therearetwowaystoincludemultimediainapps:HTMLcontainersandtheMultimediaWidget.•HTMLcontainersenableaccesstoanywebcontentbyplacingitdirectlyintheapp'siFrame.URLsprovidelinkstopullupentiredocumentsorwebpages.•TheMultimediaWidgetprovidesaframeworkinwhichtodownload,consume,andstoremultimediafiles.WebDAVfolderintegrationenablesuserstodynamicallybrowseandviewexistingfilesandfoldersinaWebDAVfolder,forexampleinMicrosoftSharePoint.Thismakesiteasyfortraditionallynon-technicalpeople,forexampleinMarketingorHR,todistributeupdatedversionsofcollateralortrainingvideostoemployeesinthefield.•MicroStrategyalsoprovidesawidgetthatisespeciallydesignedforvideos.Theinteractive,elegantVideoPlayerWidget(thatleveragesthenativeOSvideoplayer)loadsandplaysavideofromaremotelocationorfromthelocalcache.Thewidgetcandisplay:videosfromastreamingservicesuchasYouTube,videosfromafileserverlocation,oracachedvideofromtheWebDAVcache.Ifthemobiledeviceisonline,theVideoPlayerWidgetloadsthevideofromtheremotelocationbutissmartenoughtocheckfirstifalocalcachealreadyexistsonthedevice’sWebDAVcachestore.
GeospatialAnalysis
Abilitytodisplaygeospatialdataoverlaidonaninteractivemap(ESRI,GoogleMaps,andcustomimages).
•MicroStrategyabstractsallthegeospatialanalysiscapabilitiesfromthebasemaplayer,socustomerscanleveragewhicheverbasemaptheywant,dependingonexistingmapinvestmentsorpreferences.•MicroStrategyMobileprovidessupportforbuildingmapvisualizationsonESRIandGoogleMaps,aswellascustomimagesasmapswiththeImageLayoutWidget.Thesemapsrenderseamlesslyontheappropriatenativemobilemap(AppleMapsoniOSandGoogleMapsonAndroid).•BothESRIandGoogleMapsdisplaygeospatialdataoverlaidonaninteractivemap.Userscanswipe,scroll,andzoomindirectlyonthemap,orevenfilterthedatashownbyselectingelementswithintheirmobileapp.Datacanbedisplayedusingapinmarker,adensitymap,orabubbletoprovidemultipletypesofanalysiswithineachmap.Inaddition,ESRImapscandisplaydatafromacustomgeographicalregion,suchasthecountiesofastateordistrictswithinacity.Theimagelayoutwidgetallowsappdeveloperstoincludevisualizationsrepresentativeofdifferentgeographicregionssuchascountries,states,andregions,orvisualizationsthatrepresentcustomspatialanalyseslikeastorelayout.
OfflineAccess Abilitytosupportapplicationsinofflinemoderegardlessofconnectivity.Thisincludesinteractivitywithdata,multimediacontent,andtransactionalworkflows.
•MicroStrategyMobileappscanbeconfiguredtoworkentirelyoffline.Thisincludessupportforanalytics,visualizations,multimedia,andtransactions.•MicroStrategyprovidesadvancedofflinefunctionality,including:promptpanelsthatdisplayvalidcachesformultiplepromptscenarios;visualcuessuchasanofflinemodeindicatorandshadingtoindicateavailability;aviewoftransactionqueues;andtheabilitytodeleteoredittransactionsbeforeaconnectionisreestablished.Inasituationwhereauserwantstoavoidusingdata,theusercanmanuallyswitchtoofflinemodeusingtheappsettings.•Whileusersareinofflinemode,mobileusagestatsarestillcapturedandsubmittedtotheserveroncetheuserreconnects.Additionally,data-at-restishighlysecured.Thestoreddataisencrypted;theappcanstillrequirecredentials,andtheofflinecachecanbesettoexpireatadesiredtime.
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CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy Tableau
ScoreQlik
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Score
MSFTPowerBI
ScoreOracleScore
MSTRScore
MobileClientCachingforHighPerformance
Abilitytocachedataonthedevicetooptimizeappperformance.Deliversub-secondresponsetimesevenwhendealingwithlargevolumesofdata,numerousconcurrentusers,orslow,unreliableconnectivity.
•MicroStrategyoffersthreemaincachingstrategiesthatcustomerscanleveragewhenconfiguringtheirapps:automaticcaching(devicescheckfornewandupdatedcontentandsynccontentinthebackground),pre-cachingfolders(asetofobjectsarepre-cachedwhentheappstarts),andadaptivemobilecaching(theappprioritizesbackgroundcacheloadingbasedonwheretheuserisanddownloadscontenttheuserwilllikelywanttoseebeforetheytaponit).•MicroStrategyhasasophisticatedanalyticalenginewithinthemobileclient,sothemobileclientitselfcanperformcomputationsonlocallycacheddatawithouthavingtogobacktotheserver.Becausethecomputationscanbedonelocallyonthedevice,thisalsohelpstospeedappperformance.•Asa100%nativeapp,MicroStrategyusesOpenGLframeworksavailableonthemobileOSwhichhelptoachievemaximumappperformance.Allofthedrawings(renderings)ofvisualizationsleveragenativedevicedrawingcapabilitieswhichareoptimizedforhighperformance.
PersonalizedAlertsviaPushNotifications
Abilitytosendalertstomobileusersintheformofpushnotifications.Thesenotificationsshouldbetriggeredbypresetthresholds,orbeavailableondemand.
•MicroStrategy’sscalablealertingengineprovidespersonalizedalertstoeveryuser.•Thealertingengineisbasedonarobustdistributionserverthatsupportsmonitoringmultipledatasources100sof1000softimeseveryminuteandcreatingpersonalizedalertsformobileuserswhenasetconditionhasbeenmet.•Thresholdscanbesetonanymetriconanyreport.•Alertsarehandledthroughthedevice’snativepushnotificationsysteminoneofthreeforms:abadge(agraphicassociatedwiththeapplication),ahomescreennotification(amessagewhichtheusercanviewandinteractwith),and/orasound.•Smartbadgescanshowmetricvaluesorthenumberofalerts.
InstantUpdatestoCustomAppswithNoRecompilation
Updateandpublishchangestocustomappswithouthavingtorecompileandredistribute.Changesaredistributedandavailabletouserswithoutrequiringanappupdate.
•MicroStrategyletsappdevelopersmakeupdatesandpublishchangestotheirmobileappswithouttheneedtorecompile(inXcodeforiOSandinAndroidDevelopmentStudioforAndroid)andredistributeapps.Anychangeinfunctionalityorconfigurationisinstantlyreflectedinthemobileappwithoutrequiringtheusertoupgradetheapponthemobiledevice.Thisflexibilityisverypowerfulwhenusersaretryingtooperateonanagiledevelopmentcycle,whereusersneedtoaccessthechangesinstantlywithouthavingtoconstantlyupgradetheirapp.•MicroStrategyalsoprovidesadrag-and-dropinterfacetomigrateappsfromdevelopment,totest,toproductionbyusingMicroStrategyObjectManager.
Customize/WhiteLabel
Abilitytorebrandthemobileappbyincludingcustomizedicons,aswellassplash,launch,andloginscreens.
•TheMobileSDKprovidesappdeveloperswithamultitudeofcustomizationoptions.Thisincludesacode-freeapproachtowhite-labelingandrebrandinganyMicroStrategyMobileapp.•Customizationincludeschangingicons,aswellassplash,launch,andloginscreens.Itenablesdeveloperstomatchcorporatebrandingandlook-and-feelstandards.
NativeIntegrationwithEMMVendors
NativeSDKintegrationwithleadingEMMvendorsAirWatch,MobileIron,andBlackberryDynamics,andAppConfigcommunityguidelines.
•MicroStrategy'snativemobilesecurityfeaturesprovideextensivecapabilitiestoprotectsensitivecompanydata,butMicroStrategyprovidestheflexibilitytoleverageadditionalthird-partycapabilities,includingthoseprovidedbyEMMvendors.•MicroStrategyoffersnativeSDKintegrationoniOSwiththreeEMMproviders:MobileIron,BlackberryDynamics,andAirWatch.MicroStrategyoffersnativeSDKintegrationonAndroidwithAirWatch.•MicroStrategyMobilealsosupportsEMMcapabilitiesviaimplementationoftheAppConfigguidelines,nativelyonbothiOSandAndroid.
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CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy Tableau
ScoreQlik
SenseScore
IBMCognosScore
SAPBO
Score
MSFTPowerBI
ScoreOracleScore
MSTRScore
MobileAppUsageMonitoring
Abilitytocollectmobileusagestatisticsandpopulateadatabaseforanalysis.
•Mobileappclient-sidemonitoringcapturespersonalizedanalysiseverytimeausertapsonanappscreen.Statisticsaregatheredontimespentoneachappscreen,explorationpaths,GPSlocation,appusage,devicetype,operatingsystemversion,andcacheusage.•Withthisinformation,appdeveloperscantrackoverallappadoptionandgeo-locationofusage,performcohortanalysis,supportcontinuousdevelopmentcycles,analyzeappperformance,spotnetworkissues,andtrackadoptionratesofnewdevices,operatingsystems,andclients.Thesestatisticsarecriticaltodrivingappenhancementsandtohoningtheappexperience.•Mobileusagestatsarecapturedevenwhileauserisoffline.Oncetheuserreconnects,thestatsaresubmittedtotheserver.
EmbeddedAnalytics
CreateCustomWebApplications
Theabilitytomodifyandextendexistingfunctionality,createacustomwebapplication,embedcontentinportals,orsimplychangethelookandfeelwithpersonalizedbrandingandlogosthroughapplicationprogramminginterfaces(APIs).
•Akeycomponentofanenterprise-classplatformistheabilitytomodifyandextendexistingfunctionalitytomeettheuniqueneedsofanorganization.Forbuildingcustomizedapplications,arobustBIplatformmustprovideaccesstoallofitsfunctionalitythroughAPIs.TheMicroStrategyBIplatformisamodern,sophisticatedservice-orientedarchitecturethatisdesignedforflexibilityandextensibilitysothatitcangrowwiththedemandsofenterpriseapplications.
•TheMicroStrategyWebSDKenablesdeveloperstobuildafull-fledgedwebapplicationorchangethelookandfeelofanexistingwebapplicationwithanintuitivecustomizationtool.TheWebCustomizationEditorisintegratedwiththemostwidelyusedJavaIDE,Eclipse.Withover5000classesexposedintheWebAPI,thisintegrationnotonlysimplifiesdevelopment,butalsoallowsdeveloperstowritetheircodewithoutmodifyinganysourcecodeorout-of-the-boxconfigurationfiles.Thisapproachishelpfulinmaintainingandupgradingcustomizations.
•TheWebSDKalsoallowsdeveloperstowritetheirownWebServicesthatencapsulateMicroStrategyfunctionalityandexposethisfunctionalitytothird-partyapplications.SincetheservicesusestandardprotocolssuchasHTTPorHTTPSandgeneratearesponseinstandardW3C-compliantformatssuchasXMLorJSON,anythird-partyapplication(webormobile)canconsumetheseservicesandembedMicroStrategyfunctionalityintotheirproduct.MicroStrategy'sservice-orientedarchitectureguaranteesefficiencyforeachserviceorcomponentwithnocoderedundancy.Thisarchitectureisinstarkcontrasttotheservice-orientedarchitecturesofotherBIvendors,whichareaproductofdisparate,separatelydevelopedarchitectures,inheritedfrommergers,andmashedtogether.
•Inaddition,MicroStrategyprovidesaplug-inarchitecturethatenablesdeveloperstoextendout-of-the-boxMicroStrategyWebcodewithstand-alonecustomizationswithouttheneedtochangethesourcecode,thus,makingupgradeswithoutrecodingpossible.MicroStrategysupportsthefollowinglanguagesforWebSDK:Java,XML/JSON,JavaScript,and.NET.
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CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy Tableau
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Score
MSFTPowerBI
ScoreOracleScore
MSTRScore
CreateCustomMobileApplicationsiniOSandAndroid
Theabilitytocreatecustomizedmobileapplications,embedBIinthird-partyapps,orrebrandthemobileappbyincludingcustomizedicons,aswellassplash,launch,andloginscreens.
•TheMicroStrategyMobileAPIenablesmobileappdeveloperstocustomizeMicroStrategyMobileappsonAndroidandiOSmobiledevicesbychangingthelookandfeeloftheapp,ordevelopingnewMobileappsthatuseMicroStrategyBIcontent.MicroStrategyprovidesdifferentAPIsforAndroidandiOSdevices.TheflexibilityoftheMobileAPIsenabledeveloperstobuildcustommobileapplicationstoaccommodategrowingneedsoftheorganization.
•TheMobileSDKforiOSconsistsofXcodeprojectsthatallowdeveloperstocompileanddistributecustomMicroStrategyMobileapps.WithoneoftheXcodeprojects,userscanrebrandtheappbyaddingicons,splashscreens,andanappnamethroughsimpleconfigurationchanges.Inaddition,theMobileSDKforiOSenablesuserstoembedMicroStrategyinanexistingapplicationorbuildcustomwidgetsthatcanconsumeMicroStrategydata.
•TheMobileSDKforAndroidletsuserscustomizetheMicroStrategyMobileapplicationtomatchcorporatebrandingrequirements.Italsoallowsuserstopreconfiguretheapplicationtoallowmultipleinstancesoftheapplicationtoexistonasingledevice.
•MicroStrategysupportsthefollowingprogramminglanguagesforMobileSDK:iOS-ObjectiveC,Swift;Android–Java.
EmbedThird-PartyDataasDatasets
Theabilityforthird-partyapplicationstopushdatadirectlyintoaBIapplicationforuseindashboardsorreports.
•Organizationsarealwayslookingtoconnecttoavarietyofsourcesthatmaynotbenativelysupportedwiththeplatform.UsingthePushAPI,organizationscanpushexternaldatainJSONformatusingRESTAPIsintoin-memorycubesontheMicroStrategyIntelligenceServer,souserscanreadilyconsume,process,andanalyzethecorrespondingdata.•MicroStrategymakesitpossiblefororganizationstoleveragenewdataassetsbyenablingapplicationssuchasETLtoolsthatconnecttothesedatasourcesandmovedataintoMicroStrategy.•ThePushAPIenablesthird-partyvendorstogenerateMicroStrategydatasets,thus,unlockingnewend-userworkflowsandopportunitiesforpartnerintegrations.
CreateCustomHTML5Visualizations
TheabilitytoembedorcreatecustomHTML5visualizationswithopensourcelibrariessuchasD3,thatcanbedeployedontopofdatasources.
•MicroStrategyintegrateswiththird-partyandopensourceJavaScriptvisualizations,souserscantellevenmorecompellingstorieswiththeirdata.•MicroStrategyprovidesAPIs,tools,samples,anddocumentationtohelpusersbuildcustomHTML5visualizationsusingopensourceandcommerciallibrarieslikeD3andGoogleCharts.•Userscanbuildoutsupportforfunctionalityincludingselectors,dropzones,colorpalettes,andthresholds.Itisalsopossibletotransformvisualizationsintotext-basednarrativesbyintegratingwithnativelanguagegeneration(NLG)platforms,suchasthoseofferedbyAutomatedInsightsandNarrativeScience.
ExtractSubsetsofDataUsingRESTfulAPIs
Theabilityforcustomthird-partywebapplicationstousetheBIplatformasadatasourcetoextractsubsetsofdatafromareportorexistingcube.
•WithRESTfulAPIs,organizationscanuseMicroStrategyasadatasourcetoquicklyextractsubsetsofpre-processeddatainJSONformat.ThisaddressestheneedsoflargeenterprisesandOEMpartnersthatconsumedatathroughMicroStrategy'sgovernedandsecuredarchitectureviacustomizedbusinessapplications.
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CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy Tableau
ScoreQlik
SenseScore
IBMCognosScore
SAPBO
Score
MSFTPowerBI
ScoreOracleScore
MSTRScore
CreateCustomDataConnectors
Theabilitytocreateacustomdatasourcethatuserscanconnecttoandleverageintheirreportsanddashboards.
•Withnewandupdateddatasourcesbeingpublishedbydatabasevendorsalmostweekly,organizationsneedfastaccesstoconnecttoandusethedatastoredinthesevariousdatalocations.•MicroStrategynativelysupports100softhemostpopulardatasourcesandcontinuestoenhanceconnectivitywitheachdatabaseupgrade.•MicroStrategyalsoallowsorganizationstobuildtheirownconnectorstocustomdataassetswiththeDataConnectorSDK.OrganizationscanleverageHTMLandJavaScripttobuildcustomconnectorsfortheMicroStrategyDataImportinterfaceandbuildtheirowncustomizedintegrationsforthesedatasourceswithinMicroStrategy,thus,providingusersaccesstoanydatasourcewithoutwaitingforthemtobecertifiedbytheplatform.
MultitenancySupport
Theabilitytodeployasingleinstanceofasoftwareapplicationtoservemultiplecustomers,whereeachcustomeriscalledatenant.
•MultitenancyenablesanOEM’svariouscustomerstoexperiencecustomapplications,allbuiltonasinglearchitecture.Sharingresourcesresultsinlessadministrativeoverhead,reducedresourceconsumption,andlowoverallTCO.•MicroStrategysupportsaspectrumofmultitenantarchitecturesfromhighisolationtohighsharing.Inaddition,MicroStrategyallowsforpersonalizationinasharedprojectsuchascustombrandingandlogosforeachtenant,personalizedobjectnames,andinternationalizationcapabilities.
EnterpriseCloud
SimplifiedEnterpriseDeployment
TheabilitytoeasilydeployanenterprisecloudenvironmentwithoutITsupport.
•MicroStrategyonAWSwillenablecustomerstodeployenterprisenetworksthatarefullyconfiguredandreadytouseinlessthan30minutes.Thissavesuserstimeandmoneybyeliminatingtheneedtodownload,install,andconfiguretheenvironmentsthemselves.Userscanchoosefromdifferentinstancetypesandsizesbasedoncostorusagerequirements.•Cloudenvironmentscanalsobedeployeddirectlyintoacustomer'sAWSaccountformaximumcontrol.•Userscanlaunch3differentenvironmenttypes,rangingfromanall-in-onesystemtoanenterprise-gradedistributedandredundantsystem.
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CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy Tableau
ScoreQlik
SenseScore
IBMCognosScore
SAPBO
Score
MSFTPowerBI
ScoreOracleScore
MSTRScore
GlobalAvailability
Theabilitytodeployenvironmentsglobally.Globaloptionsmakeiteasyforcustomerstodeploytheirenvironmentsclosertohomesotheycanmeetperformance,compliance,anddatarequirements.
•MicroStrategyCloudcandeploydistributedandredundantsystemsinover42AWSAvailabilityZonesin16geographicregionsaroundtheworld.ThisincludescountriesacrossNorthAmerica,SouthAmerica,Asia,Europe,andAustralia.ThisenablesorganizationstodeployMicroStrategyclosertoitsusers.Thisdecreaseslatencyandenablesfasterresponsetimes.Byhavingdatacentersclosertohome,italsoallowsthedataenterstocomplywithlocallawsandregulations.
RegionandNumberofAvailabilityZones
•AWSGovCloud(2)
•USWestOregon(3),NorthernCalifornia(3)
•USEastNorthernVirginia(5),Ohio(3)
•CanadaCentral(2)
•SouthAmericaSãoPaulo(3)
•EuropeIreland(3),Frankfurt(2),London(2)
•AsiaPacificSingapore(2),Sydney(3),Tokyo(3),Seoul(2),Mumbai(2)
•ChinaBeijing(2)
•NewRegions(comingsoon)ParisNingxia
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CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy Tableau
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SenseScore
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Score
MSFTPowerBI
ScoreOracleScore
MSTRScore
APIEnabledOperations
JavaScriptframeworksthatprovideanumberofAPIstohelpcustomersbuildapplications.
•TheMicroStrategyCloudAPIgivescustomersunlimitedflexibilitytocreatetheirowncustomworkflows.Customershavetheabilitytobuildpersonalizeduserinterfacesfordeployingandmanagingtheircloudenvironments.ThisempowersdeveloperstoautomatetheirMicroStrategyCloudcapabilities.•ThroughAPIs,itispossibletolaunch1000MicroStrategyinstanceswithasinglelineofcode,resizethemtoanysize,andthenterminatethemoncedone.WithoutAPIs,thiswouldbeamanualprocess.It’seasytointegratewithotherautomationtoolsandtheAPIworkswithanyprogramminglanguage.
CloudSpecificAPIswesupport:•Retrieveorsearchforenvironments•Createnewenvironments•GetEnvironmentContactDetailsList•ResendEmailtotheownersoftheenvironments•Restartenvironment/s•Startenvironment/s•GetEnvironmentStates•Stopenvironment/s•Terminateenvironments•FindenvironmentdetailsbyenvironmentID•UpdateEnvironmentContactDetails•Updateexpirationdateforenvironment•FindalltheinstancesinanenvironmentbyenvironmentID•FindalltheinstancesstateinanenvironmentbyenvironmentID•RestartInstance•StartInstance•StopInstance•Findschedulesbyenvironmentid•Createscheduleforenvironment•Inactivatetheselectedschedulebyscheduleidandenvironmentid•Findschedulebyscheduleidandenvironmentid•Updatescheduleforenvironment•Resizeallserverinstanceorselectedserverinstanceofanenvironment•Createnewenvironments
DisasterRecoveryandFailover
Clusteredserversthatrestorebackupsafterfailuresonoworkortimeislost.
•MicroStrategyCloudclustersenterprisedeploymentswithmultiplenodes,andgivesorganizationstheflexibilitytoaddadditionalnodes.•Clusterednodesprovideloadbalancing,highavailability,failover,andredundancy.Eachnodesynchronizesmetadatainformation,historylists,andreportcaches.Incaseofdisasterorfailure,MicroStrategybackupsarestoredredundantlyacrossmultipleavailabilityzonesandcanbeaccessedandrestoredinanalternateavailabilityzone.ThisaffordszerodowntimeanduserscanalwaysaccesstheirMicroStrategyenvironment.
CentralizedAdministration
Asingleinterfacethatprovidesalltheadministrationtoolstomanageandmonitoranenterprisecloudenvironment.
•MicroStrategyallowsthecustomertostart,stop,andrestartanAWSenvironmentwhileretainingitscontents.Customerscantakeadvantageofstoppingtheirenvironmentstosaveoncosts,especiallyduringnon-peakhours.•ThenewEnvironmentManagertoolallowsuserstoscheduletheseroutinetaskstooccuratspecificdatesandtimes.•ForPOCordevelopmentpurposes,anadministratorcanstopthesemachinesduringnon-peakhourstoreducecosts.•Customersonlypayforwhattheyuse.
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CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy Tableau
ScoreQlik
SenseScore
IBMCognosScore
SAPBO
Score
MSFTPowerBI
ScoreOracleScore
MSTRScore
AutoScaling Theabilitytoresizecloudenvironmentsbasedontheconditionsthecustomerdefines.
•MicroStrategyCloudcustomershavetheabilitytoscaletheirenvironmentupordownwithover6differentinstancesizeoptionsfromAWSrangingfrom4vCPUand15.25GiBto64vCPUand488GiBofmemory.•Environmentscanscaleon-demandorschedulebasedonusagepatterns,applicationusagepatterns,anddatasize.Customerscanaddnewusersatanytimeanddeploymultipleenvironmentsandprojectsastheyseefit.•Customerspayforwhattheyuseaccordingtolengthoftime.
SeamlessUpgrades
Upgradetheplatformandcorrespondingserverswithoutanydowntimeoradditionalwork.
BymovingtotheMicroStrategyCloud,customerscanensurethattheyhavethelatestplatformandversionrelease,allowingthemtotakeadvantageofthelatestplatformsecurityandfeatureenhancements.WiththenewCloudEnvironmentManager,customerscanscheduleupgradesduringnon-peakhourstoguaranteeseamlessupgradeswithzerodowntime.Testingandhealthchecksareautomaticallyperformedtohelpensureasuccessfulupgrade.
HighPerformanceandReliability
Maintainhighperformanceandreliabilitywithoutsacrificinguserexperienceorsecurity.
•EachMicroStrategydeploymentisinasingle-tenant,privatecloud.Thisallowsorganizationstocustomizethesoftwaretomeettheirneeds.Queriesrunbycustomerswillnotaffectothers.Eachinstanceisisolatedfromothersformaximumprivacy.
•TheMicroStrategyCloudoperationsteamhasthecloudexpertsandsupporttohelpensurehighperformanceandreliability.WearebackednotonlybyAWS’sworld-classinfrastructure,butalsoAWSexpertswhohelpeddesignandautomateourclouddeployment.OurCloudenvironmentwasbuiltwiththelatestAWStechnologyandaccordingtoAWS’sbestpractices.Ourteamproactivelypatchesinfrastructure,operatingsystems,andapplicationstooptimizeperformancewhiledeterringsecuritythreats.Wehaveprocessesinplacesothatsystemsaremonitored,includingtheanalyticsandmobilityservers.
•MicroStrategyallowsorganizationstoclusterupto8servernodes.Beyondbeingabletofurtherscaleinvolumeofanalyticscontent,thiswillimproveoverallSLAsbyreorganizinglargeclustersforhigheravailabilityandfasterservicerecovery,reduceTCObyconsolidationofmultipleenvironments,andremovefrictiontodeploynewapplicationsandincreaseusercapacity.
DataConnectivityandMigration
Servicesforcustomerslookingtomovetheirdataintothecloudorconnecttheiron-premdatatotheircloudenvironment.
•MicroStrategyprovidesdataconnectivityanddatawarehousesolutionstomeetcustomerneeds.Customersmaychoosetomigratetheirdataintothecloud.WeofferoptionstomigrateintoAmazonRedshift,SQLServerEnterprise,SQLServerStandard,MySQL,orAuroraDWHplatforms.Whencustomerschoosethisoption,MicroStrategybuildsthechosenDWHwithinthesameVPCastherestoftheBIcloudenvironment.MicroStrategyworkswithcustomerstoselectthecorrectsize(CPU/RAM)DWHmachinethatmeetstheirneeds.ETLoptionsarealsoavailable.
•Ifacustomerchoosestomaintaintheirdatabaseon-premorinanotherclouddatasource,atypicalimplementationinvolvesestablishingaVPNconnectionbetweentheMicroStrategyCloudanditsdatabaseordata.Theperformanceofthisarchitecturecanvarybasedonavarietyoffactors,includingthephysicaldistancebetweentheMicroStrategyClouddatacenterandthecustomerdatasource,thelatencyofthedataconnection,thebandwidthoftheconnection,theamountofusage,itsqueryintensiveness,thequery-responselatencyofthecustomerdatasource,andothervariables.
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CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy Tableau
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SenseScore
IBMCognosScore
SAPBO
Score
MSFTPowerBI
ScoreOracleScore
MSTRScore
DataSecurity Securitytoprotectcustomerdata24/7/365.
•MicroStrategyCloudsecuritymeetsorexceedsindustrystandardsandbestpractices.MicroStrategyimplementsstrongcontrolpracticestoeffectivelymaintainthesecurityandavailabilityoftheMicroStrategyCloudandassociateddata.Wehelpensurethatyourdataissecureatnetworkandapplicationlevelsfromanyattacks.WefollowthelatestindustrystandardsonmanycompliancesandcertificationssuchasSOCI&II,HIPAA,PCI,andPrivacyShield.
EnterpriseIoT
DigitalBadge Useasingledigitalidentifiertotrack,report,andmanagealluserinteractionswithenterpriseassets.Thebadgeverifiesidentitiespriortograntingaccesstoenterpriseassets.
•MicroStrategy,viaUsher,deliverssmartphone-baseddigitalbadgesthatprovideseamlessaccesstophysicalandlogicalassetsacrosstheenterprise.•Digitalbadgesreplacephysicalbadges,keyfobs,passwords,andotheridentifierswithdigitalcredentialsdeliveredviaamobileapp.Badgesarebrandedbytheissuingorganizationandaredynamicallyandsecurelylinkedtoanindividuals'privilegesandaccessrights.•Badgescanberemotelyissuedandrevokednearlyinstantaneously.Theyareprovisionedviasecure,out-of-bandmeans,andtheirusecanbegatedbybiometric,geographical,ortemporalconstraints.•Thedigitalbadgeprovidesauniqueidentifierthatcanbeusedbyanysinglebadgetovalidatetheidentityofanyotherbadge.Italsoprovidesone-timepasscodesforasecondfactorofauthentication.
PhysicalAccess
Controlandmanageaccesstoanyentrywayacrossanenterpriseusingadigitalbadgetoenhanceorreplaceexistingaccesscardsforemployees,contractors,andvisitors.
•MicroStrategyprovidessmartphone-basedphysicalaccessfunctionalitypre-integratedwithleadingPACSvendors.Usherworkstoconsolidatemultiplephysicalaccesscontrolsystemsthroughoutanenterprise.•WithanOpenAPImodel,MicroStrategycanintegratewithpartnerphysicalaccesscontrolsystems,buildingautomationsystems,manufacturingsystems,InternetofThings(IoT)grids,andnetworksandmanagementsystemstodelivermoreadvancedfunctionalityandimplementationoptionstocustomers.
LogicalAccess
AccessalltypesofdigitalassetsinanorganizationincludingBIapplications,webapplications,VPNs,andworkstationsfromasinglepoint.
•MicroStrategyprovidessecuredigitalidentitythatallowsuserstoaccessnearlyanysysteminanenterprise(devices,applications,andVPNs)fromasinglepoint.InordertobothprotectthecurrentITinvestmentsofcorporationsaswellasenablefutureinvestments,logicalaccesswithMicroStrategyiscompatiblewithbothindustry-standardprotocolslikeSAMLandRADIUSaswellasemergingstandardssuchasOpenIDConnect.
BluetoothSensing
Enablecontextualinteractions,security,andseamlessuserexperiencesviaBluetoothdeliveringreal-timelocationalawarenessofenterpriseassets.
•IntheMicroStrategyplatform,Usher’sBluetooth(BLE4.0)integrationenablesreal-timemicro-locationalawarenessofenterpriseassetsaswellastouch-freephysicalandlogicalaccess.•Thisallowsthousandsofuserstoprojecttheiridentityandmoveaboutacorporateenvironmentaccessingdoorwaysandsystemssecurelywithdrasticallydecreasedamountsoffriction.TheBluetoothsensingcapabilitycanalsobeconfiguredtologproximityataparticularplaceandtime.
BarcodeScanner
TrackenterpriseassetsbyscanningbarcodesorQRcodeswheneverauserinteractswiththem.Thisabilitysetsthefoundationforseamlessrepair,maintenance,andinventorymanagementofenterpriseassets.
•TheintegratedbarcodescannerinMicroStrategybadgescanscanvirtuallyanykindofQRorbarcodetag,securelyloggingalinkagebetweenanemployeeandaproduct,machine,oranyvaluableenterpriseasset.•ThiscapabilityallowsthetrackingofofflineassetsusinglabelsandtagswithbarorQRcodesandcanimproveprocessauditingandenforcementforcustomerservice,maintenance,andmore.Scanningbarcodeshelpstakedatafrommultiplecomponentsandsystemsandcombinethemtoimprovethepredictabilityofperformanceissuesthatariseinday-to-daybusinessoperations.
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CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy Tableau
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Score
MSFTPowerBI
ScoreOracleScore
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Communication&Collaboration
Empowermanagementanddecision-makingtobemoretimely,informed,andcollaborativethroughdirect,in-app2-waymessagingbasedonlocationandsystemsaccess.
•TheUsherout-of-the-boxproductivityapplicationallowsmanagerstoquicklyidentify,verify,coordinate,andcommunicatewithotherusers–eitherin-personorbyremotelocation.•UsershavethecapabilitytoexchangemessagesfromanyclientinterfaceviatheIdentityserverastheintermediary.Thisfeaturesupportsanumberofusecasesincludingemployeesafety,support,andcoordination,particularlyforfieldworkforcesorduringspecialevents.
Real-timeTelemetry
Generateconsumablereal-timeintelligenceviadigitalidentityinteractionswithalltypesofenterpriseassets(physicalandlogical)andconstituents.
•WithMicroStrategyUsherbadges,userpresenceandactionscreatereal-timetelemetryviaanApacheKafkaCluster–anopen-sourceprogramdeliveringadistributed,partitioned,andreplicatedcommitlogservicesupportingreal-timedataprocessingandbigdatavolumes.Thistelemetrydataisarichandunderutilizedsourceofinformationthatisthekeytounlockingasmarter,moreproductiveworkforce.Toexpeditevaluecreation,MicroStrategyhelpsorganizationsefficientlycreateandharnessmassiveamountsoftimelyinformationarrivingfromEIoTdevices.
OTBReportingModule
Deployreportingbasedontelemetry,pullingdatafromallassetsandaccesspointstodeliverinsightintooperationsandcomplianceinaunified,“singlesourceoftruth”dashboard.Reportsshouldbecustomizablewiththeabilitytoblenddatafromotherenterpriserepositories.
•UsherAnalyticsisaMicroStrategyprojectincludedout-of-the-boxwithabadgeimplementation.MicroStrategytakescareoftheETLprocessessoaccessandauthorizationdatageneratedontheback-endisautomaticallyloadedintoadatawarehouseandleveragedbyapre-builtdataschema.Thisprojectincludesmultipledashboardsandamobileapplicationforvisibilityintointeractionsbetweenenterpriseconstituentsandassets.
IntegrationwithDirectoryServices
Synchronizetodirectoryservicesastheauthoritativesourceforemployeerecordsandattributes.Supporttheenforcementofdirectoryprovisioningforauthorization(privileges,entitlements,andrestrictions).
•WithintheMicroStrategyplatform,UsherNetworkManagerhaspre-builtdirectoryintegrationswithMicrosoftActiveDirectory,AWSDirectoryServices,andOktaUniversalDirectory.UsherisalsocompatiblewiththeOpenLDAPstandard.ThisallowsMicroStrategytoquicklyissuestandardizedcredentialstoallusers,eveninorganizationswhichutilizemultipleidentityrepositories-orevenmanuallyaddtemporaryuserswhodonotexistinanyrepository.
IdentityServer Manageanetworkofusersbyconfiguringrelationshipsthatprompt,enable,orsecureinteractionsamongemployeesandassetswithinthenetwork.IdentityServersenableadministratorstocreate,configure,distribute,revoke,andmanagedigitalidentitieswithuserbadges.
•TheMicroStrategyUsheridentityserver,whichassignsandissuesdigitaltwinstousersintheformofbadges,isFIDOAlliance-certifiedonaUAFprotocolfordeliveringpassword-freeauthenticationbasedonpublickeycryptography.Itisstronglyresistanttophishingandcanmakeuseraccesssubjecttogeographicandtemporalconstraints.
TheUsherserverarchitectureisbuilttoensurethatonlyauthorizedbadgeuserscommunicatewiththeidentityserver,andonlyfromauthorizeddevices.TheUsherserverhasthesoleauthoritytoconvertamobiledeviceintoanauthorizeddevicethroughaprocessthathelpsensurethatroguedevicesorapplicationswillnotbeabletocommunicatewiththeidentityserver.Theidentityserverprovidessupportforencryptionofdataatrestandintransit,encryptionkeymanagement,andtransactionloggingtiedtoanindividualuser’sidentity.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyMicroStrategyWhyMicroStrategy -Introduction -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy Tableau
ScoreQlik
SenseScore
IBMCognosScore
SAPBO
Score
MSFTPowerBI
ScoreOracleScore
MSTRScore
EnterprisePartner
100%FocusonEnterpriseAnalytics
Corebusinessisexclusivelyfocusedonenterpriseanalytics.
•MicroStrategyisdedicatedtoasinglebusinessline,exclusivelyfocusedonenterpriseanalyticsandmobilitysoftware.•MicroStrategy’smissionistoprovideenterprisecustomerswithaworld-classsoftwareplatformandexpertservicessotheycandeployuniqueintelligenceapplications.
PlatformCohesion
Cohesionisanimportantconceptinsoftwaredesignbecauseitreducescomplexity,enhancessystemmaintainabilityandincreasesreusability,whichtogetherpromoteperformance,scalabilityandelegance.
•MicroStrategy10hasaunifiedplatformarchitectureuniquelysuitedtodeliverhigh-performanceapplicationsthatarehighlyreusableandsecure,andcanmeetthebusinessintelligencedemandsofvarioususersandorganizations.•Sinceitsinception,MicroStrategyhasbeendevelopingitsplatformtechnology100%organically.
VisionaryCEO
CEOanticipatesanddrivestechnologytrendsintheenterpriseanalyticsindustry.
•MicroStrategy’sCEO,MichaelSaylor,hasanticipatedtechnologytrendssuchasmobiletechnology’stransformationofbusinessoperations,andledthecompanythroughmultiplewavesofinnovationsuchasclient-server,web,mobile,cloudandenterpriseinternetofthings.•Mr.SaylorisalsotheauthorofTheNewYorkTime’sbest-sellingbook,“TheMobileWave.”
CEOEngagementwithCustomers
CEOengagesdirectlyandsubstantiallywithcustomersaroundtheworld.
•MicroStrategy’sCEOdirectlyengageswithcustomersaroundtheworldbypersonallyparticipatinginamajorityofthe100+SymposiumeventsthatMicroStrategyholdsperyearin35differentcountries,inadditiontoothercustomermeetingsandeventsonaregularbasis.
TenuredExecutiveTeam
Executiveteamhasextensiveexperienceinenterpriseanalyticsandmobility.
•MicroStrategy’sCEOandCTOcollectivelyhaveover50yearsofexperienceinenterpriseanalyticsandmobility.•Additionally,MicroStrategy’sCEOhassciencedegreesfromMITandmorethan50patentstohisname,andhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindMicroStrategy’stechnologysinceitsinception.
ShareholderAlignment
Principalshareholderandmanagementinterestsarealignedwiththecompany’slong-termsuccess.
•Mr.Saylor,thecompany’sChairmanoftheBoard,President&CEO,foundedMicroStrategyin1989andhasbeenthecompany’scontrollingshareholdersinceitsinception.Accordingly,shareholderandmanagementinterestsarefullyalignedinpursuingMicroStrategy’svisionandlong-termsuccess.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyMicroStrategyWhyMicroStrategy -Introduction -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy Tableau
ScoreQlik
SenseScore
IBMCognosScore
SAPBO
Score
MSFTPowerBI
ScoreOracleScore
MSTRScore
PubliclyTradedCompany
Withgreatertransparency,stabilityandaccesstofunding,apubliclytradedcompanygenerallyhasastrongermanagementteam,instillsgreaterconfidenceincustomersandhasmorefinanciallevers.
•Havinggonepublic18yearsago,MicroStrategyisamaturepubliclytradedcompany.
StrongFinancials
Aprofitableorganizationwithastrongbalancesheetcanbetterwithstandmarketvolatilityandfluctuations.
•MicroStrategyhasbeenprofitableoverthelast13years,withcombinednetincomeof$197millionoverthelast2fiscalyearsandanoperatingmarginof21%for2016.•Inaddition,MicroStrategy’sbalancesheetisstrongwithzerodebt.
WorldwideSalesPresence
Companyhastheabilitytodirectlyengagewithorganizationsaroundtheworld.
•MicroStrategyhasofficesin26countriesacrosseverymajorregionoftheworld.
WorldwideServicesPresence
Companyhastheabilitytoprovidesupportandservicestocustomersaroundtheworld.
•MicroStrategyhasofficesin26countriesacrosseverymajorregionoftheworld.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData OverviewOverview -vsTableau -
CriticalCapabilities-TableauScoresTechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
1ObjectOrientedReusability
Self-ServiceData
DiscoveryTransactionalWorkflows
CreateCustomWebApplications
SimplifiedEnterpriseDeployment
DigitalBadge100%Focus
onEnterpriseAnalytics
2 DataGovernance
OptimizedData
ConnectivityEmbeddedMultimedia
CreateCustomMobile
ApplicationsiniOSandAndroid
GlobalAvailability
PhysicalAccess
PlatformCohesion
3 UserSecurity
DataPreparation
andBlending
GeospatialAnalysis
EmbedThird-PartyDataasDatasets
APIEnabledOperations LogicalAccess Visionary
CEO
4 Scalability EnterpriseReports OfflineAccess
CreateCustomHTML5
Visualizations
DisasterRecoveryand
FailoverBluetoothSensing
CEOEngagement
withCustomers
5 PerformanceDashboards
anddocuments
MobileClientCachingfor
HighPerformance
ExtractSubsetsofDataUsing
RESTfulAPIs
CentralizedAdministration
BarcodeScanner
TenuredExecutiveTeam
6 Automation MobileAnalytics
PersonalizedAlertsviaPushNotifications
CreateCustomDataConnectors
AutoScaling Communication&Collaboration
ShareholderAlignment
7 Monitoring RealTimeAnalytics
InstantUpdatesto
CustomAppswithNo
Recompilation
MultitenancySupport
SeamlessUpgrades
Real-timeTelemetry
PubliclyTraded
Company
8 Deployment
PredictiveAnalytics
andMachineLearning
Customize/WhiteLabel
HighPerformanceandReliability
OTBReportingModule
StrongFinancials
9 HighAvailability
BigDataAnalytics
NativeIntegrationwithEMMVendors
Data
ConnectivityandMigration
IntegrationwithDirectoryServices
WorldwideSales
Presence
10 In-memoryArchitecture
AutomatedDistributionandAlerting
MobileAppUsage
Monitoring DataSecurity IdentityServer
WorldwideServicesPresence
TechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
22 / 167
CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData CriticalCapabilities-TableauScoresOverview -vsTableau -
TechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
1ObjectOrientedReusability
Self-ServiceData
DiscoveryTransactionalWorkflows
CreateCustomWebApplications
SimplifiedEnterpriseDeployment
DigitalBadge100%Focus
onEnterpriseAnalytics
2 DataGovernance
OptimizedData
ConnectivityEmbeddedMultimedia
CreateCustomMobile
ApplicationsiniOSandAndroid
GlobalAvailability
PhysicalAccess
PlatformCohesion
3 UserSecurity
DataPreparation
andBlending
GeospatialAnalysis
EmbedThird-PartyDataasDatasets
APIEnabledOperations LogicalAccess Visionary
CEO
4 Scalability EnterpriseReports OfflineAccess
CreateCustomHTML5
Visualizations
DisasterRecoveryand
FailoverBluetoothSensing
CEOEngagement
withCustomers
5 PerformanceDashboards
anddocuments
MobileClientCachingfor
HighPerformance
ExtractSubsetsofDataUsing
RESTfulAPIs
CentralizedAdministration
BarcodeScanner
TenuredExecutiveTeam
6 Automation MobileAnalytics
PersonalizedAlertsviaPushNotifications
CreateCustomDataConnectors
AutoScaling Communication&Collaboration
ShareholderAlignment
7 Monitoring RealTimeAnalytics
InstantUpdatesto
CustomAppswithNo
Recompilation
MultitenancySupport
SeamlessUpgrades
Real-timeTelemetry
PubliclyTraded
Company
8 Deployment
PredictiveAnalytics
andMachineLearning
Customize/WhiteLabel
HighPerformanceandReliability
OTBReportingModule
StrongFinancials
9 HighAvailability
BigDataAnalytics
NativeIntegrationwithEMMVendors
Data
ConnectivityandMigration
IntegrationwithDirectoryServices
WorldwideSales
Presence
10 In-memoryArchitecture
AutomatedDistributionandAlerting
MobileAppUsage
Monitoring DataSecurity IdentityServer
WorldwideServicesPresence
TechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
CriticalCapability
TableauScore
23 / 167
CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData OverviewDetailsbyCapability -vsTableau -
WhyNotTableauTechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
EnterprisePlatform
ObjectOrientedReusability
Anobject-orientedarchitecturecatalogseveryaspectofthebusiness.Dataassets,KPIs,dimensions,users,reports,anddashboardsareallstoredinacentrallocationasuniquelogicalobjectstosupportreusability.
MicroStrategyoffersacentralizedmetadatarepositorythatisbuiltwithandcontainsobjects,asdefinedbydevelopers,andcanbereusedacrosstheBIproject.Objectscanbecombinedtocreatehigherlevelobjects(e.g.,attributesandmetricsmakeupareport;reports,filters,andpromptsmakeupadocument;documents,andotherreportscanbeembeddedintoadocument-allofwhicharestoredas"metadataobjects"),andthistogetherdeliversasingleBIprojectoradatamodel.•ThereusablemodelenablesobjectsacrosstheBIdeploymenttobesecurelyreusedhundredsoftimesbyusersacrosstheenterprise,withoutanyduplicationofeffort.•Themodelnotonlyincludesdimensionsandmetrics,butalsocoversfilters,reports,prompts,customgroups,reports,dashboards,anddocuments-makingitpossibletoflexiblyreusealloftheseobjectsmultipletimesacrossanyapplicationandBIproject.•Changesormodificationsmadetoanyobjectinthemetadataautomaticallyproliferatestoallotherdependentobjects.Thiseliminatestheneedtomanuallyupdatethechangesacrossthedeployment,whichisparticularlyhelpfulforlargerBIprojects.•Thereusablemodelhelpsensurefasterdevelopmenttimes,increasedplatformscalability,efficientmanagement,andalsomaintainsasingleversionofthetruth.
•Tableau’ssolutionfora“semanticlayer”isaccomplishedwithTableauDataSources.TheTableauDataSourceisthedocumentthatconnectstothedatarepository,joinsthedata,andmaintainsadditionalcalculations.BuildingaTableauDataSourceisdoneinTableauDesktop,usedtocreatevisualizations,dashboards,andreports.•TableauDataSourceneedstobepublishedseparatelyfromtheTableauWorkbook,otherwiseitbecomesembeddedandnotreusable•UsersareadvisedtopublishtheTableauDataSourcetotheTableauServerfromtheDesktoptool.Then,createanewTableauWorkbookdocumentandconnecttothatTableauServerDataSource.ThispublishedDataSourcebecomeswhatTableaucallsthesemanticlayer.Rulesandcalculationscanbemaintainedhere.MultipleTableaudocumentscanbecreated,allpointingtothisTableauDataSource,andreusingthesamemetrics.
•Tableaudeploymentstypicallyinvolvemultipledatamodelseachtiedtoaspecificdatasource.Withthisfragmentedapproach,usersareunabletoleverage"metadata"objectsacrossallthedatasources.
•Tableauusershavelimitedabilitytoreusemetadataobjectstiedtospecificdatasources(suchascalculatedmetrics,customgroups,hierarchies)acrossworkbooksandunderlyingdataextracts.Forinstance,afilterobjectcannotbereusedtodefineametric,andametriccannotbeusedwithinafilterdefinition.
•IfTableauusersneeddifferenttypesofjoinstoanalyzedata,theyneedtocreatespecificcubesforeachdashboard.Thisnecessitatesmoreworktomaintainsynchronization,andincreasesmemoryusage.
•Fieldsinthedatamodel,suchascalculationsandparameters,canbecopiedandpastedintootherdatamodels,butit’samanualprocess.
•Tableau’slimitedobjectreusabilityforcesdeveloperstorepeatedlycreatethesameobjectdefinitions,whichishighlyinefficient.Theythenmustredefinethosedefinitionsinmultipleplacesanytimeacommonbusinessdefinitionchanges,creatingatediouschangemanagementprocess.
DataGovernance
Uniquedefinitionstoeverydimensionandmetricboundtogetherbystrict
TheMicroStrategymetadatamodelmakesitpossibleforanyonewiththerightprivilegestopromotenewandexternalcontenttotheServerandtieittoacertifieddatamodel,allwitheasyworkflows.•Itispossibletomapthemetadataatthedimensionlevel,aswellasthe
•UnlikeMicroStrategy,Tableaudoesnotsupportacertified,enterprise-widelogicaldatamodelandisnotarchitectedforenterprisedeployments.Tableauenablesindividualuserstoexploredata,
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
24 / 167
CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotTableauDetailsbyCapability -vsTableau -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
EnterprisePlatform
ObjectOrientedReusability
Anobject-orientedarchitecturecatalogseveryaspectofthebusiness.Dataassets,KPIs,dimensions,users,reports,anddashboardsareallstoredinacentrallocationasuniquelogicalobjectstosupportreusability.
MicroStrategyoffersacentralizedmetadatarepositorythatisbuiltwithandcontainsobjects,asdefinedbydevelopers,andcanbereusedacrosstheBIproject.Objectscanbecombinedtocreatehigherlevelobjects(e.g.,attributesandmetricsmakeupareport;reports,filters,andpromptsmakeupadocument;documents,andotherreportscanbeembeddedintoadocument-allofwhicharestoredas"metadataobjects"),andthistogetherdeliversasingleBIprojectoradatamodel.•ThereusablemodelenablesobjectsacrosstheBIdeploymenttobesecurelyreusedhundredsoftimesbyusersacrosstheenterprise,withoutanyduplicationofeffort.•Themodelnotonlyincludesdimensionsandmetrics,butalsocoversfilters,reports,prompts,customgroups,reports,dashboards,anddocuments-makingitpossibletoflexiblyreusealloftheseobjectsmultipletimesacrossanyapplicationandBIproject.•Changesormodificationsmadetoanyobjectinthemetadataautomaticallyproliferatestoallotherdependentobjects.Thiseliminatestheneedtomanuallyupdatethechangesacrossthedeployment,whichisparticularlyhelpfulforlargerBIprojects.•Thereusablemodelhelpsensurefasterdevelopmenttimes,increasedplatformscalability,efficientmanagement,andalsomaintainsasingleversionofthetruth.
•Tableau’ssolutionfora“semanticlayer”isaccomplishedwithTableauDataSources.TheTableauDataSourceisthedocumentthatconnectstothedatarepository,joinsthedata,andmaintainsadditionalcalculations.BuildingaTableauDataSourceisdoneinTableauDesktop,usedtocreatevisualizations,dashboards,andreports.•TableauDataSourceneedstobepublishedseparatelyfromtheTableauWorkbook,otherwiseitbecomesembeddedandnotreusable•UsersareadvisedtopublishtheTableauDataSourcetotheTableauServerfromtheDesktoptool.Then,createanewTableauWorkbookdocumentandconnecttothatTableauServerDataSource.ThispublishedDataSourcebecomeswhatTableaucallsthesemanticlayer.Rulesandcalculationscanbemaintainedhere.MultipleTableaudocumentscanbecreated,allpointingtothisTableauDataSource,andreusingthesamemetrics.
•Tableaudeploymentstypicallyinvolvemultipledatamodelseachtiedtoaspecificdatasource.Withthisfragmentedapproach,usersareunabletoleverage"metadata"objectsacrossallthedatasources.
•Tableauusershavelimitedabilitytoreusemetadataobjectstiedtospecificdatasources(suchascalculatedmetrics,customgroups,hierarchies)acrossworkbooksandunderlyingdataextracts.Forinstance,afilterobjectcannotbereusedtodefineametric,andametriccannotbeusedwithinafilterdefinition.
•IfTableauusersneeddifferenttypesofjoinstoanalyzedata,theyneedtocreatespecificcubesforeachdashboard.Thisnecessitatesmoreworktomaintainsynchronization,andincreasesmemoryusage.
•Fieldsinthedatamodel,suchascalculationsandparameters,canbecopiedandpastedintootherdatamodels,butit’samanualprocess.
•Tableau’slimitedobjectreusabilityforcesdeveloperstorepeatedlycreatethesameobjectdefinitions,whichishighlyinefficient.Theythenmustredefinethosedefinitionsinmultipleplacesanytimeacommonbusinessdefinitionchanges,creatingatediouschangemanagementprocess.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotTableauDetailsbyCapability -vsTableau -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
DataGovernance
Uniquedefinitionstoeverydimensionandmetricboundtogetherbystrictrulesthataredefinedbyalogicalmodel,thusensuringasingleversionofthetruth
TheMicroStrategymetadatamodelmakesitpossibleforanyonewiththerightprivilegestopromotenewandexternalcontenttotheServerandtieittoacertifieddatamodel,allwitheasyworkflows.•Itispossibletomapthemetadataatthedimensionlevel,aswellasthecubelevel,givinguserstheflexibilitytocontrolthedatathatispublishedtothemodel.•Theplatformsupportsgovernancefordatafromdisparatesources,evenexternalnon-certifiedsources,thathelpsbuildasystemofrecordthatuserscantrust--whilealsodeliveringflexibilitytoendusers.•Beyondtheabilitytogovernexternaldatasources,theplatformoffersgranularsecurityfeaturesthatallowprojectownersanddatastewardstograntpermissionsandprivilegestotherightpeople.Thisdeliversdatasecurityandalsopersonalizesreportsanddashboardstoendusers.•WorkflowsavailablewiththeMicroStrategyplatformtopromoteexternaldataintothesystemofrecord,combinedwiththeflexibilityofthesystemtodeliverself-serviceaccesstobusinessteamswillincreasetheoveralladoptionoftheBIplatform.
•UnlikeMicroStrategy,Tableaudoesnotsupportacertified,enterprise-widelogicaldatamodelandisnotarchitectedforenterprisedeployments.Tableauenablesindividualuserstoexploredata,regardlessofthesourceorvalidityofthatdata.Asusersgeneratetheirown"siloed"datamodels,thepotentialforproliferatinginvalidorinconsistentdataacrosstheenterprisegreatlyincreases.
•Tableaulacksthecentralizeduseradministrationneededtoenforcedatasecurity.UnlikeMicroStrategy,Tableauhasnooverarching,automatedmechanismtocontinuouslyensurethatusersseeonlythedataappropriateforthem,basedontheirrolesandprivileges.
•TableauDesktopisusedtocreatethelogicaldatamodel,butitsWebimplementationdoesnothavethesameparity.Datamodeleditingisnotsupportedontheserver.Storiescannotbecreatedormodifiedontheserver.WebauthorscancreatenewworkbooksonlyfromdatasourcespublishedtoTableauServer,andcanconnecttopublisheddatasourcesonly.
•TableauhasannouncedplanstolaunchTableauCertifiedContent,adatagovernancecapability,bylate2017/early2018.ThiswillsupposedlyenableITtocertifydatasourcesinTableauServer,butitwilllikelybeahighlymanualprocess,andwillnotnecessarilyenforcedatagovernanceacrossanentireenterprisedeployment.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotTableauDetailsbyCapability -vsTableau -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
UserSecurity Rolesandprivilegesthatassignrestrictionstousersandgroupsensurethatendusersonlyseepersonalizedandrelevantcontentandareonlyabletoperformauthorizedactions.
ThesecuritymodelwithintheMicroStrategyplatformisbuiltaroundusersandusergroups,whicharerepresentedaslogicalmetadataobjects.Thisensuresthatdataissecuredatthemostgranularlevels.•Securityfiltersbasedondimensionvalueshelpensurethatusersarerestrictedtoonlyseedatathatisrelevanttothem.Thiseliminatestheneedtobuildmultiplecopiesofthesameapplication,andmakesitpossibletooptimallyscale.•WithMicroStrategy'stools,administratorscanapplyAccessControlLists(ACLs)tolargeusergroups,restrictingtherangeofdataobjectstheycanaccessoractionstheycanperform,andspecifyingthescopeoftheirprivilegesintheenvironment.•WithUsher,itispossibletoprovidesecuredigitalauthenticationoptions,includinggeo-fencingandtime-fencingcapabilities,makingitpossibletorestrictuseraccessbasedonlocationandtime.
•UnlikeMicroStrategy,Tableaulackscentralizeduseradministrationtoenforcedatasecurityonanenterprise-widebasis.Thereisnooverarching,automatedmechanismtocontinuouslyensurethatusersseeonlythedataappropriateforthem,basedontheirrolesandprivileges.
•User-levelsecuritycanbeimplementedonanad-hocbasis,butitrequiresextramanualworkbythedevelopertosetupintheTableauServerdatasourceand/orTableauworkbooksthatuseaparticularTableauDataExtract.
•User-levelsecuritycanalsobeimplementedusingsecurityfiltersthat"join"toa"securitytable."Again,thisoptionrequiresactionbythedeveloper,anditwouldhavetobedefinedredundantlyforeveryTableauDataSource.Thesesecurityfilterscannotbereusedacrosstheentiredeployment.Also,thisapproachwillnotautomaticallystaysynchronizedwithchangestotheuserpopulation.
•Tableausupportsrow-levelsecurity(RLS)only.MicroStrategynotonlysupportsrow-levelsecurity,butalsoenforcessecurityonindividualmetadataobjects,enablingmuchmoregranularcontroloverdataaccessandusercapabilities.
Scalability Deliveranalyticstoeveryoneacrosstheenterprise,andbeyond.Allow1000sofuserstoleverageanalyticswithoutsacrificingperformanceandwithoutrestrictionsondatasize.
MicroStrategyisoptimizedinitsdesignforenterprisescaleandspeed;assuch,theplatformcansupporttheanalyticalreportingneedsof100softhousandsofusersacrosstheenterprise.•Theplatformcanbeclusteredwithupto8nodeswithwork-anduser-fencingoptionstohelpensureperformanceandreliabilityacrosstheentireuserpopulation.•Theplatformhasnorestrictionsondatasizeforeitherdirectorin-memoryaccesstodata•MicroStrategycustomersareleveragingtheplatformtostoredatausingin-memorycubeswithover2billionrowswhiledeliveringsub-secondresponsetimestotheirend-users.•MicroStrategyistheonlycomprehensiveanalyticsvendorthatsupportsbigdataanalyticswithnativeconnectorstoHDFStoaccesspetabytesofdatainrealtime.
•Tableauisnotarchitectedtofunctionasanenterprise-scale,system-of-recordanalyticsplatform;itisreallydesignedfordepartmentaluserstovisualizedataandsharedashboards.Itisnotdesignedorintendedtosupport100softhousandsofusers,thousandsofsimultaneousreports,orautomatedreportdistributionacrosstheenterprise.
•TableauServercanbeinstalledinasingle-nodeormulti-nodeconfigurations.UnlikeMicroStrategy,Tableaudoesnotsupportclusteringorwork-fencing.
•Asofversion10.0,TableauServerisonlyavailableina64-bitversion.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotTableauDetailsbyCapability -vsTableau -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
Performance Publishanddeliverinformationtoend-userswithquickresponsetimes,anddeliveranalyticswithoutbeingimpededbydatasize.
MicroStrategyemploysavarietyofstrategiestoincreasetheoverallperformanceoftheplatform,makingitpossibletodeliversub-secondresponsetimes-evenwithlargedatasets.•MicroStrategywasamongthefirstBIvendorstosupportpush-downanalyticalfunctionsacrossallleadingdatabases.Thiscapabilityhelpsdrivecomputationsintelligentlytothedatabasewhenneeded,therebyimprovingtheoverallresponsetimetoendusers.•Theplatformcancreatemultipleparallelthreadstothedatabase,increasingthespeedatwhichdataisfetchedfromthewarehouse.•WhereasotherBIvendorsattempttoimplementcachingatasinglelevel,MicroStrategyimplementsself-tuningstrategiesthatcreatecachesatkeypointswithinthequeryflow.TheServercachesdatainthefollowingcrucialareas:Metadataobjectcaching,attributeelementcaching,databaseconnectioncaching,resultcaching,anddocumentcaching.•Theplatformisbasedonanin-memoryarchitecturethatcanpartitioncubesandprocessdatainparallel,makingitpossibletoprocesslargercubesthanothervendorsinthemarket.•VLDBsettingsareavailabletofine-tuneandoptimizeconnectivityforeverytypeofdatasource,deliveringcustomsettingstoorganizationswithuniquedeployments.
•Tableauisnotarchitectedtoserveasanenterprise-scaleanalyticsplatform;itisdesignedfordepartmentaluserstovisualizedataandsharedashboards.Enterprisesystemsmustsupport10,000sofusers,process1,000ofreportsimultaneously,anddistributepersonalizedreportsandalertstothousands.Tableaudoesnotoperateatthatlevel.
•InTableauv10,userscanperformwildcardunionsandcross-databasejoinsonthefly,joincross-departmentaldataacrossmultipleExcelworkbooks,aswellasbuildandadjustvisualizationsonthefly.Ifusersneeddifferenttypesofjoinstoanalyzedata,theywillneedtocreatespecificcubesforeachdashboard;thisrequiresadditionalmaintenancetoensuresynchronizationandleadstomorememoryusageandperformancedegradation.
•Largein-memoryextractsinTableauoftenexperiencepoorperformance,whichrequiresmodelinginaseparatedatabase.Thismayimproveperformance,butconsumesevenmoreresourcesandcreatespotentialgovernanceissues.
•Tableaudoesnotsupportmulti-passSQL,soperformanceinaquery-intensiveenvironmentislikelytosuffer.(TableaucreatesandmodifiesitsownSQLqueries‘onthefly’whichmayresultindegradedperformance).
Automation ReduceburdenonITadministrators,especiallywithlargescaledeployments,bycuttingdownonroutineorredundanttasks.
•MicroStrategyofferstoolsthatallowadministratorstomaintainandupgradesystems,automateworkflows,andensuresuperiordataqualityandsecurity,withoutredundancies.•Theplatformallowsadminstoreducethetimeandeffortspentonroutinemaintenanceandadministrativetasks,likemovingassetsfromtesttoproductionenvironments,tocheckingthedataqualitybetweenupgrades,andschedulinghealthchecksandtaskswithworkflows.•Beyondadministrativetasks,datauploads/refreshesandscheduleddeliveriescanbeautomatedaswell,whichremovestheburdenfromITandhelpsreduceoverallTCO.
•Tableauisnotanenterprise-scale,system-of-recordbusinessintelligenceplatform.ItisdesignedfordepartmentaluserstovisualizedataandsharedashboardswithminimalITadministration.Assuch,Tableauofferslittleintermsofautomatedadministration.
•Tableauprovidesverylimitedcapabilitiestobuildautomationworkflowsusingagraphicaluserinterface.Itprovidesabasiccommandlineutilitytoperformalimitedsetofadministrationtasks.
•TableaudoesnothaveatoolequivalenttoMicroStrategyIntegrityManagerforautomatedregressiontestingordataandreportconsistencychecking.
•Dashboardandreportconsistencycheckinghavetobeperformedmanually.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotTableauDetailsbyCapability -vsTableau -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
Monitoring Easilymonitor,maintain,manage,fine-tune,andautomateactionsandworkflowstoensurethehealthofthesystem.EliminateredundanttaskstoreduceoverallTCO.
•MicroStrategyofferstoolsthatallowadministratorstomonitoreveryenvironmentinaMicroStrategydeployment,acrossmultipleprojectsandevenservermachines-bothon-premisesandinthecloud.•Theinterfaceenablesadministratorstoquicklyandeasilyviewusagepatterns,systemresources,uptime,andalertsacrossenvironments.•Theplatformcollectsinformationfromeachenvironment’sHealthCenter,andpresentskeyusageandperformanceindicatorsusinggraphsandcharts.•Administratorscandefinethresholdsforsystemusageandperformancethatautomaticallytriggeralertswhenthresholdcriteriaaremetorexceeded.•Beyondthe100sofOOTBreportsanddashboardsavailablewiththeplatform,administratorscanbuildtheirownreportswithcustomKPIstomeasureplatformusage.
•Tableauisnotanenterprise-scale,system-of-recordbusinessintelligenceplatform.ItisdesignedfordepartmentaluserstovisualizedataandsharedashboardswithminimalITadministration.Assuch,Tableauprovidesonlybasicserverusagemonitoring,suchasreportsonuseractivity,traffic,loadtimes,andtasks,aswellasWindowsPerformanceServermonitoring,serverprocesses,andresourceutilization.
Deployment Optionstodeployonanyinfrastructure,regardlessofsize,team,orhardwareresources,thusreducingoverallTCOandmaintenancerequired.
MicroStrategydeliversflexibleoptionsfordeployinganalyticsacrosstheenterprisewithon-premises,cloud,andhybridoptionsforteamsofanysize.•TheplatformissupportedonbothWindowsandLinux,andcanbeclusteredwithupto8Servernodes.•PartneringwithAWS,theleadingcloudvendor,MicroStrategyallowsorganizationsaroundtheworldtospinupinstancesforenterpriseanalyticsandmobilityinminutes,allowingcompaniestostartsmallandexpandasneeded.•Pre-configuredenvironmentsinthecloudcanbecreated,managed,maintained,andupgradedwithself-serviceconsoles,enablingextremelylowTCOs.
•TableauServerissupportedforWindows(andasof10.3Linux).ItdoesnotsupportAIX,orSolaris.
•Tableauhas2offeringsavailableonthecloud,AWSMarketplaceandTableauOnline--andbothhavesignificantflaws.TableaudoesnotprovideaversionofitsproductthatisoptimizedonAWSServices,andbotharewatereddown-versionsofthefullproduct.
•TableauontheAWSmarketplaceisserveronly.UsersmuststilldownloadandinstallaDesktopversionofTableauontheirownlocalmachinestopublishandinteractwithdashboards.
HighAvailability
Robustarchitecturethatprovidesthehighestuptimeforuserstoalwayshaveaccesstothesystem,withprovisionsandtuningmechanismsforincreasedsystemstabilityandbetterfailovermanagement.
•WithMicroStrategy,usersacrosstheorganizationcanaccessreliableanalyticsdeliveredonarobustarchitecturethatisdesignedforenterprisescale,performance,andstability.•Disasterrecoveryandfailoveroptionsalloworganizationstoavoiddowntimesforend-users.Systemadministratorshavethechoicetosetuphot,warm,orcoldfailoverstrategies(forbackupnodes)dependingonthehardwareresourcesavailabletothem.•Clusteringandworkfencingcapabilitiesmakeitpossibletoproactivelypreventservercrashesbydeflectingheavyjobstospecificserversortimeperiods.•Reliablegovernorsateverylevelofthequerypathmakeitpossibletoavertsystemcrashes,evenunderpeakuseranddataloads.
•Tableaudoesnotofferformalservice-levelagreements(SLAs).
•Tableausupportsarudimentaryfailoverconfigurationusingdedicatedserversinahot-standbymode,butthisisnotcomparabletothesophisticatedclusteringandwork-fencingcapabilitiesinaMicroStrategydeployment.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotTableauDetailsbyCapability -vsTableau -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
In-memoryArchitecture
Architecturethatcanhostterabytesofdatain-memorymakingitavailabletoend-userswithfasterresponsetimes.
•TheMicroStrategyplatformenablesorganizationstotakeadvantageofin-memorycubetechnology,whichincreasesperformancebyreducingtheneedtoaccessdatadirectlyfromthedatawarehouse.•MicroStrategyin-memorycubescanbequicklyloadedwithdatausingparallelthreadsfromthedatabasewhichcanalsobeoptimizedandfine-tunedforspecificdatabases.•Dynamicsourcingisaplatformcapabilitythatautomaticallyroutesqueriestothefastestavailabledatasource—whetherit’sacache,acube,ortheoriginalrelationalsource,thushelpingmaximizeperformanceandthroughput.•MicroStrategy'sparallelprocessingandpartitioningcapabilitiesdifferentiateitfromothervendors,helpingtoboostprocessingspeedsinsituationswherethereareterabytesofdatastoredinmemory.
•Tableaudoessupportin-memorycubesintheformof"DataExtracts"dedicatedtospecificdatasources,buttheimplementationissiloedinnature–itisnotanenterprise-scalemechanism.
•Tableau"Extracts"aretiedtoindividualdatasources,resultinginaproliferationofsmall,stand-alonecubesthatmaybeduplicativeandconsumeresources.Incontrast,MicroStrategyin-memorycubescombinedatafromamultitudeofsourcesandhaveenterprise-widescope,enablinghigh-performancereportingthroughouttheorganization.
•Largein-memoryExtractsinTableauoftenexperiencepoorperformance,whichrequiresmodelinginaseparatedatabase.Thismayimproveperformance,butconsumesevenmoreresourcesandcreatespotentialgovernanceissues.
•Tableau’ssupportforincrementalloads,slowlychangingdimensions,andupdatestoexistingrowsisminimaltonon-existent.
EnterpriseAnalytics
Self-ServiceDataDiscovery
Intuitiveworkflowsforend-userstoaccess,visualize,analyze,andshareinsightswithoutthesupportofIT.
MicroStrategydifferentiatesitselffromotherpointsolutionsbycombiningtheease-of-useofdataexplorationwithenterprisecapabilitiesincludingscalability,performance,security,andgovernance,inasingleplatform.•MicroStrategyDesktopandWebprovideaccessto80+datasources,fromExcelspreadsheets,torelationalsources,bigdata,Cloudservices,Hadoop,andmore.•Built-intoolsareavailablefordatapreparation,aswellastheabilitytoblenddataacrossmultiplesources.•ItprovidestheabilitytovisualizedatawithanychartorgraphnativelyandoffersworkflowstoincludeD3,Highcharts,GoogleCharts,andotherlibraries(includingopensourceandNLGoptions)•Includeseasysharingoptions(PDF,email,sendtofilelocation,print,andmore),andworkflowstopromoteexternaldataintoagovernedmodel.AlsosupportsoptionstoexporttoPDFandemailoptions.•MicroStrategyiscompatiblewithMacandWindowsPC.AnalystscanquicklysetupandinstallMicroStrategywithoutITsupport.•Theplatformsupportsadvancedanalyticswith350+out-of-the-boxfunctions,andcanalsointegratewithR.
•Tableauleveragesitsproprietaryvisualquerylanguage(VizQL)thatsimultaneouslydescribeshowtoquerydataandpresentitvisually.•Asusersdraganddropmeasuresanddimensions,TableaucreatesandmodifiesitsownSQLqueries‘onthefly’whichmayresultindegradedperformance.•UserscandraganddroptablesintotheJoinarea.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotTableauDetailsbyCapability -vsTableau -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
OptimizedDataConnectivity
Driversandgatewaysthatdeliverinstantandreliableaccesstoavarietyofdatasourcesandinformationinanyformat,regardlessofsize.
•MicroStrategynativelysupports100softhemostpopulardatasources,fromExcelspreadsheettorelationaldatabases,cloudsystems,HDFSandmore.•OrganizationscanalsobuildtheirownconnectorstocustomdataassetswithAPIs,allowingthemtoconnecttoanynewsourceavailableinthemarket.•Eachconnectorisoptimizedforhighperformance,withtheabilitytointelligentlypush-downcalculationstothedatabaseswhenneeded,generatemulti-passSQL,loadparallelthreadssimultaneously,andcanloaddatawithoutrestrictionsonsizeortype.•EasyworkflowsareavailabletobusinessuserstoblenddataontheirownwithoutITsupport.•VLDBparametersareavailabletofine-tuneandoptimizeSQLgenerationspecifictoeachdatabase.•MicroStrategyleveragesanaggregate-awareSQLgenerationenginetotransparentlynavigateaggregatetables,dynamicallydirectingqueriestosummarytables,withouttheuserhavingtospecifytheuseofthetablewhencreatingthequery.•MicroStrategycangeneratemulti-passSQLtoansweranalyticalquestionsthatcannotbeansweredwithasingleSQLqueryblock,coveringscenariosthatinclude:setanalysis,splitmetrics,andcalculationsatdifferentlevelsofaggregation.
•Userscantransformandenhanceunderlyingdatamodels,createcalculatedmeasures,definecustomgroups,andcreatehierarchies,buttheyaretypicallynotabletoleveragemetadataobjectsacrossallthedatasourceswiththesameeaseasMicroStrategy.•InTableauWeb,Webauthors,cancreatenewworkbooksonlyfromdatasourcespublishedtoTableauServer,andcanconnecttopublisheddatasourcesonly.AsoftheTableau10release,TableauWebcannotcombinedatafromend-userswithdatafromacentralDWH.•UserscannotuseadatasourcefromTableauServerinacrossdatabasejoinoruseaTableauExtractasasourceforcrossdatabasejoins.Userscannotperformconditionaljoinswithease.•Fieldsusedinthecrossdatabasejoinsmustbeofthesamedatatype.•Anydatasourceisconstrainedtoasinglestarschema.•ThecubedatasourcessupportedinTableauareOracleEssbase,TeradataOLAP,MicrosoftAnalysisServices(MSAS),SAPNetWeaverBusinessWarehouse,MicrosoftPowerPivot,AnalyticalViewsinSAPHana•CubedatasourcesaresupportedonlyforTableauDesktoponWindows—notfortheMac.•WhileTableauworksgreatwithgranulardata,itstallswhentryingtobuilddashboardsoncubesandmanybasicfeaturesofTableaucan’tbeusedinsuchcases,forexampleinMSASdrill-downactionsdefinedinthecubearenotavailableinTableau.,aggregationfunctions,suchasSUM(),AVG(),andCNT()arenotsupported,Datasourcefiltersarenotavailableforcubedatasources,etc.
DataPreparationandBlending
Transformandarrangedatatomakeitbettersuitedforvisualexploration,withtheabilitytocreatejoinsacrosstablesfromdisparatesources.
MicroStrategyoffersbuilt-indatawranglingandblendingcapabilitiesandissupportedacrossalldatasources.•EnduserscanperformtransformationsondatapriortovisualizinginformationusingdozensoffunctionsavailableviagraphicalinterfacesandwithoutexportingouttoExcel.•Datawranglingandblendingispossiblebybusinessusersacrossspreadsheets,relationalsources,HDFS,cloudsystems,andotherpopulardatabases.•Userscansplitcolumns,identifyspellingerrors,performtextandnumericfacets,eliminatewhitespaces,pivottables,andperformdozensmoretransformationsbasedonintelligentrecommendationsfromtheproduct.•Historylistsareautomaticallyrecorded,sowhenmorecurrentdataisavailable,theactionsdonotneedtoberepeated.
•BasicdatacleansingcanbeperformedinTableauDataInterpreter,forexample,removingemptycellsorflatteningcross-tabbeddata.•Asmallnumberofformulasareavailable,butmoreadvancedoperationssuchasfill-downsaretypicallydonethroughathird-partylikeAlteryx.•Eachdatasourceisconstrainedtoasinglestarschema;multiplefacttableswithinthesamephysicaldatasourcearenotsupportedandmustbecreatedelsewherewhenneeded.•Automateddataprofilingandtransformationsarenotsupported.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotTableauDetailsbyCapability -vsTableau -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
EnterpriseReports
Optionstoviewlargevolumesofdatainaneasy-to-readgridformat,withtoolstoperformad-hocanalysisforimproveddecision-making.
•MicroStrategyprovidesaflexiblereportingenvironmentthatleveragesOLAPfunctionalitytogiveenduserstheabilitytoquicklysliceanddicedatafromacrossmultiplesources,usingavarietyofoptions:sorting,pivoting,page-by,drilldown,drillanywhere,totalsandsubtotals,one-clickmetrics,derivedelements,viewfilters,lockheaders,switchbetweengrid/graph,fittocontent/window,andmore.•Withtheabilitytopublishbandedreports,theplatformcanrollupandpresentdynamicaggregatesforlargevolumesacross100sofpagesofdata.•WithMicroStrategy,developerscanquicklydesignoperationalreportsandstatementsusingdrag-and-dropfunctionalityandflexibleformattinginordertostructurelargeamountsofdataintoanaturalhierarchyformaximumreadabilityandeaseofnavigation.•MicroStrategyenablesparameter-drivenreportsbysupportingmoretypesofuserpromptsthananyothervendor,allowinguserstoinputselectionsatruntimetoalterthecontentsofthereports.Optionsincludesimpledimensionprompts,hierarchyprompts,listprompts,objectprompts,valueprompts,levelprompts.
•Tableaudoessupportforpixel-perfectreportsorbandedreports.•TherearenoOTBschedulingand/orpublishingcapabilities.•Tableaudoesnotsupportreportbursting.•Tableauwayof‘drilling-down’isbyfilteringmultiplevisualizations.
Dashboardsanddocuments
Highlyformattedoptionstoauthor,visualize,andinteractwithdatatoidentifytrendsandoutliersandmakeefficientdecisions.
•MicroStrategydeliversgraphicalWYSIWYGdesignertoolstocreatepixel-perfectdocuments,invoices,statements,scorecards,andinteractivereal-timedashboards,allfromasingledesigneditor.•AllstylesofBIdescribedabovesupportresponsivedesignandcanbeconsumedonanybrowserormobiledevice.•Dashboardsarebuiltonthemetadatamodel,sotheyaresecureandpersonalizedforeachuser,andsupporttransactions,offlineconsumption,andcanbedeliveredinanydesiredformat.•Dashboardssupportad-hocdatadiscoveryacross100sofoptionsandletusersvisualizedatawithaccesstonativeandthird-partychartinglibraries.•Transactionalworkflowscanbeembeddedtoenablewrite-backcapabilitiesforbothwebandmobileapplications.
•Tableauusesaworkbookandsheetfilestructure,muchlikeMicrosoftExcel.Aworkbookcontainssheets,whichcanbeaworksheet,adashboard,orastory.Aworksheetcontainsasingleviewalongwithshelves,legends,andtheDatapane.Adashboardisacollectionofviewsfrommultipleworksheets.•Tableaudoesnotsupportin-placedashboards.Inordertocreateadashboardusershavetocreateaseparateblanksheetandthenaddpre-createdvisualizationontheblanksheet.
MobileAnalytics
Consumereportsanddashboardsonmobiledevices,withcompleteinteractivity,inordertoperformanalyticsandmakedecisionswhileonthego.
•MobileisfullyintegratedintotheMicroStrategyanalyticsplatform,soorganizationscanleverageexistingvisualizations,reports,anddashboardstoinstantlydeployBIonmobiledevices.•MicroStrategyMobileenhancesthemobileexperienceoniOSandAndroidbydeliveringnativeappsthatletuserstakefulladvantageoftheuniquecapabilitiesoftheirmobiledeviceswheninteractingwiththeirdata,whilealsobeingabletorelyontransactionandofflinecapabilities.•Withflexible,code-freetoolsandaclick-to-configuredevelopmentcanvas,organizationscanmobilizebusinessworkflowsanddeliverahighlyresponsive,nativeuserexperiencewithappsthatcanbebuiltinrecordtimeandatafractionofthecost.
•TableauprovidesahybridmobilesolutionthatservesasacompaniontoTableauServerandTableauOnline.TableausupportsappsforbothiOSandAndroid.•Multimediacontentisnotsupported.Tableaudoesnotprovidetransactional(write-back)capabilities.•Thereisnoflexibilitytocreatecustomworkflows.•ThereislimitedofflineinteractivitysinceTableauprovidesonlysnapshotsofdashboardsforofflinesupport(iPadandiPhoneonly),whichofferslimitedinteractivitywithofflinedata.•Thereisnomobile-specificactivitymonitoring–itissupportedattheTableauserverlevel.•Thereisnoclient-side(mobile-devicespecific)activitymonitoringcapability.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotTableauDetailsbyCapability -vsTableau -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
RealTimeAnalytics
Theabilitytodeliverinstantanalyticsandinsightswheredataisavailableinreal-time.
MicroStrategydeliverstheabilitytovisualizedatafromexternalstreamingapplicationsandtriggeralertsfromthesesources.•Theplatformcaninstantlyingestreal-timefeedsfromStorm,Spark,andKafka.Forotherrelationalsystems,theplatformcanalsosupportdatarefreshesatthesmallestintervals,andcanperformatthespeedofincominginformation.•MicroStrategycanmanagereal-timeinformationandgiveaninstantviewofthedata.•Theapplicationcanalsosendthreshold-basedalertstoanydeviceallowingdecision-makerstotakeinstantandproactiveaction,allinrealtime.•MicroStrategycanalsointegratewithvisualizationsandwidgetsthatsupportreal-timemappingofinformationonbothWebandMobile.
•TableauDataExtracts(TDEs)donotincludealiveconnectiontothesource.ThismeansthatTDEsarenotusefulforproviding“real-time”datainaTableauvisualization.Also,iftherefreshtimeofaTDEismorethanthedesireddatarefreshtime,thenTDEsaren’tfeasible.Whenusingliveconnection,alotofanalyticalcapabilitiesarelimitedcomparedtoTDEapproach.
•RefreshingTDEsputsmoreloadontoTableauServer,whichcanimpacttheperformanceofvisualizations.Therefore,itmaybepreferabletodotheworktomaketheunderlyingsourcefastenoughtousealiveconnectionratherthanimplementingtheextrahardwareandconfigurationneededtomaketheTDErefreshfastenough.
•Whenpublishingadatasource,TableauwillsaveitasaTDS(TableauDataSource)forliveconnectionorTDSX(TableauserverDataextracted)forextractbasedconnections.TDSisafilewhichexistsinsilos.ItcanbeusedbymultiplereportsanddashboardsbutitisnotacommonsemanticlayerinthecontextandscaleofMicroStrategy.
PredictiveAnalyticsandMachineLearning
Advancedalgorithmsandworkflowsforuserstobeabletoperformsummarizations,optimizations,predictions,statisticalcalculations,orcreatecustomgroups,training,andscoringmetrics.
WithminimalhelpfromIT,MicroStrategyuserscancreateandvisualizeadvancedmetricsandperformthemostcomplexcalculations.•EnduserscanbuildsophisticatedstatisticalandmathematicalmodelswiththenativelibraryoffunctionsavailabledirectlywithMicroStrategy.Theycangeneratepredictive,scoring,ortrainingmetricsusingnativelyavailablealgorithms.•MicroStrategyoffersover350nativefunctions,outofthebox,sothatbusinessusersareabletoperformdataminingandcreatehighlyadvancedstatisticalalgorithmsontheirown,withminimalsupportfromIT.•UserscanintegrateMicroStrategywithdataminingmodelsfromotherapplicationsbyimportingPredictiveModelMarkupLanguage(PMML),SAS,andSPSSintothemetadatarepository.•Theplatformintegrateswiththird-partyoptionslikeRusinggraphicalinterfaces.
•RandPythonintegrationsaresupported,aswellasstatisticalfiles.However,TableaudoesnotoffermanyOTBfunctions.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotTableauDetailsbyCapability -vsTableau -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
BigDataAnalytics
AccessdatafromHadoopandotherdistributedfilesystemswithoutlimitationsonsizeandwithoutexperiencingdropsinperformance.
MicroStrategyistheonlycomprehensiveplatformthatsupportsaccesstobigdatawithnativeconnectorstoHDFSwhilealsoprovidingbuilt-inworkflowsfordatapreparationontopofHadoopdata.•Whetherit’sapersonalspreadsheetoradispersedHadoopDistributedFileSystem(HDFS),userscaneasilyconnecttotheirdatawithoutrelyingonITandwithoutlimitsondatasize.It'seasytoaccessdatafromanyflavorofHadoop,includingCloudera,Hortonworks,andMapR,withcomprehensivesupportforSpark,Kerberos,andthetopfileformats.•WithMicroStrategy,userscanleverageinformationfromclickstreams,webactivity,callcenterlogs,andIDscans-andblenditwithdatafromothersourcesusinggraphicalworkflows.•MicroStrategyconnectstobigdatasourcesandNoSQLoptionssuchasMongoDBandCassandra,andalsoconnectstoHDFSvianativeconnectorstoClouderaHive,Impala,MapRDrill,Pigscripts,SparkSQL,andmore.•WithMicroStrategy,userscanalsolimitandmanagetheamountofdataimportedfromHDFS,orperformaggregationsontopofthedatapriortoimportingitintoMicroStrategyforanalysis.•Userscanalsoapplyadvancedfunctionsandfilterstocontrolandrestricttheamountofdata.
•TableausupportsarangeofconnectorstoClouderaHadoop,GoogleBigQuery,Hortonworks,Hive,HPVertica,IBMBigInsights,MapR,SparkSQL,andSplunk.
AutomatedDistributionandAlerting
Distributereports,dashboards,anddocumentstolargeaudiencesinapersonalizedandautomatedmanner.Thishelpstoensuretheon-timedeliveryofinformationtoend-userssotheycanmaketimely,informeddecisions.
MicroStrategyisdesignedforhigh-volume,automateddeliveryofreportsanddashboards.•Theplatformmakesitpossibletoscaledistributionofanalyticalcontentto100softhousandsofusers,withtheabilitytoautomateandschedulethedeliveryofreportsanddashboards,basedontime-,event-,andthreshold-basedalerts.•MicroStrategysupportsthewidestvarietyofdeliverymethods,withoptimalformattingforeachdeviceandapplication.•MicroStrategyprovidesburstingcapabilitiestodeliverslicingorpage-byexecutions,allowingasinglereporttobeextractedfromthedatawarehousethatcanbeparsedintosub-reportsforindividualsubscribers.Thisavoidshavingtorundifferentreportsfordifferentrecipientswhilestillbeingabletogeneratepersonalizedreports.•AlertingcapabilitiescanmonitorKPIvalueswhennewdataisavailableandsenddetailedreportsoralertmessageswhenthresholdsarereached.•SecurityfiltersandACLssetontheuserlevelguaranteespersonalizedandsecureinformationto1000sofuserswiththedeliveryofasingledashboard.•MicroStrategyleveragessegmentationcapabilitiestomanageresourceutilizationinlargescalereportdeliverydeploymentsbyanalyzingthelistofsubscriptionstodetermineifseveralsubscriptionssharethesamecombinationofsecurityandpersonalizationandgroupingthemintobucketssincetheyreceivethesamecontent.
FromburstingandsmartpaginationforPDFexportstothedeliveryofhighlypersonalizedcontent,MicroStrategydeliverssophisticateddistributioncapabilitiesthatmakeitpossibletopublishdataandinsightsacrosstheorganizationwithouttheneedtoinvestinothertechnologies.
•Tableaudoesnotofferfunctionalitytodotraditionalproductiontypereporting.Userscan’tcreatestaticlayoutsordatatables,anditdoesn’tofferfeaturesrelatedtodistribution,orschedulingandnotificationofreports.Userscansubscribetoaworkbookorview.Asnapshotoftheviewisthenemailedtothemonascheduledbasis,sotheycanseethelatestupdateswithouthavingtosignintoTableauServer.•Neitherexception-basedorproactivenotificationsaresupportedout-of-the-box.•Event-baseddeliveryisnotsupportedout-of-the-box.•Data-driven(threshold)alertswillbesupportedinbetastartingwithversion10.3
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotTableauDetailsbyCapability -vsTableau -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
EnterpriseMobility
TransactionalWorkflows
Write-backcapabilitiesthatallowmobileuserstosubmittransactionstoERP,CRM,orotheroperationalsystems.
•MicroStrategyprovidesmobilewrite-backcapabilitiesthatletusersupdatesystemsofrecordfromthefield.Userscanchangedataonthefly,insertnewinformation,andviewupdatedreportsanddashboards.•Thesetransactionscanincludeone-tapapprovalsanddenials,inputsforcapturingnewinformation,andeditingexistinginformationinERPsystems,CRMsystems,andotheroperationaldatabases.•Appdeveloperscancreatesmartformsthatarecontextualandconditional,basedonauser’spermissionsorlocation.•MicroStrategyoffersabroadsetofinputcontrols,includingbarcodescanners,signaturecapture,starrating,textandnumberfields,calendar,camera,steppers,sliders,andmore.•TransactionServicescanalsoauto-captureadditionalinformationalongsidetheuserinputstofurtherstreamlinebusinessprocesses.Forexample,theuser’sprofileinformationaswellaslatitude,longitude,andatimestampcanbeincludedinatransactionalsubmissionwithoutrequiringadditionalworkbytheuser.•Userscanaccesstransactionalinputsandformsregardlessofinternetconnectivity.Whenoffline,transactionsarequeuedforsubmissionandexecutedwhentheusernextconnects.
•Tableaumobiledoesnotprovidedatainputordatabasewrite-backcapabilities.•Out-of-the-boxTableaupreventswritingoralteringSQLentirely,sosomeworkarounds(i.e.URLactions)thatpeoplehaveimplementedsufferfromvulnerabilitiesintermsofperformance,security,andlimitedfunctionality.
EmbeddedMultimedia
Abilitytodownloadandviewmultimediafilesonlineandoffline,suchaspresentations,videos,PDFs,andePUBbooksonmobiledevices.
•MicroStrategyprovidesin-appviewingofmultimediacontentincludingvideos,PDFs,images,presentations,spreadsheets,documents,email,andwebcontent—allseamlesslyembeddedinthemobileapp.•Asisthecaseforothercontentintheapp,multimediacanbepre-cachedorstoredforconvenient,offlineaccess.•Therearetwowaystoincludemultimediainapps:HTMLcontainersandtheMultimediaWidget.•HTMLcontainersenableaccesstoanywebcontentbyplacingitdirectlyintheapp'siFrame.URLsprovidelinkstopullupentiredocumentsorwebpages.•TheMultimediaWidgetprovidesaframeworkinwhichtodownload,consume,andstoremultimediafiles.WebDAVfolderintegrationenablesuserstodynamicallybrowseandviewexistingfilesandfoldersinaWebDAVfolder,forexampleinMicrosoftSharePoint.Thismakesiteasyfortraditionallynon-technicalpeople,forexampleinMarketingorHR,todistributeupdatedversionsofcollateralortrainingvideostoemployeesinthefield.•MicroStrategyalsoprovidesawidgetthatisespeciallydesignedforvideos.Theinteractive,elegantVideoPlayerWidget(thatleveragesthenativeOSvideoplayer)loadsandplaysavideofromaremotelocationorfromthelocalcache.Thewidgetcandisplay:videosfromastreamingservicesuchasYouTube,videosfromafileserverlocation,oracachedvideofromtheWebDAVcache.Ifthemobiledeviceisonline,theVideoPlayerWidgetloadsthevideofromtheremotelocationbutissmartenoughtocheckfirstifalocalcachealreadyexistsonthedevice’sWebDAVcachestore.
•Tableaudoesnotsupportembeddedmultimediacontent.•Somepeopleuseaworkaround(usingURLactions)toembedanonlineimage,sound,orYouTubevideo.Thisprovidesonlylimitedfunctionalityandcanonlybeaccessedwhentheuserisonline.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotTableauDetailsbyCapability -vsTableau -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
GeospatialAnalysis
Abilitytodisplaygeospatialdataoverlaidonaninteractivemap(ESRI,GoogleMaps,andcustomimages).
•MicroStrategyabstractsallthegeospatialanalysiscapabilitiesfromthebasemaplayer,socustomerscanleveragewhicheverbasemaptheywant,dependingonexistingmapinvestmentsorpreferences.•MicroStrategyMobileprovidessupportforbuildingmapvisualizationsonESRIandGoogleMaps,aswellascustomimagesasmapswiththeImageLayoutWidget.Thesemapsrenderseamlesslyontheappropriatenativemobilemap(AppleMapsoniOSandGoogleMapsonAndroid).•BothESRIandGoogleMapsdisplaygeospatialdataoverlaidonaninteractivemap.Userscanswipe,scroll,andzoomindirectlyonthemap,orevenfilterthedatashownbyselectingelementswithintheirmobileapp.Datacanbedisplayedusingapinmarker,adensitymap,orabubbletoprovidemultipletypesofanalysiswithineachmap.Inaddition,ESRImapscandisplaydatafromacustomgeographicalregion,suchasthecountiesofastateordistrictswithinacity.Theimagelayoutwidgetallowsappdeveloperstoincludevisualizationsrepresentativeofdifferentgeographicregionssuchascountries,states,andregions,orvisualizationsthatrepresentcustomspatialanalyseslikeastorelayout.
•TableaudoesnotintegrateOTBwithESRIorGoogleMaps.TableauonlysupportsintegrationwithMapbox,limitingflexibilityforenterprisecustomerswhowanttoleverageexistingmappinginvestmentsorhavedifferentpreferences.
OfflineAccess Abilitytosupportapplicationsinofflinemoderegardlessofconnectivity.Thisincludesinteractivitywithdata,multimediacontent,andtransactionalworkflows.
•MicroStrategyMobileappscanbeconfiguredtoworkentirelyoffline.Thisincludessupportforanalytics,visualizations,multimedia,andtransactions.•MicroStrategyprovidesadvancedofflinefunctionality,including:promptpanelsthatdisplayvalidcachesformultiplepromptscenarios;visualcuessuchasanofflinemodeindicatorandshadingtoindicateavailability;aviewoftransactionqueues;andtheabilitytodeleteoredittransactionsbeforeaconnectionisreestablished.Inasituationwhereauserwantstoavoidusingdata,theusercanmanuallyswitchtoofflinemodeusingtheappsettings.•Whileusersareinofflinemode,mobileusagestatsarestillcapturedandsubmittedtotheserveroncetheuserreconnects.Additionally,data-at-restishighlysecured.Thestoreddataisencrypted;theappcanstillrequirecredentials,andtheofflinecachecanbesettoexpireatadesiredtime.
•Tableauprovidesonlysnapshots(images)ofdashboardsforofflinesupport(iPadandiPhoneonly),resultinginlimitedinteractivitywhenoffline.•Theupdateprocessconsistsofsnapshotsbeingrefreshedinthebackgroundatavariablefrequency.Userscantapascreenshottogetaliveview.•OfflinesnapshotsareavailableonlyforTableauOnlineorTableauServer9.0.6andlater.Forversions8.2–9.0.5,theFavoritestabsupportsliveviewsonly.•ThereisnocachingorofflineaccessontheAndroidversionofTableauMobile.
MobileClientCachingforHighPerformance
Abilitytocachedataonthedevicetooptimizeappperformance.Deliversub-secondresponsetimesevenwhendealingwithlargevolumesofdata,numerousconcurrentusers,orslow,unreliableconnectivity.
•MicroStrategyoffersthreemaincachingstrategiesthatcustomerscanleveragewhenconfiguringtheirapps:automaticcaching(devicescheckfornewandupdatedcontentandsynccontentinthebackground),pre-cachingfolders(asetofobjectsarepre-cachedwhentheappstarts),andadaptivemobilecaching(theappprioritizesbackgroundcacheloadingbasedonwheretheuserisanddownloadscontenttheuserwilllikelywanttoseebeforetheytaponit).•MicroStrategyhasasophisticatedanalyticalenginewithinthemobileclient,sothemobileclientitselfcanperformcomputationsonlocallycacheddatawithouthavingtogobacktotheserver.Becausethecomputationscanbedonelocallyonthedevice,thisalsohelpstospeedappperformance.•Asa100%nativeapp,MicroStrategyusesOpenGLframeworksavailableonthemobileOSwhichhelptoachievemaximumappperformance.Allofthedrawings(renderings)ofvisualizationsleveragenativedevicedrawingcapabilitieswhichareoptimizedforhighperformance.
•TheiOSversionofTableauMobilecachesnon-interactivesnapshotimagesoffavoriteworkbooksandsheetsaswellasmetadataaboutfavoriteworkbooksandsheets,suchasname,owner,andlast-modifieddate.•ThereisnocachingontheAndroidversionofTableauMobile.
PersonalizedAlertsviaPushNotifications
Abilitytosendalertstomobileusersintheformofpushnotifications.Thesenotificationsshouldbetriggeredbypresetthresholds,orbeavailableondemand.
•MicroStrategy’sscalablealertingengineprovidespersonalizedalertstoeveryuser.•Thealertingengineisbasedonarobustdistributionserverthatsupportsmonitoringmultipledatasources100sof1000softimeseveryminuteandcreatingpersonalizedalertsformobileuserswhenasetconditionhasbeenmet.•Thresholdscanbesetonanymetriconanyreport.•Alertsarehandledthroughthedevice’snativepushnotificationsysteminoneofthreeforms:abadge(agraphicassociatedwiththeapplication),ahomescreennotification(amessagewhichtheusercanviewandinteractwith),and/orasound.•Smartbadgescanshowmetricvaluesorthenumberofalerts.
•Mobilealertsarenotsupported.TableaudoesnotinteractwiththenativealertingfeaturesavailableiniOSorAndroiddevices.•Thereisanopen-sourcesolutionavailablecalledVizAlertsthatenablesthreshold-drivenalertingviaemailandSMS,butthisisnotanativeappalert.Thisopen-sourcesolutionisnotsupportedbyTableautechnicalsupport,soit'sause-at-your-own-riskadd-on.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotTableauDetailsbyCapability -vsTableau -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
InstantUpdatestoCustomAppswithNoRecompilation
Updateandpublishchangestocustomappswithouthavingtorecompileandredistribute.Changesaredistributedandavailabletouserswithoutrequiringanappupdate.
•MicroStrategyletsappdevelopersmakeupdatesandpublishchangestotheirmobileappswithouttheneedtorecompile(inXcodeforiOSandinAndroidDevelopmentStudioforAndroid)andredistributeapps.Anychangeinfunctionalityorconfigurationisinstantlyreflectedinthemobileappwithoutrequiringtheusertoupgradetheapponthemobiledevice.Thisflexibilityisverypowerfulwhenusersaretryingtooperateonanagiledevelopmentcycle,whereusersneedtoaccessthechangesinstantlywithouthavingtoconstantlyupgradetheirapp.•MicroStrategyalsoprovidesadrag-and-dropinterfacetomigrateappsfromdevelopment,totest,toproductionbyusingMicroStrategyObjectManager.
•SincetheTableaumobileappcan'tbecustomized(mustusetheOTBappinpublicappstores),thereisnoappthatacustomerwouldupdateorcompile.
Customize/WhiteLabel
Abilitytorebrandthemobileappbyincludingcustomizedicons,aswellassplash,launch,andloginscreens.
•TheMobileSDKprovidesappdeveloperswithamultitudeofcustomizationoptions.Thisincludesacode-freeapproachtowhite-labelingandrebrandinganyMicroStrategyMobileapp.•Customizationincludeschangingicons,aswellassplash,launch,andloginscreens.Itenablesdeveloperstomatchcorporatebrandingandlook-and-feelstandards.
•TableaudoesnotprovideanSDKanddoesnotallowcustomizationofbrandinginthemobileapp.•WiththeopensourceMobileAppBootstrap(MAB),customerscancreatecustommobileappswiththeirownpersonalizationandbrandingforiOSasaworkaround;however,thiscapabilityisnotsupportedbyTableau'stechnicalsupport.MABalsodoesnotsupportrebrandingandcustomizedlogos/splashscreensinAndroid.
NativeIntegrationwithEMMVendors
NativeSDKintegrationwithleadingEMMvendorsAirWatch,MobileIron,andBlackberryDynamics,andAppConfigcommunityguidelines.
•MicroStrategy'snativemobilesecurityfeaturesprovideextensivecapabilitiestoprotectsensitivecompanydata,butMicroStrategyprovidestheflexibilitytoleverageadditionalthird-partycapabilities,includingthoseprovidedbyEMMvendors.•MicroStrategyoffersnativeSDKintegrationoniOSwiththreeEMMproviders:MobileIron,BlackberryDynamics,andAirWatch.MicroStrategyoffersnativeSDKintegrationonAndroidwithAirWatch.•MicroStrategyMobilealsosupportsEMMcapabilitiesviaimplementationoftheAppConfigguidelines,nativelyonbothiOSandAndroid.
•TableauprovidesAPIsforintegration,butdoesnotdirectlysupportnativeintegrationwiththird-partyproductssuchasMobileIronorAirWatch.TableauisusingtheAppConfigapproachtosupportAirWatchandMobileIron.•TheAPIforAppConfig-basedintegrationisonlyavailableforiOS,notAndroid
MobileAppUsageMonitoring
Abilitytocollectmobileusagestatisticsandpopulateadatabaseforanalysis.
•Mobileappclient-sidemonitoringcapturespersonalizedanalysiseverytimeausertapsonanappscreen.Statisticsaregatheredontimespentoneachappscreen,explorationpaths,GPSlocation,appusage,devicetype,operatingsystemversion,andcacheusage.•Withthisinformation,appdeveloperscantrackoverallappadoptionandgeo-locationofusage,performcohortanalysis,supportcontinuousdevelopmentcycles,analyzeappperformance,spotnetworkissues,andtrackadoptionratesofnewdevices,operatingsystems,andclients.Thesestatisticsarecriticaltodrivingappenhancementsandtohoningtheappexperience.•Mobileusagestatsarecapturedevenwhileauserisoffline.Oncetheuserreconnects,thestatsaresubmittedtotheserver.
•Somelimitedserver-sideusageinformationisavailable,butthereisnomobileclient-sideactivitymonitoringcapability.
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TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
EmbeddedAnalytics
CreateCustomWebApplications
Theabilitytomodifyandextendexistingfunctionality,createacustomwebapplication,embedcontentinportals,orsimplychangethelookandfeelwithpersonalizedbrandingandlogosthroughapplicationprogramminginterfaces(APIs).
•Akeycomponentofanenterprise-classplatformistheabilitytomodifyandextendexistingfunctionalitytomeettheuniqueneedsofanorganization.Forbuildingcustomizedapplications,arobustBIplatformmustprovideaccesstoallofitsfunctionalitythroughAPIs.TheMicroStrategyBIplatformisamodern,sophisticatedservice-orientedarchitecturethatisdesignedforflexibilityandextensibilitysothatitcangrowwiththedemandsofenterpriseapplications.
•TheMicroStrategyWebSDKenablesdeveloperstobuildafull-fledgedwebapplicationorchangethelookandfeelofanexistingwebapplicationwithanintuitivecustomizationtool.TheWebCustomizationEditorisintegratedwiththemostwidelyusedJavaIDE,Eclipse.Withover5000classesexposedintheWebAPI,thisintegrationnotonlysimplifiesdevelopment,butalsoallowsdeveloperstowritetheircodewithoutmodifyinganysourcecodeorout-of-the-boxconfigurationfiles.Thisapproachishelpfulinmaintainingandupgradingcustomizations.
•TheWebSDKalsoallowsdeveloperstowritetheirownWebServicesthatencapsulateMicroStrategyfunctionalityandexposethisfunctionalitytothird-partyapplications.SincetheservicesusestandardprotocolssuchasHTTPorHTTPSandgeneratearesponseinstandardW3C-compliantformatssuchasXMLorJSON,anythird-partyapplication(webormobile)canconsumetheseservicesandembedMicroStrategyfunctionalityintotheirproduct.MicroStrategy'sservice-orientedarchitectureguaranteesefficiencyforeachserviceorcomponentwithnocoderedundancy.Thisarchitectureisinstarkcontrasttotheservice-orientedarchitecturesofotherBIvendors,whichareaproductofdisparate,separatelydevelopedarchitectures,inheritedfrommergers,andmashedtogether.
•Inaddition,MicroStrategyprovidesaplug-inarchitecturethatenablesdeveloperstoextendout-of-the-boxMicroStrategyWebcodewithstand-alonecustomizationswithouttheneedtochangethesourcecode,thus,makingupgradeswithoutrecodingpossible.MicroStrategysupportsthefollowinglanguagesforWebSDK:Java,XML/JSON,JavaScript,and.NET.
•Tableau'sWebapplicationisnotonparwithTableau'sDesktoptool;thefeaturesandcapabilitiesavailableinWebareverylimited.Tableau'sAPIsdonotallowdeveloperstorebrandwebapplicationswithcustomizedlogosorcolors,extendorcustomizeexistingWebfunctionality,ortheabilitytocreateanewwebapplicationfromscratch.
CreateCustomMobileApplicationsiniOSandAndroid
Theabilitytocreatecustomizedmobileapplications,embedBIinthird-partyapps,orrebrandthemobileappbyincludingcustomizedicons,aswellassplash,launch,andloginscreens.
•TheMicroStrategyMobileAPIenablesmobileappdeveloperstocustomizeMicroStrategyMobileappsonAndroidandiOSmobiledevicesbychangingthelookandfeeloftheapp,ordevelopingnewMobileappsthatuseMicroStrategyBIcontent.MicroStrategyprovidesdifferentAPIsforAndroidandiOSdevices.TheflexibilityoftheMobileAPIsenabledeveloperstobuildcustommobileapplicationstoaccommodategrowingneedsoftheorganization.
•TheMobileSDKforiOSconsistsofXcodeprojectsthatallowdeveloperstocompileanddistributecustomMicroStrategyMobileapps.WithoneoftheXcodeprojects,userscanrebrandtheappbyaddingicons,splashscreens,andanappnamethroughsimpleconfigurationchanges.Inaddition,theMobileSDKforiOSenablesuserstoembedMicroStrategyinanexistingapplicationorbuildcustomwidgetsthatcanconsumeMicroStrategydata.
•TheMobileSDKforAndroidletsuserscustomizetheMicroStrategyMobileapplicationtomatchcorporatebrandingrequirements.Italsoallowsuserstopreconfiguretheapplicationtoallowmultipleinstancesoftheapplicationtoexistonasingledevice.
•MicroStrategysupportsthefollowingprogramminglanguagesforMobileSDK:iOS-ObjectiveC,Swift;Android–Java.
•TableaudoesnothavetheirownnativeAPIstocustomizemobilebranding.•WiththeopensourceMobileAppBootstrap(MAB),customerscancreatecustommobileappswiththeirownpersonalizationandbrandingforiOSasaworkaround,howeverthiscapabilityisnotsupportedbyTableau'stechnicalsupport.•MABalsodoesnotsupportrebrandingandcustomizedlogos/splashscreensinAndroid.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotTableauDetailsbyCapability -vsTableau -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
EmbedThird-PartyDataasDatasets
Theabilityforthird-partyapplicationstopushdatadirectlyintoaBIapplicationforuseindashboardsorreports.
•Organizationsarealwayslookingtoconnecttoavarietyofsourcesthatmaynotbenativelysupportedwiththeplatform.UsingthePushAPI,organizationscanpushexternaldatainJSONformatusingRESTAPIsintoin-memorycubesontheMicroStrategyIntelligenceServer,souserscanreadilyconsume,process,andanalyzethecorrespondingdata.•MicroStrategymakesitpossiblefororganizationstoleveragenewdataassetsbyenablingapplicationssuchasETLtoolsthatconnecttothesedatasourcesandmovedataintoMicroStrategy.•ThePushAPIenablesthird-partyvendorstogenerateMicroStrategydatasets,thus,unlockingnewend-userworkflowsandopportunitiesforpartnerintegrations.
•Tableau'sRESTAPIallowsdatatobereceivedinXMLorJSONformat.Aslongasthird-partyapplicationdataisinoneofthoseformats,Tableaucanimportit.
CreateCustomHTML5Visualizations
TheabilitytoembedorcreatecustomHTML5visualizationswithopensourcelibrariessuchasD3,thatcanbedeployedontopofdatasources.
•MicroStrategyintegrateswiththird-partyandopensourceJavaScriptvisualizations,souserscantellevenmorecompellingstorieswiththeirdata.•MicroStrategyprovidesAPIs,tools,samples,anddocumentationtohelpusersbuildcustomHTML5visualizationsusingopensourceandcommerciallibrarieslikeD3andGoogleCharts.•Userscanbuildoutsupportforfunctionalityincludingselectors,dropzones,colorpalettes,andthresholds.Itisalsopossibletotransformvisualizationsintotext-basednarrativesbyintegratingwithnativelanguagegeneration(NLG)platforms,suchasthoseofferedbyAutomatedInsightsandNarrativeScience.
•TableauallowsuserstoembedD3visualizationswithinTableau.However,thereisnowayforadevelopertocreatetheirowncustomvisualizationswithminimalcodingbyimportingaD3script.
ExtractSubsetsofDataUsingRESTfulAPIs
Theabilityforcustomthird-partywebapplicationstousetheBIplatformasadatasourcetoextractsubsetsofdatafromareportorexistingcube.
•WithRESTfulAPIs,organizationscanuseMicroStrategyasadatasourcetoquicklyextractsubsetsofpre-processeddatainJSONformat.ThisaddressestheneedsoflargeenterprisesandOEMpartnersthatconsumedatathroughMicroStrategy'sgovernedandsecuredarchitectureviacustomizedbusinessapplications.
•Tableau'sAPIsdonotsupportTableautobeusedasadatasource.ThereiscurrentlynowaytoextractdatafromTableautobeusedincustomwebapplications.
CreateCustomDataConnectors
Theabilitytocreateacustomdatasourcethatuserscanconnecttoandleverageintheirreportsanddashboards.
•Withnewandupdateddatasourcesbeingpublishedbydatabasevendorsalmostweekly,organizationsneedfastaccesstoconnecttoandusethedatastoredinthesevariousdatalocations.•MicroStrategynativelysupports100softhemostpopulardatasourcesandcontinuestoenhanceconnectivitywitheachdatabaseupgrade.•MicroStrategyalsoallowsorganizationstobuildtheirownconnectorstocustomdataassetswiththeDataConnectorSDK.OrganizationscanleverageHTMLandJavaScripttobuildcustomconnectorsfortheMicroStrategyDataImportinterfaceandbuildtheirowncustomizedintegrationsforthesedatasourceswithinMicroStrategy,thus,providingusersaccesstoanydatasourcewithoutwaitingforthemtobecertifiedbytheplatform.
•Tableau'sWebDataConnectorSDKprovidesamechanismforcreatingcustomdataconnectors.However,itrequirestheschematobedefined.Thereisnowaytoautomaticallydetectdimensionsormeasures,whichrequiresmanualeffort.
MultitenancySupport
Theabilitytodeployasingleinstanceofasoftwareapplicationtoservemultiplecustomers,whereeachcustomeriscalledatenant.
•MultitenancyenablesanOEM’svariouscustomerstoexperiencecustomapplications,allbuiltonasinglearchitecture.Sharingresourcesresultsinlessadministrativeoverhead,reducedresourceconsumption,andlowoverallTCO.•MicroStrategysupportsaspectrumofmultitenantarchitecturesfromhighisolationtohighsharing.Inaddition,MicroStrategyallowsforpersonalizationinasharedprojectsuchascustombrandingandlogosforeachtenant,personalizedobjectnames,andinternationalizationcapabilities.
•Tableauusescompartmentalizedcontainerscalledsitesformultitenancy.Thereisnosharingorcommunicationbetweensites,soeachsitehastohaveitsownuseradministration.Thereisalsonowaytoaddatenant'sbrandingorlogotoasite.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotTableauDetailsbyCapability -vsTableau -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
EnterpriseCloud
SimplifiedEnterpriseDeployment
TheabilitytoeasilydeployanenterprisecloudenvironmentwithoutITsupport.
•MicroStrategyonAWSwillenablecustomerstodeployenterprisenetworksthatarefullyconfiguredandreadytouseinlessthan30minutes.Thissavesuserstimeandmoneybyeliminatingtheneedtodownload,install,andconfiguretheenvironmentsthemselves.Userscanchoosefromdifferentinstancetypesandsizesbasedoncostorusagerequirements.•Cloudenvironmentscanalsobedeployeddirectlyintoacustomer'sAWSaccountformaximumcontrol.•Userscanlaunch3differentenvironmenttypes,rangingfromanall-in-onesystemtoanenterprise-gradedistributedandredundantsystem.
•Tableauhas2offeringsavailableonthecloud,AWSMarketplaceandTableauOnline,andbothhavesignificantflaws.TableaudoesnotprovideaversionofitsproductthatisoptimizedonAWSServices.Botharewatered-downversionsofthefullproduct.
•TableauontheAWSmarketplaceisserveronly.UsersmustdownloadandinstallaDesktopversionofTableauonlocalmachinestopublishandinteractwithdashboards.
•TableauOnlinerequiresuserstodownloadandinstallDesktop.Asof10.3Tableaucannowsupporthybridconnectivitymode.
GlobalAvailability
Theabilitytodeployenvironmentsglobally.Globaloptionsmakeiteasyforcustomerstodeploytheirenvironmentsclosertohomesotheycanmeetperformance,compliance,anddatarequirements.
•MicroStrategyCloudcandeploydistributedandredundantsystemsinover42AWSAvailabilityZonesin16geographicregionsaroundtheworld.ThisincludescountriesacrossNorthAmerica,SouthAmerica,Asia,Europe,andAustralia.ThisenablesorganizationstodeployMicroStrategyclosertoitsusers.Thisdecreaseslatencyandenablesfasterresponsetimes.Byhavingdatacentersclosertohome,italsoallowsthedataenterstocomplywithlocallawsandregulations.
RegionandNumberofAvailabilityZones
•AWSGovCloud(2)
•USWestOregon(3),NorthernCalifornia(3)
•USEastNorthernVirginia(5),Ohio(3)
•CanadaCentral(2)
•SouthAmericaSãoPaulo(3)
•EuropeIreland(3),Frankfurt(2),London(2)
•AsiaPacificSingapore(2),Sydney(3),Tokyo(3),Seoul(2),Mumbai(2)
•ChinaBeijing(2)
•NewRegions(comingsoon)ParisNingxia
•TableaudoesnothavetheabilitytolaunchafullyconfigureddedicatedandredundantsystemintheAWSDatacenters.TableauontheAWSMarketplaceonlyallowsthelaunchingofasimplesinglenodeenvironmentwhichisnotsuitableforenterpriseorganizations.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotTableauDetailsbyCapability -vsTableau -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
APIEnabledOperations
JavaScriptframeworksthatprovideanumberofAPIstohelpcustomersbuildapplications.
•TheMicroStrategyCloudAPIgivescustomersunlimitedflexibilitytocreatetheirowncustomworkflows.Customershavetheabilitytobuildpersonalizeduserinterfacesfordeployingandmanagingtheircloudenvironments.ThisempowersdeveloperstoautomatetheirMicroStrategyCloudcapabilities.•ThroughAPIs,itispossibletolaunch1000MicroStrategyinstanceswithasinglelineofcode,resizethemtoanysize,andthenterminatethemoncedone.WithoutAPIs,thiswouldbeamanualprocess.It’seasytointegratewithotherautomationtoolsandtheAPIworkswithanyprogramminglanguage.
CloudSpecificAPIswesupport:•Retrieveorsearchforenvironments•Createnewenvironments•GetEnvironmentContactDetailsList•ResendEmailtotheownersoftheenvironments•Restartenvironment/s•Startenvironment/s•GetEnvironmentStates•Stopenvironment/s•Terminateenvironments•FindenvironmentdetailsbyenvironmentID•UpdateEnvironmentContactDetails•Updateexpirationdateforenvironment•FindalltheinstancesinanenvironmentbyenvironmentID•FindalltheinstancesstateinanenvironmentbyenvironmentID•RestartInstance•StartInstance•StopInstance•Findschedulesbyenvironmentid•Createscheduleforenvironment•Inactivatetheselectedschedulebyscheduleidandenvironmentid•Findschedulebyscheduleidandenvironmentid•Updatescheduleforenvironment•Resizeallserverinstanceorselectedserverinstanceofanenvironment•Createnewenvironments
•TableaudoesnotprovideanyAPIsatthecloudinfrastructurelevel.Organizationscan'tcreatecustomcodesforeventhemostbasicinfrastructuretaskssuchasstartingandstoppinginstances.Tableauusersmustmanuallyinitiatethesetaskswhichtakesadditionaltimeandeffort.
DisasterRecoveryandFailover
Clusteredserversthatrestorebackupsafterfailuresonoworkortimeislost.
•MicroStrategyCloudclustersenterprisedeploymentswithmultiplenodes,andgivesorganizationstheflexibilitytoaddadditionalnodes.•Clusterednodesprovideloadbalancing,highavailability,failover,andredundancy.Eachnodesynchronizesmetadatainformation,historylists,andreportcaches.Incaseofdisasterorfailure,MicroStrategybackupsarestoredredundantlyacrossmultipleavailabilityzonesandcanbeaccessedandrestoredinanalternateavailabilityzone.ThisaffordszerodowntimeanduserscanalwaysaccesstheirMicroStrategyenvironment.
•Tableaudoesnotprovideanyautomatedwaytoconfiguredisasterrecovery.Itisamanualprocessandaburdenonitsusers.ManuallysettingupDisasterRecoveryforTableauispronetohumanerrorsandisunreliableforenterprisedeployments.IfanythingweretohappentoTableaucustomerdataanddisasterrecoverywasnotsetup,alldatawillbelost.
CentralizedAdministration
Asingleinterfacethatprovidesalltheadministrationtoolstomanageandmonitoranenterprisecloudenvironment.
•MicroStrategyallowsthecustomertostart,stop,andrestartanAWSenvironmentwhileretainingitscontents.Customerscantakeadvantageofstoppingtheirenvironmentstosaveoncosts,especiallyduringnon-peakhours.•ThenewEnvironmentManagertoolallowsuserstoscheduletheseroutinetaskstooccuratspecificdatesandtimes.•ForPOCordevelopmentpurposes,anadministratorcanstopthesemachinesduringnon-peakhourstoreducecosts.•Customersonlypayforwhattheyuse.
•Centralizedadministrationissupported,butTableauusersmustmanuallyscaleenvironmentsupordown.Thereisnosupportforschedulingroutineadministrativetasks.TableauusersarelimitedtotheAWSconsole,whichiscomplicatedforenduserstounderstand.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotTableauDetailsbyCapability -vsTableau -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
AutoScaling Theabilitytoresizecloudenvironmentsbasedontheconditionsthecustomerdefines.
•MicroStrategyCloudcustomershavetheabilitytoscaletheirenvironmentupordownwithover6differentinstancesizeoptionsfromAWSrangingfrom4vCPUand15.25GiBto64vCPUand488GiBofmemory.•Environmentscanscaleon-demandorschedulebasedonusagepatterns,applicationusagepatterns,anddatasize.Customerscanaddnewusersatanytimeanddeploymultipleenvironmentsandprojectsastheyseefit.•Customerspayforwhattheyuseaccordingtolengthoftime.
•Tableaudoesnotprovideautomatedscalingofenvironments.Administratorsmustmanuallyscaletheenvironmentsupordown.UsersareforcedtousetheAWSconsolebuiltfordevelopersandpowerusers,whichmaybetoocomplicatedforbusinessusers.•Tableaucannotcluster8nodes.Largeenterpriseorganizationsmayneedtoclusterupto8nodestosupporthundredsofusersandpetabytesofdata.
SeamlessUpgrades
Upgradetheplatformandcorrespondingserverswithoutanydowntimeoradditionalwork.
BymovingtotheMicroStrategyCloud,customerscanensurethattheyhavethelatestplatformandversionrelease,allowingthemtotakeadvantageofthelatestplatformsecurityandfeatureenhancements.WiththenewCloudEnvironmentManager,customerscanscheduleupgradesduringnon-peakhourstoguaranteeseamlessupgradeswithzerodowntime.Testingandhealthchecksareautomaticallyperformedtohelpensureasuccessfulupgrade.
•UpgradingTableauCloudinvolvesmanymanualstepsandoperations.UsersmustdownloadandinstallthenewversionthemselvesordeploythelatestversionontheAWSMarketplacebeforemanuallymigratingobjectsfromanoldenvironmenttoanewone.•UsersmustmanuallyupgradeDesktopandServer.•Thenewmajorversiondoesn'treplaceanexistingmajorversiononthemachine.ThiscausesconfusionasuserswillhavemultipleversionsofTableauandmaynotknowwhichversiontouse.Thiswillalsocreateversioncontrolissues.
HighPerformanceandReliability
Maintainhighperformanceandreliabilitywithoutsacrificinguserexperienceorsecurity.
•EachMicroStrategydeploymentisinasingle-tenant,privatecloud.Thisallowsorganizationstocustomizethesoftwaretomeettheirneeds.Queriesrunbycustomerswillnotaffectothers.Eachinstanceisisolatedfromothersformaximumprivacy.
•TheMicroStrategyCloudoperationsteamhasthecloudexpertsandsupporttohelpensurehighperformanceandreliability.WearebackednotonlybyAWS’sworld-classinfrastructure,butalsoAWSexpertswhohelpeddesignandautomateourclouddeployment.OurCloudenvironmentwasbuiltwiththelatestAWStechnologyandaccordingtoAWS’sbestpractices.Ourteamproactivelypatchesinfrastructure,operatingsystems,andapplicationstooptimizeperformancewhiledeterringsecuritythreats.Wehaveprocessesinplacesothatsystemsaremonitored,includingtheanalyticsandmobilityservers.
•MicroStrategyallowsorganizationstoclusterupto8servernodes.Beyondbeingabletofurtherscaleinvolumeofanalyticscontent,thiswillimproveoverallSLAsbyreorganizinglargeclustersforhigheravailabilityandfasterservicerecovery,reduceTCObyconsolidationofmultipleenvironments,andremovefrictiontodeploynewapplicationsandincreaseusercapacity.
•TableauontheAWSMarketplaceandTableauOnlinedonothavehighperformanceandreliabilitybecausetheyareasingleinstanceonamultitenantenvironment.Asaresult,acustomer'squeriesmayimpactperformanceforallothercustomersonthesametenant.Ifthesinglenodegoesdown,thewholeenvironmentwillbeinaccessible.Ifthecustomerdecidestoclustermachines,itwillbeamanualprocesswhichwillrequireinstallingandconfiguringadditionalnodesandtakeadditionaltime,resourcesandexpertise.•Tableauonlineisamultitenantenvironment.Asaresult,acustomer'squeriesmayimpactperformanceforallothercustomers.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotTableauDetailsbyCapability -vsTableau -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
DataConnectivityandMigration
Servicesforcustomerslookingtomovetheirdataintothecloudorconnecttheiron-premdatatotheircloudenvironment.
•MicroStrategyprovidesdataconnectivityanddatawarehousesolutionstomeetcustomerneeds.Customersmaychoosetomigratetheirdataintothecloud.WeofferoptionstomigrateintoAmazonRedshift,SQLServerEnterprise,SQLServerStandard,MySQL,orAuroraDWHplatforms.Whencustomerschoosethisoption,MicroStrategybuildsthechosenDWHwithinthesameVPCastherestoftheBIcloudenvironment.MicroStrategyworkswithcustomerstoselectthecorrectsize(CPU/RAM)DWHmachinethatmeetstheirneeds.ETLoptionsarealsoavailable.
•Ifacustomerchoosestomaintaintheirdatabaseon-premorinanotherclouddatasource,atypicalimplementationinvolvesestablishingaVPNconnectionbetweentheMicroStrategyCloudanditsdatabaseordata.Theperformanceofthisarchitecturecanvarybasedonavarietyoffactors,includingthephysicaldistancebetweentheMicroStrategyClouddatacenterandthecustomerdatasource,thelatencyofthedataconnection,thebandwidthoftheconnection,theamountofusage,itsqueryintensiveness,thequery-responselatencyofthecustomerdatasource,andothervariables.
•Whiletheservercanbehostedinthecloud,TableaurequiresitsDesktopproductfordatamodelauthoring.Thisisn'tatruecloudmodelandwillrequireenduserstodownloadandinstalltheirproductontheirowncomputers.•Webislimitedtointeractingwithpublisheddashboardsandcreatingnewdashboardsandsheets.•Nomigrationplanstomovetoon-prem.Usershavetochoosetostayon-premormovetocloud.
DataSecurity Securitytoprotectcustomerdata24/7/365.
•MicroStrategyCloudsecuritymeetsorexceedsindustrystandardsandbestpractices.MicroStrategyimplementsstrongcontrolpracticestoeffectivelymaintainthesecurityandavailabilityoftheMicroStrategyCloudandassociateddata.Wehelpensurethatyourdataissecureatnetworkandapplicationlevelsfromanyattacks.WefollowthelatestindustrystandardsonmanycompliancesandcertificationssuchasSOCI&II,HIPAA,PCI,andPrivacyShield.
•PhysicalSecurity–SAS-70certifiedDataCenter•TableauSingleSignOn(SSO)istheaccesscontrolsystemthatprovidessecureauthenticationtosystemsincludingTableauWebsite,TableauCustomer/PartnerPortal,TableauForumsandTableauOnline.•SSLEncryption•Permissionscanbeaddedtoworkbooksanddatasourcestogovernthecapabilitiesavailabletospecificusersandgroups.•UserscanonlydefineadditionalsecurityinworkbooksanddatasourcesbyaddingUserFiltersandDataSourceFilters.
EnterpriseIoT
DigitalBadge Useasingledigitalidentifiertotrack,report,andmanagealluserinteractionswithenterpriseassets.Thebadgeverifiesidentitiespriortograntingaccesstoenterpriseassets.
•MicroStrategy,viaUsher,deliverssmartphone-baseddigitalbadgesthatprovideseamlessaccesstophysicalandlogicalassetsacrosstheenterprise.•Digitalbadgesreplacephysicalbadges,keyfobs,passwords,andotheridentifierswithdigitalcredentialsdeliveredviaamobileapp.Badgesarebrandedbytheissuingorganizationandaredynamicallyandsecurelylinkedtoanindividuals'privilegesandaccessrights.•Badgescanberemotelyissuedandrevokednearlyinstantaneously.Theyareprovisionedviasecure,out-of-bandmeans,andtheirusecanbegatedbybiometric,geographical,ortemporalconstraints.•Thedigitalbadgeprovidesauniqueidentifierthatcanbeusedbyanysinglebadgetovalidatetheidentityofanyotherbadge.Italsoprovidesone-timepasscodesforasecondfactorofauthentication.
•DigitalbadgesarenotprovidedinTableau.MicroStrategyistheonlyBIplatformthatofferspassword-freeloginviaamobileapp.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotTableauDetailsbyCapability -vsTableau -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
PhysicalAccess
Controlandmanageaccesstoanyentrywayacrossanenterpriseusingadigitalbadgetoenhanceorreplaceexistingaccesscardsforemployees,contractors,andvisitors.
•MicroStrategyprovidessmartphone-basedphysicalaccessfunctionalitypre-integratedwithleadingPACSvendors.Usherworkstoconsolidatemultiplephysicalaccesscontrolsystemsthroughoutanenterprise.•WithanOpenAPImodel,MicroStrategycanintegratewithpartnerphysicalaccesscontrolsystems,buildingautomationsystems,manufacturingsystems,InternetofThings(IoT)grids,andnetworksandmanagementsystemstodelivermoreadvancedfunctionalityandimplementationoptionstocustomers.
•Physicalaccessisnotsupported.TableaudoesnotsupportOTBintegrationwithleadingPACSvendorsonmobiledevices.
LogicalAccess
AccessalltypesofdigitalassetsinanorganizationincludingBIapplications,webapplications,VPNs,andworkstationsfromasinglepoint.
•MicroStrategyprovidessecuredigitalidentitythatallowsuserstoaccessnearlyanysysteminanenterprise(devices,applications,andVPNs)fromasinglepoint.InordertobothprotectthecurrentITinvestmentsofcorporationsaswellasenablefutureinvestments,logicalaccesswithMicroStrategyiscompatiblewithbothindustry-standardprotocolslikeSAMLandRADIUSaswellasemergingstandardssuchasOpenIDConnect.
•TableaudoesnotofferlogicalaccesstodigitalsystemsotherthanitsownBIsuite.TableaucanbeconfiguredtouseSAML(securityassertionmarkuplanguage)orOpenIDConnectforpassword-freelogins/singlesign-on,butthisrequiresathird-partyauthenticationsolution.
BluetoothSensing
Enablecontextualinteractions,security,andseamlessuserexperiencesviaBluetoothdeliveringreal-timelocationalawarenessofenterpriseassets.
•IntheMicroStrategyplatform,Usher’sBluetooth(BLE4.0)integrationenablesreal-timemicro-locationalawarenessofenterpriseassetsaswellastouch-freephysicalandlogicalaccess.•Thisallowsthousandsofuserstoprojecttheiridentityandmoveaboutacorporateenvironmentaccessingdoorwaysandsystemssecurelywithdrasticallydecreasedamountsoffriction.TheBluetoothsensingcapabilitycanalsobeconfiguredtologproximityataparticularplaceandtime.
•TableaudoesnotintegratewithBluetooth.
BarcodeScanner
TrackenterpriseassetsbyscanningbarcodesorQRcodeswheneverauserinteractswiththem.Thisabilitysetsthefoundationforseamlessrepair,maintenance,andinventorymanagementofenterpriseassets.
•TheintegratedbarcodescannerinMicroStrategybadgescanscanvirtuallyanykindofQRorbarcodetag,securelyloggingalinkagebetweenanemployeeandaproduct,machine,oranyvaluableenterpriseasset.•ThiscapabilityallowsthetrackingofofflineassetsusinglabelsandtagswithbarorQRcodesandcanimproveprocessauditingandenforcementforcustomerservice,maintenance,andmore.Scanningbarcodeshelpstakedatafrommultiplecomponentsandsystemsandcombinethemtoimprovethepredictabilityofperformanceissuesthatariseinday-to-daybusinessoperations.
•TrackingassetswithbarcodescannersisnotsupportedinTableau.ThisisinpartduetoTableaunotprovidingadigitalbadgeforuseininteractingwiththeEnterpriseInternetofThings.
Communication&Collaboration
Empowermanagementanddecision-makingtobemoretimely,informed,andcollaborativethroughdirect,in-app2-waymessagingbasedonlocationandsystemsaccess.
•TheUsherout-of-the-boxproductivityapplicationallowsmanagerstoquicklyidentify,verify,coordinate,andcommunicatewithotherusers–eitherin-personorbyremotelocation.•UsershavethecapabilitytoexchangemessagesfromanyclientinterfaceviatheIdentityserverastheintermediary.Thisfeaturesupportsanumberofusecasesincludingemployeesafety,support,andcoordination,particularlyforfieldworkforcesorduringspecialevents.
•ForTableau,thisisnotofferedoutsideofannotationsandcollaborationfordashboardsinitsBIinterfaces.SinceTableaudoesnotprovideadigitaltwinthatiscarriedbyuserswiththeminamobileform-factoratalltimes,itfurtherlacksaconvenientmeansofreachingusersinatimelyfashion.Additionally,thismeansthereismuchlesscontextualinformationavailableaboutusersinanygivenpointintimetoinfluencethedirectionofcommuniques.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotTableauDetailsbyCapability -vsTableau -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
Real-timeTelemetry
Generateconsumablereal-timeintelligenceviadigitalidentityinteractionswithalltypesofenterpriseassets(physicalandlogical)andconstituents.
•WithMicroStrategyUsherbadges,userpresenceandactionscreatereal-timetelemetryviaanApacheKafkaCluster–anopen-sourceprogramdeliveringadistributed,partitioned,andreplicatedcommitlogservicesupportingreal-timedataprocessingandbigdatavolumes.Thistelemetrydataisarichandunderutilizedsourceofinformationthatisthekeytounlockingasmarter,moreproductiveworkforce.Toexpeditevaluecreation,MicroStrategyhelpsorganizationsefficientlycreateandharnessmassiveamountsoftimelyinformationarrivingfromEIoTdevices.
•TableauDataExtracts(TDEs)donotincludealiveconnectiontothesource.ThismeansthatTDEsarenotusefulforproviding“real-time”datainaTableauvisualization.Also,iftherefreshtimeofaTDEismorethanthedesireddatarefreshtime,thenTDEsaren’tfeasible.•RefreshingTDEsputsmoreloadontoTableauServer,whichcanimpacttheperformanceofvisualizations.Therefore,itmaybepreferabletodotheworktomaketheunderlyingsourcefastenoughtousealiveconnectionratherthanimplementingtheextrahardwareandconfigurationneededtomaketheTDErefreshfastenough.•Tableau'slackofadigitalbadgepreventsitfromgeneratingcomprehensive,real-timetelemetrystemmingfromtheinteractionsbetweenenterpriseassetsandconstituents.
OTBReportingModule
Deployreportingbasedontelemetry,pullingdatafromallassetsandaccesspointstodeliverinsightintooperationsandcomplianceinaunified,“singlesourceoftruth”dashboard.Reportsshouldbecustomizablewiththeabilitytoblenddatafromotherenterpriserepositories.
•UsherAnalyticsisaMicroStrategyprojectincludedout-of-the-boxwithabadgeimplementation.MicroStrategytakescareoftheETLprocessessoaccessandauthorizationdatageneratedontheback-endisautomaticallyloadedintoadatawarehouseandleveragedbyapre-builtdataschema.Thisprojectincludesmultipledashboardsandamobileapplicationforvisibilityintointeractionsbetweenenterpriseconstituentsandassets.
•OTBreportingforanaccess-centricEIoTimplementationisnotsupportedbyTableau.ForTableautodeliverdashboardsthatshowaconvergedlogofphysicalandlogicaltransactionsbyeachuserinanenterprise,asignificantamountoflabor(connecting,ETL-ing,architecting,dashboarding)wouldneedtooccur.
IntegrationwithDirectoryServices
Synchronizetodirectoryservicesastheauthoritativesourceforemployeerecordsandattributes.Supporttheenforcementofdirectoryprovisioningforauthorization(privileges,entitlements,andrestrictions).
•WithintheMicroStrategyplatform,UsherNetworkManagerhaspre-builtdirectoryintegrationswithMicrosoftActiveDirectory,AWSDirectoryServices,andOktaUniversalDirectory.UsherisalsocompatiblewiththeOpenLDAPstandard.ThisallowsMicroStrategytoquicklyissuestandardizedcredentialstoallusers,eveninorganizationswhichutilizemultipleidentityrepositories-orevenmanuallyaddtemporaryuserswhodonotexistinanyrepository.
•TableauprovidesauthenticationandsecuritysupportviaMicrosoftActiveDirectory,SAML,oAuthandanativeauthenticationmanagedbyTableauServer.However,itintegratesnativelywithfewerthird-partyidentityrepositoriescomparedtoMicroStrategy.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotTableauDetailsbyCapability -vsTableau -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
IdentityServer Manageanetworkofusersbyconfiguringrelationshipsthatprompt,enable,orsecureinteractionsamongemployeesandassetswithinthenetwork.IdentityServersenableadministratorstocreate,configure,distribute,revoke,andmanagedigitalidentitieswithuserbadges.
•TheMicroStrategyUsheridentityserver,whichassignsandissuesdigitaltwinstousersintheformofbadges,isFIDOAlliance-certifiedonaUAFprotocolfordeliveringpassword-freeauthenticationbasedonpublickeycryptography.Itisstronglyresistanttophishingandcanmakeuseraccesssubjecttogeographicandtemporalconstraints.
TheUsherserverarchitectureisbuilttoensurethatonlyauthorizedbadgeuserscommunicatewiththeidentityserver,andonlyfromauthorizeddevices.TheUsherserverhasthesoleauthoritytoconvertamobiledeviceintoanauthorizeddevicethroughaprocessthathelpsensurethatroguedevicesorapplicationswillnotbeabletocommunicatewiththeidentityserver.Theidentityserverprovidessupportforencryptionofdataatrestandintransit,encryptionkeymanagement,andtransactionloggingtiedtoanindividualuser’sidentity.
•TableaudoesnotprovideOTBsupportforidentityservers.UserandassetadministrationinTableauislimitedtocontrollingBIapplicationsandenvironments.
EnterprisePartner
100%FocusonEnterpriseAnalytics
Corebusinessisexclusivelyfocusedonenterpriseanalytics.
•MicroStrategyisdedicatedtoasinglebusinessline,exclusivelyfocusedonenterpriseanalyticsandmobilitysoftware.•MicroStrategy’smissionistoprovideenterprisecustomerswithaworld-classsoftwareplatformandexpertservicessotheycandeployuniqueintelligenceapplications.
•Tableauwasdesignedasaself-servicedatadiscoveryandvisualizationsolutionaimedatandadoptedprimarilybyteamsanddepartments.•Tableauhasmultiplegapsasanenterprisesolution.
PlatformCohesion
Cohesionisanimportantconceptinsoftwaredesignbecauseitreducescomplexity,enhancessystemmaintainabilityandincreasesreusability,whichtogetherpromoteperformance,scalabilityandelegance.
•MicroStrategy10hasaunifiedplatformarchitectureuniquelysuitedtodeliverhigh-performanceapplicationsthatarehighlyreusableandsecure,andcanmeetthebusinessintelligencedemandsofvarioususersandorganizations.•Sinceitsinception,MicroStrategyhasbeendevelopingitsplatformtechnology100%organically.
•Tableauhasstartedtomeldtogetherdisparatetechnologiestotrytofillgapsinitssolution.•In2015,TableauacquiredInfoactive,whichspecializesininfographics.•In2016,TableauacquiredHyPer,anin-memorydatabaseresearchprojectthatneverlaunchedcommercially.AccordingtoTableau’sroadmap,itplanstouseHyPertoreplaceTableau’sdataextractsinordertosupportlargerdatasets.
VisionaryCEO
CEOanticipatesanddrivestechnologytrendsintheenterpriseanalyticsindustry.
•MicroStrategy’sCEO,MichaelSaylor,hasanticipatedtechnologytrendssuchasmobiletechnology’stransformationofbusinessoperations,andledthecompanythroughmultiplewavesofinnovationsuchasclient-server,web,mobile,cloudandenterpriseinternetofthings.•Mr.SaylorisalsotheauthorofTheNewYorkTime’sbest-sellingbook,“TheMobileWave.”
•AdamSelipskywasappointedTableau’sCEOinSeptember2016andhasnosignificantpriorexperienceleadingormanagingananalyticsbusiness.•Mr.Selipskywaspreviouslyinmarketingandsales,andisn’tavisionaryintheanalyticsindustry.
CEOEngagementwithCustomers
CEOengagesdirectlyandsubstantiallywithcustomersaroundtheworld.
•MicroStrategy’sCEOdirectlyengageswithcustomersaroundtheworldbypersonallyparticipatinginamajorityofthe100+SymposiumeventsthatMicroStrategyholdsperyearin35differentcountries,inadditiontoothercustomermeetingsandeventsonaregularbasis.
•TableauoffersonlyalimitednumberofCEOattendedconferences.
TenuredExecutiveTeam
Executiveteamhasextensiveexperienceinenterpriseanalyticsandmobility.
•MicroStrategy’sCEOandCTOcollectivelyhaveover50yearsofexperienceinenterpriseanalyticsandmobility.•Additionally,MicroStrategy’sCEOhassciencedegreesfromMITandmorethan50patentstohisname,andhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindMicroStrategy’stechnologysinceitsinception.
•Tableau’sCEOwashiredlessthanayearago,andhasnopriorexperienceintheanalyticsindustry.•Tableau’sCEOandChiefDevelopmentOfficercollectivelyhaveonly14yearsofexperienceintheanalyticsindustry.
ShareholderAlignment
Principalshareholderandmanagementinterestsarealignedwiththecompany’slong-termsuccess.
•Mr.Saylor,thecompany’sChairmanoftheBoard,President&CEO,foundedMicroStrategyin1989andhasbeenthecompany’scontrollingshareholdersinceitsinception.Accordingly,shareholderandmanagementinterestsarefullyalignedinpursuingMicroStrategy’svisionandlong-termsuccess.
•Tableau’sCEOholdslessthan1%ownershipinterestinthecompany.•In2016,Tableauwasreportedlyindiscussionswithaninvestmentbanktoexploreapotentialsaleofitsbusiness.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotTableauDetailsbyCapability -vsTableau -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotTableau Tableau
ScoreMSTRScore
PubliclyTradedCompany
Withgreatertransparency,stabilityandaccesstofunding,apubliclytradedcompanygenerallyhasastrongermanagementteam,instillsgreaterconfidenceincustomersandhasmorefinanciallevers.
•Havinggonepublic18yearsago,MicroStrategyisamaturepubliclytradedcompany.
•Tableauhasbeenpubliclytradedforonly4years.
StrongFinancials
Aprofitableorganizationwithastrongbalancesheetcanbetterwithstandmarketvolatilityandfluctuations.
•MicroStrategyhasbeenprofitableoverthelast13years,withcombinednetincomeof$197millionoverthelast2fiscalyearsandanoperatingmarginof21%for2016.•Inaddition,MicroStrategy’sbalancesheetisstrongwithzerodebt.
•Tableaureportedacombinednetlossof$228millionforthelast2fiscalyears.•Tableau’soperatingmarginfor2016was-17%.
WorldwideSalesPresence
Companyhastheabilitytodirectlyengagewithorganizationsaroundtheworld.
•MicroStrategyhasofficesin26countriesacrosseverymajorregionoftheworld.
•Tableauonlyhasofficesin10countries.•TableauhasnodirectpresenceintheMiddleEastorLATAM.
WorldwideServicesPresence
Companyhastheabilitytoprovidesupportandservicestocustomersaroundtheworld.
•MicroStrategyhasofficesin26countriesacrosseverymajorregionoftheworld.
•Tableauonlyhasofficesin10countries.•TableauhasnodirectpresenceintheMiddleEastorLATAM.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData OverviewOverview -vsQlik -
CriticalCapabilities-QlikScoresTechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
QlikScore
CriticalCapability
QlikScore CriticalCapability Qlik
Score CriticalCapability QlikScore
CriticalCapability
QlikScore
CriticalCapability
QlikScore
CriticalCapability
QlikScore
1ObjectOriented
ReusabilitySelf-Service
DataDiscoveryTransactionalWorkflows
CreateCustomWebApplications
SimplifiedEnterpriseDeployment
DigitalBadge100%Focus
onEnterpriseAnalytics
2 DataGovernance
OptimizedDataConnectivity
EmbeddedMultimedia
CreateCustomMobile
ApplicationsiniOSandAndroid
GlobalAvailability
PhysicalAccess
PlatformCohesion
3 UserSecurity
DataPreparationandBlending
GeospatialAnalysis EmbedThird-PartyDataasDatasets
APIEnabledOperations LogicalAccess Visionary
CEO
4 Scalability EnterpriseReports OfflineAccess
CreateCustomHTML5
Visualizations
DisasterRecoveryand
FailoverBluetoothSensing
CEOEngagement
withCustomers
5 Performance Dashboardsanddocuments
MobileClientCachingforHighPerformance
ExtractSubsetsofDataUsing
RESTfulAPIsCentralized
AdministrationBarcodeScanner
TenuredExecutiveTeam
6 Automation MobileAnalytics
PersonalizedAlertsviaPush
NotificationsCreateCustomDataConnectors AutoScaling Communication
&CollaborationShareholderAlignment
7 Monitoring RealTimeAnalytics
InstantUpdatestoCustomAppswithNoRecompilation
MultitenancySupport
SeamlessUpgrades
Real-timeTelemetry
PubliclyTraded
Company
8 DeploymentPredictive
AnalyticsandMachineLearning
Customize/WhiteLabel
HighPerformanceandReliability
OTBReportingModule
StrongFinancials
9 HighAvailability
BigDataAnalytics
NativeIntegrationwithEMMVendors
DataConnectivityandMigration
IntegrationwithDirectoryServices
WorldwideSales
Presence
10 In-memoryArchitecture
AutomatedDistributionand
AlertingMobileAppUsage
Monitoring DataSecurity IdentityServerWorldwideServicesPresence
TechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
QlikScore
CriticalCapability
QlikScore CriticalCapability Qlik
Score CriticalCapability QlikScore
CriticalCapability
QlikScore
CriticalCapability
QlikScore
CriticalCapability
QlikScore
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData CriticalCapabilities-QlikScoresOverview -vsQlik -
TechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
QlikScore
CriticalCapability
QlikScore CriticalCapability Qlik
Score CriticalCapability QlikScore
CriticalCapability
QlikScore
CriticalCapability
QlikScore
CriticalCapability
QlikScore
1ObjectOriented
ReusabilitySelf-Service
DataDiscoveryTransactionalWorkflows
CreateCustomWebApplications
SimplifiedEnterpriseDeployment
DigitalBadge100%Focus
onEnterpriseAnalytics
2 DataGovernance
OptimizedDataConnectivity
EmbeddedMultimedia
CreateCustomMobile
ApplicationsiniOSandAndroid
GlobalAvailability
PhysicalAccess
PlatformCohesion
3 UserSecurity
DataPreparationandBlending
GeospatialAnalysis EmbedThird-PartyDataasDatasets
APIEnabledOperations LogicalAccess Visionary
CEO
4 Scalability EnterpriseReports OfflineAccess
CreateCustomHTML5
Visualizations
DisasterRecoveryand
FailoverBluetoothSensing
CEOEngagement
withCustomers
5 Performance Dashboardsanddocuments
MobileClientCachingforHighPerformance
ExtractSubsetsofDataUsing
RESTfulAPIsCentralized
AdministrationBarcodeScanner
TenuredExecutiveTeam
6 Automation MobileAnalytics
PersonalizedAlertsviaPush
NotificationsCreateCustomDataConnectors AutoScaling Communication
&CollaborationShareholderAlignment
7 Monitoring RealTimeAnalytics
InstantUpdatestoCustomAppswithNoRecompilation
MultitenancySupport
SeamlessUpgrades
Real-timeTelemetry
PubliclyTraded
Company
8 DeploymentPredictive
AnalyticsandMachineLearning
Customize/WhiteLabel
HighPerformanceandReliability
OTBReportingModule
StrongFinancials
9 HighAvailability
BigDataAnalytics
NativeIntegrationwithEMMVendors
DataConnectivityandMigration
IntegrationwithDirectoryServices
WorldwideSales
Presence
10 In-memoryArchitecture
AutomatedDistributionand
AlertingMobileAppUsage
Monitoring DataSecurity IdentityServerWorldwideServicesPresence
TechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
QlikScore
CriticalCapability
QlikScore CriticalCapability Qlik
Score CriticalCapability QlikScore
CriticalCapability
QlikScore
CriticalCapability
QlikScore
CriticalCapability
QlikScore
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData OverviewDetailsbyCapability -vsQlik -
WhyNotQlikTechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTQlik Qlik
ScoreMSTRScore
EnterprisePlatform
ObjectOrientedReusability
Anobject-orientedarchitecturecatalogseveryaspectofthebusiness.Dataassets,KPIs,dimensions,users,reports,anddashboardsareallstoredinacentrallocationasuniquelogicalobjectstosupportreusability.
MicroStrategyoffersacentralizedmetadatarepositorythatisbuiltwithandcontainsobjects,asdefinedbydevelopers,andcanbereusedacrosstheBIproject.Objectscanbecombinedtocreatehigherlevelobjects(e.g.,attributesandmetricsmakeupareport;reports,filters,andpromptsmakeupadocument;documents,andotherreportscanbeembeddedintoadocument-allofwhicharestoredas"metadataobjects"),andthistogetherdeliversasingleBIprojectoradatamodel.•ThereusablemodelenablesobjectsacrosstheBIdeploymenttobesecurelyreusedhundredsoftimesbyusersacrosstheenterprise,withoutanyduplicationofeffort.•Themodelnotonlyincludesdimensionsandmetrics,butalsocoversfilters,reports,prompts,customgroups,reports,dashboards,anddocuments-makingitpossibletoflexiblyreusealloftheseobjectsmultipletimesacrossanyapplicationandBIproject.•Changesormodificationsmadetoanyobjectinthemetadataautomaticallyproliferatestoallotherdependentobjects.Thiseliminatestheneedtomanuallyupdatethechangesacrossthedeployment,whichisparticularlyhelpfulforlargerBIprojects.•Thereusablemodelhelpsensurefasterdevelopmenttimes,increasedplatformscalability,efficientmanagement,andalsomaintainsasingleversionofthetruth.
•QlikSenselacksasinglereusablemetadatalayer.EachQlikapplicationisessentiallyastandaloneself-containedapp.Withthisfragmentedapproach,usersareunabletoleverage"metadata"objectsfromacrossalldatasources.
•QlikSenseislimitedinitsabilitytoreusemetadataobjects(suchascalculatedmeasures,customgroups,hierarchies)acrossworkbooksandunderlyingdataextractssincethey’retiedtospecificdatasources.
•QlikSenseusersmustmakechangestoanydatafield,datamodel,orbusinessformuladirectlyineachindividualapplication,creatingatediouschangemanagementprocess.
DataGovernance
Uniquedefinitionstoeverydimensionandmetricboundtogetherbystrictrulesthataredefinedbyalogicalmodel,thusensuringasingleversionofthetruth
TheMicroStrategymetadatamodelmakesitpossibleforanyonewiththerightprivilegestopromotenewandexternalcontenttotheServerandtieittoacertifieddatamodel,allwitheasyworkflows.•Itispossibletomapthemetadataatthedimensionlevel,aswellasthecubelevel,givinguserstheflexibilitytocontrolthedatathatispublishedtothemodel.•Theplatformsupportsgovernancefordatafromdisparatesources,evenexternalnon-certifiedsources,thathelpsbuildasystemofrecordthatuserscantrust--whilealsodeliveringflexibilitytoendusers.•Beyondtheabilitytogovernexternaldatasources,theplatformoffersgranularsecurityfeaturesthatallowprojectownersanddatastewardstograntpermissionsandprivilegestotherightpeople.Thisdeliversdatasecurityandalsopersonalizesreportsanddashboardstoendusers.•WorkflowsavailablewiththeMicroStrategyplatformtopromoteexternaldataintothesystemofrecord,combinedwiththeflexibilityofthesystemtodeliverself-serviceaccesstobusinessteamswillincreasetheoveralladoptionoftheBIplatform.
•UnlikeMicroStrategy,QlikSensedoesnotsupportacertified,enterprise-widelogicaldatamodel.QlikSensedashboardsareself-containedwithdataandmetadata,regardlessofthesourceorvalidityofthatdata.Asusersgeneratetheirown"siloed"datamodels,thepotentialforproliferatinginvalidorinconsistentdataacrosstheenterprisegreatlyincreases.
•QlikSenselacksthecentralizeduseradministrationneededtoenforcedatasecurity.UnlikeMicroStrategy,QlikSensehasnooverarching,automatedmechanismtocontinuouslyensurethatusersseeonlythedataappropriateforthem,basedontheirrolesandprivileges.
UserSecurity Rolesandprivilegesthatassignrestrictionstousersandgroupsensurethatendusersonlyseepersonalizedandrelevantcontentandareonlyabletoperformauthorizedactions.
ThesecuritymodelwithintheMicroStrategyplatformisbuiltaroundusersandusergroups,whicharerepresentedaslogicalmetadataobjects.Thisensuresthatdataissecuredatthemostgranularlevels.•Securityfiltersbasedondimensionvalueshelpensurethatusersarerestrictedtoonlyseedatathatisrelevanttothem.Thiseliminatestheneedtobuildmultiplecopiesofthesameapplication,andmakesitpossibletooptimallyscale.•WithMicroStrategy'stools,administratorscanapplyAccessControlLists(ACLs)tolargeusergroups,restrictingtherangeofdataobjectstheycanaccessoractionstheycanperform,andspecifyingthescopeoftheirprivilegesintheenvironment.•WithUsher,itispossibletoprovidesecuredigitalauthenticationoptions,includinggeo-fencingandtime-fencingcapabilities,makingitpossibletorestrictuseraccessbasedonlocationandtime.
•UnlikeMicroStrategy,QlikSenselackscentralizeduseradministrationtoenforcedatasecurityonanenterprise-widebasis.Thereisnooverarching,automatedmechanismtocontinuouslyensurethatusersseeonlythedataappropriateforthem,basedontheirrolesandprivileges.
•WithQlikSense,adminsmustcreateandmaintainSectionAccesstablesthatholdinformationonuseraccessprivilegesandthenreferencethesetablesfromthescriptofeachQlikSensedocumenttoincorporaterow-levelsecurity,whichisalotofredundantwork.
•QlikSensesupportsrow-levelsecurity(RLS)only.MicroStrategynotonly
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTQlik Qlik
ScoreMSTRScore
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotQlikDetailsbyCapability -vsQlik -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTQlik Qlik
ScoreMSTRScore
EnterprisePlatform
ObjectOrientedReusability
Anobject-orientedarchitecturecatalogseveryaspectofthebusiness.Dataassets,KPIs,dimensions,users,reports,anddashboardsareallstoredinacentrallocationasuniquelogicalobjectstosupportreusability.
MicroStrategyoffersacentralizedmetadatarepositorythatisbuiltwithandcontainsobjects,asdefinedbydevelopers,andcanbereusedacrosstheBIproject.Objectscanbecombinedtocreatehigherlevelobjects(e.g.,attributesandmetricsmakeupareport;reports,filters,andpromptsmakeupadocument;documents,andotherreportscanbeembeddedintoadocument-allofwhicharestoredas"metadataobjects"),andthistogetherdeliversasingleBIprojectoradatamodel.•ThereusablemodelenablesobjectsacrosstheBIdeploymenttobesecurelyreusedhundredsoftimesbyusersacrosstheenterprise,withoutanyduplicationofeffort.•Themodelnotonlyincludesdimensionsandmetrics,butalsocoversfilters,reports,prompts,customgroups,reports,dashboards,anddocuments-makingitpossibletoflexiblyreusealloftheseobjectsmultipletimesacrossanyapplicationandBIproject.•Changesormodificationsmadetoanyobjectinthemetadataautomaticallyproliferatestoallotherdependentobjects.Thiseliminatestheneedtomanuallyupdatethechangesacrossthedeployment,whichisparticularlyhelpfulforlargerBIprojects.•Thereusablemodelhelpsensurefasterdevelopmenttimes,increasedplatformscalability,efficientmanagement,andalsomaintainsasingleversionofthetruth.
•QlikSenselacksasinglereusablemetadatalayer.EachQlikapplicationisessentiallyastandaloneself-containedapp.Withthisfragmentedapproach,usersareunabletoleverage"metadata"objectsfromacrossalldatasources.
•QlikSenseislimitedinitsabilitytoreusemetadataobjects(suchascalculatedmeasures,customgroups,hierarchies)acrossworkbooksandunderlyingdataextractssincethey’retiedtospecificdatasources.
•QlikSenseusersmustmakechangestoanydatafield,datamodel,orbusinessformuladirectlyineachindividualapplication,creatingatediouschangemanagementprocess.
DataGovernance
Uniquedefinitionstoeverydimensionandmetricboundtogetherbystrictrulesthataredefinedbyalogicalmodel,thusensuringasingleversionofthetruth
TheMicroStrategymetadatamodelmakesitpossibleforanyonewiththerightprivilegestopromotenewandexternalcontenttotheServerandtieittoacertifieddatamodel,allwitheasyworkflows.•Itispossibletomapthemetadataatthedimensionlevel,aswellasthecubelevel,givinguserstheflexibilitytocontrolthedatathatispublishedtothemodel.•Theplatformsupportsgovernancefordatafromdisparatesources,evenexternalnon-certifiedsources,thathelpsbuildasystemofrecordthatuserscantrust--whilealsodeliveringflexibilitytoendusers.•Beyondtheabilitytogovernexternaldatasources,theplatformoffersgranularsecurityfeaturesthatallowprojectownersanddatastewardstograntpermissionsandprivilegestotherightpeople.Thisdeliversdatasecurityandalsopersonalizesreportsanddashboardstoendusers.•WorkflowsavailablewiththeMicroStrategyplatformtopromoteexternaldataintothesystemofrecord,combinedwiththeflexibilityofthesystemtodeliverself-serviceaccesstobusinessteamswillincreasetheoveralladoptionoftheBIplatform.
•UnlikeMicroStrategy,QlikSensedoesnotsupportacertified,enterprise-widelogicaldatamodel.QlikSensedashboardsareself-containedwithdataandmetadata,regardlessofthesourceorvalidityofthatdata.Asusersgeneratetheirown"siloed"datamodels,thepotentialforproliferatinginvalidorinconsistentdataacrosstheenterprisegreatlyincreases.
•QlikSenselacksthecentralizeduseradministrationneededtoenforcedatasecurity.UnlikeMicroStrategy,QlikSensehasnooverarching,automatedmechanismtocontinuouslyensurethatusersseeonlythedataappropriateforthem,basedontheirrolesandprivileges.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotQlikDetailsbyCapability -vsQlik -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTQlik Qlik
ScoreMSTRScore
UserSecurity Rolesandprivilegesthatassignrestrictionstousersandgroupsensurethatendusersonlyseepersonalizedandrelevantcontentandareonlyabletoperformauthorizedactions.
ThesecuritymodelwithintheMicroStrategyplatformisbuiltaroundusersandusergroups,whicharerepresentedaslogicalmetadataobjects.Thisensuresthatdataissecuredatthemostgranularlevels.•Securityfiltersbasedondimensionvalueshelpensurethatusersarerestrictedtoonlyseedatathatisrelevanttothem.Thiseliminatestheneedtobuildmultiplecopiesofthesameapplication,andmakesitpossibletooptimallyscale.•WithMicroStrategy'stools,administratorscanapplyAccessControlLists(ACLs)tolargeusergroups,restrictingtherangeofdataobjectstheycanaccessoractionstheycanperform,andspecifyingthescopeoftheirprivilegesintheenvironment.•WithUsher,itispossibletoprovidesecuredigitalauthenticationoptions,includinggeo-fencingandtime-fencingcapabilities,makingitpossibletorestrictuseraccessbasedonlocationandtime.
•UnlikeMicroStrategy,QlikSenselackscentralizeduseradministrationtoenforcedatasecurityonanenterprise-widebasis.Thereisnooverarching,automatedmechanismtocontinuouslyensurethatusersseeonlythedataappropriateforthem,basedontheirrolesandprivileges.
•WithQlikSense,adminsmustcreateandmaintainSectionAccesstablesthatholdinformationonuseraccessprivilegesandthenreferencethesetablesfromthescriptofeachQlikSensedocumenttoincorporaterow-levelsecurity,whichisalotofredundantwork.
•QlikSensesupportsrow-levelsecurity(RLS)only.MicroStrategynotonlysupportsrow-levelsecurity,butalsoenforcessecurityonindividualmetadataobjects,enablingmuchmoregranularcontroloverdataaccessandusercapabilities.
Scalability Deliveranalyticstoeveryoneacrosstheenterprise,andbeyond.Allow1000sofuserstoleverageanalyticswithoutsacrificingperformanceandwithoutrestrictionsondatasize.
MicroStrategyisoptimizedinitsdesignforenterprisescaleandspeed;assuch,theplatformcansupporttheanalyticalreportingneedsof100softhousandsofusersacrosstheenterprise.•Theplatformcanbeclusteredwithupto8nodeswithwork-anduser-fencingoptionstohelpensureperformanceandreliabilityacrosstheentireuserpopulation.•Theplatformhasnorestrictionsondatasizeforeitherdirectorin-memoryaccesstodata•MicroStrategycustomersareleveragingtheplatformtostoredatausingin-memorycubeswithover2billionrowswhiledeliveringsub-secondresponsetimestotheirend-users.•MicroStrategyistheonlycomprehensiveanalyticsvendorthatsupportsbigdataanalyticswithnativeconnectorstoHDFStoaccesspetabytesofdatainrealtime.
•QlikSenseisnotarchitectedtofunctionasanenterprise-scale,system-of-recordanalyticsplatform;itisreallydesignedfordepartmentaluserstovisualizedataandsharedashboards.QlikSenseisnotequippedtosupport100softhousandsofusers,thousandsofsimultaneousreports,orautomatedreportdistributionacrosstheenterprise.
•QlikSensehasadistributedarchitectureofindependentnodes,knownasSites.WhileSitescanscalelinearlywithdatavolumesbyaddinghardwareelements,theydonothaveenterprise-widescope.Theresultisa"siloed"analyticsdeploymentwhichincreasesthepotentialforproliferatinginvalidorinconsistentdataacrosstheenterprise.
•UnlikeMicroStrategy,QlikSensedoesnotsupportworkloadoruserfencing.Qlikcan'tscalehorizontallyorsplitprocessingofaquerytoseveralnodes.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotQlikDetailsbyCapability -vsQlik -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTQlik Qlik
ScoreMSTRScore
Performance Publishanddeliverinformationtoend-userswithquickresponsetimes,anddeliveranalyticswithoutbeingimpededbydatasize.
MicroStrategyemploysavarietyofstrategiestoincreasetheoverallperformanceoftheplatform,makingitpossibletodeliversub-secondresponsetimes-evenwithlargedatasets.•MicroStrategywasamongthefirstBIvendorstosupportpush-downanalyticalfunctionsacrossallleadingdatabases.Thiscapabilityhelpsdrivecomputationsintelligentlytothedatabasewhenneeded,therebyimprovingtheoverallresponsetimetoendusers.•Theplatformcancreatemultipleparallelthreadstothedatabase,increasingthespeedatwhichdataisfetchedfromthewarehouse.•WhereasotherBIvendorsattempttoimplementcachingatasinglelevel,MicroStrategyimplementsself-tuningstrategiesthatcreatecachesatkeypointswithinthequeryflow.TheServercachesdatainthefollowingcrucialareas:Metadataobjectcaching,attributeelementcaching,databaseconnectioncaching,resultcaching,anddocumentcaching.•Theplatformisbasedonanin-memoryarchitecturethatcanpartitioncubesandprocessdatainparallel,makingitpossibletoprocesslargercubesthanothervendorsinthemarket.•VLDBsettingsareavailabletofine-tuneandoptimizeconnectivityforeverytypeofdatasource,deliveringcustomsettingstoorganizationswithuniquedeployments.
•QlikSenseappsareself-containedandessentiallycarrytheirowndataandmetadatawiththem,andthatdatacanbecompressedbyupto90%.Thesedata-heavyapppackagesconsumelargeamountsofRAMwhenopened,solargescaledeploymentswillsufferperformancedegradationsunlessthey’resupportedbymultiplehigh-endserverswithmassiveamountsofRAM.
•AnalysisinQlikSensealwaysoccurswhiletheappisnotdirectlyconnectedtoitsdatasources.So,torefreshthedata,usersneedtoreloadthescript,whichcreatesaconsiderableworkloadandconsumestime.Thislimitsthepracticalfrequencyofdataupdatesinthecaseoflargerdatavolumes.
•QlikSensedoesnotsupportreal-timequeriestodatasources,anditsDirectDiscoverydoesnotsupportcomplexqueriesormulti-passSQL.
Automation ReduceburdenonITadministrators,especiallywithlargescaledeployments,bycuttingdownonroutineorredundanttasks.
•MicroStrategyofferstoolsthatallowadministratorstomaintainandupgradesystems,automateworkflows,andensuresuperiordataqualityandsecurity,withoutredundancies.•Theplatformallowsadminstoreducethetimeandeffortspentonroutinemaintenanceandadministrativetasks,likemovingassetsfromtesttoproductionenvironments,tocheckingthedataqualitybetweenupgrades,andschedulinghealthchecksandtaskswithworkflows.•Beyondadministrativetasks,datauploads/refreshesandscheduleddeliveriescanbeautomatedaswell,whichremovestheburdenfromITandhelpsreduceoverallTCO.
•QlikSenseisnotanenterprise-scale,system-of-recordbusinessintelligenceplatform.ItisdesignedfordepartmentaluserstovisualizedataandsharedashboardswithminimalITadministration.Assuch,QlikSenseofferslittleintermsofautomatedadministration.
•QlikSensehasonlylimitedcapabilitiestobuildautomationworkflowsusingagraphicaluserinterface.QlikdoesnothaveatoolequivalenttoMicroStrategyIntegrityManagerforautomatedregressiontesting.
•TheQlikSenseScalabilityToolcontainsasetoftoolsforcreation,execution,andanalysisofload/performancetests;however,Qlikdoesnotprovidemaintenanceandsupportservicesforthetool.
•Dashboardandreportconsistencycheckinghastobeperformedmanually.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotQlikDetailsbyCapability -vsQlik -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTQlik Qlik
ScoreMSTRScore
Monitoring Easilymonitor,maintain,manage,fine-tune,andautomateactionsandworkflowstoensurethehealthofthesystem.EliminateredundanttaskstoreduceoverallTCO.
•MicroStrategyofferstoolsthatallowadministratorstomonitoreveryenvironmentinaMicroStrategydeployment,acrossmultipleprojectsandevenservermachines-bothon-premisesandinthecloud.•Theinterfaceenablesadministratorstoquicklyandeasilyviewusagepatterns,systemresources,uptime,andalertsacrossenvironments.•Theplatformcollectsinformationfromeachenvironment’sHealthCenter,andpresentskeyusageandperformanceindicatorsusinggraphsandcharts.•Administratorscandefinethresholdsforsystemusageandperformancethatautomaticallytriggeralertswhenthresholdcriteriaaremetorexceeded.•Beyondthe100sofOOTBreportsanddashboardsavailablewiththeplatform,administratorscanbuildtheirownreportswithcustomKPIstomeasureplatformusage.
•TheQlikSenseOperationsMonitorprovidesrudimentarymonitoringintheformofservicelogscoveringtheperformancehistoryofhardware,activeusers,proxyconnections,taskreloads,errors,andwarnings.
•DataintheOperationsMonitorisupdatedwhentheappisreloaded-itisnotlive.
•QlikSensedoesnothavetoolsequivalenttoMicroStrategyIntegrityManager,CommandManager,orObjectManagerforautomatedregressiontesting.
Deployment Optionstodeployonanyinfrastructure,regardlessofsize,team,orhardwareresources,thusreducingoverallTCOandmaintenancerequired.
MicroStrategydeliversflexibleoptionsfordeployinganalyticsacrosstheenterprisewithon-premises,cloud,andhybridoptionsforteamsofanysize.•TheplatformissupportedonbothWindowsandLinux,andcanbeclusteredwithupto8Servernodes.•PartneringwithAWS,theleadingcloudvendor,MicroStrategyallowsorganizationsaroundtheworldtospinupinstancesforenterpriseanalyticsandmobilityinminutes,allowingcompaniestostartsmallandexpandasneeded.•Pre-configuredenvironmentsinthecloudcanbecreated,managed,maintained,andupgradedwithself-serviceconsoles,enablingextremelylowTCOs.
•QSServerisWindowsonly.ItdoesnotsupportLinux,AIX,orSolaris.
•QlikSenseCloudisSaaSonly.Currently,QlikdatacentersareonlylimitedtoNorthAmerica,Ireland,andSydney.Thiswillcauseadditionalworkandpainforcustomersnotintheseregionsasitwillincreaselatency.Securityandcompliancelawswillbedifferentaswell.
•WhileQlikhastheabilitytomanuallylaunchasinglenodeintoanyAWSdatacenter,theydon’thavetheabilitytolaunchafully-configured,dedicatedandredundantsystem.Thisisamanualprocesswhichwilltakeadditionaltimeandexpertisefromcustomers.
HighAvailability
Robustarchitecturethatprovidesthehighestuptimeforuserstoalwayshaveaccesstothesystem,withprovisionsandtuningmechanismsforincreasedsystemstabilityandbetterfailovermanagement.
•WithMicroStrategy,usersacrosstheorganizationcanaccessreliableanalyticsdeliveredonarobustarchitecturethatisdesignedforenterprisescale,performance,andstability.•Disasterrecoveryandfailoveroptionsalloworganizationstoavoiddowntimesforend-users.Systemadministratorshavethechoicetosetuphot,warm,orcoldfailoverstrategies(forbackupnodes)dependingonthehardwareresourcesavailabletothem.•Clusteringandworkfencingcapabilitiesmakeitpossibletoproactivelypreventservercrashesbydeflectingheavyjobstospecificserversortimeperiods.•Reliablegovernorsateverylevelofthequerypathmakeitpossibletoavertsystemcrashes,evenunderpeakuseranddataloads.
•Qlikdoesnotofferformalservice-levelagreements(SLAs).
•QlikSensedoessupportclusteringconfigurationswithload-balancingacrosstheservers.UnlikeMicroStrategy,theseclustersdonothaveenterprise-widescope,nordotheyincludefeaturessuchasworkfencingorgovernorstoensurereliabilityunderpeakuseranddataloadsacrossallformsofenterprisereporting.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotQlikDetailsbyCapability -vsQlik -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTQlik Qlik
ScoreMSTRScore
In-memoryArchitecture
Architecturethatcanhostterabytesofdatain-memorymakingitavailabletoend-userswithfasterresponsetimes.
•TheMicroStrategyplatformenablesorganizationstotakeadvantageofin-memorycubetechnology,whichincreasesperformancebyreducingtheneedtoaccessdatadirectlyfromthedatawarehouse.•MicroStrategyin-memorycubescanbequicklyloadedwithdatausingparallelthreadsfromthedatabasewhichcanalsobeoptimizedandfine-tunedforspecificdatabases.•Dynamicsourcingisaplatformcapabilitythatautomaticallyroutesqueriestothefastestavailabledatasource—whetherit’sacache,acube,ortheoriginalrelationalsource,thushelpingmaximizeperformanceandthroughput.•MicroStrategy'sparallelprocessingandpartitioningcapabilitiesdifferentiateitfromothervendors,helpingtoboostprocessingspeedsinsituationswherethereareterabytesofdatastoredinmemory.
•QlikSensedoessupportin-memoryoperation,sinceeverydashboardapplicationessentiallycontainsitsowndata,metadata,andvisualizations.Buttheimplementationisfundamentallysiloedinnature–itisnotanenterprise-scalemechanismandthere’snoconceptofasinglemetadata.
EnterpriseAnalytics
Self-ServiceDataDiscovery
Intuitiveworkflowsforend-userstoaccess,visualize,analyze,andshareinsightswithoutthesupportofIT.
MicroStrategydifferentiatesitselffromotherpointsolutionsbycombiningtheease-of-useofdataexplorationwithenterprisecapabilitiesincludingscalability,performance,security,andgovernance,inasingleplatform.•MicroStrategyDesktopandWebprovideaccessto80+datasources,fromExcelspreadsheets,torelationalsources,bigdata,Cloudservices,Hadoop,andmore.•Built-intoolsareavailablefordatapreparation,aswellastheabilitytoblenddataacrossmultiplesources.•ItprovidestheabilitytovisualizedatawithanychartorgraphnativelyandoffersworkflowstoincludeD3,Highcharts,GoogleCharts,andotherlibraries(includingopensourceandNLGoptions)•Includeseasysharingoptions(PDF,email,sendtofilelocation,print,andmore),andworkflowstopromoteexternaldataintoagovernedmodel.AlsosupportsoptionstoexporttoPDFandemailoptions.•MicroStrategyiscompatiblewithMacandWindowsPC.AnalystscanquicklysetupandinstallMicroStrategywithoutITsupport.•Theplatformsupportsadvancedanalyticswith350+out-of-the-boxfunctions,andcanalsointegratewithR.
•Qlik'sassociativedataengineunderstandsthelinksbetweenvariousdatasourcesandcansuggestpreviouslyunsuspectedrelationships.•XIFcolorcodesdatasourcestoindicatetherelationshiptheyhavewithdatasourcesalreadybeingused.Greenindicatesadatasourceisalreadybeingused,whitemeansthereisanassociation,andgrayindicatesthereisnorelationship.,•QlikSense3.0featuresacreativeSmartSearchcapabilityandVisualSearchforfindingpublishedcharts.
OptimizedDataConnectivity
Driversandgatewaysthatdeliverinstantandreliableaccesstoavarietyofdatasourcesandinformationinanyformat,regardlessofsize.
•MicroStrategynativelysupports100softhemostpopulardatasources,fromExcelspreadsheettorelationaldatabases,cloudsystems,HDFSandmore.•OrganizationscanalsobuildtheirownconnectorstocustomdataassetswithAPIs,allowingthemtoconnecttoanynewsourceavailableinthemarket.•Eachconnectorisoptimizedforhighperformance,withtheabilitytointelligentlypush-downcalculationstothedatabaseswhenneeded,generatemulti-passSQL,loadparallelthreadssimultaneously,andcanloaddatawithoutrestrictionsonsizeortype.•EasyworkflowsareavailabletobusinessuserstoblenddataontheirownwithoutITsupport.•VLDBparametersareavailabletofine-tuneandoptimizeSQLgenerationspecifictoeachdatabase.•MicroStrategyleveragesanaggregate-awareSQLgenerationenginetotransparentlynavigateaggregatetables,dynamicallydirectingqueriestosummarytables,withouttheuserhavingtospecifytheuseofthetablewhencreatingthequery.•MicroStrategycangeneratemulti-passSQLtoansweranalyticalquestionsthatcannotbeansweredwithasingleSQLqueryblock,coveringscenariosthatinclude:setanalysis,splitmetrics,andcalculationsatdifferentlevelsofaggregation.
•QlikSenseoffersfewnativedataconnectors.MostoftheconnectorstodatasourcesareeitherODBCorWebconnectors.•Duringthedataload,QlikSenseidentifiescommonfieldsfromdifferenttables(keyfields)toassociatethedata.Theresultingstructureofthedataintheappcanbemonitoredinthedatamodelviewer.•Changestothedatastructurecanbemadebyrenamingfieldstoobtaindifferentassociationsbetweentables.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotQlikDetailsbyCapability -vsQlik -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTQlik Qlik
ScoreMSTRScore
DataPreparationandBlending
Transformandarrangedatatomakeitbettersuitedforvisualexploration,withtheabilitytocreatejoinsacrosstablesfromdisparatesources.
MicroStrategyoffersbuilt-indatawranglingandblendingcapabilitiesandissupportedacrossalldatasources.•EnduserscanperformtransformationsondatapriortovisualizinginformationusingdozensoffunctionsavailableviagraphicalinterfacesandwithoutexportingouttoExcel.•Datawranglingandblendingispossiblebybusinessusersacrossspreadsheets,relationalsources,HDFS,cloudsystems,andotherpopulardatabases.•Userscansplitcolumns,identifyspellingerrors,performtextandnumericfacets,eliminatewhitespaces,pivottables,andperformdozensmoretransformationsbasedonintelligentrecommendationsfromtheproduct.•Historylistsareautomaticallyrecorded,sowhenmorecurrentdataisavailable,theactionsdonotneedtoberepeated.
•QlikSenseusesadataloadscript,whichismanagedinthedataloadeditor,toconnecttoandretrievedatafromvariousdatasources.Inthescript,thefieldsandtablestoloadarespecified.•Itisalsopossibletomanipulatethedatastructurebyusingscriptstatementsandexpressions.•InQlikSense3.0,intheAssociationsviewofthedatamanager,tablesareillustratedvisually,buttablesaddedviascriptcannotbeassociatedwithtablesaddedviadatamanager,andmultipleQVDtablescannotbeloadedatthesametime.•TheassociativeengineinDirectDiscoverystillworks,buttherearelimitationstoblendingitwiththein-memorydata.Manyoftheirmainfeaturesdon'twork.YoucanquerytomultipledatasourceswithDirectDiscovery,butblendingfromthesedifferentdatasourcesisreportedlyweak.
EnterpriseReports
Optionstoviewlargevolumesofdatainaneasy-to-readgridformat,withtoolstoperformad-hocanalysisforimproveddecision-making.
•MicroStrategyprovidesaflexiblereportingenvironmentthatleveragesOLAPfunctionalitytogiveenduserstheabilitytoquicklysliceanddicedatafromacrossmultiplesources,usingavarietyofoptions:sorting,pivoting,page-by,drilldown,drillanywhere,totalsandsubtotals,one-clickmetrics,derivedelements,viewfilters,lockheaders,switchbetweengrid/graph,fittocontent/window,andmore.•Withtheabilitytopublishbandedreports,theplatformcanrollupandpresentdynamicaggregatesforlargevolumesacross100sofpagesofdata.•WithMicroStrategy,developerscanquicklydesignoperationalreportsandstatementsusingdrag-and-dropfunctionalityandflexibleformattinginordertostructurelargeamountsofdataintoanaturalhierarchyformaximumreadabilityandeaseofnavigation.•MicroStrategyenablesparameter-drivenreportsbysupportingmoretypesofuserpromptsthananyothervendor,allowinguserstoinputselectionsatruntimetoalterthecontentsofthereports.Optionsincludesimpledimensionprompts,hierarchyprompts,listprompts,objectprompts,valueprompts,levelprompts.
•QlikSenseandQlikViewdonotprovideOTBWYSIWYGdashboardreports.Instead,theyintegratewithNPrinting(aQlikacquisitionrequiringaseparateserver/license)•BandedreportsandschedulingareonlysupportedthroughNPrinting.•QlikusestheNPrintingClienttobuildreporttemplates,whichaccessthedatafieldsfromQlikapps,reports,anddocuments.ThetemplateisuploadedtotheNPrintingServertorunonascheduledorevent-triggeredbasis,usingXMLfiles.Thegenerateddocumentsarethendistributedaccordingtothemethodsdefinedinthetemplate(email,networklocation,etc.).•QSCustomerswouldneedthesecomponentsinordertohaveafullreportingsolution:QlikSenseServer,NPrintingServer,NPrintingClient,andrelevantuserlicenses/tokens.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotQlikDetailsbyCapability -vsQlik -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTQlik Qlik
ScoreMSTRScore
Dashboardsanddocuments
Highlyformattedoptionstoauthor,visualize,andinteractwithdatatoidentifytrendsandoutliersandmakeefficientdecisions.
•MicroStrategydeliversgraphicalWYSIWYGdesignertoolstocreatepixel-perfectdocuments,invoices,statements,scorecards,andinteractivereal-timedashboards,allfromasingledesigneditor.•AllstylesofBIdescribedabovesupportresponsivedesignandcanbeconsumedonanybrowserormobiledevice.•Dashboardsarebuiltonthemetadatamodel,sotheyaresecureandpersonalizedforeachuser,andsupporttransactions,offlineconsumption,andcanbedeliveredinanydesiredformat.•Dashboardssupportad-hocdatadiscoveryacross100sofoptionsandletusersvisualizedatawithaccesstonativeandthird-partychartinglibraries.•Transactionalworkflowscanbeembeddedtoenablewrite-backcapabilitiesforbothwebandmobileapplications.
•Thereisnoclearseparationbetweenadashboardapplicationandthedatamodel.Thedashboardsareself-containedwithdata,metadata,andvisualizations.•VisualizationsinQlikSensefeaturedrag-and-drop-styleexplorationwithgooddashboardsandstorytellingcapabilities(i.e.combininggraphics,text,andinfographicstogethertosupportahypothesisorfinding).•InQlikSense,ausercanassembleimages,individualinteractiveworksheets,shapes,andtextontoacanvas.Textcanbeasimpleannotationoraparagraphexplanation.
MobileAnalytics
Consumereportsanddashboardsonmobiledevices,withcompleteinteractivity,inordertoperformanalyticsandmakedecisionswhileonthego.
•MobileisfullyintegratedintotheMicroStrategyanalyticsplatform,soorganizationscanleverageexistingvisualizations,reports,anddashboardstoinstantlydeployBIonmobiledevices.•MicroStrategyMobileenhancesthemobileexperienceoniOSandAndroidbydeliveringnativeappsthatletuserstakefulladvantageoftheuniquecapabilitiesoftheirmobiledeviceswheninteractingwiththeirdata,whilealsobeingabletorelyontransactionandofflinecapabilities.•Withflexible,code-freetoolsandaclick-to-configuredevelopmentcanvas,organizationscanmobilizebusinessworkflowsanddeliverahighlyresponsive,nativeuserexperiencewithappsthatcanbebuiltinrecordtimeandatafractionofthecost.
•QlikSenseisaccessedthrougharesponsive,touch-basedHTML5browserclientthatadaptslayout,information,andfunctionalityforthedeviceinuse.Browser-basedmobileisnotsuitablefordeliveringrichdashboardappsonsmallerscreendevices.QlikSensemobileappsprovidelimiteddevelopmentflexibilitybecauseofthewebbrowserarchitecture.•Thereisnosupportfordeliveringmultimediacontent.•QlikSensedoesnotprovidetransactional(write-back)capabilities.•QlikSensemobileappsprovidelimiteddevelopmentflexibilitybecauseofwebbrowserarchitecture.•Thereisnosupportforofflineinteractivity.
RealTimeAnalytics
Theabilitytodeliverinstantanalyticsandinsightswheredataisavailableinreal-time.
MicroStrategydeliverstheabilitytovisualizedatafromexternalstreamingapplicationsandtriggeralertsfromthesesources.•Theplatformcaninstantlyingestreal-timefeedsfromStorm,Spark,andKafka.Forotherrelationalsystems,theplatformcanalsosupportdatarefreshesatthesmallestintervals,andcanperformatthespeedofincominginformation.•MicroStrategycanmanagereal-timeinformationandgiveaninstantviewofthedata.•Theapplicationcanalsosendthreshold-basedalertstoanydeviceallowingdecision-makerstotakeinstantandproactiveaction,allinrealtime.•MicroStrategycanalsointegratewithvisualizationsandwidgetsthatsupportreal-timemappingofinformationonbothWebandMobile.
•Qlikneedsthedatatobeextractedinordertoprocessitand"associate"itwithinitsin-memory"cube."Thisisatwo-stageprocessthatprecludesanyreal-timequeriestodatasources.•ItalsomeansQlikreportsanddashboardsarenotreal-timeorevennear-real-timewithdataupdates.Userscanschedulerefreshes.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotQlikDetailsbyCapability -vsQlik -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTQlik Qlik
ScoreMSTRScore
PredictiveAnalyticsandMachineLearning
Advancedalgorithmsandworkflowsforuserstobeabletoperformsummarizations,optimizations,predictions,statisticalcalculations,orcreatecustomgroups,training,andscoringmetrics.
WithminimalhelpfromIT,MicroStrategyuserscancreateandvisualizeadvancedmetricsandperformthemostcomplexcalculations.•EnduserscanbuildsophisticatedstatisticalandmathematicalmodelswiththenativelibraryoffunctionsavailabledirectlywithMicroStrategy.Theycangeneratepredictive,scoring,ortrainingmetricsusingnativelyavailablealgorithms.•MicroStrategyoffersover350nativefunctions,outofthebox,sothatbusinessusersareabletoperformdataminingandcreatehighlyadvancedstatisticalalgorithmsontheirown,withminimalsupportfromIT.•UserscanintegrateMicroStrategywithdataminingmodelsfromotherapplicationsbyimportingPredictiveModelMarkupLanguage(PMML),SAS,andSPSSintothemetadatarepository.•Theplatformintegrateswiththird-partyoptionslikeRusinggraphicalinterfaces.
•Qlikhasnopredictiveanalyticssupport;simpleforecastingandclusteringarenotsupportedinQlikSense.•WhiletherearesomestatisticalfunctionsaspartoftheQlikSensefunctionlibrary,thereisnoabilitytocallouttoanRscript.Thisisontheproductroadmap.•Advancedcharttypes,suchasdecisiontrees,arenotnativelysupported,butcouldbeaddedviaanextension.•ThereisnoPMMLsupport.
BigDataAnalytics
AccessdatafromHadoopandotherdistributedfilesystemswithoutlimitationsonsizeandwithoutexperiencingdropsinperformance.
MicroStrategyistheonlycomprehensiveplatformthatsupportsaccesstobigdatawithnativeconnectorstoHDFSwhilealsoprovidingbuilt-inworkflowsfordatapreparationontopofHadoopdata.•Whetherit’sapersonalspreadsheetoradispersedHadoopDistributedFileSystem(HDFS),userscaneasilyconnecttotheirdatawithoutrelyingonITandwithoutlimitsondatasize.It'seasytoaccessdatafromanyflavorofHadoop,includingCloudera,Hortonworks,andMapR,withcomprehensivesupportforSpark,Kerberos,andthetopfileformats.•WithMicroStrategy,userscanleverageinformationfromclickstreams,webactivity,callcenterlogs,andIDscans-andblenditwithdatafromothersourcesusinggraphicalworkflows.•MicroStrategyconnectstobigdatasourcesandNoSQLoptionssuchasMongoDBandCassandra,andalsoconnectstoHDFSvianativeconnectorstoClouderaHive,Impala,MapRDrill,Pigscripts,SparkSQL,andmore.•WithMicroStrategy,userscanalsolimitandmanagetheamountofdataimportedfromHDFS,orperformaggregationsontopofthedatapriortoimportingitintoMicroStrategyforanalysis.•Userscanalsoapplyadvancedfunctionsandfilterstocontrolandrestricttheamountofdata.
•QliksupportsarangeofconnectorstoSplunk,MongoDB,HortonWorks,ClouderaImpala,ApacheSOLR,andApacheHIVE.•QlikSenseusesDirectDiscovery,andaspecialscriptsyntax,DirectQuery,tobringinverylargedatasets.OncetheDirectDiscoverystructureisestablished,DirectDiscoveryfieldscanbeusedalongsidein-memorydatatocreateQlikSenseobjects.•DirectDiscoveryisonlyusefulwhenusersquerybigdatawithspecificparametersandcontextafterdoingdatadiscoverywithQlikSenseonregulardatasources.DataisleftinHadoop,meaningtheworkloadispusheddowntoHadoop.Dataisqueriedonthefly,andthequerieddatacanbecached(comparabletoMicroStrategy).•DirectDiscoveryislesscapablethantheMicroStrategySQLEngine,andtherearelimitationstowhatitcando.Forexample,itcan'tdocomplexqueriesormulti-passSQL.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotQlikDetailsbyCapability -vsQlik -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTQlik Qlik
ScoreMSTRScore
AutomatedDistributionandAlerting
Distributereports,dashboards,anddocumentstolargeaudiencesinapersonalizedandautomatedmanner.Thishelpstoensuretheon-timedeliveryofinformationtoend-userssotheycanmaketimely,informeddecisions.
MicroStrategyisdesignedforhigh-volume,automateddeliveryofreportsanddashboards.•Theplatformmakesitpossibletoscaledistributionofanalyticalcontentto100softhousandsofusers,withtheabilitytoautomateandschedulethedeliveryofreportsanddashboards,basedontime-,event-,andthreshold-basedalerts.•MicroStrategysupportsthewidestvarietyofdeliverymethods,withoptimalformattingforeachdeviceandapplication.•MicroStrategyprovidesburstingcapabilitiestodeliverslicingorpage-byexecutions,allowingasinglereporttobeextractedfromthedatawarehousethatcanbeparsedintosub-reportsforindividualsubscribers.Thisavoidshavingtorundifferentreportsfordifferentrecipientswhilestillbeingabletogeneratepersonalizedreports.•AlertingcapabilitiescanmonitorKPIvalueswhennewdataisavailableandsenddetailedreportsoralertmessageswhenthresholdsarereached.•SecurityfiltersandACLssetontheuserlevelguaranteespersonalizedandsecureinformationto1000sofuserswiththedeliveryofasingledashboard.•MicroStrategyleveragessegmentationcapabilitiestomanageresourceutilizationinlargescalereportdeliverydeploymentsbyanalyzingthelistofsubscriptionstodetermineifseveralsubscriptionssharethesamecombinationofsecurityandpersonalizationandgroupingthemintobucketssincetheyreceivethesamecontent.
FromburstingandsmartpaginationforPDFexportstothedeliveryofhighlypersonalizedcontent,MicroStrategydeliverssophisticateddistributioncapabilitiesthatmakeitpossibletopublishdataandinsightsacrosstheorganizationwithouttheneedtoinvestinothertechnologies.
•Noout-of-the-boxsupportforthreshold-orexception-basedalerts.OrganizationsmustuseQlikNprinting.
EnterpriseMobility
TransactionalWorkflows
Write-backcapabilitiesthatallowmobileuserstosubmittransactionstoERP,CRM,orotheroperationalsystems.
•MicroStrategyprovidesmobilewrite-backcapabilitiesthatletusersupdatesystemsofrecordfromthefield.Userscanchangedataonthefly,insertnewinformation,andviewupdatedreportsanddashboards.•Thesetransactionscanincludeone-tapapprovalsanddenials,inputsforcapturingnewinformation,andeditingexistinginformationinERPsystems,CRMsystems,andotheroperationaldatabases.•Appdeveloperscancreatesmartformsthatarecontextualandconditional,basedonauser’spermissionsorlocation.•MicroStrategyoffersabroadsetofinputcontrols,includingbarcodescanners,signaturecapture,starrating,textandnumberfields,calendar,camera,steppers,sliders,andmore.•TransactionServicescanalsoauto-captureadditionalinformationalongsidetheuserinputstofurtherstreamlinebusinessprocesses.Forexample,theuser’sprofileinformationaswellaslatitude,longitude,andatimestampcanbeincludedinatransactionalsubmissionwithoutrequiringadditionalworkbytheuser.•Userscanaccesstransactionalinputsandformsregardlessofinternetconnectivity.Whenoffline,transactionsarequeuedforsubmissionandexecutedwhentheusernextconnects.
•QlikSensemobiledoesnotprovidetransactional(write-back)capabilities.•Therearesomethird-partyextensionsavailabletopurchasethatallowcustomerstoenablewrite-backfromQlikSense.Buttheseprovidelimitedfunctionality,andQlikSensemobile,beinganHTML5app(insteadofnative),doesn'ttakeadvantageofnativemobileinputcontrols(i.e.cameratowritebackaphoto).
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotQlikDetailsbyCapability -vsQlik -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTQlik Qlik
ScoreMSTRScore
EmbeddedMultimedia
Abilitytodownloadandviewmultimediafilesonlineandoffline,suchaspresentations,videos,PDFs,andePUBbooksonmobiledevices.
•MicroStrategyprovidesin-appviewingofmultimediacontentincludingvideos,PDFs,images,presentations,spreadsheets,documents,email,andwebcontent—allseamlesslyembeddedinthemobileapp.•Asisthecaseforothercontentintheapp,multimediacanbepre-cachedorstoredforconvenient,offlineaccess.•Therearetwowaystoincludemultimediainapps:HTMLcontainersandtheMultimediaWidget.•HTMLcontainersenableaccesstoanywebcontentbyplacingitdirectlyintheapp'siFrame.URLsprovidelinkstopullupentiredocumentsorwebpages.•TheMultimediaWidgetprovidesaframeworkinwhichtodownload,consume,andstoremultimediafiles.WebDAVfolderintegrationenablesuserstodynamicallybrowseandviewexistingfilesandfoldersinaWebDAVfolder,forexampleinMicrosoftSharePoint.Thismakesiteasyfortraditionallynon-technicalpeople,forexampleinMarketingorHR,todistributeupdatedversionsofcollateralortrainingvideostoemployeesinthefield.•MicroStrategyalsoprovidesawidgetthatisespeciallydesignedforvideos.Theinteractive,elegantVideoPlayerWidget(thatleveragesthenativeOSvideoplayer)loadsandplaysavideofromaremotelocationorfromthelocalcache.Thewidgetcandisplay:videosfromastreamingservicesuchasYouTube,videosfromafileserverlocation,oracachedvideofromtheWebDAVcache.Ifthemobiledeviceisonline,theVideoPlayerWidgetloadsthevideofromtheremotelocationbutissmartenoughtocheckfirstifalocalcachealreadyexistsonthedevice’sWebDAVcachestore.
•Qlikmobiledoesnotsupportembeddedmultimediacontent.•TherearesomeextensionsavailableonQlikBranchtoembedalimitednumberofmultimediafiletypes,butusersmayencounterissueswithfiletypeincompatibilitywhenviewedonamobiledevice.
GeospatialAnalysis
Abilitytodisplaygeospatialdataoverlaidonaninteractivemap(ESRI,GoogleMaps,andcustomimages).
•MicroStrategyabstractsallthegeospatialanalysiscapabilitiesfromthebasemaplayer,socustomerscanleveragewhicheverbasemaptheywant,dependingonexistingmapinvestmentsorpreferences.•MicroStrategyMobileprovidessupportforbuildingmapvisualizationsonESRIandGoogleMaps,aswellascustomimagesasmapswiththeImageLayoutWidget.Thesemapsrenderseamlesslyontheappropriatenativemobilemap(AppleMapsoniOSandGoogleMapsonAndroid).•BothESRIandGoogleMapsdisplaygeospatialdataoverlaidonaninteractivemap.Userscanswipe,scroll,andzoomindirectlyonthemap,orevenfilterthedatashownbyselectingelementswithintheirmobileapp.Datacanbedisplayedusingapinmarker,adensitymap,orabubbletoprovidemultipletypesofanalysiswithineachmap.Inaddition,ESRImapscandisplaydatafromacustomgeographicalregion,suchasthecountiesofastateordistrictswithinacity.Theimagelayoutwidgetallowsappdeveloperstoincludevisualizationsrepresentativeofdifferentgeographicregionssuchascountries,states,andregions,orvisualizationsthatrepresentcustomspatialanalyseslikeastorelayout.
•MapcapabilitiesonQlikSensemobileareinheritedfromthedesktop/server.•MobilelocationisderivedfromthebrowseranddoesnotleveragethenativedeviceGPS.
OfflineAccess Abilitytosupportapplicationsinofflinemoderegardlessofconnectivity.Thisincludesinteractivitywithdata,multimediacontent,andtransactionalworkflows.
•MicroStrategyMobileappscanbeconfiguredtoworkentirelyoffline.Thisincludessupportforanalytics,visualizations,multimedia,andtransactions.•MicroStrategyprovidesadvancedofflinefunctionality,including:promptpanelsthatdisplayvalidcachesformultiplepromptscenarios;visualcuessuchasanofflinemodeindicatorandshadingtoindicateavailability;aviewoftransactionqueues;andtheabilitytodeleteoredittransactionsbeforeaconnectionisreestablished.Inasituationwhereauserwantstoavoidusingdata,theusercanmanuallyswitchtoofflinemodeusingtheappsettings.•Whileusersareinofflinemode,mobileusagestatsarestillcapturedandsubmittedtotheserveroncetheuserreconnects.Additionally,data-at-restishighlysecured.Thestoreddataisencrypted;theappcanstillrequirecredentials,andtheofflinecachecanbesettoexpireatadesiredtime.
•QlikSensedoesnotsupportofflineinteractivitysincetheydonothaveanativeapp,onlyanHTML5implementation.•OnlyQlikViewofferssomelevelofofflineaccess(foriPadonly).
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TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTQlik Qlik
ScoreMSTRScore
MobileClientCachingforHighPerformance
Abilitytocachedataonthedevicetooptimizeappperformance.Deliversub-secondresponsetimesevenwhendealingwithlargevolumesofdata,numerousconcurrentusers,orslow,unreliableconnectivity.
•MicroStrategyoffersthreemaincachingstrategiesthatcustomerscanleveragewhenconfiguringtheirapps:automaticcaching(devicescheckfornewandupdatedcontentandsynccontentinthebackground),pre-cachingfolders(asetofobjectsarepre-cachedwhentheappstarts),andadaptivemobilecaching(theappprioritizesbackgroundcacheloadingbasedonwheretheuserisanddownloadscontenttheuserwilllikelywanttoseebeforetheytaponit).•MicroStrategyhasasophisticatedanalyticalenginewithinthemobileclient,sothemobileclientitselfcanperformcomputationsonlocallycacheddatawithouthavingtogobacktotheserver.Becausethecomputationscanbedonelocallyonthedevice,thisalsohelpstospeedappperformance.•Asa100%nativeapp,MicroStrategyusesOpenGLframeworksavailableonthemobileOSwhichhelptoachievemaximumappperformance.Allofthedrawings(renderings)ofvisualizationsleveragenativedevicedrawingcapabilitieswhichareoptimizedforhighperformance.
•QlikSenseisaccessedthroughatouch-basedwebbrowserapplication,andthereisnoclientapponthedevicetoparticipateinthecachingprocess.•Thebrowser-basedmobileexperienceisnotsuitablefordeliveringrichdashboardappsonsmallerscreendevicesandislargelydependentonbrowserperformanceandthequalityofinternetconnectivity.
PersonalizedAlertsviaPushNotifications
Abilitytosendalertstomobileusersintheformofpushnotifications.Thesenotificationsshouldbetriggeredbypresetthresholds,orbeavailableondemand.
•MicroStrategy’sscalablealertingengineprovidespersonalizedalertstoeveryuser.•Thealertingengineisbasedonarobustdistributionserverthatsupportsmonitoringmultipledatasources100sof1000softimeseveryminuteandcreatingpersonalizedalertsformobileuserswhenasetconditionhasbeenmet.•Thresholdscanbesetonanymetriconanyreport.•Alertsarehandledthroughthedevice’snativepushnotificationsysteminoneofthreeforms:abadge(agraphicassociatedwiththeapplication),ahomescreennotification(amessagewhichtheusercanviewandinteractwith),and/orasound.•Smartbadgescanshowmetricvaluesorthenumberofalerts.
•Mobilealertsarenotsupported.•QlikSensereliesonanwebbrowserformobile.Asaresult,itdoesnotinteractwiththenativenotificationfeaturesavailableiniOSorAndroiddevices.
InstantUpdatestoCustomAppswithNoRecompilation
Updateandpublishchangestocustomappswithouthavingtorecompileandredistribute.Changesaredistributedandavailabletouserswithoutrequiringanappupdate.
•MicroStrategyletsappdevelopersmakeupdatesandpublishchangestotheirmobileappswithouttheneedtorecompile(inXcodeforiOSandinAndroidDevelopmentStudioforAndroid)andredistributeapps.Anychangeinfunctionalityorconfigurationisinstantlyreflectedinthemobileappwithoutrequiringtheusertoupgradetheapponthemobiledevice.Thisflexibilityisverypowerfulwhenusersaretryingtooperateonanagiledevelopmentcycle,whereusersneedtoaccessthechangesinstantlywithouthavingtoconstantlyupgradetheirapp.•MicroStrategyalsoprovidesadrag-and-dropinterfacetomigrateappsfromdevelopment,totest,toproductionbyusingMicroStrategyObjectManager.
•Instantupdatestoapparenotsupported.•QlikSenseisessentiallya"viewer"fordashboards;itisnotaplatformforenterprisestobuildcustomizedappswithembeddedcontent.Thereisnomechanismforpopulatingamobileappwithcontentorsubsequentlyupdatingthatcontent.
Customize/WhiteLabel
Abilitytorebrandthemobileappbyincludingcustomizedicons,aswellassplash,launch,andloginscreens.
•TheMobileSDKprovidesappdeveloperswithamultitudeofcustomizationoptions.Thisincludesacode-freeapproachtowhite-labelingandrebrandinganyMicroStrategyMobileapp.•Customizationincludeschangingicons,aswellassplash,launch,andloginscreens.Itenablesdeveloperstomatchcorporatebrandingandlook-and-feelstandards.
•Asawebbrowser-basedsolution,thereisnoapptocustomizeinQlikSense.•ThereisalsonoOTBmechanismforreskinningQlikSensedashboards.
NativeIntegrationwithEMMVendors
NativeSDKintegrationwithleadingEMMvendorsAirWatch,MobileIron,andBlackberryDynamics,andAppConfigcommunityguidelines.
•MicroStrategy'snativemobilesecurityfeaturesprovideextensivecapabilitiestoprotectsensitivecompanydata,butMicroStrategyprovidestheflexibilitytoleverageadditionalthird-partycapabilities,includingthoseprovidedbyEMMvendors.•MicroStrategyoffersnativeSDKintegrationoniOSwiththreeEMMproviders:MobileIron,BlackberryDynamics,andAirWatch.MicroStrategyoffersnativeSDKintegrationonAndroidwithAirWatch.•MicroStrategyMobilealsosupportsEMMcapabilitiesviaimplementationoftheAppConfigguidelines,nativelyonbothiOSandAndroid.
•ThereisnonativeSDKintegrationavailableforQlikSense.•QlikViewmaysupportsomelevelofintegrationwithAirWatchviaAppConfigoniOS.TheyoffernosupportforotherleadingEMMvendors.•ThereisnosupportforAndroid.
MobileAppUsageMonitoring
Abilitytocollectmobileusagestatisticsandpopulateadatabaseforanalysis.
•Mobileappclient-sidemonitoringcapturespersonalizedanalysiseverytimeausertapsonanappscreen.Statisticsaregatheredontimespentoneachappscreen,explorationpaths,GPSlocation,appusage,devicetype,operatingsystemversion,andcacheusage.•Withthisinformation,appdeveloperscantrackoverallappadoptionandgeo-locationofusage,performcohortanalysis,supportcontinuousdevelopmentcycles,analyzeappperformance,spotnetworkissues,andtrackadoptionratesofnewdevices,operatingsystems,andclients.Thesestatisticsarecriticaltodrivingappenhancementsandtohoningtheappexperience.•Mobileusagestatsarecapturedevenwhileauserisoffline.Oncetheuserreconnects,thestatsaresubmittedtotheserver.
•Asawebbrowser-basedsolution,thereisnomobileclientthatwouldbecapturingmobileappusagestatistics.
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TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTQlik Qlik
ScoreMSTRScore
EmbeddedAnalytics
CreateCustomWebApplications
Theabilitytomodifyandextendexistingfunctionality,createacustomwebapplication,embedcontentinportals,orsimplychangethelookandfeelwithpersonalizedbrandingandlogosthroughapplicationprogramminginterfaces(APIs).
•Akeycomponentofanenterprise-classplatformistheabilitytomodifyandextendexistingfunctionalitytomeettheuniqueneedsofanorganization.Forbuildingcustomizedapplications,arobustBIplatformmustprovideaccesstoallofitsfunctionalitythroughAPIs.TheMicroStrategyBIplatformisamodern,sophisticatedservice-orientedarchitecturethatisdesignedforflexibilityandextensibilitysothatitcangrowwiththedemandsofenterpriseapplications.
•TheMicroStrategyWebSDKenablesdeveloperstobuildafull-fledgedwebapplicationorchangethelookandfeelofanexistingwebapplicationwithanintuitivecustomizationtool.TheWebCustomizationEditorisintegratedwiththemostwidelyusedJavaIDE,Eclipse.Withover5000classesexposedintheWebAPI,thisintegrationnotonlysimplifiesdevelopment,butalsoallowsdeveloperstowritetheircodewithoutmodifyinganysourcecodeorout-of-the-boxconfigurationfiles.Thisapproachishelpfulinmaintainingandupgradingcustomizations.
•TheWebSDKalsoallowsdeveloperstowritetheirownWebServicesthatencapsulateMicroStrategyfunctionalityandexposethisfunctionalitytothird-partyapplications.SincetheservicesusestandardprotocolssuchasHTTPorHTTPSandgeneratearesponseinstandardW3C-compliantformatssuchasXMLorJSON,anythird-partyapplication(webormobile)canconsumetheseservicesandembedMicroStrategyfunctionalityintotheirproduct.MicroStrategy'sservice-orientedarchitectureguaranteesefficiencyforeachserviceorcomponentwithnocoderedundancy.Thisarchitectureisinstarkcontrasttotheservice-orientedarchitecturesofotherBIvendors,whichareaproductofdisparate,separatelydevelopedarchitectures,inheritedfrommergers,andmashedtogether.
•Inaddition,MicroStrategyprovidesaplug-inarchitecturethatenablesdeveloperstoextendout-of-the-boxMicroStrategyWebcodewithstand-alonecustomizationswithouttheneedtochangethesourcecode,thus,makingupgradeswithoutrecodingpossible.MicroStrategysupportsthefollowinglanguagesforWebSDK:Java,XML/JSON,JavaScript,and.NET.
•QlikdoesnotofferanyAPIsthatallowdeveloperstorebrandwebapplicationswithcustomizedlogosorcolors,extendorcustomizeexistingWebfunctionality,ortheabilitytocreateanewwebapplicationfromscratch.
CreateCustomMobileApplicationsiniOSandAndroid
Theabilitytocreatecustomizedmobileapplications,embedBIinthird-partyapps,orrebrandthemobileappbyincludingcustomizedicons,aswellassplash,launch,andloginscreens.
•TheMicroStrategyMobileAPIenablesmobileappdeveloperstocustomizeMicroStrategyMobileappsonAndroidandiOSmobiledevicesbychangingthelookandfeeloftheapp,ordevelopingnewMobileappsthatuseMicroStrategyBIcontent.MicroStrategyprovidesdifferentAPIsforAndroidandiOSdevices.TheflexibilityoftheMobileAPIsenabledeveloperstobuildcustommobileapplicationstoaccommodategrowingneedsoftheorganization.
•TheMobileSDKforiOSconsistsofXcodeprojectsthatallowdeveloperstocompileanddistributecustomMicroStrategyMobileapps.WithoneoftheXcodeprojects,userscanrebrandtheappbyaddingicons,splashscreens,andanappnamethroughsimpleconfigurationchanges.Inaddition,theMobileSDKforiOSenablesuserstoembedMicroStrategyinanexistingapplicationorbuildcustomwidgetsthatcanconsumeMicroStrategydata.
•TheMobileSDKforAndroidletsuserscustomizetheMicroStrategyMobileapplicationtomatchcorporatebrandingrequirements.Italsoallowsuserstopreconfiguretheapplicationtoallowmultipleinstancesoftheapplicationtoexistonasingledevice.
•MicroStrategysupportsthefollowingprogramminglanguagesforMobileSDK:iOS-ObjectiveC,Swift;Android–Java.
•AsanHTML5implementation,thereisnomobileapptocustomize.CustomershavetodeploytheapponaQlikserver,andthenaccesstheappwithanHTML5capablebrowserfromeitheraniOSorAndroiddevice.Thus,QlikoffersnoAPIsthatallowdeveloperstoeithercreateacustomizedmobileapp,orbuildcustomwidgetstoconsumeQlikdata.
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TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTQlik Qlik
ScoreMSTRScore
EmbedThird-PartyDataasDatasets
Theabilityforthird-partyapplicationstopushdatadirectlyintoaBIapplicationforuseindashboardsorreports.
•Organizationsarealwayslookingtoconnecttoavarietyofsourcesthatmaynotbenativelysupportedwiththeplatform.UsingthePushAPI,organizationscanpushexternaldatainJSONformatusingRESTAPIsintoin-memorycubesontheMicroStrategyIntelligenceServer,souserscanreadilyconsume,process,andanalyzethecorrespondingdata.•MicroStrategymakesitpossiblefororganizationstoleveragenewdataassetsbyenablingapplicationssuchasETLtoolsthatconnecttothesedatasourcesandmovedataintoMicroStrategy.•ThePushAPIenablesthird-partyvendorstogenerateMicroStrategydatasets,thus,unlockingnewend-userworkflowsandopportunitiesforpartnerintegrations.
•Qlik'sRESTConnectorenablesQlikSensetoloaddatafromanyRESTdatasource.
CreateCustomHTML5Visualizations
TheabilitytoembedorcreatecustomHTML5visualizationswithopensourcelibrariessuchasD3,thatcanbedeployedontopofdatasources.
•MicroStrategyintegrateswiththird-partyandopensourceJavaScriptvisualizations,souserscantellevenmorecompellingstorieswiththeirdata.•MicroStrategyprovidesAPIs,tools,samples,anddocumentationtohelpusersbuildcustomHTML5visualizationsusingopensourceandcommerciallibrarieslikeD3andGoogleCharts.•Userscanbuildoutsupportforfunctionalityincludingselectors,dropzones,colorpalettes,andthresholds.Itisalsopossibletotransformvisualizationsintotext-basednarrativesbyintegratingwithnativelanguagegeneration(NLG)platforms,suchasthoseofferedbyAutomatedInsightsandNarrativeScience.
•QlikallowsuserstoembedD3visualizationswithinQlikSenseanddevelopQlikSenseextensionsfromd3.js.
ExtractSubsetsofDataUsingRESTfulAPIs
Theabilityforcustomthird-partywebapplicationstousetheBIplatformasadatasourcetoextractsubsetsofdatafromareportorexistingcube.
•WithRESTfulAPIs,organizationscanuseMicroStrategyasadatasourcetoquicklyextractsubsetsofpre-processeddatainJSONformat.ThisaddressestheneedsoflargeenterprisesandOEMpartnersthatconsumedatathroughMicroStrategy'sgovernedandsecuredarchitectureviacustomizedbusinessapplications.
•Qlikcannotbeusedasadatasourcebycustomwebapplications.
CreateCustomDataConnectors
Theabilitytocreateacustomdatasourcethatuserscanconnecttoandleverageintheirreportsanddashboards.
•Withnewandupdateddatasourcesbeingpublishedbydatabasevendorsalmostweekly,organizationsneedfastaccesstoconnecttoandusethedatastoredinthesevariousdatalocations.•MicroStrategynativelysupports100softhemostpopulardatasourcesandcontinuestoenhanceconnectivitywitheachdatabaseupgrade.•MicroStrategyalsoallowsorganizationstobuildtheirownconnectorstocustomdataassetswiththeDataConnectorSDK.OrganizationscanleverageHTMLandJavaScripttobuildcustomconnectorsfortheMicroStrategyDataImportinterfaceandbuildtheirowncustomizedintegrationsforthesedatasourceswithinMicroStrategy,thus,providingusersaccesstoanydatasourcewithoutwaitingforthemtobecertifiedbytheplatform.
•Qliksupportsthecreationofcustomdataconnectors.However,thereisnosupportfortheautodetectionofschemaobjects,whichrequiresmanualeffort.
MultitenancySupport
Theabilitytodeployasingleinstanceofasoftwareapplicationtoservemultiplecustomers,whereeachcustomeriscalledatenant.
•MultitenancyenablesanOEM’svariouscustomerstoexperiencecustomapplications,allbuiltonasinglearchitecture.Sharingresourcesresultsinlessadministrativeoverhead,reducedresourceconsumption,andlowoverallTCO.•MicroStrategysupportsaspectrumofmultitenantarchitecturesfromhighisolationtohighsharing.Inaddition,MicroStrategyallowsforpersonalizationinasharedprojectsuchascustombrandingandlogosforeachtenant,personalizedobjectnames,andinternationalizationcapabilities.
•QlikoffersSectionAccess,whichisusedtocontrolcolumn-androw-levelsecuritybasedonthedataloadedintotheapp.Eachtenantisgiventheirownapp;however,thereisnowaytoaddatenant'sbranding,logo,orschema.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotQlikDetailsbyCapability -vsQlik -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTQlik Qlik
ScoreMSTRScore
EnterpriseCloud
SimplifiedEnterpriseDeployment
TheabilitytoeasilydeployanenterprisecloudenvironmentwithoutITsupport.
•MicroStrategyonAWSwillenablecustomerstodeployenterprisenetworksthatarefullyconfiguredandreadytouseinlessthan30minutes.Thissavesuserstimeandmoneybyeliminatingtheneedtodownload,install,andconfiguretheenvironmentsthemselves.Userscanchoosefromdifferentinstancetypesandsizesbasedoncostorusagerequirements.•Cloudenvironmentscanalsobedeployeddirectlyintoacustomer'sAWSaccountformaximumcontrol.•Userscanlaunch3differentenvironmenttypes,rangingfromanall-in-onesystemtoanenterprise-gradedistributedandredundantsystem.
•Forthe"Enterprise"option,usersmustgothroughQlikeachtimetheyneedafullyconfiguredenvironmentormanuallyinstallandconfiguretheplatform.Thiswillslowdowndevelopmentandincreasewaitingtime.•Qlikfortheenterpriserequiresa‘token’modelwhichdoesnotallowunlimitedusageofitsproductandlimitsthenumberoftimesausercanrunqueriesandreports.ThetokenmodelisconfusingandorganizationsmustestimatehowoftentheiruserswilluseQliktoallocatethenumberoftokensperuser.•Thereisanadditionalfeeforsharing.Thislimitscollaborationanddistribution.
GlobalAvailability
Theabilitytodeployenvironmentsglobally.Globaloptionsmakeiteasyforcustomerstodeploytheirenvironmentsclosertohomesotheycanmeetperformance,compliance,anddatarequirements.
•MicroStrategyCloudcandeploydistributedandredundantsystemsinover42AWSAvailabilityZonesin16geographicregionsaroundtheworld.ThisincludescountriesacrossNorthAmerica,SouthAmerica,Asia,Europe,andAustralia.ThisenablesorganizationstodeployMicroStrategyclosertoitsusers.Thisdecreaseslatencyandenablesfasterresponsetimes.Byhavingdatacentersclosertohome,italsoallowsthedataenterstocomplywithlocallawsandregulations.
RegionandNumberofAvailabilityZones
•AWSGovCloud(2)
•USWestOregon(3),NorthernCalifornia(3)
•USEastNorthernVirginia(5),Ohio(3)
•CanadaCentral(2)
•SouthAmericaSãoPaulo(3)
•EuropeIreland(3),Frankfurt(2),London(2)
•AsiaPacificSingapore(2),Sydney(3),Tokyo(3),Seoul(2),Mumbai(2)
•ChinaBeijing(2)
•NewRegions(comingsoon)ParisNingxia
•WhileQlikhastheabilitytomanuallylaunchasinglenodeintoanyAWSdatacenter,theydon’thavetheabilitytolaunchafully-configured,dedicatedandredundantsystem.Thisisamanualprocesswhichwilltakeadditionaltimeandexpertisefromcustomers.•QlikdatacentersareonlylimitedtoNorthAmerica,Ireland,andSydney.Thiswillcauseadditionalworkandpainforcustomersnotintheseregionsasitwillincreaselatency.Securityandcompliancelawsmayvarybycountry/region.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotQlikDetailsbyCapability -vsQlik -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTQlik Qlik
ScoreMSTRScore
APIEnabledOperations
JavaScriptframeworksthatprovideanumberofAPIstohelpcustomersbuildapplications.
•TheMicroStrategyCloudAPIgivescustomersunlimitedflexibilitytocreatetheirowncustomworkflows.Customershavetheabilitytobuildpersonalizeduserinterfacesfordeployingandmanagingtheircloudenvironments.ThisempowersdeveloperstoautomatetheirMicroStrategyCloudcapabilities.•ThroughAPIs,itispossibletolaunch1000MicroStrategyinstanceswithasinglelineofcode,resizethemtoanysize,andthenterminatethemoncedone.WithoutAPIs,thiswouldbeamanualprocess.It’seasytointegratewithotherautomationtoolsandtheAPIworkswithanyprogramminglanguage.
CloudSpecificAPIswesupport:•Retrieveorsearchforenvironments•Createnewenvironments•GetEnvironmentContactDetailsList•ResendEmailtotheownersoftheenvironments•Restartenvironment/s•Startenvironment/s•GetEnvironmentStates•Stopenvironment/s•Terminateenvironments•FindenvironmentdetailsbyenvironmentID•UpdateEnvironmentContactDetails•Updateexpirationdateforenvironment•FindalltheinstancesinanenvironmentbyenvironmentID•FindalltheinstancesstateinanenvironmentbyenvironmentID•RestartInstance•StartInstance•StopInstance•Findschedulesbyenvironmentid•Createscheduleforenvironment•Inactivatetheselectedschedulebyscheduleidandenvironmentid•Findschedulebyscheduleidandenvironmentid•Updatescheduleforenvironment•Resizeallserverinstanceorselectedserverinstanceofanenvironment•Createnewenvironments
•Qlikdoesnothaveanycloud-specificAPIs.Thisdoesnotgiveuserstheflexibilitytocreatecustomworkflows.UsersmustusetheQlikinterfaceandareunabletopersonalizetheirownuserexperience.Becauseofnocloud-specificAPIs,Qlikusersareunabletoautomateanyprocesses.
DisasterRecoveryandFailover
Clusteredserversthatrestorebackupsafterfailuresonoworkortimeislost.
•MicroStrategyCloudclustersenterprisedeploymentswithmultiplenodes,andgivesorganizationstheflexibilitytoaddadditionalnodes.•Clusterednodesprovideloadbalancing,highavailability,failover,andredundancy.Eachnodesynchronizesmetadatainformation,historylists,andreportcaches.Incaseofdisasterorfailure,MicroStrategybackupsarestoredredundantlyacrossmultipleavailabilityzonesandcanbeaccessedandrestoredinanalternateavailabilityzone.ThisaffordszerodowntimeanduserscanalwaysaccesstheirMicroStrategyenvironment.
•ThereisnoautomateddisasterrecoveryandfailoveroptionswithQlik;itisentirelyamanualprocessthatinvolvesbackingupfilesandapplicationstoanewserver.Inacasewhereacustomerdoesmanuallyconfigureamulti-nodedeploymentofQlikSenseonaserver,therearelimitationsandadditionalchangesthatneedtobemadeandthisrequiresheavyITinvolvement.
CentralizedAdministration
Asingleinterfacethatprovidesalltheadministrationtoolstomanageandmonitoranenterprisecloudenvironment.
•MicroStrategyallowsthecustomertostart,stop,andrestartanAWSenvironmentwhileretainingitscontents.Customerscantakeadvantageofstoppingtheirenvironmentstosaveoncosts,especiallyduringnon-peakhours.•ThenewEnvironmentManagertoolallowsuserstoscheduletheseroutinetaskstooccuratspecificdatesandtimes.•ForPOCordevelopmentpurposes,anadministratorcanstopthesemachinesduringnon-peakhourstoreducecosts.•Customersonlypayforwhattheyuse.
•TheQlikDeploymentConsole(QDC)isusedtocreateandmanageQlikSensesitesthataredeployedincloudcomputingenvironments.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotQlikDetailsbyCapability -vsQlik -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTQlik Qlik
ScoreMSTRScore
AutoScaling Theabilitytoresizecloudenvironmentsbasedontheconditionsthecustomerdefines.
•MicroStrategyCloudcustomershavetheabilitytoscaletheirenvironmentupordownwithover6differentinstancesizeoptionsfromAWSrangingfrom4vCPUand15.25GiBto64vCPUand488GiBofmemory.•Environmentscanscaleon-demandorschedulebasedonusagepatterns,applicationusagepatterns,anddatasize.Customerscanaddnewusersatanytimeanddeploymultipleenvironmentsandprojectsastheyseefit.•Customerspayforwhattheyuseaccordingtolengthoftime.
Qlikisunabletocluster8nodes.Largeenterpriseorganizationsmayneedtoclusterupto8nodestosupporthundredsofusersandpetabytesofdata.
SeamlessUpgrades
Upgradetheplatformandcorrespondingserverswithoutanydowntimeoradditionalwork.
BymovingtotheMicroStrategyCloud,customerscanensurethattheyhavethelatestplatformandversionrelease,allowingthemtotakeadvantageofthelatestplatformsecurityandfeatureenhancements.WiththenewCloudEnvironmentManager,customerscanscheduleupgradesduringnon-peakhourstoguaranteeseamlessupgradeswithzerodowntime.Testingandhealthchecksareautomaticallyperformedtohelpensureasuccessfulupgrade.
•Upgradesarenotaseamlessprocess.CustomersonQlikSenseEnterprisemustdownloadandmanuallyapplytheupgradesthemselves.ThiswillrequireheavyITknowledgeandmaycauseerrorstohappen.•ThereisQlikontheAWSMarketplacebutitisn'tthelatestversion.QlikisnotseriousaboutitscloudofferingonAWS.
HighPerformanceandReliability
Maintainhighperformanceandreliabilitywithoutsacrificinguserexperienceorsecurity.
•EachMicroStrategydeploymentisinasingle-tenant,privatecloud.Thisallowsorganizationstocustomizethesoftwaretomeettheirneeds.Queriesrunbycustomerswillnotaffectothers.Eachinstanceisisolatedfromothersformaximumprivacy.
•TheMicroStrategyCloudoperationsteamhasthecloudexpertsandsupporttohelpensurehighperformanceandreliability.WearebackednotonlybyAWS’sworld-classinfrastructure,butalsoAWSexpertswhohelpeddesignandautomateourclouddeployment.OurCloudenvironmentwasbuiltwiththelatestAWStechnologyandaccordingtoAWS’sbestpractices.Ourteamproactivelypatchesinfrastructure,operatingsystems,andapplicationstooptimizeperformancewhiledeterringsecuritythreats.Wehaveprocessesinplacesothatsystemsaremonitored,includingtheanalyticsandmobilityservers.
•MicroStrategyallowsorganizationstoclusterupto8servernodes.Beyondbeingabletofurtherscaleinvolumeofanalyticscontent,thiswillimproveoverallSLAsbyreorganizinglargeclustersforhigheravailabilityandfasterservicerecovery,reduceTCObyconsolidationofmultipleenvironments,andremovefrictiontodeploynewapplicationsandincreaseusercapacity.
•QlikCloudamultitenantenvironment.Asaresult,acustomer'squeriesmayimpactperformanceforallothercustomers.
DataConnectivityandMigration
Servicesforcustomerslookingtomovetheirdataintothecloudorconnecttheiron-premdatatotheircloudenvironment.
•MicroStrategyprovidesdataconnectivityanddatawarehousesolutionstomeetcustomerneeds.Customersmaychoosetomigratetheirdataintothecloud.WeofferoptionstomigrateintoAmazonRedshift,SQLServerEnterprise,SQLServerStandard,MySQL,orAuroraDWHplatforms.Whencustomerschoosethisoption,MicroStrategybuildsthechosenDWHwithinthesameVPCastherestoftheBIcloudenvironment.MicroStrategyworkswithcustomerstoselectthecorrectsize(CPU/RAM)DWHmachinethatmeetstheirneeds.ETLoptionsarealsoavailable.
•Ifacustomerchoosestomaintaintheirdatabaseon-premorinanotherclouddatasource,atypicalimplementationinvolvesestablishingaVPNconnectionbetweentheMicroStrategyCloudanditsdatabaseordata.Theperformanceofthisarchitecturecanvarybasedonavarietyoffactors,includingthephysicaldistancebetweentheMicroStrategyClouddatacenterandthecustomerdatasource,thelatencyofthedataconnection,thebandwidthoftheconnection,theamountofusage,itsqueryintensiveness,thequery-responselatencyofthecustomerdatasource,andothervariables.
•QlikrecentlyannouncedQlikSenseEnterprise,butitisnotoptimizedonAWS.QlikEnterpriseisbeingofferedasdeployablebothon-premisesorinthecloud.CustomersmustdeployQlikenterprisethemselvesorgothroughQliktodoitforthem.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotQlikDetailsbyCapability -vsQlik -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTQlik Qlik
ScoreMSTRScore
DataSecurity Securitytoprotectcustomerdata24/7/365.
•MicroStrategyCloudsecuritymeetsorexceedsindustrystandardsandbestpractices.MicroStrategyimplementsstrongcontrolpracticestoeffectivelymaintainthesecurityandavailabilityoftheMicroStrategyCloudandassociateddata.Wehelpensurethatyourdataissecureatnetworkandapplicationlevelsfromanyattacks.WefollowthelatestindustrystandardsonmanycompliancesandcertificationssuchasSOCI&II,HIPAA,PCI,andPrivacyShield.
•QlikSenseCloudreliesonAWSinfrastructureforsecurephysicalaccess,redundant(faulttolerant)infrastructure,andscalability.•AdditionalsecurityforQlikSenseCloudisimplementedthroughtheuseofAWSservicesandthird-partysolutionsinavirtualprivatecloud(VPC).Thereisalackofgranularsecurityandtheabilitytocreateworkgroups.•AnyappintheMySharedCloudareaisconsideredsharedandcanbeseenbyallfollowers.Itisnotpossibletojustshareoneappwithaparticularuser.
EnterpriseIoT
DigitalBadge Useasingledigitalidentifiertotrack,report,andmanagealluserinteractionswithenterpriseassets.Thebadgeverifiesidentitiespriortograntingaccesstoenterpriseassets.
•MicroStrategy,viaUsher,deliverssmartphone-baseddigitalbadgesthatprovideseamlessaccesstophysicalandlogicalassetsacrosstheenterprise.•Digitalbadgesreplacephysicalbadges,keyfobs,passwords,andotheridentifierswithdigitalcredentialsdeliveredviaamobileapp.Badgesarebrandedbytheissuingorganizationandaredynamicallyandsecurelylinkedtoanindividuals'privilegesandaccessrights.•Badgescanberemotelyissuedandrevokednearlyinstantaneously.Theyareprovisionedviasecure,out-of-bandmeans,andtheirusecanbegatedbybiometric,geographical,ortemporalconstraints.•Thedigitalbadgeprovidesauniqueidentifierthatcanbeusedbyanysinglebadgetovalidatetheidentityofanyotherbadge.Italsoprovidesone-timepasscodesforasecondfactorofauthentication.
•DigitalbadgesarenotprovidedinQlik.MicroStrategyistheonlyBIplatformthatofferspassword-freeloginviaamobileapp.
PhysicalAccess
Controlandmanageaccesstoanyentrywayacrossanenterpriseusingadigitalbadgetoenhanceorreplaceexistingaccesscardsforemployees,contractors,andvisitors.
•MicroStrategyprovidessmartphone-basedphysicalaccessfunctionalitypre-integratedwithleadingPACSvendors.Usherworkstoconsolidatemultiplephysicalaccesscontrolsystemsthroughoutanenterprise.•WithanOpenAPImodel,MicroStrategycanintegratewithpartnerphysicalaccesscontrolsystems,buildingautomationsystems,manufacturingsystems,InternetofThings(IoT)grids,andnetworksandmanagementsystemstodelivermoreadvancedfunctionalityandimplementationoptionstocustomers.
•Physicalaccessisnotsupported.QlikdoesnotsupportOTBintegrationwithleadingPACSvendorsonmobiledevices.
LogicalAccess
AccessalltypesofdigitalassetsinanorganizationincludingBIapplications,webapplications,VPNs,andworkstationsfromasinglepoint.
•MicroStrategyprovidessecuredigitalidentitythatallowsuserstoaccessnearlyanysysteminanenterprise(devices,applications,andVPNs)fromasinglepoint.InordertobothprotectthecurrentITinvestmentsofcorporationsaswellasenablefutureinvestments,logicalaccesswithMicroStrategyiscompatiblewithbothindustry-standardprotocolslikeSAMLandRADIUSaswellasemergingstandardssuchasOpenIDConnect.
•QlikdoesnotofferlogicalaccesstodigitalsystemsotherthanitsownBIsuite.QlikcanbeconfiguredtouseSAML(securityassertionmarkuplanguage)forpassword-freelogins/singlesign-on,butthisrequiresathird-partyauthenticationsolution.
BluetoothSensing
Enablecontextualinteractions,security,andseamlessuserexperiencesviaBluetoothdeliveringreal-timelocationalawarenessofenterpriseassets.
•IntheMicroStrategyplatform,Usher’sBluetooth(BLE4.0)integrationenablesreal-timemicro-locationalawarenessofenterpriseassetsaswellastouch-freephysicalandlogicalaccess.•Thisallowsthousandsofuserstoprojecttheiridentityandmoveaboutacorporateenvironmentaccessingdoorwaysandsystemssecurelywithdrasticallydecreasedamountsoffriction.TheBluetoothsensingcapabilitycanalsobeconfiguredtologproximityataparticularplaceandtime.
•QlikSensedoesnotintegratewithBluetooth.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotQlikDetailsbyCapability -vsQlik -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTQlik Qlik
ScoreMSTRScore
BarcodeScanner
TrackenterpriseassetsbyscanningbarcodesorQRcodeswheneverauserinteractswiththem.Thisabilitysetsthefoundationforseamlessrepair,maintenance,andinventorymanagementofenterpriseassets.
•TheintegratedbarcodescannerinMicroStrategybadgescanscanvirtuallyanykindofQRorbarcodetag,securelyloggingalinkagebetweenanemployeeandaproduct,machine,oranyvaluableenterpriseasset.•ThiscapabilityallowsthetrackingofofflineassetsusinglabelsandtagswithbarorQRcodesandcanimproveprocessauditingandenforcementforcustomerservice,maintenance,andmore.Scanningbarcodeshelpstakedatafrommultiplecomponentsandsystemsandcombinethemtoimprovethepredictabilityofperformanceissuesthatariseinday-to-daybusinessoperations.
•TrackingassetswithbarcodescannersisnotsupportedinQlik.ThisisinpartduetoQliknotprovidingadigitalbadgeforuseininteractingwiththeEnterpriseInternetofThings.
Communication&Collaboration
Empowermanagementanddecision-makingtobemoretimely,informed,andcollaborativethroughdirect,in-app2-waymessagingbasedonlocationandsystemsaccess.
•TheUsherout-of-the-boxproductivityapplicationallowsmanagerstoquicklyidentify,verify,coordinate,andcommunicatewithotherusers–eitherin-personorbyremotelocation.•UsershavethecapabilitytoexchangemessagesfromanyclientinterfaceviatheIdentityserverastheintermediary.Thisfeaturesupportsanumberofusecasesincludingemployeesafety,support,andcoordination,particularlyforfieldworkforcesorduringspecialevents.
•ForQlikSense,thisisnotofferedoutsideofannotationsandcollaborationfordashboardsinitsBIinterfaces.SinceQlikdoesnotprovideadigitaltwinthatiscarriedbyuserswiththeminamobileform-factoratalltimes,itfurtherlacksaconvenientmeansofreachingusersinatimelyfashion.Additionally,thismeansthereismuchlesscontextualinformationavailableaboutusersinanygivenpointintimetoinfluencethedirectionofcommuniques.
Real-timeTelemetry
Generateconsumablereal-timeintelligenceviadigitalidentityinteractionswithalltypesofenterpriseassets(physicalandlogical)andconstituents.
•WithMicroStrategyUsherbadges,userpresenceandactionscreatereal-timetelemetryviaanApacheKafkaCluster–anopen-sourceprogramdeliveringadistributed,partitioned,andreplicatedcommitlogservicesupportingreal-timedataprocessingandbigdatavolumes.Thistelemetrydataisarichandunderutilizedsourceofinformationthatisthekeytounlockingasmarter,moreproductiveworkforce.Toexpeditevaluecreation,MicroStrategyhelpsorganizationsefficientlycreateandharnessmassiveamountsoftimelyinformationarrivingfromEIoTdevices.
•Qlik'slackofadigitalbadgepreventsitfromgeneratingcomprehensive,real-timetelemetrystemmingfromtheinteractionsbetweenenterpriseassetsandconstituents.Further,Qlikwouldnothavethecapabilitytohandlethisdatainreal-timeduetoitsneedtohavedatabeextractedandprocessedpriortoanalysis.
OTBReportingModule
Deployreportingbasedontelemetry,pullingdatafromallassetsandaccesspointstodeliverinsightintooperationsandcomplianceinaunified,“singlesourceoftruth”dashboard.Reportsshouldbecustomizablewiththeabilitytoblenddatafromotherenterpriserepositories.
•UsherAnalyticsisaMicroStrategyprojectincludedout-of-the-boxwithabadgeimplementation.MicroStrategytakescareoftheETLprocessessoaccessandauthorizationdatageneratedontheback-endisautomaticallyloadedintoadatawarehouseandleveragedbyapre-builtdataschema.Thisprojectincludesmultipledashboardsandamobileapplicationforvisibilityintointeractionsbetweenenterpriseconstituentsandassets.
•OTBreportingforanaccess-centricEIoTimplementationisnotsupportedbyQlik.ForQliktodeliverdashboardsthatshowaconvergedlogofphysicalandlogicaltransactionsbyeachuserinanenterprise,asignificantamountoflabor(connecting,ETL-ing,architecting,dashboarding)wouldneedtooccur.
IntegrationwithDirectoryServices
Synchronizetodirectoryservicesastheauthoritativesourceforemployeerecordsandattributes.Supporttheenforcementofdirectoryprovisioningforauthorization(privileges,entitlements,andrestrictions).
•WithintheMicroStrategyplatform,UsherNetworkManagerhaspre-builtdirectoryintegrationswithMicrosoftActiveDirectory,AWSDirectoryServices,andOktaUniversalDirectory.UsherisalsocompatiblewiththeOpenLDAPstandard.ThisallowsMicroStrategytoquicklyissuestandardizedcredentialstoallusers,eveninorganizationswhichutilizemultipleidentityrepositories-orevenmanuallyaddtemporaryuserswhodonotexistinanyrepository.
•QlikSensesupportsActiveDirectory.However,itintegratesnativelywithfewerthird-partyidentityrepositoriescomparedtoMicroStrategy.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotQlikDetailsbyCapability -vsQlik -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTQlik Qlik
ScoreMSTRScore
IdentityServer Manageanetworkofusersbyconfiguringrelationshipsthatprompt,enable,orsecureinteractionsamongemployeesandassetswithinthenetwork.IdentityServersenableadministratorstocreate,configure,distribute,revoke,andmanagedigitalidentitieswithuserbadges.
•TheMicroStrategyUsheridentityserver,whichassignsandissuesdigitaltwinstousersintheformofbadges,isFIDOAlliance-certifiedonaUAFprotocolfordeliveringpassword-freeauthenticationbasedonpublickeycryptography.Itisstronglyresistanttophishingandcanmakeuseraccesssubjecttogeographicandtemporalconstraints.
TheUsherserverarchitectureisbuilttoensurethatonlyauthorizedbadgeuserscommunicatewiththeidentityserver,andonlyfromauthorizeddevices.TheUsherserverhasthesoleauthoritytoconvertamobiledeviceintoanauthorizeddevicethroughaprocessthathelpsensurethatroguedevicesorapplicationswillnotbeabletocommunicatewiththeidentityserver.Theidentityserverprovidessupportforencryptionofdataatrestandintransit,encryptionkeymanagement,andtransactionloggingtiedtoanindividualuser’sidentity.
•QlikdoesnotprovideOTBsupportforidentityservers.UserandassetadministrationinQlikislimitedtocontrollingBIapplicationsandenvironments.
EnterprisePartner
100%FocusonEnterpriseAnalytics
Corebusinessisexclusivelyfocusedonenterpriseanalytics.
•MicroStrategyisdedicatedtoasinglebusinessline,exclusivelyfocusedonenterpriseanalyticsandmobilitysoftware.•MicroStrategy’smissionistoprovideenterprisecustomerswithaworld-classsoftwareplatformandexpertservicessotheycandeployuniqueintelligenceapplications.
•Qlik’srootsareinapointsolutionfordatadiscoveryandvisualizationandnotinenterpriseanalytics.
PlatformCohesion
Cohesionisanimportantconceptinsoftwaredesignbecauseitreducescomplexity,enhancessystemmaintainabilityandincreasesreusability,whichtogetherpromoteperformance,scalabilityandelegance.
•MicroStrategy10hasaunifiedplatformarchitectureuniquelysuitedtodeliverhigh-performanceapplicationsthatarehighlyreusableandsecure,andcanmeetthebusinessintelligencedemandsofvarioususersandorganizations.•Sinceitsinception,MicroStrategyhasbeendevelopingitsplatformtechnology100%organically.
•Qlikhasstartedtomeldtogetherdisparatetechnologiestotrytofillgapsinitssolution.Todothis,Qlikhasacquiredanumberofothertechnologies,includingtheonesbelow.•In2014,QlikacquiredDatamarket,adataanalyticscompany.•In2015,QlikacquiredVizubianditsproductNPrinting,whichisareportgeneration,distributionandschedulingapplicationfortheQlikplatform.•In2016,QlikacquiredIndustrialCodeBox,thecompanybehindQVSource,sothatQlikSenseuserscouldincludedatafromcloud-basedsources.•In2017,QlikacquiredIdevio,aproviderofgeographical-relatedsoftwareandservices,sothatQlikSenseuserscouldaddmapstotheirapps.
VisionaryCEO
CEOanticipatesanddrivestechnologytrendsintheenterpriseanalyticsindustry.
•MicroStrategy’sCEO,MichaelSaylor,hasanticipatedtechnologytrendssuchasmobiletechnology’stransformationofbusinessoperations,andledthecompanythroughmultiplewavesofinnovationsuchasclient-server,web,mobile,cloudandenterpriseinternetofthings.•Mr.SaylorisalsotheauthorofTheNewYorkTime’sbest-sellingbook,“TheMobileWave.”
•Qlik’sCEOreportstoaprivateequityfirm.Privateequityfirmstypicallyfocusonimprovingcashflowandtightlycontrollingoperations,ratherthanfosteringinnovation.•Qlik’sCEOisn’tatechnologistandpriortoQlik,servedprimarilyinfinancialrolesinnon-softwarecompanies.
CEOEngagementwithCustomers
CEOengagesdirectlyandsubstantiallywithcustomersaroundtheworld.
•MicroStrategy’sCEOdirectlyengageswithcustomersaroundtheworldbypersonallyparticipatinginamajorityofthe100+SymposiumeventsthatMicroStrategyholdsperyearin35differentcountries,inadditiontoothercustomermeetingsandeventsonaregularbasis.
•Qlikoffersonlyoneworldwideuserconference,anddoesn’tofferanyotherlarge-scaleconferenceswherecustomerscanengagewithitsCEO.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotQlikDetailsbyCapability -vsQlik -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTQlik Qlik
ScoreMSTRScore
TenuredExecutiveTeam
Executiveteamhasextensiveexperienceinenterpriseanalyticsandmobility.
•MicroStrategy’sCEOandCTOcollectivelyhaveover50yearsofexperienceinenterpriseanalyticsandmobility.•Additionally,MicroStrategy’sCEOhassciencedegreesfromMITandmorethan50patentstohisname,andhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindMicroStrategy’stechnologysinceitsinception.
•Qlik’sexecutiveteamrepresentstheinterestsofaprivateequityfirmthatdoesn’tfocusontheanalyticsindustry.•Followingtheacquisitionbytheprivateequityfirm,anumberofexecutivesresponsibleforthedevelopmentofQlikSense,includingDonaldFarmer,VPofInnovationandDesign,departedthecompany.
ShareholderAlignment
Principalshareholderandmanagementinterestsarealignedwiththecompany’slong-termsuccess.
•Mr.Saylor,thecompany’sChairmanoftheBoard,President&CEO,foundedMicroStrategyin1989andhasbeenthecompany’scontrollingshareholdersinceitsinception.Accordingly,shareholderandmanagementinterestsarefullyalignedinpursuingMicroStrategy’svisionandlong-termsuccess.
•InAugust2016,QlikwasacquiredbytheprivateequityfirmThomaBravo.Privateequityfirmstypicallyfocusonshort-termfinancialgrowthinthehopesofquicklysellingoffcompaniesataprofit.•Evenbeforethen,Qlik’slargershareholderswereinvestmentmanagementcompanies.
PubliclyTradedCompany
Withgreatertransparency,stabilityandaccesstofunding,apubliclytradedcompanygenerallyhasastrongermanagementteam,instillsgreaterconfidenceincustomersandhasmorefinanciallevers.
•Havinggonepublic18yearsago,MicroStrategyisamaturepubliclytradedcompany.
•Qlikisprivatelyheldbyaprivateequityfirm.•Qlik’sfinancialsaren’ttransparent.•Bygoingprivate,Qliklostcredibilityandtransparencywithcustomers.
StrongFinancials
Aprofitableorganizationwithastrongbalancesheetcanbetterwithstandmarketvolatilityandfluctuations.
•MicroStrategyhasbeenprofitableoverthelast13years,withcombinednetincomeof$197millionoverthelast2fiscalyearsandanoperatingmarginof21%for2016.•Inaddition,MicroStrategy’sbalancesheetisstrongwithzerodebt.
•Inthe2fiscalyearsbeforegoingprivate,Qlikhadacombinednetlossof$61million.•InQlik’slastreportedfiscalyear-endfinancials,ithadanoperatingmarginof-2%.
WorldwideSalesPresence
Companyhastheabilitytodirectlyengagewithorganizationsaroundtheworld.
•MicroStrategyhasofficesin26countriesacrosseverymajorregionoftheworld.•WhileQlikhasasimilarglobalpresenceasMicroStrategy,therearereportsofdownsizingfollowingtheprivateequityacquisition.•Historically,Qlikwasmoreregionallyfocused,and,basedonitslastpublicfinancialfilings,itcontinuedtogenerateamajorityofitsrevenuefromnon-U.S.markets.
WorldwideServicesPresence
Companyhastheabilitytoprovidesupportandservicestocustomersaroundtheworld.
•MicroStrategyhasofficesin26countriesacrosseverymajorregionoftheworld. •WhileQlikhasasimilarglobalpresenceasMicroStrategy,therearereportsofdownsizingfollowingtheprivateequityacquisition.•Qlik’sprofessionalservicesrevenuein2015wasamuchsmallerpercentageoftotalrevenuesthanMicroStrategy’s.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData OverviewOverview -vsIBMCognos -
CriticalCapabilities-IBMCognosScoresTechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
1ObjectOrientedReusability
Self-ServiceData
DiscoveryTransactionalWorkflows
CreateCustomWeb
Applications
SimplifiedEnterpriseDeployment
DigitalBadge100%Focus
onEnterpriseAnalytics
2 DataGovernance
OptimizedData
ConnectivityEmbeddedMultimedia
CreateCustomMobile
ApplicationsiniOSandAndroid
GlobalAvailability
PhysicalAccess
PlatformCohesion
3 UserSecurity
DataPreparation
andBlending
GeospatialAnalysis
EmbedThird-PartyDataasDatasets
APIEnabledOperations LogicalAccess Visionary
CEO
4 Scalability EnterpriseReports OfflineAccess
CreateCustomHTML5
Visualizations
DisasterRecoveryandFailover
BluetoothSensing
CEOEngagement
withCustomers
5 PerformanceDashboards
anddocuments
MobileClientCachingforHigh
Performance
ExtractSubsetsofDataUsingRESTfulAPIs
CentralizedAdministration
BarcodeScanner
TenuredExecutiveTeam
6 Automation MobileAnalytics
PersonalizedAlertsviaPushNotifications
CreateCustomData
ConnectorsAutoScaling Communication
&CollaborationShareholderAlignment
7 Monitoring RealTimeAnalytics
InstantUpdatestoCustomAppswithNoRecompilation
MultitenancySupport
SeamlessUpgrades
Real-timeTelemetry
PubliclyTradedCompany
8 DeploymentPredictiveAnalytics
andMachineLearning
Customize/WhiteLabel
HighPerformanceandReliability
OTBReportingModule
StrongFinancials
9 HighAvailability
BigDataAnalytics
NativeIntegrationwithEMMVendors
Data
ConnectivityandMigration
IntegrationwithDirectoryServices
WorldwideSales
Presence
10 In-memoryArchitecture
AutomatedDistributionandAlerting
MobileAppUsage
Monitoring DataSecurity IdentityServer
WorldwideServicesPresence
TechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
71 / 167
CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData CriticalCapabilities-IBMCognos…Overview -vsIBMCognos -
TechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
1ObjectOrientedReusability
Self-ServiceData
DiscoveryTransactionalWorkflows
CreateCustomWeb
Applications
SimplifiedEnterpriseDeployment
DigitalBadge100%Focus
onEnterpriseAnalytics
2 DataGovernance
OptimizedData
ConnectivityEmbeddedMultimedia
CreateCustomMobile
ApplicationsiniOSandAndroid
GlobalAvailability
PhysicalAccess
PlatformCohesion
3 UserSecurity
DataPreparation
andBlending
GeospatialAnalysis
EmbedThird-PartyDataasDatasets
APIEnabledOperations LogicalAccess Visionary
CEO
4 Scalability EnterpriseReports OfflineAccess
CreateCustomHTML5
Visualizations
DisasterRecoveryandFailover
BluetoothSensing
CEOEngagement
withCustomers
5 PerformanceDashboards
anddocuments
MobileClientCachingfor
HighPerformance
ExtractSubsetsofDataUsingRESTfulAPIs
CentralizedAdministration
BarcodeScanner
TenuredExecutiveTeam
6 Automation MobileAnalytics
PersonalizedAlertsviaPushNotifications
CreateCustomData
ConnectorsAutoScaling Communication
&CollaborationShareholderAlignment
7 Monitoring RealTimeAnalytics
InstantUpdatestoCustomAppswithNoRecompilation
MultitenancySupport
SeamlessUpgrades
Real-timeTelemetry
PubliclyTradedCompany
8 DeploymentPredictiveAnalytics
andMachineLearning
Customize/WhiteLabel
HighPerformanceandReliability
OTBReportingModule
StrongFinancials
9 HighAvailability
BigDataAnalytics
NativeIntegrationwithEMMVendors
Data
ConnectivityandMigration
IntegrationwithDirectoryServices
WorldwideSales
Presence
10 In-memoryArchitecture
AutomatedDistributionandAlerting
MobileAppUsage
Monitoring DataSecurity IdentityServer
WorldwideServicesPresence
TechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
CriticalCapability
IBMCognosScore
72 / 167
CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData OverviewDetailsbyCapability -vsIBMCognos -
WhyNotIBMCognos
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotIBMCognos
IBMCognosScore
MSTRScore
EnterprisePlatform
ObjectOrientedReusability
Anobject-orientedarchitecturecatalogseveryaspectofthebusiness.Dataassets,KPIs,dimensions,users,reports,anddashboardsareallstoredinacentrallocationasuniquelogicalobjectstosupportreusability.
MicroStrategyoffersacentralizedmetadatarepositorythatisbuiltwithandcontainsobjects,asdefinedbydevelopers,andcanbereusedacrosstheBIproject.Objectscanbecombinedtocreatehigherlevelobjects(e.g.,attributesandmetricsmakeupareport;reports,filters,andpromptsmakeupadocument;documents,andotherreportscanbeembeddedintoadocument-allofwhicharestoredas"metadataobjects"),andthistogetherdeliversasingleBIprojectoradatamodel.•ThereusablemodelenablesobjectsacrosstheBIdeploymenttobesecurelyreusedhundredsoftimesbyusersacrosstheenterprise,withoutanyduplicationofeffort.•Themodelnotonlyincludesdimensionsandmetrics,butalsocoversfilters,reports,prompts,customgroups,reports,dashboards,anddocuments-makingitpossibletoflexiblyreusealloftheseobjectsmultipletimesacrossanyapplicationandBIproject.•Changesormodificationsmadetoanyobjectinthemetadataautomaticallyproliferatestoallotherdependentobjects.Thiseliminatestheneedtomanuallyupdatethechangesacrossthedeployment,whichisparticularlyhelpfulforlargerBIprojects.•Thereusablemodelhelpsensurefasterdevelopmenttimes,increasedplatformscalability,efficientmanagement,andalsomaintainsasingleversionofthetruth.
•Cognosdoessupportsomereusabilityofmetadataobjects,butnotallobjectscanbere-used.It’sdifficulttomigrateexistingobjectstonewprojects,anditschangemanagementfeaturesarelimited.
•CognosAnalytics11.0.5introducedsupportforlinkeddatamodules,whichallowsuserstoreuseadatamoduletobuildnewoneswithalinktotheoriginaldata.Contentobjects,suchasreports,dashboards,stories,datasets,andmodulescanbesharedwithaURLthatopensthecontentobjectdirectly.Whileuserscanreuselayoutobjectsacrossmultiplereports,theycannotreusequeryobjectsacrossreports.•ObjectsinIBMCognoscanonlybemigratedfromthecontentstoreinpackages.Usershavetocreatethepackages,uploadthemtothecontentstore,andthenmovethemtothenewproject.Thismultiplestep,manualprocessincreasesthechanceforerrorsandinconsistenciesonobjectdefinitions.
•Cognosdoesnothaveanautomatedorcomprehensivechangemanagementprocesstoensurethatchangestometadataobjectsautomaticallyripplethroughtoalldependentobjects.
DataGovernance
Uniquedefinitionstoeverydimensionandmetricboundtogetherbystrictrulesthataredefinedbyalogicalmodel,thusensuringasingleversionofthetruth
TheMicroStrategymetadatamodelmakesitpossibleforanyonewiththerightprivilegestopromotenewandexternalcontenttotheServerandtieittoacertifieddatamodel,allwitheasyworkflows.•Itispossibletomapthemetadataatthedimensionlevel,aswellasthecubelevel,givinguserstheflexibilitytocontrolthedatathatispublishedtothemodel.•Theplatformsupportsgovernancefordatafromdisparatesources,evenexternalnon-certifiedsources,thathelpsbuildasystemofrecordthatuserscantrust--whilealsodeliveringflexibilitytoendusers.•Beyondtheabilitytogovernexternaldatasources,theplatformoffersgranularsecurityfeaturesthatallowprojectownersanddatastewardstograntpermissionsandprivilegestotherightpeople.Thisdeliversdatasecurityandalsopersonalizesreportsanddashboardstoendusers.•WorkflowsavailablewiththeMicroStrategyplatformtopromoteexternaldataintothesystemofrecord,combinedwiththeflexibilityofthesystemtodeliverself-serviceaccesstobusinessteamswillincreasetheoveralladoptionoftheBIplatform.
•CognosAnalyticsandTM1cubesstillrequiretheirownuniquesetsofmetadata,creatingafragmentedmetadatasituationwhichcanleadtoinconsistentobjectdefinitionsandreportinginconsistencies.
•Anymetadatachanges(i.e.levelnamechanges)requiretheTM1cubetobereimportedintoFrameworkManager.ThelevelnameswillnotautomaticallyrefreshthemselvesinCognosBI.DevelopersmustdefinelevelnamesfirstbeforepublishingthecubestoCognosBI,creatingmoremanualworkandincreasingthelikelihoodoferrors.•Incontrast,MicroStrategy’sunifiedarchitecturerunsonasinglemetadata,singleserver,andasinglecodebasethatenablesacertifiedandflexibledatamodel.
•In11.0.5,onlyrelational,dynamicquerymodepackagesaresupportedindatamodules;dimensionallymodeledrelational
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotIBMCognos
IBMCognosScore
MSTRScore
73 / 167
CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotIBMCognosDetailsbyCapability -vsIBMCognos -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotIBMCognos
IBMCognosScore
MSTRScore
EnterprisePlatform
ObjectOrientedReusability
Anobject-orientedarchitecturecatalogseveryaspectofthebusiness.Dataassets,KPIs,dimensions,users,reports,anddashboardsareallstoredinacentrallocationasuniquelogicalobjectstosupportreusability.
MicroStrategyoffersacentralizedmetadatarepositorythatisbuiltwithandcontainsobjects,asdefinedbydevelopers,andcanbereusedacrosstheBIproject.Objectscanbecombinedtocreatehigherlevelobjects(e.g.,attributesandmetricsmakeupareport;reports,filters,andpromptsmakeupadocument;documents,andotherreportscanbeembeddedintoadocument-allofwhicharestoredas"metadataobjects"),andthistogetherdeliversasingleBIprojectoradatamodel.•ThereusablemodelenablesobjectsacrosstheBIdeploymenttobesecurelyreusedhundredsoftimesbyusersacrosstheenterprise,withoutanyduplicationofeffort.•Themodelnotonlyincludesdimensionsandmetrics,butalsocoversfilters,reports,prompts,customgroups,reports,dashboards,anddocuments-makingitpossibletoflexiblyreusealloftheseobjectsmultipletimesacrossanyapplicationandBIproject.•Changesormodificationsmadetoanyobjectinthemetadataautomaticallyproliferatestoallotherdependentobjects.Thiseliminatestheneedtomanuallyupdatethechangesacrossthedeployment,whichisparticularlyhelpfulforlargerBIprojects.•Thereusablemodelhelpsensurefasterdevelopmenttimes,increasedplatformscalability,efficientmanagement,andalsomaintainsasingleversionofthetruth.
•Cognosdoessupportsomereusabilityofmetadataobjects,butnotallobjectscanbere-used.It’sdifficulttomigrateexistingobjectstonewprojects,anditschangemanagementfeaturesarelimited.
•CognosAnalytics11.0.5introducedsupportforlinkeddatamodules,whichallowsuserstoreuseadatamoduletobuildnewoneswithalinktotheoriginaldata.Contentobjects,suchasreports,dashboards,stories,datasets,andmodulescanbesharedwithaURLthatopensthecontentobjectdirectly.Whileuserscanreuselayoutobjectsacrossmultiplereports,theycannotreusequeryobjectsacrossreports.•ObjectsinIBMCognoscanonlybemigratedfromthecontentstoreinpackages.Usershavetocreatethepackages,uploadthemtothecontentstore,andthenmovethemtothenewproject.Thismultiplestep,manualprocessincreasesthechanceforerrorsandinconsistenciesonobjectdefinitions.
•Cognosdoesnothaveanautomatedorcomprehensivechangemanagementprocesstoensurethatchangestometadataobjectsautomaticallyripplethroughtoalldependentobjects.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotIBMCognosDetailsbyCapability -vsIBMCognos -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotIBMCognos
IBMCognosScore
MSTRScore
DataGovernance
Uniquedefinitionstoeverydimensionandmetricboundtogetherbystrictrulesthataredefinedbyalogicalmodel,thusensuringasingleversionofthetruth
TheMicroStrategymetadatamodelmakesitpossibleforanyonewiththerightprivilegestopromotenewandexternalcontenttotheServerandtieittoacertifieddatamodel,allwitheasyworkflows.•Itispossibletomapthemetadataatthedimensionlevel,aswellasthecubelevel,givinguserstheflexibilitytocontrolthedatathatispublishedtothemodel.•Theplatformsupportsgovernancefordatafromdisparatesources,evenexternalnon-certifiedsources,thathelpsbuildasystemofrecordthatuserscantrust--whilealsodeliveringflexibilitytoendusers.•Beyondtheabilitytogovernexternaldatasources,theplatformoffersgranularsecurityfeaturesthatallowprojectownersanddatastewardstograntpermissionsandprivilegestotherightpeople.Thisdeliversdatasecurityandalsopersonalizesreportsanddashboardstoendusers.•WorkflowsavailablewiththeMicroStrategyplatformtopromoteexternaldataintothesystemofrecord,combinedwiththeflexibilityofthesystemtodeliverself-serviceaccesstobusinessteamswillincreasetheoveralladoptionoftheBIplatform.
•CognosAnalyticsandTM1cubesstillrequiretheirownuniquesetsofmetadata,creatingafragmentedmetadatasituationwhichcanleadtoinconsistentobjectdefinitionsandreportinginconsistencies.
•Anymetadatachanges(i.e.levelnamechanges)requiretheTM1cubetobereimportedintoFrameworkManager.ThelevelnameswillnotautomaticallyrefreshthemselvesinCognosBI.DevelopersmustdefinelevelnamesfirstbeforepublishingthecubestoCognosBI,creatingmoremanualworkandincreasingthelikelihoodoferrors.•Incontrast,MicroStrategy’sunifiedarchitecturerunsonasinglemetadata,singleserver,andasinglecodebasethatenablesacertifiedandflexibledatamodel.
•In11.0.5,onlyrelational,dynamicquerymodepackagesaresupportedindatamodules;dimensionallymodeledrelational(DMR)andOLAPmetadataarenotyetsupportedindatamodules.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotIBMCognosDetailsbyCapability -vsIBMCognos -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotIBMCognos
IBMCognosScore
MSTRScore
UserSecurity Rolesandprivilegesthatassignrestrictionstousersandgroupsensurethatendusersonlyseepersonalizedandrelevantcontentandareonlyabletoperformauthorizedactions.
ThesecuritymodelwithintheMicroStrategyplatformisbuiltaroundusersandusergroups,whicharerepresentedaslogicalmetadataobjects.Thisensuresthatdataissecuredatthemostgranularlevels.•Securityfiltersbasedondimensionvalueshelpensurethatusersarerestrictedtoonlyseedatathatisrelevanttothem.Thiseliminatestheneedtobuildmultiplecopiesofthesameapplication,andmakesitpossibletooptimallyscale.•WithMicroStrategy'stools,administratorscanapplyAccessControlLists(ACLs)tolargeusergroups,restrictingtherangeofdataobjectstheycanaccessoractionstheycanperform,andspecifyingthescopeoftheirprivilegesintheenvironment.•WithUsher,itispossibletoprovidesecuredigitalauthenticationoptions,includinggeo-fencingandtime-fencingcapabilities,makingitpossibletorestrictuseraccessbasedonlocationandtime.
•Cognossupportsuserauthenticationandsomerole-baseddataaccesscontrols,butithasalimitedrangeofsecurityprivilegesandrequirestoomanymanual/redundantprocesses.
•WhileCognos11.05allowsthecreationofCognosgroupsandtheadditionofActiveDirectorygroups/users,thesecuritysettingscannotbereusedacrosstheentiredeploymentandhavetobedefinedredundantlyforeveryusergroup.
•ModulesinCognosAnalytics(Cognos11)canbesavedtoafolderwithroleandgroupsecurity,buttheydonotcurrentlysupporthierarchiesorrow-levelsecurity.Developerscanimplementrow-levelsecurity,butithastobeconfiguredwithinthedatabase.
•Column-levelsecurityrequiresmanualcodingfromFrameworkManagerandcanbeappliedonlyforusergroups.Incontrast,MicroStrategynotonlysupportsrow-levelandcolumn-levelsecurity,butalsoenforcessecurityonindividualmetadataobjects,enablingmuchmoregranularcontroloverdataaccessandusercapabilities.
•Usersareauthenticatedbydirectlyconnectingtoanyv3LDAP,includingActiveDirectory.Cognosprovidesanout-of-the-boxauditsolutiontomonitorwhenandhowusersinteractwiththeplatform.
Scalability Deliveranalyticstoeveryoneacrosstheenterprise,andbeyond.Allow1000sofuserstoleverageanalyticswithoutsacrificingperformanceandwithoutrestrictionsondatasize.
MicroStrategyisoptimizedinitsdesignforenterprisescaleandspeed;assuch,theplatformcansupporttheanalyticalreportingneedsof100softhousandsofusersacrosstheenterprise.•Theplatformcanbeclusteredwithupto8nodeswithwork-anduser-fencingoptionstohelpensureperformanceandreliabilityacrosstheentireuserpopulation.•Theplatformhasnorestrictionsondatasizeforeitherdirectorin-memoryaccesstodata•MicroStrategycustomersareleveragingtheplatformtostoredatausingin-memorycubeswithover2billionrowswhiledeliveringsub-secondresponsetimestotheirend-users.•MicroStrategyistheonlycomprehensiveanalyticsvendorthatsupportsbigdataanalyticswithnativeconnectorstoHDFStoaccesspetabytesofdatainrealtime.
•Cognosenablesscalabilityandperformancevialoadbalancingthroughvariousadministratorcontrolledsettingsthatoptimizeresourceavailability.Additionally,Cognospushesdownanalyticalfunctionstothedatabase,andprovidesmultilevelcachingandaggregateawareness.
•IBMCognoscanscalevertically(byusingmorepowerfulservers),orscalehorizontallybyaddingmoreserversandbalancingtheprocessingloadamongtheservers.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotIBMCognosDetailsbyCapability -vsIBMCognos -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotIBMCognos
IBMCognosScore
MSTRScore
Performance Publishanddeliverinformationtoend-userswithquickresponsetimes,anddeliveranalyticswithoutbeingimpededbydatasize.
MicroStrategyemploysavarietyofstrategiestoincreasetheoverallperformanceoftheplatform,makingitpossibletodeliversub-secondresponsetimes-evenwithlargedatasets.•MicroStrategywasamongthefirstBIvendorstosupportpush-downanalyticalfunctionsacrossallleadingdatabases.Thiscapabilityhelpsdrivecomputationsintelligentlytothedatabasewhenneeded,therebyimprovingtheoverallresponsetimetoendusers.•Theplatformcancreatemultipleparallelthreadstothedatabase,increasingthespeedatwhichdataisfetchedfromthewarehouse.•WhereasotherBIvendorsattempttoimplementcachingatasinglelevel,MicroStrategyimplementsself-tuningstrategiesthatcreatecachesatkeypointswithinthequeryflow.TheServercachesdatainthefollowingcrucialareas:Metadataobjectcaching,attributeelementcaching,databaseconnectioncaching,resultcaching,anddocumentcaching.•Theplatformisbasedonanin-memoryarchitecturethatcanpartitioncubesandprocessdatainparallel,makingitpossibletoprocesslargercubesthanothervendorsinthemarket.•VLDBsettingsareavailabletofine-tuneandoptimizeconnectivityforeverytypeofdatasource,deliveringcustomsettingstoorganizationswithuniquedeployments.
•IBMCognosdoesnotdynamicallygeneratemulti-passSQL.Therefore,itcannotfullyleveragetheprocessingpowerofthedatabasetoanswercomplexqueries;insteaditmustplacetheburdenontheanalyticalengineinthemiddle-tier.Multi-stagecalculations,suchaspercentagetototal,andcontributionmetricsneedtobehandledatthereportlevel,whichwilldegradeperformance.
•MicroStrategy’smulti-passSQLqueriesprovidegreateranalyticalpowerandminimizestheamountofdatathatispulledbacktothemid-tier.
Automation ReduceburdenonITadministrators,especiallywithlargescaledeployments,bycuttingdownonroutineorredundanttasks.
•MicroStrategyofferstoolsthatallowadministratorstomaintainandupgradesystems,automateworkflows,andensuresuperiordataqualityandsecurity,withoutredundancies.•Theplatformallowsadminstoreducethetimeandeffortspentonroutinemaintenanceandadministrativetasks,likemovingassetsfromtesttoproductionenvironments,tocheckingthedataqualitybetweenupgrades,andschedulinghealthchecksandtaskswithworkflows.•Beyondadministrativetasks,datauploads/refreshesandscheduleddeliveriescanbeautomatedaswell,whichremovestheburdenfromITandhelpsreduceoverallTCO.
•IBMCognosAnalytics(v11)doesnotprovideautomatedcommandlinescriptsforadministrativetasks.
•Cognosdoesnotautomaticallyandcomprehensivelycheckfordependencieswhenchangesinmetadataobjectsoccur,asitdoesnotsupportmetadatacontentacrosstheentireproductset.
Monitoring Easilymonitor,maintain,manage,fine-tune,andautomateactionsandworkflowstoensurethehealthofthesystem.EliminateredundanttaskstoreduceoverallTCO.
•MicroStrategyofferstoolsthatallowadministratorstomonitoreveryenvironmentinaMicroStrategydeployment,acrossmultipleprojectsandevenservermachines-bothon-premisesandinthecloud.•Theinterfaceenablesadministratorstoquicklyandeasilyviewusagepatterns,systemresources,uptime,andalertsacrossenvironments.•Theplatformcollectsinformationfromeachenvironment’sHealthCenter,andpresentskeyusageandperformanceindicatorsusinggraphsandcharts.•Administratorscandefinethresholdsforsystemusageandperformancethatautomaticallytriggeralertswhenthresholdcriteriaaremetorexceeded.•Beyondthe100sofOOTBreportsanddashboardsavailablewiththeplatform,administratorscanbuildtheirownreportswithcustomKPIstomeasureplatformusage.
•CognosBIprovidesmetricsforcheckingtheperformanceofthesystem,servers,dispatchers,orservices.Adminscansetthresholdsformetricstoidentifywhentheperformanceexceedsorfallsshortofexpectedrangesandnotifyanyonewhoshouldbemadeawareoftheproblemwhenaperformanceissueoccurs.•CognosAnalyticsalsoprovidesanout-of-the-boxauditsolutiontomonitorwhenandhowusersinteractwiththeplatform.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotIBMCognosDetailsbyCapability -vsIBMCognos -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotIBMCognos
IBMCognosScore
MSTRScore
Deployment Optionstodeployonanyinfrastructure,regardlessofsize,team,orhardwareresources,thusreducingoverallTCOandmaintenancerequired.
MicroStrategydeliversflexibleoptionsfordeployinganalyticsacrosstheenterprisewithon-premises,cloud,andhybridoptionsforteamsofanysize.•TheplatformissupportedonbothWindowsandLinux,andcanbeclusteredwithupto8Servernodes.•PartneringwithAWS,theleadingcloudvendor,MicroStrategyallowsorganizationsaroundtheworldtospinupinstancesforenterpriseanalyticsandmobilityinminutes,allowingcompaniestostartsmallandexpandasneeded.•Pre-configuredenvironmentsinthecloudcanbecreated,managed,maintained,andupgradedwithself-serviceconsoles,enablingextremelylowTCOs.
•Cognosisavailableinacloudenvironment,butcustomersarenotabletolaunchacloudserverwithIBMCognosAnalyticsalreadyinstalledonit.ThiswillrequireuserstoinstallandconfiguretheBIplatformthemselves,whichwilltaketimeandadditionalresources.Incontrast,MicroStrategyenablesorganizationsaroundtheworldtospinupinstancesforenterpriseanalyticsandmobilityinminutes.
•IBMCognosAnalyticssupportsanumberofoperatingsystemsincludingAIX,Linux,Solaris,andWindows,andsupportsanumberofopenstandards.
HighAvailability
Robustarchitecturethatprovidesthehighestuptimeforuserstoalwayshaveaccesstothesystem,withprovisionsandtuningmechanismsforincreasedsystemstabilityandbetterfailovermanagement.
•WithMicroStrategy,usersacrosstheorganizationcanaccessreliableanalyticsdeliveredonarobustarchitecturethatisdesignedforenterprisescale,performance,andstability.•Disasterrecoveryandfailoveroptionsalloworganizationstoavoiddowntimesforend-users.Systemadministratorshavethechoicetosetuphot,warm,orcoldfailoverstrategies(forbackupnodes)dependingonthehardwareresourcesavailabletothem.•Clusteringandworkfencingcapabilitiesmakeitpossibletoproactivelypreventservercrashesbydeflectingheavyjobstospecificserversortimeperiods.•Reliablegovernorsateverylevelofthequerypathmakeitpossibletoavertsystemcrashes,evenunderpeakuseranddataloads.
•IBMCognosoffers99%systemavailabilityfortheenterpriseoffering
•IntermsofSLAs,theavailabilityofthecloudserviceduringacontractedmonthdependsforeachapplicableoffering.
In-memoryArchitecture
Architecturethatcanhostterabytesofdatain-memorymakingitavailabletoend-userswithfasterresponsetimes.
•TheMicroStrategyplatformenablesorganizationstotakeadvantageofin-memorycubetechnology,whichincreasesperformancebyreducingtheneedtoaccessdatadirectlyfromthedatawarehouse.•MicroStrategyin-memorycubescanbequicklyloadedwithdatausingparallelthreadsfromthedatabasewhichcanalsobeoptimizedandfine-tunedforspecificdatabases.•Dynamicsourcingisaplatformcapabilitythatautomaticallyroutesqueriestothefastestavailabledatasource—whetherit’sacache,acube,ortheoriginalrelationalsource,thushelpingmaximizeperformanceandthroughput.•MicroStrategy'sparallelprocessingandpartitioningcapabilitiesdifferentiateitfromothervendors,helpingtoboostprocessingspeedsinsituationswherethereareterabytesofdatastoredinmemory.
•CognosDynamicCubesaremodeledwithadesignatedtoolcalledIBMCognosCubeDesigner,whichrequiresadditionalschemaworkinsteadofdirectlyleveragingthealready-builtschemamodel.Duetotheiridiosyncrasies,DynamicCubeshavenotyetbeenwidelyadopted.
EnterpriseAnalytics
Self-ServiceDataDiscovery
Intuitiveworkflowsforend-userstoaccess,visualize,analyze,andshareinsightswithoutthesupportofIT.
MicroStrategydifferentiatesitselffromotherpointsolutionsbycombiningtheease-of-useofdataexplorationwithenterprisecapabilitiesincludingscalability,performance,security,andgovernance,inasingleplatform.•MicroStrategyDesktopandWebprovideaccessto80+datasources,fromExcelspreadsheets,torelationalsources,bigdata,Cloudservices,Hadoop,andmore.•Built-intoolsareavailablefordatapreparation,aswellastheabilitytoblenddataacrossmultiplesources.•ItprovidestheabilitytovisualizedatawithanychartorgraphnativelyandoffersworkflowstoincludeD3,Highcharts,GoogleCharts,andotherlibraries(includingopensourceandNLGoptions)•Includeseasysharingoptions(PDF,email,sendtofilelocation,print,andmore),andworkflowstopromoteexternaldataintoagovernedmodel.AlsosupportsoptionstoexporttoPDFandemailoptions.•MicroStrategyiscompatiblewithMacandWindowsPC.AnalystscanquicklysetupandinstallMicroStrategywithoutITsupport.•Theplatformsupportsadvancedanalyticswith350+out-of-the-boxfunctions,andcanalsointegratewithR.
•CognosAnalyticsuserscanauthorreportsbasedonmodelscreatedineitherModules(Cognos11)ortheFrameworkManager(Cognos10.2.2)interface,butdashboardscanonlybeauthoredagainstthenewdatamodules.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotIBMCognosDetailsbyCapability -vsIBMCognos -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotIBMCognos
IBMCognosScore
MSTRScore
OptimizedDataConnectivity
Driversandgatewaysthatdeliverinstantandreliableaccesstoavarietyofdatasourcesandinformationinanyformat,regardlessofsize.
•MicroStrategynativelysupports100softhemostpopulardatasources,fromExcelspreadsheettorelationaldatabases,cloudsystems,HDFSandmore.•OrganizationscanalsobuildtheirownconnectorstocustomdataassetswithAPIs,allowingthemtoconnecttoanynewsourceavailableinthemarket.•Eachconnectorisoptimizedforhighperformance,withtheabilitytointelligentlypush-downcalculationstothedatabaseswhenneeded,generatemulti-passSQL,loadparallelthreadssimultaneously,andcanloaddatawithoutrestrictionsonsizeortype.•EasyworkflowsareavailabletobusinessuserstoblenddataontheirownwithoutITsupport.•VLDBparametersareavailabletofine-tuneandoptimizeSQLgenerationspecifictoeachdatabase.•MicroStrategyleveragesanaggregate-awareSQLgenerationenginetotransparentlynavigateaggregatetables,dynamicallydirectingqueriestosummarytables,withouttheuserhavingtospecifytheuseofthetablewhencreatingthequery.•MicroStrategycangeneratemulti-passSQLtoansweranalyticalquestionsthatcannotbeansweredwithasingleSQLqueryblock,coveringscenariosthatinclude:setanalysis,splitmetrics,andcalculationsatdifferentlevelsofaggregation.
•CognosuserscancreatedatamodelsbasedonrelationaldatasourcesandsomeHadoop-baseddatasources(ClouderaImpala,IBMBigInsights,Hive),butnotfromapplicationssuchasTwitterorSalesforce,orOLAPdatasources.ThesedatasourcesaresupportedinFrameworkManagermodels.
DataPreparationandBlending
Transformandarrangedatatomakeitbettersuitedforvisualexploration,withtheabilitytocreatejoinsacrosstablesfromdisparatesources.
MicroStrategyoffersbuilt-indatawranglingandblendingcapabilitiesandissupportedacrossalldatasources.•EnduserscanperformtransformationsondatapriortovisualizinginformationusingdozensoffunctionsavailableviagraphicalinterfacesandwithoutexportingouttoExcel.•Datawranglingandblendingispossiblebybusinessusersacrossspreadsheets,relationalsources,HDFS,cloudsystems,andotherpopulardatabases.•Userscansplitcolumns,identifyspellingerrors,performtextandnumericfacets,eliminatewhitespaces,pivottables,andperformdozensmoretransformationsbasedonintelligentrecommendationsfromtheproduct.•Historylistsareautomaticallyrecorded,sowhenmorecurrentdataisavailable,theactionsdonotneedtoberepeated.
•IBMCognosAnalyticsdoesnotprovideaccesstounstructured/semi-structureddatasources.•Itisnotpossibletotransformandcleandatafromthespreadsheetduringtheloadprocess.•ThesizeofExcel,.txt,.csv,andsimpledatafilesiscappedat100MB.•Thedatamustbeincolumnarform--nopivottablesorcrosstabs.
EnterpriseReports
Optionstoviewlargevolumesofdatainaneasy-to-readgridformat,withtoolstoperformad-hocanalysisforimproveddecision-making.
•MicroStrategyprovidesaflexiblereportingenvironmentthatleveragesOLAPfunctionalitytogiveenduserstheabilitytoquicklysliceanddicedatafromacrossmultiplesources,usingavarietyofoptions:sorting,pivoting,page-by,drilldown,drillanywhere,totalsandsubtotals,one-clickmetrics,derivedelements,viewfilters,lockheaders,switchbetweengrid/graph,fittocontent/window,andmore.•Withtheabilitytopublishbandedreports,theplatformcanrollupandpresentdynamicaggregatesforlargevolumesacross100sofpagesofdata.•WithMicroStrategy,developerscanquicklydesignoperationalreportsandstatementsusingdrag-and-dropfunctionalityandflexibleformattinginordertostructurelargeamountsofdataintoanaturalhierarchyformaximumreadabilityandeaseofnavigation.•MicroStrategyenablesparameter-drivenreportsbysupportingmoretypesofuserpromptsthananyothervendor,allowinguserstoinputselectionsatruntimetoalterthecontentsofthereports.Optionsincludesimpledimensionprompts,hierarchyprompts,listprompts,objectprompts,valueprompts,levelprompts.
•Theplatformsupportsformattedreports,authoredbyITorbusinessusers,withschedulinganddistribution.Bandedreportsaresupported.•Thereareseveralreportingtools:self-servicereportingandanalysisaredonethroughIBMCognosQueryStudioandIBMCognosAnalysisStudio,andscheduledreportsarecreatedinIBMCognosAnalytics.•ReportscanbeauthoredagainstexistingFrameworkManagermodelsasofv11.•Bandedreportsaresupported.•IBMsupportsreportdistributionviaPDForXLS,andbasedonuser-definedbusinesseventssuchassalesbelowtarget.However,thisisnotsupportedfordashboards.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotIBMCognosDetailsbyCapability -vsIBMCognos -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotIBMCognos
IBMCognosScore
MSTRScore
Dashboardsanddocuments
Highlyformattedoptionstoauthor,visualize,andinteractwithdatatoidentifytrendsandoutliersandmakeefficientdecisions.
•MicroStrategydeliversgraphicalWYSIWYGdesignertoolstocreatepixel-perfectdocuments,invoices,statements,scorecards,andinteractivereal-timedashboards,allfromasingledesigneditor.•AllstylesofBIdescribedabovesupportresponsivedesignandcanbeconsumedonanybrowserormobiledevice.•Dashboardsarebuiltonthemetadatamodel,sotheyaresecureandpersonalizedforeachuser,andsupporttransactions,offlineconsumption,andcanbedeliveredinanydesiredformat.•Dashboardssupportad-hocdatadiscoveryacross100sofoptionsandletusersvisualizedatawithaccesstonativeandthird-partychartinglibraries.•Transactionalworkflowscanbeembeddedtoenablewrite-backcapabilitiesforbothwebandmobileapplications.
•Reportscanruninlimitedinteractivityorfullinteractivitymode.Anyreportcanbesettoeithermodebytheauthorusingthe‘Runwithfullinteractivity’reportproperty.•Bydefault,newreportsarefullyinteractive(‘Runwithfullinteractivitydefault’setto‘Yes’).Theauthorcanlimittheinteractivitybysetting‘Runwithfullinteractivity’to‘No’.•Bydefault,existingC10reportsrunwithlimitedinteractivitytoensurethereportshavethesamebehaviorasthepreviousrelease.Theauthorisabletosetthemtofullinteractivity.
MobileAnalytics
Consumereportsanddashboardsonmobiledevices,withcompleteinteractivity,inordertoperformanalyticsandmakedecisionswhileonthego.
•MobileisfullyintegratedintotheMicroStrategyanalyticsplatform,soorganizationscanleverageexistingvisualizations,reports,anddashboardstoinstantlydeployBIonmobiledevices.•MicroStrategyMobileenhancesthemobileexperienceoniOSandAndroidbydeliveringnativeappsthatletuserstakefulladvantageoftheuniquecapabilitiesoftheirmobiledeviceswheninteractingwiththeirdata,whilealsobeingabletorelyontransactionandofflinecapabilities.•Withflexible,code-freetoolsandaclick-to-configuredevelopmentcanvas,organizationscanmobilizebusinessworkflowsanddeliverahighlyresponsive,nativeuserexperiencewithappsthatcanbebuiltinrecordtimeandatafractionofthecost.
•Mobilecapabilitiesdependonthetypeofcontentcreated.DashboardcontentisaccessedandinteractedwithprimarilyviaanHTMLbrowser-basedinterface.•OnlyreportscreatedinReportStudioandCognosWorkspacecanbeviewedonmobile.Inaddition,thesereportshavetobespecificallyformattedformobiledevices,whichcreatesmultiplesilosofinformation.•Forofflinecontentandusewithinanativeapp,thereportmustbeexplicitlydesignedasanActiveReport;dashboardsarenotsupportedoffline.Furthermore,onlyactivereports(reportscreatedinReportStudio)aresupportedoffline(fromiPadsonly).•CognosMobileforAndroid(notanativeapp)doesnotsupportofflinereporting.•Userscan’tperformtransactionsoraccessmultimediaoffline.
RealTimeAnalytics
Theabilitytodeliverinstantanalyticsandinsightswheredataisavailableinreal-time.
MicroStrategydeliverstheabilitytovisualizedatafromexternalstreamingapplicationsandtriggeralertsfromthesesources.•Theplatformcaninstantlyingestreal-timefeedsfromStorm,Spark,andKafka.Forotherrelationalsystems,theplatformcanalsosupportdatarefreshesatthesmallestintervals,andcanperformatthespeedofincominginformation.•MicroStrategycanmanagereal-timeinformationandgiveaninstantviewofthedata.•Theapplicationcanalsosendthreshold-basedalertstoanydeviceallowingdecision-makerstotakeinstantandproactiveaction,allinrealtime.•MicroStrategycanalsointegratewithvisualizationsandwidgetsthatsupportreal-timemappingofinformationonbothWebandMobile.
•WhileIBMoffersreal-timecomputingviaIBMStreamComputing,itisnotyetnativetoCognos.•IBMStreamComputingoffersasolutionwithadevelopmentenvironment,andanalyticstoolkitssuchasnaturallanguageprocessing,image/voicerecognition,andspatial-temporalanalysis.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotIBMCognosDetailsbyCapability -vsIBMCognos -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotIBMCognos
IBMCognosScore
MSTRScore
PredictiveAnalyticsandMachineLearning
Advancedalgorithmsandworkflowsforuserstobeabletoperformsummarizations,optimizations,predictions,statisticalcalculations,orcreatecustomgroups,training,andscoringmetrics.
WithminimalhelpfromIT,MicroStrategyuserscancreateandvisualizeadvancedmetricsandperformthemostcomplexcalculations.•EnduserscanbuildsophisticatedstatisticalandmathematicalmodelswiththenativelibraryoffunctionsavailabledirectlywithMicroStrategy.Theycangeneratepredictive,scoring,ortrainingmetricsusingnativelyavailablealgorithms.•MicroStrategyoffersover350nativefunctions,outofthebox,sothatbusinessusersareabletoperformdataminingandcreatehighlyadvancedstatisticalalgorithmsontheirown,withminimalsupportfromIT.•UserscanintegrateMicroStrategywithdataminingmodelsfromotherapplicationsbyimportingPredictiveModelMarkupLanguage(PMML),SAS,andSPSSintothemetadatarepository.•Theplatformintegrateswiththird-partyoptionslikeRusinggraphicalinterfaces.
•IBMCognosAnalyticslacksout-of-the-boxcapabilitiesforembeddedadvancedanalytics.Thereisnobasicforecastingoradvancedanalytics.Fortheserequirements,customerswouldneedtouseeitherIBMWatsonAnalyticsorFrameworkManagermodels,integratedwithIBMSPSS.•IBMCognosonlyintegrateswithSPSS.•IBMCognosAnalyticsstilldoesn’tfullyintegratewithIBMWatson.
BigDataAnalytics
AccessdatafromHadoopandotherdistributedfilesystemswithoutlimitationsonsizeandwithoutexperiencingdropsinperformance.
MicroStrategyistheonlycomprehensiveplatformthatsupportsaccesstobigdatawithnativeconnectorstoHDFSwhilealsoprovidingbuilt-inworkflowsfordatapreparationontopofHadoopdata.•Whetherit’sapersonalspreadsheetoradispersedHadoopDistributedFileSystem(HDFS),userscaneasilyconnecttotheirdatawithoutrelyingonITandwithoutlimitsondatasize.It'seasytoaccessdatafromanyflavorofHadoop,includingCloudera,Hortonworks,andMapR,withcomprehensivesupportforSpark,Kerberos,andthetopfileformats.•WithMicroStrategy,userscanleverageinformationfromclickstreams,webactivity,callcenterlogs,andIDscans-andblenditwithdatafromothersourcesusinggraphicalworkflows.•MicroStrategyconnectstobigdatasourcesandNoSQLoptionssuchasMongoDBandCassandra,andalsoconnectstoHDFSvianativeconnectorstoClouderaHive,Impala,MapRDrill,Pigscripts,SparkSQL,andmore.•WithMicroStrategy,userscanalsolimitandmanagetheamountofdataimportedfromHDFS,orperformaggregationsontopofthedatapriortoimportingitintoMicroStrategyforanalysis.•Userscanalsoapplyadvancedfunctionsandfilterstocontrolandrestricttheamountofdata.
•IBMallowsuserstocreatedatamodelsbasedonrelationaldatasourcesandsomeHadoop-baseddatasources(ClouderaImpala,IBMBigInsights,Hive).
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotIBMCognosDetailsbyCapability -vsIBMCognos -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotIBMCognos
IBMCognosScore
MSTRScore
AutomatedDistributionandAlerting
Distributereports,dashboards,anddocumentstolargeaudiencesinapersonalizedandautomatedmanner.Thishelpstoensuretheon-timedeliveryofinformationtoend-userssotheycanmaketimely,informeddecisions.
MicroStrategyisdesignedforhigh-volume,automateddeliveryofreportsanddashboards.•Theplatformmakesitpossibletoscaledistributionofanalyticalcontentto100softhousandsofusers,withtheabilitytoautomateandschedulethedeliveryofreportsanddashboards,basedontime-,event-,andthreshold-basedalerts.•MicroStrategysupportsthewidestvarietyofdeliverymethods,withoptimalformattingforeachdeviceandapplication.•MicroStrategyprovidesburstingcapabilitiestodeliverslicingorpage-byexecutions,allowingasinglereporttobeextractedfromthedatawarehousethatcanbeparsedintosub-reportsforindividualsubscribers.Thisavoidshavingtorundifferentreportsfordifferentrecipientswhilestillbeingabletogeneratepersonalizedreports.•AlertingcapabilitiescanmonitorKPIvalueswhennewdataisavailableandsenddetailedreportsoralertmessageswhenthresholdsarereached.•SecurityfiltersandACLssetontheuserlevelguaranteespersonalizedandsecureinformationto1000sofuserswiththedeliveryofasingledashboard.•MicroStrategyleveragessegmentationcapabilitiestomanageresourceutilizationinlargescalereportdeliverydeploymentsbyanalyzingthelistofsubscriptionstodetermineifseveralsubscriptionssharethesamecombinationofsecurityandpersonalizationandgroupingthemintobucketssincetheyreceivethesamecontent.
FromburstingandsmartpaginationforPDFexportstothedeliveryofhighlypersonalizedcontent,MicroStrategydeliverssophisticateddistributioncapabilitiesthatmakeitpossibletopublishdataandinsightsacrosstheorganizationwithouttheneedtoinvestinothertechnologies.
•Time-basedalertsaresupportedbutconditionalalertsarenot.
EnterpriseMobility
TransactionalWorkflows
Write-backcapabilitiesthatallowmobileuserstosubmittransactionstoERP,CRM,orotheroperationalsystems.
•MicroStrategyprovidesmobilewrite-backcapabilitiesthatletusersupdatesystemsofrecordfromthefield.Userscanchangedataonthefly,insertnewinformation,andviewupdatedreportsanddashboards.•Thesetransactionscanincludeone-tapapprovalsanddenials,inputsforcapturingnewinformation,andeditingexistinginformationinERPsystems,CRMsystems,andotheroperationaldatabases.•Appdeveloperscancreatesmartformsthatarecontextualandconditional,basedonauser’spermissionsorlocation.•MicroStrategyoffersabroadsetofinputcontrols,includingbarcodescanners,signaturecapture,starrating,textandnumberfields,calendar,camera,steppers,sliders,andmore.•TransactionServicescanalsoauto-captureadditionalinformationalongsidetheuserinputstofurtherstreamlinebusinessprocesses.Forexample,theuser’sprofileinformationaswellaslatitude,longitude,andatimestampcanbeincludedinatransactionalsubmissionwithoutrequiringadditionalworkbytheuser.•Userscanaccesstransactionalinputsandformsregardlessofinternetconnectivity.Whenoffline,transactionsarequeuedforsubmissionandexecutedwhentheusernextconnects.
•UnlikeIBMAnalyticsdesktop,themobileclientdoesnotsupporttransactional(write-back)capabilitiesfrommobiledevices.Thislimitsusers'abilitytotakeactiondirectlyfromtheirdevicesandautomaticallyapplychangestodatasets.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotIBMCognosDetailsbyCapability -vsIBMCognos -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotIBMCognos
IBMCognosScore
MSTRScore
EmbeddedMultimedia
Abilitytodownloadandviewmultimediafilesonlineandoffline,suchaspresentations,videos,PDFs,andePUBbooksonmobiledevices.
•MicroStrategyprovidesin-appviewingofmultimediacontentincludingvideos,PDFs,images,presentations,spreadsheets,documents,email,andwebcontent—allseamlesslyembeddedinthemobileapp.•Asisthecaseforothercontentintheapp,multimediacanbepre-cachedorstoredforconvenient,offlineaccess.•Therearetwowaystoincludemultimediainapps:HTMLcontainersandtheMultimediaWidget.•HTMLcontainersenableaccesstoanywebcontentbyplacingitdirectlyintheapp'siFrame.URLsprovidelinkstopullupentiredocumentsorwebpages.•TheMultimediaWidgetprovidesaframeworkinwhichtodownload,consume,andstoremultimediafiles.WebDAVfolderintegrationenablesuserstodynamicallybrowseandviewexistingfilesandfoldersinaWebDAVfolder,forexampleinMicrosoftSharePoint.Thismakesiteasyfortraditionallynon-technicalpeople,forexampleinMarketingorHR,todistributeupdatedversionsofcollateralortrainingvideostoemployeesinthefield.•MicroStrategyalsoprovidesawidgetthatisespeciallydesignedforvideos.Theinteractive,elegantVideoPlayerWidget(thatleveragesthenativeOSvideoplayer)loadsandplaysavideofromaremotelocationorfromthelocalcache.Thewidgetcandisplay:videosfromastreamingservicesuchasYouTube,videosfromafileserverlocation,oracachedvideofromtheWebDAVcache.Ifthemobiledeviceisonline,theVideoPlayerWidgetloadsthevideofromtheremotelocationbutissmartenoughtocheckfirstifalocalcachealreadyexistsonthedevice’sWebDAVcachestore.
•IBMCognosmobileanalyticslimitsaccessibilitytomultimediacontentbyonlyallowinguserstodownloadselectivecontent.
GeospatialAnalysis
Abilitytodisplaygeospatialdataoverlaidonaninteractivemap(ESRI,GoogleMaps,andcustomimages).
•MicroStrategyabstractsallthegeospatialanalysiscapabilitiesfromthebasemaplayer,socustomerscanleveragewhicheverbasemaptheywant,dependingonexistingmapinvestmentsorpreferences.•MicroStrategyMobileprovidessupportforbuildingmapvisualizationsonESRIandGoogleMaps,aswellascustomimagesasmapswiththeImageLayoutWidget.Thesemapsrenderseamlesslyontheappropriatenativemobilemap(AppleMapsoniOSandGoogleMapsonAndroid).•BothESRIandGoogleMapsdisplaygeospatialdataoverlaidonaninteractivemap.Userscanswipe,scroll,andzoomindirectlyonthemap,orevenfilterthedatashownbyselectingelementswithintheirmobileapp.Datacanbedisplayedusingapinmarker,adensitymap,orabubbletoprovidemultipletypesofanalysiswithineachmap.Inaddition,ESRImapscandisplaydatafromacustomgeographicalregion,suchasthecountiesofastateordistrictswithinacity.Theimagelayoutwidgetallowsappdeveloperstoincludevisualizationsrepresentativeofdifferentgeographicregionssuchascountries,states,andregions,orvisualizationsthatrepresentcustomspatialanalyseslikeastorelayout.
•ThoughIBMCognossupportsMapboxintegration,functionalityisonlylimitedtodashboards.Furthermore,GoogleandESRImaprenderingisunavailableforCognosAnalyticsMobileviaactivereports.•Street-levelmappinganalysisisnotsupported.•Customgeospatialfeaturessuchassalesregions,flightordrivingroutes,sensorlocations,etc.arenotsupported.
OfflineAccess Abilitytosupportapplicationsinofflinemoderegardlessofconnectivity.Thisincludesinteractivitywithdata,multimediacontent,andtransactionalworkflows.
•MicroStrategyMobileappscanbeconfiguredtoworkentirelyoffline.Thisincludessupportforanalytics,visualizations,multimedia,andtransactions.•MicroStrategyprovidesadvancedofflinefunctionality,including:promptpanelsthatdisplayvalidcachesformultiplepromptscenarios;visualcuessuchasanofflinemodeindicatorandshadingtoindicateavailability;aviewoftransactionqueues;andtheabilitytodeleteoredittransactionsbeforeaconnectionisreestablished.Inasituationwhereauserwantstoavoidusingdata,theusercanmanuallyswitchtoofflinemodeusingtheappsettings.•Whileusersareinofflinemode,mobileusagestatsarestillcapturedandsubmittedtotheserveroncetheuserreconnects.Additionally,data-at-restishighlysecured.Thestoreddataisencrypted;theappcanstillrequirecredentials,andtheofflinecachecanbesettoexpireatadesiredtime.
•OfflinesupportforreportsanddashboardsisavailableforiPadsonly.•Transactions(notsupportedinmobile),geospatialanalysis,andmultimediacontentarenotsupportedinofflinemode.•CognosMobileforAndroiddoesnotsupportofflinereporting.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotIBMCognosDetailsbyCapability -vsIBMCognos -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotIBMCognos
IBMCognosScore
MSTRScore
MobileClientCachingforHighPerformance
Abilitytocachedataonthedevicetooptimizeappperformance.Deliversub-secondresponsetimesevenwhendealingwithlargevolumesofdata,numerousconcurrentusers,orslow,unreliableconnectivity.
•MicroStrategyoffersthreemaincachingstrategiesthatcustomerscanleveragewhenconfiguringtheirapps:automaticcaching(devicescheckfornewandupdatedcontentandsynccontentinthebackground),pre-cachingfolders(asetofobjectsarepre-cachedwhentheappstarts),andadaptivemobilecaching(theappprioritizesbackgroundcacheloadingbasedonwheretheuserisanddownloadscontenttheuserwilllikelywanttoseebeforetheytaponit).•MicroStrategyhasasophisticatedanalyticalenginewithinthemobileclient,sothemobileclientitselfcanperformcomputationsonlocallycacheddatawithouthavingtogobacktotheserver.Becausethecomputationscanbedonelocallyonthedevice,thisalsohelpstospeedappperformance.•Asa100%nativeapp,MicroStrategyusesOpenGLframeworksavailableonthemobileOSwhichhelptoachievemaximumappperformance.Allofthedrawings(renderings)ofvisualizationsleveragenativedevicedrawingcapabilitieswhichareoptimizedforhighperformance.
•CognosMobileanalyticsappsdonotprovidearesilientcachinginfrastructure.Thereisalimitationtothemaximumnumberofpagesstoredonmobiledevicesforeachreport.IBMCognossuggestsusingthedefaultof5unlessthemobileenvironmentonlyincludesiPadmobileclients.Inthatcase,thedefaultcanbesetupto50pages.Pagesoverthespecifiedlimitareautomaticallydiscarded.•Furthermore,thereisalsoalimitof999daystostoreareportinthedatabase.Ifareportexceedsthislimit,itisremovedfromthemobiledevice.
PersonalizedAlertsviaPushNotifications
Abilitytosendalertstomobileusersintheformofpushnotifications.Thesenotificationsshouldbetriggeredbypresetthresholds,orbeavailableondemand.
•MicroStrategy’sscalablealertingengineprovidespersonalizedalertstoeveryuser.•Thealertingengineisbasedonarobustdistributionserverthatsupportsmonitoringmultipledatasources100sof1000softimeseveryminuteandcreatingpersonalizedalertsformobileuserswhenasetconditionhasbeenmet.•Thresholdscanbesetonanymetriconanyreport.•Alertsarehandledthroughthedevice’snativepushnotificationsysteminoneofthreeforms:abadge(agraphicassociatedwiththeapplication),ahomescreennotification(amessagewhichtheusercanviewandinteractwith),and/orasound.•Smartbadgescanshowmetricvaluesorthenumberofalerts.
•IBMCognoshaslimitationsonitsalertingcapabilitiesforthemobileproduct.UserscanreceivepushnotificationsfromCognosAnalyticsserversforiOSonly.CognosmobiledoesnotprovidealertsorpushnotificationstoAndroidusers.
InstantUpdatestoCustomAppswithNoRecompilation
Updateandpublishchangestocustomappswithouthavingtorecompileandredistribute.Changesaredistributedandavailabletouserswithoutrequiringanappupdate.
•MicroStrategyletsappdevelopersmakeupdatesandpublishchangestotheirmobileappswithouttheneedtorecompile(inXcodeforiOSandinAndroidDevelopmentStudioforAndroid)andredistributeapps.Anychangeinfunctionalityorconfigurationisinstantlyreflectedinthemobileappwithoutrequiringtheusertoupgradetheapponthemobiledevice.Thisflexibilityisverypowerfulwhenusersaretryingtooperateonanagiledevelopmentcycle,whereusersneedtoaccessthechangesinstantlywithouthavingtoconstantlyupgradetheirapp.•MicroStrategyalsoprovidesadrag-and-dropinterfacetomigrateappsfromdevelopment,totest,toproductionbyusingMicroStrategyObjectManager.
•Instantupdatestoappsarenotsupported.•IBMCognosmobiledoesnotprovideuserstheflexibilitytoinstantlyviewactivereportsinthemobileapp,astheactivereportshavetobemanuallyimportedintheappviamail,iTunes,webserver,orfilestorage.
Customize/WhiteLabel
Abilitytorebrandthemobileappbyincludingcustomizedicons,aswellassplash,launch,andloginscreens.
•TheMobileSDKprovidesappdeveloperswithamultitudeofcustomizationoptions.Thisincludesacode-freeapproachtowhite-labelingandrebrandinganyMicroStrategyMobileapp.•Customizationincludeschangingicons,aswellassplash,launch,andloginscreens.Itenablesdeveloperstomatchcorporatebrandingandlook-and-feelstandards.
•CognosdoesnotprovideanyAPIsforiOSorAndroidthatallowappdeveloperstocustomizethelookandfeelofthemobileapp,orembedCognosBIcontentintoanexistingmobileapplication.
NativeIntegrationwithEMMVendors
NativeSDKintegrationwithleadingEMMvendorsAirWatch,MobileIron,andBlackberryDynamics,andAppConfigcommunityguidelines.
•MicroStrategy'snativemobilesecurityfeaturesprovideextensivecapabilitiestoprotectsensitivecompanydata,butMicroStrategyprovidestheflexibilitytoleverageadditionalthird-partycapabilities,includingthoseprovidedbyEMMvendors.•MicroStrategyoffersnativeSDKintegrationoniOSwiththreeEMMproviders:MobileIron,BlackberryDynamics,andAirWatch.MicroStrategyoffersnativeSDKintegrationonAndroidwithAirWatch.•MicroStrategyMobilealsosupportsEMMcapabilitiesviaimplementationoftheAppConfigguidelines,nativelyonbothiOSandAndroid.
•IBMdoesnottestorsupportEMM"wrapping"tools,likeMobileIronorAirWatch,buttheyclaimthatCognosMobilecustomershavesuccessfullyusedthoseproducts.•IBM'sCognosMobilecustomershaveprovidedfeedbackthattheyhavedeployedusingMobileIron,AirWatch,Citrix,MaaS360,andMocana,andhavedemonstratedpartialcompatibilitywithAppConfig.IBMdoesnotconfirmorvalidatetheaccuracyofthislist.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotIBMCognosDetailsbyCapability -vsIBMCognos -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotIBMCognos
IBMCognosScore
MSTRScore
MobileAppUsageMonitoring
Abilitytocollectmobileusagestatisticsandpopulateadatabaseforanalysis.
•Mobileappclient-sidemonitoringcapturespersonalizedanalysiseverytimeausertapsonanappscreen.Statisticsaregatheredontimespentoneachappscreen,explorationpaths,GPSlocation,appusage,devicetype,operatingsystemversion,andcacheusage.•Withthisinformation,appdeveloperscantrackoverallappadoptionandgeo-locationofusage,performcohortanalysis,supportcontinuousdevelopmentcycles,analyzeappperformance,spotnetworkissues,andtrackadoptionratesofnewdevices,operatingsystems,andclients.Thesestatisticsarecriticaltodrivingappenhancementsandtohoningtheappexperience.•Mobileusagestatsarecapturedevenwhileauserisoffline.Oncetheuserreconnects,thestatsaresubmittedtotheserver.
•IBMCognosMobileAnalyticslimitsitssupporttobasiclogfilesfordebuggingpurposes.•IBMmonitorsuserbehaviorwithinthemobileappitselfbutofferslimitedmonitoringofsecurity,performance,andoperationalstatistics.
EmbeddedAnalytics
CreateCustomWebApplications
Theabilitytomodifyandextendexistingfunctionality,createacustomwebapplication,embedcontentinportals,orsimplychangethelookandfeelwithpersonalizedbrandingandlogosthroughapplicationprogramminginterfaces(APIs).
•Akeycomponentofanenterprise-classplatformistheabilitytomodifyandextendexistingfunctionalitytomeettheuniqueneedsofanorganization.Forbuildingcustomizedapplications,arobustBIplatformmustprovideaccesstoallofitsfunctionalitythroughAPIs.TheMicroStrategyBIplatformisamodern,sophisticatedservice-orientedarchitecturethatisdesignedforflexibilityandextensibilitysothatitcangrowwiththedemandsofenterpriseapplications.
•TheMicroStrategyWebSDKenablesdeveloperstobuildafull-fledgedwebapplicationorchangethelookandfeelofanexistingwebapplicationwithanintuitivecustomizationtool.TheWebCustomizationEditorisintegratedwiththemostwidelyusedJavaIDE,Eclipse.Withover5000classesexposedintheWebAPI,thisintegrationnotonlysimplifiesdevelopment,butalsoallowsdeveloperstowritetheircodewithoutmodifyinganysourcecodeorout-of-the-boxconfigurationfiles.Thisapproachishelpfulinmaintainingandupgradingcustomizations.
•TheWebSDKalsoallowsdeveloperstowritetheirownWebServicesthatencapsulateMicroStrategyfunctionalityandexposethisfunctionalitytothird-partyapplications.SincetheservicesusestandardprotocolssuchasHTTPorHTTPSandgeneratearesponseinstandardW3C-compliantformatssuchasXMLorJSON,anythird-partyapplication(webormobile)canconsumetheseservicesandembedMicroStrategyfunctionalityintotheirproduct.MicroStrategy'sservice-orientedarchitectureguaranteesefficiencyforeachserviceorcomponentwithnocoderedundancy.Thisarchitectureisinstarkcontrasttotheservice-orientedarchitecturesofotherBIvendors,whichareaproductofdisparate,separatelydevelopedarchitectures,inheritedfrommergers,andmashedtogether.
•Inaddition,MicroStrategyprovidesaplug-inarchitecturethatenablesdeveloperstoextendout-of-the-boxMicroStrategyWebcodewithstand-alonecustomizationswithouttheneedtochangethesourcecode,thus,makingupgradeswithoutrecodingpossible.MicroStrategysupportsthefollowinglanguagesforWebSDK:Java,XML/JSON,JavaScript,and.NET.
•TheIBMCognosSDKisaseparateinstallationthatallowstheintegrationofCognosBIcontentintootherapplications.Userscanautomatetasksthatincludescheduling,changingpermissions,anddisplayingCognosreportsinacustomwebapplication.However,theCognosSDKdoesnotallowuserstomodifyportalpages,loginscreens,branding,oranyotheruserinterfacewidgets.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotIBMCognosDetailsbyCapability -vsIBMCognos -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotIBMCognos
IBMCognosScore
MSTRScore
CreateCustomMobileApplicationsiniOSandAndroid
Theabilitytocreatecustomizedmobileapplications,embedBIinthird-partyapps,orrebrandthemobileappbyincludingcustomizedicons,aswellassplash,launch,andloginscreens.
•TheMicroStrategyMobileAPIenablesmobileappdeveloperstocustomizeMicroStrategyMobileappsonAndroidandiOSmobiledevicesbychangingthelookandfeeloftheapp,ordevelopingnewMobileappsthatuseMicroStrategyBIcontent.MicroStrategyprovidesdifferentAPIsforAndroidandiOSdevices.TheflexibilityoftheMobileAPIsenabledeveloperstobuildcustommobileapplicationstoaccommodategrowingneedsoftheorganization.
•TheMobileSDKforiOSconsistsofXcodeprojectsthatallowdeveloperstocompileanddistributecustomMicroStrategyMobileapps.WithoneoftheXcodeprojects,userscanrebrandtheappbyaddingicons,splashscreens,andanappnamethroughsimpleconfigurationchanges.Inaddition,theMobileSDKforiOSenablesuserstoembedMicroStrategyinanexistingapplicationorbuildcustomwidgetsthatcanconsumeMicroStrategydata.
•TheMobileSDKforAndroidletsuserscustomizetheMicroStrategyMobileapplicationtomatchcorporatebrandingrequirements.Italsoallowsuserstopreconfiguretheapplicationtoallowmultipleinstancesoftheapplicationtoexistonasingledevice.
•MicroStrategysupportsthefollowingprogramminglanguagesforMobileSDK:iOS-ObjectiveC,Swift;Android–Java.
•CognosdoesnotprovideanyAPIsforiOSorAndroidthatallowappdeveloperstocustomizethelookandfeelofthemobileapporembedCognosBIcontentintoanexistingmobileapplication.
EmbedThird-PartyDataasDatasets
Theabilityforthird-partyapplicationstopushdatadirectlyintoaBIapplicationforuseindashboardsorreports.
•Organizationsarealwayslookingtoconnecttoavarietyofsourcesthatmaynotbenativelysupportedwiththeplatform.UsingthePushAPI,organizationscanpushexternaldatainJSONformatusingRESTAPIsintoin-memorycubesontheMicroStrategyIntelligenceServer,souserscanreadilyconsume,process,andanalyzethecorrespondingdata.•MicroStrategymakesitpossiblefororganizationstoleveragenewdataassetsbyenablingapplicationssuchasETLtoolsthatconnecttothesedatasourcesandmovedataintoMicroStrategy.•ThePushAPIenablesthird-partyvendorstogenerateMicroStrategydatasets,thus,unlockingnewend-userworkflowsandopportunitiesforpartnerintegrations.
•Cognosdoesnothaveawayforthird-partyapplicationstopushdataascubes.Thus,customerscanonlyusethelimiteddatasourcesthatarecertifiedbyCognos.Inordertouseanyotherdatasource,customerswouldhavetowaituntilit'sincludedasapartoftheplatform.
CreateCustomHTML5Visualizations
TheabilitytoembedorcreatecustomHTML5visualizationswithopensourcelibrariessuchasD3,thatcanbedeployedontopofdatasources.
•MicroStrategyintegrateswiththird-partyandopensourceJavaScriptvisualizations,souserscantellevenmorecompellingstorieswiththeirdata.•MicroStrategyprovidesAPIs,tools,samples,anddocumentationtohelpusersbuildcustomHTML5visualizationsusingopensourceandcommerciallibrarieslikeD3andGoogleCharts.•Userscanbuildoutsupportforfunctionalityincludingselectors,dropzones,colorpalettes,andthresholds.Itisalsopossibletotransformvisualizationsintotext-basednarrativesbyintegratingwithnativelanguagegeneration(NLG)platforms,suchasthoseofferedbyAutomatedInsightsandNarrativeScience.
•Currently,CognosdoesnotsupportintegrationwithD3visualizationortheabilityforcustomerstocreateanewHTML5visualization.IBMCognosVisualizationCustomizerletsusersonlycustomizethevisualizationsavailablethroughIBM.
ExtractSubsetsofDataUsingRESTfulAPIs
Theabilityforcustomthird-partywebapplicationstousetheBIplatformasadatasourcetoextractsubsetsofdatafromareportorexistingcube.
•WithRESTfulAPIs,organizationscanuseMicroStrategyasadatasourcetoquicklyextractsubsetsofpre-processeddatainJSONformat.ThisaddressestheneedsoflargeenterprisesandOEMpartnersthatconsumedatathroughMicroStrategy'sgovernedandsecuredarchitectureviacustomizedbusinessapplications.
•Onlythereportspublishedasawebservicecanbeconsumedbyotherapplications.Thereisnowayforcustomwebapplicationstoextractsubsetsofdata(basedonfilters)fromexistingcubesorreports.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotIBMCognosDetailsbyCapability -vsIBMCognos -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotIBMCognos
IBMCognosScore
MSTRScore
CreateCustomDataConnectors
Theabilitytocreateacustomdatasourcethatuserscanconnecttoandleverageintheirreportsanddashboards.
•Withnewandupdateddatasourcesbeingpublishedbydatabasevendorsalmostweekly,organizationsneedfastaccesstoconnecttoandusethedatastoredinthesevariousdatalocations.•MicroStrategynativelysupports100softhemostpopulardatasourcesandcontinuestoenhanceconnectivitywitheachdatabaseupgrade.•MicroStrategyalsoallowsorganizationstobuildtheirownconnectorstocustomdataassetswiththeDataConnectorSDK.OrganizationscanleverageHTMLandJavaScripttobuildcustomconnectorsfortheMicroStrategyDataImportinterfaceandbuildtheirowncustomizedintegrationsforthesedatasourceswithinMicroStrategy,thus,providingusersaccesstoanydatasourcewithoutwaitingforthemtobecertifiedbytheplatform.
•IBMCognosAnalyticsdoesnotprovideanyAPIsforcustomerstocreatetheirowndataconnectors.
MultitenancySupport
Theabilitytodeployasingleinstanceofasoftwareapplicationtoservemultiplecustomers,whereeachcustomeriscalledatenant.
•MultitenancyenablesanOEM’svariouscustomerstoexperiencecustomapplications,allbuiltonasinglearchitecture.Sharingresourcesresultsinlessadministrativeoverhead,reducedresourceconsumption,andlowoverallTCO.•MicroStrategysupportsaspectrumofmultitenantarchitecturesfromhighisolationtohighsharing.Inaddition,MicroStrategyallowsforpersonalizationinasharedprojectsuchascustombrandingandlogosforeachtenant,personalizedobjectnames,andinternationalizationcapabilities.
•IBMCognosprovidesbuilt-inmulti-tenancycapabilities.However,thereisnowaytocustomizeanenvironmentwiththetenant'sbranding,logo,orpersonalizedschema.
EnterpriseCloud
SimplifiedEnterpriseDeployment
TheabilitytoeasilydeployanenterprisecloudenvironmentwithoutITsupport.
•MicroStrategyonAWSwillenablecustomerstodeployenterprisenetworksthatarefullyconfiguredandreadytouseinlessthan30minutes.Thissavesuserstimeandmoneybyeliminatingtheneedtodownload,install,andconfiguretheenvironmentsthemselves.Userscanchoosefromdifferentinstancetypesandsizesbasedoncostorusagerequirements.•Cloudenvironmentscanalsobedeployeddirectlyintoacustomer'sAWSaccountformaximumcontrol.•Userscanlaunch3differentenvironmenttypes,rangingfromanall-in-onesystemtoanenterprise-gradedistributedandredundantsystem.
•ThereisnowayausercanprovisionanewcloudenvironmentwithCognosalreadyinstalledonit.UsersmustgothroughIBMeachtimetheyneedafullyconfiguredenvironmentormanuallyinstallandconfiguretheplatform.Thiswillslowdowndevelopmentandincreasewaitingtime.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotIBMCognosDetailsbyCapability -vsIBMCognos -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotIBMCognos
IBMCognosScore
MSTRScore
GlobalAvailability
Theabilitytodeployenvironmentsglobally.Globaloptionsmakeiteasyforcustomerstodeploytheirenvironmentsclosertohomesotheycanmeetperformance,compliance,anddatarequirements.
•MicroStrategyCloudcandeploydistributedandredundantsystemsinover42AWSAvailabilityZonesin16geographicregionsaroundtheworld.ThisincludescountriesacrossNorthAmerica,SouthAmerica,Asia,Europe,andAustralia.ThisenablesorganizationstodeployMicroStrategyclosertoitsusers.Thisdecreaseslatencyandenablesfasterresponsetimes.Byhavingdatacentersclosertohome,italsoallowsthedataenterstocomplywithlocallawsandregulations.
RegionandNumberofAvailabilityZones
•AWSGovCloud(2)
•USWestOregon(3),NorthernCalifornia(3)
•USEastNorthernVirginia(5),Ohio(3)
•CanadaCentral(2)
•SouthAmericaSãoPaulo(3)
•EuropeIreland(3),Frankfurt(2),London(2)
•AsiaPacificSingapore(2),Sydney(3),Tokyo(3),Seoul(2),Mumbai(2)
•ChinaBeijing(2)
•NewRegions(comingsoon)ParisNingxia
IBMCognosutilizestheirowndatacenters.IBMgeographiccoverageislimitedtotheUSA,Canada,UK,Netherlands,Germany,andAustralia.Thismaycauseadditionalworkandeffortforcustomersoutsidetheseregionsbecauseitincreaseslatency.Securityandcompliancelawsmayvarybycountry/region.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotIBMCognosDetailsbyCapability -vsIBMCognos -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotIBMCognos
IBMCognosScore
MSTRScore
APIEnabledOperations
JavaScriptframeworksthatprovideanumberofAPIstohelpcustomersbuildapplications.
•TheMicroStrategyCloudAPIgivescustomersunlimitedflexibilitytocreatetheirowncustomworkflows.Customershavetheabilitytobuildpersonalizeduserinterfacesfordeployingandmanagingtheircloudenvironments.ThisempowersdeveloperstoautomatetheirMicroStrategyCloudcapabilities.•ThroughAPIs,itispossibletolaunch1000MicroStrategyinstanceswithasinglelineofcode,resizethemtoanysize,andthenterminatethemoncedone.WithoutAPIs,thiswouldbeamanualprocess.It’seasytointegratewithotherautomationtoolsandtheAPIworkswithanyprogramminglanguage.
CloudSpecificAPIswesupport:•Retrieveorsearchforenvironments•Createnewenvironments•GetEnvironmentContactDetailsList•ResendEmailtotheownersoftheenvironments•Restartenvironment/s•Startenvironment/s•GetEnvironmentStates•Stopenvironment/s•Terminateenvironments•FindenvironmentdetailsbyenvironmentID•UpdateEnvironmentContactDetails•Updateexpirationdateforenvironment•FindalltheinstancesinanenvironmentbyenvironmentID•FindalltheinstancesstateinanenvironmentbyenvironmentID•RestartInstance•StartInstance•StopInstance•Findschedulesbyenvironmentid•Createscheduleforenvironment•Inactivatetheselectedschedulebyscheduleidandenvironmentid•Findschedulebyscheduleidandenvironmentid•Updatescheduleforenvironment•Resizeallserverinstanceorselectedserverinstanceofanenvironment•Createnewenvironments
•IBMdoesnothavecloudAPIsthatallowitsuserstolaunchafullyconfiguredIBMCognosenvironment.ThisrequiresuserstoinstallandconfiguretheBIplatformthemselveswhichwilltaketimeandadditionalresources.
DisasterRecoveryandFailover
Clusteredserversthatrestorebackupsafterfailuresonoworkortimeislost.
•MicroStrategyCloudclustersenterprisedeploymentswithmultiplenodes,andgivesorganizationstheflexibilitytoaddadditionalnodes.•Clusterednodesprovideloadbalancing,highavailability,failover,andredundancy.Eachnodesynchronizesmetadatainformation,historylists,andreportcaches.Incaseofdisasterorfailure,MicroStrategybackupsarestoredredundantlyacrossmultipleavailabilityzonesandcanbeaccessedandrestoredinanalternateavailabilityzone.ThisaffordszerodowntimeanduserscanalwaysaccesstheirMicroStrategyenvironment.
IBMCognosfortheEnterpriseonlyallows500GBofuserstorageand500GBfordisasterrecoverybackup.Ifanythingweretohappenforlargeenterprisecorporationswherethereismorethan500GBofdata,organizationswillnotbeabletorecoverit.Thiswillcauseincrediblepainforcustomers,resultinginwastedtimeandresources.
CentralizedAdministration
Asingleinterfacethatprovidesalltheadministrationtoolstomanageandmonitoranenterprisecloudenvironment.
•MicroStrategyallowsthecustomertostart,stop,andrestartanAWSenvironmentwhileretainingitscontents.Customerscantakeadvantageofstoppingtheirenvironmentstosaveoncosts,especiallyduringnon-peakhours.•ThenewEnvironmentManagertoolallowsuserstoscheduletheseroutinetaskstooccuratspecificdatesandtimes.•ForPOCordevelopmentpurposes,anadministratorcanstopthesemachinesduringnon-peakhourstoreducecosts.•Customersonlypayforwhattheyuse.
IBMCognosontheclouddoesnotsupporttheabilitytostartandstopthecloudenvironment.ThiswillincreasecostsforPOCordevelopmentasusersarepayingforliveinstancesduringunusedtimes.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotIBMCognosDetailsbyCapability -vsIBMCognos -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotIBMCognos
IBMCognosScore
MSTRScore
AutoScaling Theabilitytoresizecloudenvironmentsbasedontheconditionsthecustomerdefines.
•MicroStrategyCloudcustomershavetheabilitytoscaletheirenvironmentupordownwithover6differentinstancesizeoptionsfromAWSrangingfrom4vCPUand15.25GiBto64vCPUand488GiBofmemory.•Environmentscanscaleon-demandorschedulebasedonusagepatterns,applicationusagepatterns,anddatasize.Customerscanaddnewusersatanytimeanddeploymultipleenvironmentsandprojectsastheyseefit.•Customerspayforwhattheyuseaccordingtolengthoftime.
•IBMCognosdoesnotprovideautomatedscalingofenvironments.Administratorsmustmanuallyscaletheenvironmentsupordown.•IBMCognosisunabletocluster8nodes.Largeenterpriseorganizationsmayneedtoclusterupto8nodestosupporthundredsofusersandpetabytesofdata.
SeamlessUpgrades
Upgradetheplatformandcorrespondingserverswithoutanydowntimeoradditionalwork.
BymovingtotheMicroStrategyCloud,customerscanensurethattheyhavethelatestplatformandversionrelease,allowingthemtotakeadvantageofthelatestplatformsecurityandfeatureenhancements.WiththenewCloudEnvironmentManager,customerscanscheduleupgradesduringnon-peakhourstoguaranteeseamlessupgradeswithzerodowntime.Testingandhealthchecksareautomaticallyperformedtohelpensureasuccessfulupgrade.
•IBMmanagesadministration,monitoring,ongoingmaintenance,andupgrades.
HighPerformanceandReliability
Maintainhighperformanceandreliabilitywithoutsacrificinguserexperienceorsecurity.
•EachMicroStrategydeploymentisinasingle-tenant,privatecloud.Thisallowsorganizationstocustomizethesoftwaretomeettheirneeds.Queriesrunbycustomerswillnotaffectothers.Eachinstanceisisolatedfromothersformaximumprivacy.
•TheMicroStrategyCloudoperationsteamhasthecloudexpertsandsupporttohelpensurehighperformanceandreliability.WearebackednotonlybyAWS’sworld-classinfrastructure,butalsoAWSexpertswhohelpeddesignandautomateourclouddeployment.OurCloudenvironmentwasbuiltwiththelatestAWStechnologyandaccordingtoAWS’sbestpractices.Ourteamproactivelypatchesinfrastructure,operatingsystems,andapplicationstooptimizeperformancewhiledeterringsecuritythreats.Wehaveprocessesinplacesothatsystemsaremonitored,includingtheanalyticsandmobilityservers.
•MicroStrategyallowsorganizationstoclusterupto8servernodes.Beyondbeingabletofurtherscaleinvolumeofanalyticscontent,thiswillimproveoverallSLAsbyreorganizinglargeclustersforhigheravailabilityandfasterservicerecovery,reduceTCObyconsolidationofmultipleenvironments,andremovefrictiontodeploynewapplicationsandincreaseusercapacity.
•IBMCognosEnterpriseonlyoffersa99.75%uptimeSLA,whichisbelowindustrystandards.Everyminutecountsforlargeenterprisecustomers,andanydowntimecanbecatastrophic.99.75%isunacceptableforenterprisecustomers.
DataConnectivityandMigration
Servicesforcustomerslookingtomovetheirdataintothecloudorconnecttheiron-premdatatotheircloudenvironment.
•MicroStrategyprovidesdataconnectivityanddatawarehousesolutionstomeetcustomerneeds.Customersmaychoosetomigratetheirdataintothecloud.WeofferoptionstomigrateintoAmazonRedshift,SQLServerEnterprise,SQLServerStandard,MySQL,orAuroraDWHplatforms.Whencustomerschoosethisoption,MicroStrategybuildsthechosenDWHwithinthesameVPCastherestoftheBIcloudenvironment.MicroStrategyworkswithcustomerstoselectthecorrectsize(CPU/RAM)DWHmachinethatmeetstheirneeds.ETLoptionsarealsoavailable.
•Ifacustomerchoosestomaintaintheirdatabaseon-premorinanotherclouddatasource,atypicalimplementationinvolvesestablishingaVPNconnectionbetweentheMicroStrategyCloudanditsdatabaseordata.Theperformanceofthisarchitecturecanvarybasedonavarietyoffactors,includingthephysicaldistancebetweentheMicroStrategyClouddatacenterandthecustomerdatasource,thelatencyofthedataconnection,thebandwidthoftheconnection,theamountofusage,itsqueryintensiveness,thequery-responselatencyofthecustomerdatasource,andothervariables.
•AfterimportingdataintoIBMCognos,userscanonlyrefreshdatafromonedatasourceatatime.Thisincreasestimeandisunintuitiveforenterpriseuserslookingtorefreshmultipledatasourcesatonce.•IBMCognosanalyticscustomerscanconnecttomoston-premisesorclouddatasources.•IBMCognosanalyticscustomerscanstarton-premises,movetoahybridcloudoptionortoaprivatecloud,ormovebackandforthamongmultipledeploymentoptions.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotIBMCognosDetailsbyCapability -vsIBMCognos -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotIBMCognos
IBMCognosScore
MSTRScore
DataSecurity Securitytoprotectcustomerdata24/7/365.
•MicroStrategyCloudsecuritymeetsorexceedsindustrystandardsandbestpractices.MicroStrategyimplementsstrongcontrolpracticestoeffectivelymaintainthesecurityandavailabilityoftheMicroStrategyCloudandassociateddata.Wehelpensurethatyourdataissecureatnetworkandapplicationlevelsfromanyattacks.WefollowthelatestindustrystandardsonmanycompliancesandcertificationssuchasSOCI&II,HIPAA,PCI,andPrivacyShield.
•IBMCognosfocusesonenforcedstandards,testedprocesses,anddedicatedtools.•Itmonitorsaglobalsecurityincidentprocess24/7/365.•DatacentersthathostIBMCognosclouddeploymentsareallSOCIIcompliant.
EnterpriseIoT
DigitalBadge Useasingledigitalidentifiertotrack,report,andmanagealluserinteractionswithenterpriseassets.Thebadgeverifiesidentitiespriortograntingaccesstoenterpriseassets.
•MicroStrategy,viaUsher,deliverssmartphone-baseddigitalbadgesthatprovideseamlessaccesstophysicalandlogicalassetsacrosstheenterprise.•Digitalbadgesreplacephysicalbadges,keyfobs,passwords,andotheridentifierswithdigitalcredentialsdeliveredviaamobileapp.Badgesarebrandedbytheissuingorganizationandaredynamicallyandsecurelylinkedtoanindividuals'privilegesandaccessrights.•Badgescanberemotelyissuedandrevokednearlyinstantaneously.Theyareprovisionedviasecure,out-of-bandmeans,andtheirusecanbegatedbybiometric,geographical,ortemporalconstraints.•Thedigitalbadgeprovidesauniqueidentifierthatcanbeusedbyanysinglebadgetovalidatetheidentityofanyotherbadge.Italsoprovidesone-timepasscodesforasecondfactorofauthentication.
•DigitalbadgesarenotprovidedinIBMCognos.MicroStrategyistheonlyBIplatformthatofferspassword-freeloginviaamobileapp.
PhysicalAccess
Controlandmanageaccesstoanyentrywayacrossanenterpriseusingadigitalbadgetoenhanceorreplaceexistingaccesscardsforemployees,contractors,andvisitors.
•MicroStrategyprovidessmartphone-basedphysicalaccessfunctionalitypre-integratedwithleadingPACSvendors.Usherworkstoconsolidatemultiplephysicalaccesscontrolsystemsthroughoutanenterprise.•WithanOpenAPImodel,MicroStrategycanintegratewithpartnerphysicalaccesscontrolsystems,buildingautomationsystems,manufacturingsystems,InternetofThings(IoT)grids,andnetworksandmanagementsystemstodelivermoreadvancedfunctionalityandimplementationoptionstocustomers.
•Physicalaccessisnotsupported.CognosdoesnotsupportOTBintegrationwithleadingPACSvendorsonmobiledevices.IBM'sIoTproductsalsodonotprovidesuchfunctionality.
LogicalAccess
AccessalltypesofdigitalassetsinanorganizationincludingBIapplications,webapplications,VPNs,andworkstationsfromasinglepoint.
•MicroStrategyprovidessecuredigitalidentitythatallowsuserstoaccessnearlyanysysteminanenterprise(devices,applications,andVPNs)fromasinglepoint.InordertobothprotectthecurrentITinvestmentsofcorporationsaswellasenablefutureinvestments,logicalaccesswithMicroStrategyiscompatiblewithbothindustry-standardprotocolslikeSAMLandRADIUSaswellasemergingstandardssuchasOpenIDConnect.
•IBMCognosdoesnotofferlogicalaccesstodigitalsystemsotherthanitsownBIsuite.CognoscanbeconfiguredtouseSAML(securityassertionmarkuplanguage)forpassword-freelogins/singlesign-on,butthisrequiresathird-partyauthenticationsolution.
BluetoothSensing
Enablecontextualinteractions,security,andseamlessuserexperiencesviaBluetoothdeliveringreal-timelocationalawarenessofenterpriseassets.
•IntheMicroStrategyplatform,Usher’sBluetooth(BLE4.0)integrationenablesreal-timemicro-locationalawarenessofenterpriseassetsaswellastouch-freephysicalandlogicalaccess.•Thisallowsthousandsofuserstoprojecttheiridentityandmoveaboutacorporateenvironmentaccessingdoorwaysandsystemssecurelywithdrasticallydecreasedamountsoffriction.TheBluetoothsensingcapabilitycanalsobeconfiguredtologproximityataparticularplaceandtime.
•CognosdoesnotintegratenativelywithBluetooth.IntheEIoTcontext,acustomerwouldneedtomakeaninvestmentinIBM'sWatsonIoTplatformtoacquireBluetoothcapabilities.
BarcodeScanner
TrackenterpriseassetsbyscanningbarcodesorQRcodeswheneverauserinteractswiththem.Thisabilitysetsthefoundationforseamlessrepair,maintenance,andinventorymanagementofenterpriseassets.
•TheintegratedbarcodescannerinMicroStrategybadgescanscanvirtuallyanykindofQRorbarcodetag,securelyloggingalinkagebetweenanemployeeandaproduct,machine,oranyvaluableenterpriseasset.•ThiscapabilityallowsthetrackingofofflineassetsusinglabelsandtagswithbarorQRcodesandcanimproveprocessauditingandenforcementforcustomerservice,maintenance,andmore.Scanningbarcodeshelpstakedatafrommultiplecomponentsandsystemsandcombinethemtoimprovethepredictabilityofperformanceissuesthatariseinday-to-daybusinessoperations.
•TrackingassetswithbarcodescannersisnotsupportedinCognos.ThisisinpartduetoCognosnotprovidingadigitalbadgeforuseininteractingwiththeEnterpriseInternetofThings.TheWatsonIoTplatformcanpulldatacollectedbythird-partybarcodescanners,butthesearedistinctproductswithseparatelicensingandintegrationprocesses.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotIBMCognosDetailsbyCapability -vsIBMCognos -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotIBMCognos
IBMCognosScore
MSTRScore
Communication&Collaboration
Empowermanagementanddecision-makingtobemoretimely,informed,andcollaborativethroughdirect,in-app2-waymessagingbasedonlocationandsystemsaccess.
•TheUsherout-of-the-boxproductivityapplicationallowsmanagerstoquicklyidentify,verify,coordinate,andcommunicatewithotherusers–eitherin-personorbyremotelocation.•UsershavethecapabilitytoexchangemessagesfromanyclientinterfaceviatheIdentityserverastheintermediary.Thisfeaturesupportsanumberofusecasesincludingemployeesafety,support,andcoordination,particularlyforfieldworkforcesorduringspecialevents.
•ForCognos,thisisnotofferedoutsideofannotationsandcollaborationfordashboardsinitsBIinterfaces.SinceCognosdoesnotprovideadigitaltwinthatiscarriedbyuserswiththeminamobileform-factoratalltimes,itfurtherlacksaconvenientmeansofreachingusersinatimelyfashion.Additionally,thismeansthereismuchlesscontextualinformationavailableaboutusersinanygivenpointintimetoinfluencethedirectionofcommuniques.
Real-timeTelemetry
Generateconsumablereal-timeintelligenceviadigitalidentityinteractionswithalltypesofenterpriseassets(physicalandlogical)andconstituents.
•WithMicroStrategyUsherbadges,userpresenceandactionscreatereal-timetelemetryviaanApacheKafkaCluster–anopen-sourceprogramdeliveringadistributed,partitioned,andreplicatedcommitlogservicesupportingreal-timedataprocessingandbigdatavolumes.Thistelemetrydataisarichandunderutilizedsourceofinformationthatisthekeytounlockingasmarter,moreproductiveworkforce.Toexpeditevaluecreation,MicroStrategyhelpsorganizationsefficientlycreateandharnessmassiveamountsoftimelyinformationarrivingfromEIoTdevices.
•WhileIBMoffersreal-timecomputingviaIBMStreamComputing,itisnotyetnativetoCognos.Cognos'lackofadigitalbadgepreventsitfromgeneratingcomprehensive,real-timetelemetrystemmingfromtheinteractionsbetweenenterpriseassetsandconstituents.ToaccomplishsomeofthiswithIBM,customerspurchaselicensesandserversforaseparateproduct(WatsonIoT)thatisnotfullyintegratedwithCognos.
OTBReportingModule
Deployreportingbasedontelemetry,pullingdatafromallassetsandaccesspointstodeliverinsightintooperationsandcomplianceinaunified,“singlesourceoftruth”dashboard.Reportsshouldbecustomizablewiththeabilitytoblenddatafromotherenterpriserepositories.
•UsherAnalyticsisaMicroStrategyprojectincludedout-of-the-boxwithabadgeimplementation.MicroStrategytakescareoftheETLprocessessoaccessandauthorizationdatageneratedontheback-endisautomaticallyloadedintoadatawarehouseandleveragedbyapre-builtdataschema.Thisprojectincludesmultipledashboardsandamobileapplicationforvisibilityintointeractionsbetweenenterpriseconstituentsandassets.
•OTBreportingforanaccess-centricEIoTimplementationisnotsupportedbyCognos.AlthoughCognoscanintegratewithWatsonIoTtopullinsensordata,forCognostodeliverdashboardsthatshowaconvergedlogofphysicalandlogicaltransactionsbyeachuserinanenterprise,asignificantamountoflabor(connecting,ETL-ing,architecting,dashboarding)wouldneedtooccur.
IntegrationwithDirectoryServices
Synchronizetodirectoryservicesastheauthoritativesourceforemployeerecordsandattributes.Supporttheenforcementofdirectoryprovisioningforauthorization(privileges,entitlements,andrestrictions).
•WithintheMicroStrategyplatform,UsherNetworkManagerhaspre-builtdirectoryintegrationswithMicrosoftActiveDirectory,AWSDirectoryServices,andOktaUniversalDirectory.UsherisalsocompatiblewiththeOpenLDAPstandard.ThisallowsMicroStrategytoquicklyissuestandardizedcredentialstoallusers,eveninorganizationswhichutilizemultipleidentityrepositories-orevenmanuallyaddtemporaryuserswhodonotexistinanyrepository.
•InCognos,usersareauthenticatedbydirectlyconnectingtoanyv3LDAP,includingActiveDirectory.Anout-of-the-boxauditsolutionmonitorswhenandhowusersinteractwiththeplatform.However,itintegratesnativelywithfewerthird-partyidentityrepositoriescomparedtoMicroStrategy.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotIBMCognosDetailsbyCapability -vsIBMCognos -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotIBMCognos
IBMCognosScore
MSTRScore
IdentityServer Manageanetworkofusersbyconfiguringrelationshipsthatprompt,enable,orsecureinteractionsamongemployeesandassetswithinthenetwork.IdentityServersenableadministratorstocreate,configure,distribute,revoke,andmanagedigitalidentitieswithuserbadges.
•TheMicroStrategyUsheridentityserver,whichassignsandissuesdigitaltwinstousersintheformofbadges,isFIDOAlliance-certifiedonaUAFprotocolfordeliveringpassword-freeauthenticationbasedonpublickeycryptography.Itisstronglyresistanttophishingandcanmakeuseraccesssubjecttogeographicandtemporalconstraints.
TheUsherserverarchitectureisbuilttoensurethatonlyauthorizedbadgeuserscommunicatewiththeidentityserver,andonlyfromauthorizeddevices.TheUsherserverhasthesoleauthoritytoconvertamobiledeviceintoanauthorizeddevicethroughaprocessthathelpsensurethatroguedevicesorapplicationswillnotbeabletocommunicatewiththeidentityserver.Theidentityserverprovidessupportforencryptionofdataatrestandintransit,encryptionkeymanagement,andtransactionloggingtiedtoanindividualuser’sidentity.
•IBMCognosdoesnotprovideOTBsupportforidentityservers.UserandassetadministrationinCognosislimitedtocontrollingBIapplicationsandenvironments.AsitpertainstotheEIoT,IBMhasaseparateoffering(WatsonIoT)whichallowsfortheprovisioningandconfigurationofrelationshipsbetweenconnectedsensorsanddevices(thoughthesearegenerallynotusedasidentityextensionsforemployees).
EnterprisePartner
100%FocusonEnterpriseAnalytics
Corebusinessisexclusivelyfocusedonenterpriseanalytics.
•MicroStrategyisdedicatedtoasinglebusinessline,exclusivelyfocusedonenterpriseanalyticsandmobilitysoftware.•MicroStrategy’smissionistoprovideenterprisecustomerswithaworld-classsoftwareplatformandexpertservicessotheycandeployuniqueintelligenceapplications.
•IBMisaconglomeratewith5distinctbusinesssegments,noneofwhichfocusonenterpriseanalytics.•IBMhastwodozencategoriesofproductsolutions,andCognos(acquiredbyIBMin2008)ismerelyoneofmanyproductsofferedunderoneofthecategories.•Cognosisn’tevenmentionedinIBM’smostrecentannualreport.
PlatformCohesion
Cohesionisanimportantconceptinsoftwaredesignbecauseitreducescomplexity,enhancessystemmaintainabilityandincreasesreusability,whichtogetherpromoteperformance,scalabilityandelegance.
•MicroStrategy10hasaunifiedplatformarchitectureuniquelysuitedtodeliverhigh-performanceapplicationsthatarehighlyreusableandsecure,andcanmeetthebusinessintelligencedemandsofvarioususersandorganizations.•Sinceitsinception,MicroStrategyhasbeendevelopingitsplatformtechnology100%organically.
•Cognosistheresultofeffortstomelddisparatetechnologies.•BeforeIBMacquiredCognosin2008,IBMhadnothingintheareaofanalytics.•Cognositselfrepresentstheamalgamationofnumerousotherthird-partytechnologiesthatwereacquiredbyCognosovermanyyears.•AfteracquiringCognos,IBMacquiredanotheranalyticsprovider,SPSS.•WatsonAnalyticsisbeingdevelopedseparatelyfromtheCognosbaseplatform,withlimitedintegrationbetweenthetwo.•CognosmustcompeteforattentionandfundingwithintheIBMconglomerate.
VisionaryCEO
CEOanticipatesanddrivestechnologytrendsintheenterpriseanalyticsindustry.
•MicroStrategy’sCEO,MichaelSaylor,hasanticipatedtechnologytrendssuchasmobiletechnology’stransformationofbusinessoperations,andledthecompanythroughmultiplewavesofinnovationsuchasclient-server,web,mobile,cloudandenterpriseinternetofthings.•Mr.SaylorisalsotheauthorofTheNewYorkTime’sbest-sellingbook,“TheMobileWave.”
•TheattentionofIBM’sCEOisdividedamong5businesssegmentsthatareadvertisedtocomprisea“cognitivesolutionsandcloudplatformcompany,withafocusonindustrycapabilitiesandexpertise.”It’sunclearwhattheCEO’svisionisforCognos,particularlywithIBM’srecentmarketingactivitiesaroundWatson.
CEOEngagementwithCustomers
CEOengagesdirectlyandsubstantiallywithcustomersaroundtheworld.
•MicroStrategy’sCEOdirectlyengageswithcustomersaroundtheworldbypersonallyparticipatinginamajorityofthe100+SymposiumeventsthatMicroStrategyholdsperyearin35differentcountries,inadditiontoothercustomermeetingsandeventsonaregularbasis.
•CognosisaverysmallportionofIBM’sconglomeratebusiness.GiventhelargenumberofIBMbusinesssegmentsandproductsolutions,itsCEOcan’tbefocusedonengagementwithCognoscustomers.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotIBMCognosDetailsbyCapability -vsIBMCognos -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotIBMCognos
IBMCognosScore
MSTRScore
TenuredExecutiveTeam
Executiveteamhasextensiveexperienceinenterpriseanalyticsandmobility.
•MicroStrategy’sCEOandCTOcollectivelyhaveover50yearsofexperienceinenterpriseanalyticsandmobility.•Additionally,MicroStrategy’sCEOhassciencedegreesfromMITandmorethan50patentstohisname,andhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindMicroStrategy’stechnologysinceitsinception.
•Enterpriseanalyticsisn’tthecorebackgroundofanymemberonIBM’sseniorexecutiveteam.
ShareholderAlignment
Principalshareholderandmanagementinterestsarealignedwiththecompany’slong-termsuccess.
•Mr.Saylor,thecompany’sChairmanoftheBoard,President&CEO,foundedMicroStrategyin1989andhasbeenthecompany’scontrollingshareholdersinceitsinception.Accordingly,shareholderandmanagementinterestsarefullyalignedinpursuingMicroStrategy’svisionandlong-termsuccess.
•IBM’sstockownershipisdispersedanditslargershareholdersareinvestmentmanagementcompanies.•IBM’smanagementcollectivelyholdslessthan1%ownershipinterestinthecompany.
PubliclyTradedCompany
Withgreatertransparency,stabilityandaccesstofunding,apubliclytradedcompanygenerallyhasastrongermanagementteam,instillsgreaterconfidenceincustomersandhasmorefinanciallevers.
•Havinggonepublic18yearsago,MicroStrategyisamaturepubliclytradedcompany.
•IBMisapubliclytradedcompany,butCognos’sfinancialperformanceisunknownbecauseit’ssuchasmallportionofIBM’soverallbusinessandIBMdoesn’tseparatelyreportonit.ThismakesitmoredifficulttopredictIBM’splansforCognosandcreatessignificantuncertaintyforcustomers.
StrongFinancials
Aprofitableorganizationwithastrongbalancesheetcanbetterwithstandmarketvolatilityandfluctuations.
•MicroStrategyhasbeenprofitableoverthelast13years,withcombinednetincomeof$197millionoverthelast2fiscalyearsandanoperatingmarginof21%for2016.•Inaddition,MicroStrategy’sbalancesheetisstrongwithzerodebt.
•IBM’srevenueshavebeenshrinkingforeachofthelast20quarters.•IBMisaconglomerate,andthefinancialperformanceofCognosisunclear.
WorldwideSalesPresence
Companyhastheabilitytodirectlyengagewithorganizationsaroundtheworld.
•MicroStrategyhasofficesin26countriesacrosseverymajorregionoftheworld.
•WhileIBMhasofficesinanumberofcountries,IBMisaconglomeratebusiness,andtheextenttowhichthoseofficessupportenterpriseanalyticssalesandcustomersisunclear.
WorldwideServicesPresence
Companyhastheabilitytoprovidesupportandservicestocustomersaroundtheworld.
•MicroStrategyhasofficesin26countriesacrosseverymajorregionoftheworld.
•WhileIBMhasofficesinanumberofcountries,IBMisaconglomeratebusiness,andtheextenttowhichthoseofficesprovideenterpriseanalyticsservicesisunclear.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData OverviewOverview -vsSAPBO -
CriticalCapabilities-SAPBOScoresTechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
SAPBOScore
CriticalCapability
SAPBOScore
CriticalCapabilitySAPBOScore
CriticalCapabilitySAPBOScore
CriticalCapability
SAPBOScore
CriticalCapability
SAPBOScore
CriticalCapability
SAPBOScore
1ObjectOrientedReusability
Self-ServiceDataDiscovery
TransactionalWorkflows
CreateCustomWebApplications
SimplifiedEnterpriseDeployment
DigitalBadge100%Focus
onEnterpriseAnalytics
2 DataGovernance
OptimizedDataConnectivity
EmbeddedMultimedia
CreateCustomMobileApplicationsiniOSandAndroid
GlobalAvailability
PhysicalAccess
PlatformCohesion
3 UserSecurity
DataPreparationandBlending
GeospatialAnalysis EmbedThird-PartyDataasDatasets
APIEnabledOperations LogicalAccess Visionary
CEO
4 Scalability EnterpriseReports OfflineAccess
CreateCustomHTML5
Visualizations
DisasterRecoveryandFailover
BluetoothSensing
CEOEngagement
withCustomers
5 Performance Dashboardsanddocuments
MobileClientCachingforHighPerformance
ExtractSubsetsofDataUsingRESTfulAPIs
CentralizedAdministration
BarcodeScanner
TenuredExecutiveTeam
6 Automation MobileAnalytics
PersonalizedAlertsviaPushNotifications
CreateCustomDataConnectors AutoScaling Communication
&CollaborationShareholderAlignment
7 Monitoring RealTimeAnalytics
InstantUpdatestoCustomAppswithNoRecompilation
MultitenancySupport
SeamlessUpgrades
Real-timeTelemetry
PubliclyTradedCompany
8 DeploymentPredictiveAnalyticsandMachineLearning
Customize/WhiteLabel
HighPerformanceandReliability
OTBReportingModule
StrongFinancials
9 HighAvailability
BigDataAnalytics
NativeIntegrationwithEMMVendors
DataConnectivityandMigration
IntegrationwithDirectoryServices
WorldwideSales
Presence
10 In-memoryArchitecture
AutomatedDistributionandAlerting
MobileAppUsageMonitoring DataSecurity IdentityServer
WorldwideServicesPresence
TechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
SAPBOScore
CriticalCapability
SAPBOScore
CriticalCapabilitySAPBOScore
CriticalCapabilitySAPBOScore
CriticalCapability
SAPBOScore
CriticalCapability
SAPBOScore
CriticalCapability
SAPBOScore
95 / 167
CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData CriticalCapabilities-SAPBOScoresOverview -vsSAPBO -
TechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
SAPBOScore
CriticalCapability
SAPBOScore
CriticalCapabilitySAPBOScore
CriticalCapabilitySAPBOScore
CriticalCapability
SAPBOScore
CriticalCapability
SAPBOScore
CriticalCapability
SAPBOScore
1ObjectOrientedReusability
Self-ServiceDataDiscovery
TransactionalWorkflows
CreateCustomWebApplications
SimplifiedEnterpriseDeployment
DigitalBadge100%Focus
onEnterpriseAnalytics
2 DataGovernance
OptimizedDataConnectivity
EmbeddedMultimedia
CreateCustomMobileApplicationsiniOSandAndroid
GlobalAvailability
PhysicalAccess
PlatformCohesion
3 UserSecurity
DataPreparationandBlending
GeospatialAnalysis EmbedThird-PartyDataasDatasets
APIEnabledOperations LogicalAccess Visionary
CEO
4 Scalability EnterpriseReports OfflineAccess
CreateCustomHTML5
Visualizations
DisasterRecoveryandFailover
BluetoothSensing
CEOEngagement
withCustomers
5 Performance Dashboardsanddocuments
MobileClientCachingforHighPerformance
ExtractSubsetsofDataUsingRESTfulAPIs
CentralizedAdministration
BarcodeScanner
TenuredExecutiveTeam
6 Automation MobileAnalytics
PersonalizedAlertsviaPushNotifications
CreateCustomDataConnectors AutoScaling Communication
&CollaborationShareholderAlignment
7 Monitoring RealTimeAnalytics
InstantUpdatestoCustomAppswithNoRecompilation
MultitenancySupport
SeamlessUpgrades
Real-timeTelemetry
PubliclyTradedCompany
8 DeploymentPredictiveAnalyticsandMachineLearning
Customize/WhiteLabel
HighPerformanceandReliability
OTBReportingModule
StrongFinancials
9 HighAvailability
BigDataAnalytics
NativeIntegrationwithEMMVendors
DataConnectivityandMigration
IntegrationwithDirectoryServices
WorldwideSales
Presence
10 In-memoryArchitecture
AutomatedDistributionandAlerting
MobileAppUsageMonitoring DataSecurity IdentityServer
WorldwideServicesPresence
TechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
SAPBOScore
CriticalCapability
SAPBOScore
CriticalCapabilitySAPBOScore
CriticalCapabilitySAPBOScore
CriticalCapability
SAPBOScore
CriticalCapability
SAPBOScore
CriticalCapability
SAPBOScore
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData OverviewDetailsbyCapability -vsSAPBO -
WhyNotSAPBO
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotSAPBO
SAPBO
ScoreMSTRScore
EnterprisePlatform
ObjectOrientedReusability
Anobject-orientedarchitecturecatalogseveryaspectofthebusiness.Dataassets,KPIs,dimensions,users,reports,anddashboardsareallstoredinacentrallocationasuniquelogicalobjectstosupportreusability.
MicroStrategyoffersacentralizedmetadatarepositorythatisbuiltwithandcontainsobjects,asdefinedbydevelopers,andcanbereusedacrosstheBIproject.Objectscanbecombinedtocreatehigherlevelobjects(e.g.,attributesandmetricsmakeupareport;reports,filters,andpromptsmakeupadocument;documents,andotherreportscanbeembeddedintoadocument-allofwhicharestoredas"metadataobjects"),andthistogetherdeliversasingleBIprojectoradatamodel.•ThereusablemodelenablesobjectsacrosstheBIdeploymenttobesecurelyreusedhundredsoftimesbyusersacrosstheenterprise,withoutanyduplicationofeffort.•Themodelnotonlyincludesdimensionsandmetrics,butalsocoversfilters,reports,prompts,customgroups,reports,dashboards,anddocuments-makingitpossibletoflexiblyreusealloftheseobjectsmultipletimesacrossanyapplicationandBIproject.•Changesormodificationsmadetoanyobjectinthemetadataautomaticallyproliferatestoallotherdependentobjects.Thiseliminatestheneedtomanuallyupdatethechangesacrossthedeployment,whichisparticularlyhelpfulforlargerBIprojects.•Thereusablemodelhelpsensurefasterdevelopmenttimes,increasedplatformscalability,efficientmanagement,andalsomaintainsasingleversionofthetruth.
•SAPdoesdefineanddescribebusinessobjecttypesandtheirmethodsinaBusinessObjectRepository(BOR),buttherearesignificantlimitationsintohowthoseobjectscanbereusedandexpandedupon.
•Localreportingobjectsarenotshareableamongusers:Manycalculations,conditions,andpromptsaretypicallycreatednewforeachreportandcannotbeeasilyusedasbuildingblocksforotherreportingobjects.
•Reportdeveloperscannotcreatestandalonereportobjectsandreusethemacrossdifferentreports.Thiscreatesextraworkandgeneratesmanyredundantobjectsthatservethesamepurpose.
•WhilethereissomeinteroperabilityonthedatasourceanddataaccesslevelsbetweenSAPBOBJ4.2andSAPBOBJCloud,contentcreatedbyoneplatformcannotbepromotedtoorreusedbytheother.
DataGovernance
Uniquedefinitionstoeverydimensionandmetricboundtogetherbystrictrulesthataredefinedbyalogicalmodel,thusensuringasingleversionofthetruth
TheMicroStrategymetadatamodelmakesitpossibleforanyonewiththerightprivilegestopromotenewandexternalcontenttotheServerandtieittoacertifieddatamodel,allwitheasyworkflows.•Itispossibletomapthemetadataatthedimensionlevel,aswellasthecubelevel,givinguserstheflexibilitytocontrolthedatathatispublishedtothemodel.•Theplatformsupportsgovernancefordatafromdisparatesources,evenexternalnon-certifiedsources,thathelpsbuildasystemofrecordthatuserscantrust--whilealsodeliveringflexibilitytoendusers.•Beyondtheabilitytogovernexternaldatasources,theplatformoffersgranularsecurityfeaturesthatallowprojectownersanddatastewardstograntpermissionsandprivilegestotherightpeople.Thisdeliversdatasecurityandalsopersonalizesreportsanddashboardstoendusers.•WorkflowsavailablewiththeMicroStrategyplatformtopromoteexternaldataintothesystemofrecord,combinedwiththeflexibilityofthesystemtodeliverself-serviceaccesstobusinessteamswillincreasetheoveralladoptionoftheBIplatform.
•BusinessObjectsisacollectionofseveralBItoolsthatarenotfullyintegratedtogether,creatingafragmentedandinconsistentmetadataenvironment.Incontrast,MicroStrategy’sBIplatformisorganicallydevelopedfromtheground-up,providingasingle,unifiedmetadatathatenablesasingleversionofthetruth.
•DatalineageandimpactanalysisisnotsupportedineitherSAPLumiraortheSAPBusinessObjectsplatformoutofthebox.Itrequiresanothertool,theSAPInformationSteward.Itisnotconsistentandvaries,forinstance,whetherthesemanticlayer"universe"isusedornot.
•WhiledatamodelinginSAPLumiraisdesignedforbusinessusers,modelingintheuniverse,SAPHanaviews,orSAPBusinessWarehousequeriesremainsanIT-centrictask.
•LumiradoesnotinheritalloftheSAPBusinessObjectsEnterpriseplatformcapabilitiestobettersupportthegovernedanddecentralizeddatadiscoveryusecases.Forinstance,Lumiradocumentscanbesharedontheplatform,andDesignStudiocancreatecontentthatisthenexportedtoLumira.SchedulingandalertingarenotsupportedinLumirabuttheyaresupportedinSAPBOBJ.
UserSecurity Rolesandprivilegesthatassignrestrictionstousers
ThesecuritymodelwithintheMicroStrategyplatformisbuiltaroundusersandusergroups,whicharerepresentedaslogicalmetadataobjects.Thisensuresthatdataissecuredatthemostgranularlevels.
•SAPBOBJsupportsuserauthenticationandrole-baseddataaccesscontrols,butthesehavelimitedgranularityandoftenrequireredundant
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotSAPBO
SAPBO
ScoreMSTRScore
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotSAPBODetailsbyCapability -vsSAPBO -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotSAPBO
SAPBO
ScoreMSTRScore
EnterprisePlatform
ObjectOrientedReusability
Anobject-orientedarchitecturecatalogseveryaspectofthebusiness.Dataassets,KPIs,dimensions,users,reports,anddashboardsareallstoredinacentrallocationasuniquelogicalobjectstosupportreusability.
MicroStrategyoffersacentralizedmetadatarepositorythatisbuiltwithandcontainsobjects,asdefinedbydevelopers,andcanbereusedacrosstheBIproject.Objectscanbecombinedtocreatehigherlevelobjects(e.g.,attributesandmetricsmakeupareport;reports,filters,andpromptsmakeupadocument;documents,andotherreportscanbeembeddedintoadocument-allofwhicharestoredas"metadataobjects"),andthistogetherdeliversasingleBIprojectoradatamodel.•ThereusablemodelenablesobjectsacrosstheBIdeploymenttobesecurelyreusedhundredsoftimesbyusersacrosstheenterprise,withoutanyduplicationofeffort.•Themodelnotonlyincludesdimensionsandmetrics,butalsocoversfilters,reports,prompts,customgroups,reports,dashboards,anddocuments-makingitpossibletoflexiblyreusealloftheseobjectsmultipletimesacrossanyapplicationandBIproject.•Changesormodificationsmadetoanyobjectinthemetadataautomaticallyproliferatestoallotherdependentobjects.Thiseliminatestheneedtomanuallyupdatethechangesacrossthedeployment,whichisparticularlyhelpfulforlargerBIprojects.•Thereusablemodelhelpsensurefasterdevelopmenttimes,increasedplatformscalability,efficientmanagement,andalsomaintainsasingleversionofthetruth.
•SAPdoesdefineanddescribebusinessobjecttypesandtheirmethodsinaBusinessObjectRepository(BOR),buttherearesignificantlimitationsintohowthoseobjectscanbereusedandexpandedupon.
•Localreportingobjectsarenotshareableamongusers:Manycalculations,conditions,andpromptsaretypicallycreatednewforeachreportandcannotbeeasilyusedasbuildingblocksforotherreportingobjects.
•Reportdeveloperscannotcreatestandalonereportobjectsandreusethemacrossdifferentreports.Thiscreatesextraworkandgeneratesmanyredundantobjectsthatservethesamepurpose.
•WhilethereissomeinteroperabilityonthedatasourceanddataaccesslevelsbetweenSAPBOBJ4.2andSAPBOBJCloud,contentcreatedbyoneplatformcannotbepromotedtoorreusedbytheother.
DataGovernance
Uniquedefinitionstoeverydimensionandmetricboundtogetherbystrictrulesthataredefinedbyalogicalmodel,thusensuringasingleversionofthetruth
TheMicroStrategymetadatamodelmakesitpossibleforanyonewiththerightprivilegestopromotenewandexternalcontenttotheServerandtieittoacertifieddatamodel,allwitheasyworkflows.•Itispossibletomapthemetadataatthedimensionlevel,aswellasthecubelevel,givinguserstheflexibilitytocontrolthedatathatispublishedtothemodel.•Theplatformsupportsgovernancefordatafromdisparatesources,evenexternalnon-certifiedsources,thathelpsbuildasystemofrecordthatuserscantrust--whilealsodeliveringflexibilitytoendusers.•Beyondtheabilitytogovernexternaldatasources,theplatformoffersgranularsecurityfeaturesthatallowprojectownersanddatastewardstograntpermissionsandprivilegestotherightpeople.Thisdeliversdatasecurityandalsopersonalizesreportsanddashboardstoendusers.•WorkflowsavailablewiththeMicroStrategyplatformtopromoteexternaldataintothesystemofrecord,combinedwiththeflexibilityofthesystemtodeliverself-serviceaccesstobusinessteamswillincreasetheoveralladoptionoftheBIplatform.
•BusinessObjectsisacollectionofseveralBItoolsthatarenotfullyintegratedtogether,creatingafragmentedandinconsistentmetadataenvironment.Incontrast,MicroStrategy’sBIplatformisorganicallydevelopedfromtheground-up,providingasingle,unifiedmetadatathatenablesasingleversionofthetruth.
•DatalineageandimpactanalysisisnotsupportedineitherSAPLumiraortheSAPBusinessObjectsplatformoutofthebox.Itrequiresanothertool,theSAPInformationSteward.Itisnotconsistentandvaries,forinstance,whetherthesemanticlayer"universe"isusedornot.
•WhiledatamodelinginSAPLumiraisdesignedforbusinessusers,modelingintheuniverse,SAPHanaviews,orSAPBusinessWarehousequeriesremainsanIT-centrictask.
•LumiradoesnotinheritalloftheSAPBusinessObjectsEnterpriseplatformcapabilitiestobettersupportthegovernedanddecentralizeddatadiscoveryusecases.Forinstance,Lumiradocumentscanbesharedontheplatform,andDesignStudiocancreatecontentthatisthenexportedtoLumira.SchedulingandalertingarenotsupportedinLumirabuttheyaresupportedinSAPBOBJ.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotSAPBODetailsbyCapability -vsSAPBO -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotSAPBO
SAPBO
ScoreMSTRScore
UserSecurity Rolesandprivilegesthatassignrestrictionstousersandgroupsensurethatendusersonlyseepersonalizedandrelevantcontentandareonlyabletoperformauthorizedactions.
ThesecuritymodelwithintheMicroStrategyplatformisbuiltaroundusersandusergroups,whicharerepresentedaslogicalmetadataobjects.Thisensuresthatdataissecuredatthemostgranularlevels.•Securityfiltersbasedondimensionvalueshelpensurethatusersarerestrictedtoonlyseedatathatisrelevanttothem.Thiseliminatestheneedtobuildmultiplecopiesofthesameapplication,andmakesitpossibletooptimallyscale.•WithMicroStrategy'stools,administratorscanapplyAccessControlLists(ACLs)tolargeusergroups,restrictingtherangeofdataobjectstheycanaccessoractionstheycanperform,andspecifyingthescopeoftheirprivilegesintheenvironment.•WithUsher,itispossibletoprovidesecuredigitalauthenticationoptions,includinggeo-fencingandtime-fencingcapabilities,makingitpossibletorestrictuseraccessbasedonlocationandtime.
•SAPBOBJsupportsuserauthenticationandrole-baseddataaccesscontrols,butthesehavelimitedgranularityandoftenrequireredundantimplementationprocesses.
•ReportedlySAPBusinessObjectsofferslimitedgranularityforadministratorstosetgroupsanduserprivileges.Incontrast,MicroStrategynotonlysupportsrow-levelandcolumn-levelsecurity,butalsoenforcessecurityonindividualmetadataobjects,enablingmuchmoregranularcontroloverdataaccessandusercapabilities.
•Securitymustoftenbedefinedinatleastthreetools:UniverseDesignerorInformationDesignTool,CentralManagementConsole,andBusinessViewManager,creatingextramanualworkand"spread-mart"issues.
Scalability Deliveranalyticstoeveryoneacrosstheenterprise,andbeyond.Allow1000sofuserstoleverageanalyticswithoutsacrificingperformanceandwithoutrestrictionsondatasize.
MicroStrategyisoptimizedinitsdesignforenterprisescaleandspeed;assuch,theplatformcansupporttheanalyticalreportingneedsof100softhousandsofusersacrosstheenterprise.•Theplatformcanbeclusteredwithupto8nodeswithwork-anduser-fencingoptionstohelpensureperformanceandreliabilityacrosstheentireuserpopulation.•Theplatformhasnorestrictionsondatasizeforeitherdirectorin-memoryaccesstodata•MicroStrategycustomersareleveragingtheplatformtostoredatausingin-memorycubeswithover2billionrowswhiledeliveringsub-secondresponsetimestotheirend-users.•MicroStrategyistheonlycomprehensiveanalyticsvendorthatsupportsbigdataanalyticswithnativeconnectorstoHDFStoaccesspetabytesofdatainrealtime.
•SAPBOcandeliveranalyticstoalargenumberofusers,butrequiresexpensivehardwareandmultipleserversforheavierneeds.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotSAPBODetailsbyCapability -vsSAPBO -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotSAPBO
SAPBO
ScoreMSTRScore
Performance Publishanddeliverinformationtoend-userswithquickresponsetimes,anddeliveranalyticswithoutbeingimpededbydatasize.
MicroStrategyemploysavarietyofstrategiestoincreasetheoverallperformanceoftheplatform,makingitpossibletodeliversub-secondresponsetimes-evenwithlargedatasets.•MicroStrategywasamongthefirstBIvendorstosupportpush-downanalyticalfunctionsacrossallleadingdatabases.Thiscapabilityhelpsdrivecomputationsintelligentlytothedatabasewhenneeded,therebyimprovingtheoverallresponsetimetoendusers.•Theplatformcancreatemultipleparallelthreadstothedatabase,increasingthespeedatwhichdataisfetchedfromthewarehouse.•WhereasotherBIvendorsattempttoimplementcachingatasinglelevel,MicroStrategyimplementsself-tuningstrategiesthatcreatecachesatkeypointswithinthequeryflow.TheServercachesdatainthefollowingcrucialareas:Metadataobjectcaching,attributeelementcaching,databaseconnectioncaching,resultcaching,anddocumentcaching.•Theplatformisbasedonanin-memoryarchitecturethatcanpartitioncubesandprocessdatainparallel,makingitpossibletoprocesslargercubesthanothervendorsinthemarket.•VLDBsettingsareavailabletofine-tuneandoptimizeconnectivityforeverytypeofdatasource,deliveringcustomsettingstoorganizationswithuniquedeployments.
•SAPBusinessObjectsdoesnothaveascalableROLAPengineacrosstheproductsetintheformofamulti-pass,aggregate-awaredynamicSQLgenerationengine.TheBOBJROLAPengineprovideslimitedcapabilitiestogeneratemulti-passSQLstatements,andthereforeforcesmanycalculationstobeperformedinthemiddle-tierserver,whichdegradesperformance.
•Incontrast,MicroStrategy'smulti-passSQLengineprovidesgreateranalyticalpowerandminimizestheamountofdatathatispulledbacktothemid-tier,helpingtoaccelerateperformance.
•BusinessObjectsSQLenginedoesnotsupportautomaticaggregateawareness;thus,itisunabletomapasingleattributetomanyfacttablesandthenselectthemostefficienttabletoobtainthedataduringrun-time.
•SAPMicroCubeloadingwilloftenrequiremoretimetobuildthanacomparableMicroStrategyqueryduetothenon-optimizedSQLthatwasgenerated,theextensiverawdatawhichmustberetrieved,andtheinefficiencyofperformingdataprocessingondesktoporawebserver.
Automation ReduceburdenonITadministrators,especiallywithlargescaledeployments,bycuttingdownonroutineorredundanttasks.
•MicroStrategyofferstoolsthatallowadministratorstomaintainandupgradesystems,automateworkflows,andensuresuperiordataqualityandsecurity,withoutredundancies.•Theplatformallowsadminstoreducethetimeandeffortspentonroutinemaintenanceandadministrativetasks,likemovingassetsfromtesttoproductionenvironments,tocheckingthedataqualitybetweenupgrades,andschedulinghealthchecksandtaskswithworkflows.•Beyondadministrativetasks,datauploads/refreshesandscheduleddeliveriescanbeautomatedaswell,whichremovestheburdenfromITandhelpsreduceoverallTCO.
•UnlikeMicroStrategy,SAPBusinessObjectsdoesnotprovideworkflowautomationtoolsoutofthebox.
•SAP'smultipleserverinstallationsrequiremultiplepointsofadministration,placinganadditionalburdenonITandincreasingthepotentialforerrors.
•SAP’slackofreusablemetadataobjectsresultsinhighermaintenanceeffortsandincreasesthetotalcostofownership.
Monitoring Easilymonitor,maintain,manage,fine-tune,andautomateactionsandworkflowstoensurethehealthofthesystem.EliminateredundanttaskstoreduceoverallTCO.
•MicroStrategyofferstoolsthatallowadministratorstomonitoreveryenvironmentinaMicroStrategydeployment,acrossmultipleprojectsandevenservermachines-bothon-premisesandinthecloud.•Theinterfaceenablesadministratorstoquicklyandeasilyviewusagepatterns,systemresources,uptime,andalertsacrossenvironments.•Theplatformcollectsinformationfromeachenvironment’sHealthCenter,andpresentskeyusageandperformanceindicatorsusinggraphsandcharts.•Administratorscandefinethresholdsforsystemusageandperformancethatautomaticallytriggeralertswhenthresholdcriteriaaremetorexceeded.•Beyondthe100sofOOTBreportsanddashboardsavailablewiththeplatform,administratorscanbuildtheirownreportswithcustomKPIstomeasureplatformusage.
•SAPprovidesabasiclevelofsystemhealthmonitoring,butlacksmoresophisticatedmonitoringtoolsforensuringmetadataconsistencyandforrecommendingperformanceimprovements.
•SAPdoesnotautomaticallycheckfordependencieswhenchangesinmetadataobjectsoccur,asitdoesnotsupportmetadatacontentacrosstheentireproductset.
•SAPdoesnotprovideanyCubeAdvisortoolthatwouldrecommendin-memoryROLAPcubestoreducedatabaseprocessingandresponsetimes.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotSAPBODetailsbyCapability -vsSAPBO -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotSAPBO
SAPBO
ScoreMSTRScore
Deployment Optionstodeployonanyinfrastructure,regardlessofsize,team,orhardwareresources,thusreducingoverallTCOandmaintenancerequired.
MicroStrategydeliversflexibleoptionsfordeployinganalyticsacrosstheenterprisewithon-premises,cloud,andhybridoptionsforteamsofanysize.•TheplatformissupportedonbothWindowsandLinux,andcanbeclusteredwithupto8Servernodes.•PartneringwithAWS,theleadingcloudvendor,MicroStrategyallowsorganizationsaroundtheworldtospinupinstancesforenterpriseanalyticsandmobilityinminutes,allowingcompaniestostartsmallandexpandasneeded.•Pre-configuredenvironmentsinthecloudcanbecreated,managed,maintained,andupgradedwithself-serviceconsoles,enablingextremelylowTCOs.
•SAPBusinessObjectscanbesupportedonavarietyofhardwareplatforms,andonthecloudasaSaaSoffering.But,interoperabilitybetweenthoseenvironmentsislimited.
•SAPBusinessObjectssupportsWindows,Linux,AIX,andSolaris.SAPBOBJCloudisSaaSonly.
•InteroperabilitybetweenSAPBusinessObjectsEnterpriseandSAPBusinessObjectsCloudremainslimited.Thetwoplatformssharesomeinteroperabilityondatasourceanddataaccesslevel;however,thecontentcreatedbyEnterprisecannotbepromotedtoorreusedbyCloudandviceversa.
HighAvailability
Robustarchitecturethatprovidesthehighestuptimeforuserstoalwayshaveaccesstothesystem,withprovisionsandtuningmechanismsforincreasedsystemstabilityandbetterfailovermanagement.
•WithMicroStrategy,usersacrosstheorganizationcanaccessreliableanalyticsdeliveredonarobustarchitecturethatisdesignedforenterprisescale,performance,andstability.•Disasterrecoveryandfailoveroptionsalloworganizationstoavoiddowntimesforend-users.Systemadministratorshavethechoicetosetuphot,warm,orcoldfailoverstrategies(forbackupnodes)dependingonthehardwareresourcesavailabletothem.•Clusteringandworkfencingcapabilitiesmakeitpossibletoproactivelypreventservercrashesbydeflectingheavyjobstospecificserversortimeperiods.•Reliablegovernorsateverylevelofthequerypathmakeitpossibletoavertsystemcrashes,evenunderpeakuseranddataloads.
•SAPBusinessObjectsCloudoffersanSLAof99.5%systemavailability.
In-memoryArchitecture
Architecturethatcanhostterabytesofdatain-memorymakingitavailabletoend-userswithfasterresponsetimes.
•TheMicroStrategyplatformenablesorganizationstotakeadvantageofin-memorycubetechnology,whichincreasesperformancebyreducingtheneedtoaccessdatadirectlyfromthedatawarehouse.•MicroStrategyin-memorycubescanbequicklyloadedwithdatausingparallelthreadsfromthedatabasewhichcanalsobeoptimizedandfine-tunedforspecificdatabases.•Dynamicsourcingisaplatformcapabilitythatautomaticallyroutesqueriestothefastestavailabledatasource—whetherit’sacache,acube,ortheoriginalrelationalsource,thushelpingmaximizeperformanceandthroughput.•MicroStrategy'sparallelprocessingandpartitioningcapabilitiesdifferentiateitfromothervendors,helpingtoboostprocessingspeedsinsituationswherethereareterabytesofdatastoredinmemory.
•SAPBusinessObjectsmakesheavyuseofSAPHigh-PerformanceAnalyticAppliance(SAPHANA),anin-memorydatabasethatcomplementsBOBJ’sin-memoryanalyticscapabilities.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotSAPBODetailsbyCapability -vsSAPBO -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotSAPBO
SAPBO
ScoreMSTRScore
EnterpriseAnalytics
Self-ServiceDataDiscovery
Intuitiveworkflowsforend-userstoaccess,visualize,analyze,andshareinsightswithoutthesupportofIT.
MicroStrategydifferentiatesitselffromotherpointsolutionsbycombiningtheease-of-useofdataexplorationwithenterprisecapabilitiesincludingscalability,performance,security,andgovernance,inasingleplatform.•MicroStrategyDesktopandWebprovideaccessto80+datasources,fromExcelspreadsheets,torelationalsources,bigdata,Cloudservices,Hadoop,andmore.•Built-intoolsareavailablefordatapreparation,aswellastheabilitytoblenddataacrossmultiplesources.•ItprovidestheabilitytovisualizedatawithanychartorgraphnativelyandoffersworkflowstoincludeD3,Highcharts,GoogleCharts,andotherlibraries(includingopensourceandNLGoptions)•Includeseasysharingoptions(PDF,email,sendtofilelocation,print,andmore),andworkflowstopromoteexternaldataintoagovernedmodel.AlsosupportsoptionstoexporttoPDFandemailoptions.•MicroStrategyiscompatiblewithMacandWindowsPC.AnalystscanquicklysetupandinstallMicroStrategywithoutITsupport.•Theplatformsupportsadvancedanalyticswith350+out-of-the-boxfunctions,andcanalsointegratewithR.
•SAPBOBJEnterpriseleveragesSAPBusinessObjectsDesignStudiotobuildmulti-dimensionaldatavisualizationsandconnecttoSAPBWandSAPHANAdata.DesignStudiocaterstoprofessionallyauthoreddashboardsandapplicationsthatprovideaveryguidedandstructureddataanalysisexperience.•SAPLumiraisthemorecommontoolforself-servicedatadiscoveryanddashboards(a.k.a.'Stories')creation.•SAPLumiraoffersadrag-and-dropUItocreatevisualizations,canconnecttoandblendmultipledatasourcesinthesameview,andcandisplaydatausinginteractivemapsandvisuals.•SAPLumiraServerrunsontopofHANA.Itsupportsweb-basedauthoringofSAPHana-basedstories.Thesolution,however,hascertainlimitations.Forexample,transformationssuchasconvertingdatetoday-of-weekisamanualprocess.Userscannotconditionallychangethesizeofabarinabarchart.•SAPLumirastoryboardsofferlimitedinteractivityandcross-componentinteraction.ThereisnofullscreenmodeforStoryconsumption(onlypreview).InputControlaffectsallvisualizationsinaStory(inMicroStrategyuserscancontrolwhichvisualizationsareaffectedbyafilter).
OptimizedDataConnectivity
Driversandgatewaysthatdeliverinstantandreliableaccesstoavarietyofdatasourcesandinformationinanyformat,regardlessofsize.
•MicroStrategynativelysupports100softhemostpopulardatasources,fromExcelspreadsheettorelationaldatabases,cloudsystems,HDFSandmore.•OrganizationscanalsobuildtheirownconnectorstocustomdataassetswithAPIs,allowingthemtoconnecttoanynewsourceavailableinthemarket.•Eachconnectorisoptimizedforhighperformance,withtheabilitytointelligentlypush-downcalculationstothedatabaseswhenneeded,generatemulti-passSQL,loadparallelthreadssimultaneously,andcanloaddatawithoutrestrictionsonsizeortype.•EasyworkflowsareavailabletobusinessuserstoblenddataontheirownwithoutITsupport.•VLDBparametersareavailabletofine-tuneandoptimizeSQLgenerationspecifictoeachdatabase.•MicroStrategyleveragesanaggregate-awareSQLgenerationenginetotransparentlynavigateaggregatetables,dynamicallydirectingqueriestosummarytables,withouttheuserhavingtospecifytheuseofthetablewhencreatingthequery.•MicroStrategycangeneratemulti-passSQLtoansweranalyticalquestionsthatcannotbeansweredwithasingleSQLqueryblock,coveringscenariosthatinclude:setanalysis,splitmetrics,andcalculationsatdifferentlevelsofaggregation.
•SAPBOBJEnterprisedataaccesscapabilitiesarecomparabletoMicroStrategy.•Liveaccessforin-databasequeriesisavailablefortheon-premisesSAPHANAandSAPHANACloudPlatform,withhybridconnectivitytoBusinessWarehouseandS/4HANAplannedforQ1,2017.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotSAPBODetailsbyCapability -vsSAPBO -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotSAPBO
SAPBO
ScoreMSTRScore
DataPreparationandBlending
Transformandarrangedatatomakeitbettersuitedforvisualexploration,withtheabilitytocreatejoinsacrosstablesfromdisparatesources.
MicroStrategyoffersbuilt-indatawranglingandblendingcapabilitiesandissupportedacrossalldatasources.•EnduserscanperformtransformationsondatapriortovisualizinginformationusingdozensoffunctionsavailableviagraphicalinterfacesandwithoutexportingouttoExcel.•Datawranglingandblendingispossiblebybusinessusersacrossspreadsheets,relationalsources,HDFS,cloudsystems,andotherpopulardatabases.•Userscansplitcolumns,identifyspellingerrors,performtextandnumericfacets,eliminatewhitespaces,pivottables,andperformdozensmoretransformationsbasedonintelligentrecommendationsfromtheproduct.•Historylistsareautomaticallyrecorded,sowhenmorecurrentdataisavailable,theactionsdonotneedtoberepeated.
•SAPAgileDataPreparationsupportsautomaticprofilingofacquireddataandalsoidentifiesthecontenttypeofdatawithincolumns.Theidentifiedcontenttypedrivessubsequentpreparationincleansing,matchingduplicaterecords,andremovingduplicatedata.Itsupportsbusinessuserjoins,datamashup,datamodelling,anddataenrichment.•DataprepinLumiracomeswithcertainlimitations.Forexample,transformationssuchasconvertingdatetoday-of-theweekisamanualprocess.
EnterpriseReports
Optionstoviewlargevolumesofdatainaneasy-to-readgridformat,withtoolstoperformad-hocanalysisforimproveddecision-making.
•MicroStrategyprovidesaflexiblereportingenvironmentthatleveragesOLAPfunctionalitytogiveenduserstheabilitytoquicklysliceanddicedatafromacrossmultiplesources,usingavarietyofoptions:sorting,pivoting,page-by,drilldown,drillanywhere,totalsandsubtotals,one-clickmetrics,derivedelements,viewfilters,lockheaders,switchbetweengrid/graph,fittocontent/window,andmore.•Withtheabilitytopublishbandedreports,theplatformcanrollupandpresentdynamicaggregatesforlargevolumesacross100sofpagesofdata.•WithMicroStrategy,developerscanquicklydesignoperationalreportsandstatementsusingdrag-and-dropfunctionalityandflexibleformattinginordertostructurelargeamountsofdataintoanaturalhierarchyformaximumreadabilityandeaseofnavigation.•MicroStrategyenablesparameter-drivenreportsbysupportingmoretypesofuserpromptsthananyothervendor,allowinguserstoinputselectionsatruntimetoalterthecontentsofthereports.Optionsincludesimpledimensionprompts,hierarchyprompts,listprompts,objectprompts,valueprompts,levelprompts.
•BusinessObjectshastwotoolsforoperationalreporting–WebIntelligenceandCrystalReports.•CrystalReportshasanonlinecatalogofreporttemplatesthatcanbeusedasastartingpoint.CrystalReportsdoesnotofferwebusersawaytoeditandformatthereportwhileviewingit(withareal-timeviewoftheirchanges).Thedesignchangesaredoneonthedesktopversion,andWebisusedjustforconsumption.•WebIntelligencedoesnotprovideout-of-the-boxreporttemplates.•LumiracustomerscanshareaURLtoaweb-basedversionofaLumiravisualization,oralternativelycreateaPDFfromthevisualization.
Dashboardsanddocuments
Highlyformattedoptionstoauthor,visualize,andinteractwithdatatoidentifytrendsandoutliersandmakeefficientdecisions.
•MicroStrategydeliversgraphicalWYSIWYGdesignertoolstocreatepixel-perfectdocuments,invoices,statements,scorecards,andinteractivereal-timedashboards,allfromasingledesigneditor.•AllstylesofBIdescribedabovesupportresponsivedesignandcanbeconsumedonanybrowserormobiledevice.•Dashboardsarebuiltonthemetadatamodel,sotheyaresecureandpersonalizedforeachuser,andsupporttransactions,offlineconsumption,andcanbedeliveredinanydesiredformat.•Dashboardssupportad-hocdatadiscoveryacross100sofoptionsandletusersvisualizedatawithaccesstonativeandthird-partychartinglibraries.•Transactionalworkflowscanbeembeddedtoenablewrite-backcapabilitiesforbothwebandmobileapplications.
•SAPDesignStudiosupportsinteractivepixel-perfectdashboardswiththepossibilityofhavingmultipletablesorgraphsdisplayedindifferenttabsasneeded.•SAPCrystalReportssoftwareenablesreportauthorstotransformdatafromanysourceintopixel-perfect,data-richdocumentsanddeliverthemtoexternalandinternalconsumers.•SAPLumira2.0,currentlyinbeta,willeventuallymergewithDesignStudiotocombinefunctionality.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotSAPBODetailsbyCapability -vsSAPBO -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotSAPBO
SAPBO
ScoreMSTRScore
MobileAnalytics
Consumereportsanddashboardsonmobiledevices,withcompleteinteractivity,inordertoperformanalyticsandmakedecisionswhileonthego.
•MobileisfullyintegratedintotheMicroStrategyanalyticsplatform,soorganizationscanleverageexistingvisualizations,reports,anddashboardstoinstantlydeployBIonmobiledevices.•MicroStrategyMobileenhancesthemobileexperienceoniOSandAndroidbydeliveringnativeappsthatletuserstakefulladvantageoftheuniquecapabilitiesoftheirmobiledeviceswheninteractingwiththeirdata,whilealsobeingabletorelyontransactionandofflinecapabilities.•Withflexible,code-freetoolsandaclick-to-configuredevelopmentcanvas,organizationscanmobilizebusinessworkflowsanddeliverahighlyresponsive,nativeuserexperiencewithappsthatcanbebuiltinrecordtimeandatafractionofthecost.
•TherearesomerudimentarycachingcapabilitiesfortheSAPMobileApp.Theappwillcachereportsduringanactivesession,butthecachewillbeclearedoncethesessionisover.Userscanmanuallyaddreportstoa"myitems"page,whichwillpermanentlycachethereportonthedevice,makingthemaccessibleoffline.•Ifacachedreportissubsequentlymodifiedontheserver,itisnotautomaticallyupdatedonthemobileapp.Rather,theuserjustgetsanalertthatthereportneedstobeupdated.•SAPBOMobilesupportsgeoanalysis,althoughthemapinteractionsarerudimentary.•Itshowspointsofinterest(bubble/marker),whichletsusersclickonthemforadditionalinformation.•Itdoesnothavemoreadvancedinteractivitysuchasusingamap-as-filtertool,usinglassotoolstodrillintospecificareas,expanding/collapsingmarkersasuserszoominandout,etc.
RealTimeAnalytics
Theabilitytodeliverinstantanalyticsandinsightswheredataisavailableinreal-time.
MicroStrategydeliverstheabilitytovisualizedatafromexternalstreamingapplicationsandtriggeralertsfromthesesources.•Theplatformcaninstantlyingestreal-timefeedsfromStorm,Spark,andKafka.Forotherrelationalsystems,theplatformcanalsosupportdatarefreshesatthesmallestintervals,andcanperformatthespeedofincominginformation.•MicroStrategycanmanagereal-timeinformationandgiveaninstantviewofthedata.•Theapplicationcanalsosendthreshold-basedalertstoanydeviceallowingdecision-makerstotakeinstantandproactiveaction,allinrealtime.•MicroStrategycanalsointegratewithvisualizationsandwidgetsthatsupportreal-timemappingofinformationonbothWebandMobile.
•Real-timestreamingindashboardsissupportedwiththeSAPEventStreamProcessor,orSAPHANASmartDataStreaming,andSAPDesignStudio1.4.•SAPLumira(optimizedforHANA)alsosupportsreal-timestreaming.
PredictiveAnalyticsandMachineLearning
Advancedalgorithmsandworkflowsforuserstobeabletoperformsummarizations,optimizations,predictions,statisticalcalculations,orcreatecustomgroups,training,andscoringmetrics.
WithminimalhelpfromIT,MicroStrategyuserscancreateandvisualizeadvancedmetricsandperformthemostcomplexcalculations.•EnduserscanbuildsophisticatedstatisticalandmathematicalmodelswiththenativelibraryoffunctionsavailabledirectlywithMicroStrategy.Theycangeneratepredictive,scoring,ortrainingmetricsusingnativelyavailablealgorithms.•MicroStrategyoffersover350nativefunctions,outofthebox,sothatbusinessusersareabletoperformdataminingandcreatehighlyadvancedstatisticalalgorithmsontheirown,withminimalsupportfromIT.•UserscanintegrateMicroStrategywithdataminingmodelsfromotherapplicationsbyimportingPredictiveModelMarkupLanguage(PMML),SAS,andSPSSintothemetadatarepository.•Theplatformintegrateswiththird-partyoptionslikeRusinggraphicalinterfaces.
SAPoffersatool(SAPPredictiveAnalytics)whichisbasicallyauserinterfacethatleveragestheSAPHANAfunctionlibrarytotapintodataminingandstatisticalfunctions.Inaddition,HANAcanintegrateRfunctions.Withoutthisoption,SAPcanusebasicstatisticalfunctions,mainlyinweb.
•WithLumira,someembeddedadvancedanalyticsfeatures,suchasadvancedanalyticsvisualizationsoradvancedpredictiveanalysis,arenotyetavailable.•Thereisalimitednumberofbuilt-instatisticalfunctionsinLumira.•Forecastingissupported.•Clusteringisnotnativelysupported.•ThereisnonativeintegrationwithR.ThereisasignificantinvestmentinAI,machinelearning,andIoTunderwaybySAP.TheproductcodenameisLeonardo(IoT),whichheavilyleveragesHANA.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotSAPBODetailsbyCapability -vsSAPBO -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotSAPBO
SAPBO
ScoreMSTRScore
BigDataAnalytics
AccessdatafromHadoopandotherdistributedfilesystemswithoutlimitationsonsizeandwithoutexperiencingdropsinperformance.
MicroStrategyistheonlycomprehensiveplatformthatsupportsaccesstobigdatawithnativeconnectorstoHDFSwhilealsoprovidingbuilt-inworkflowsfordatapreparationontopofHadoopdata.•Whetherit’sapersonalspreadsheetoradispersedHadoopDistributedFileSystem(HDFS),userscaneasilyconnecttotheirdatawithoutrelyingonITandwithoutlimitsondatasize.It'seasytoaccessdatafromanyflavorofHadoop,includingCloudera,Hortonworks,andMapR,withcomprehensivesupportforSpark,Kerberos,andthetopfileformats.•WithMicroStrategy,userscanleverageinformationfromclickstreams,webactivity,callcenterlogs,andIDscans-andblenditwithdatafromothersourcesusinggraphicalworkflows.•MicroStrategyconnectstobigdatasourcesandNoSQLoptionssuchasMongoDBandCassandra,andalsoconnectstoHDFSvianativeconnectorstoClouderaHive,Impala,MapRDrill,Pigscripts,SparkSQL,andmore.•WithMicroStrategy,userscanalsolimitandmanagetheamountofdataimportedfromHDFS,orperformaggregationsontopofthedatapriortoimportingitintoMicroStrategyforanalysis.•Userscanalsoapplyadvancedfunctionsandfilterstocontrolandrestricttheamountofdata.
•In-memorycomputingisoptimizedforuseonSAPHANA.•SAPoffersagoodintegrationwithHadoopviaHANA--userscanrunbatchjobsinHadooptoloadinformationintoHANAandminerawdatathatiseitherschema-lessorwhereschemachangesovertime.•DatahastogothroughSAPHANA,socustomersneedlicensesandtheintegrationtoleveragetheHDFSconnector.
AutomatedDistributionandAlerting
Distributereports,dashboards,anddocumentstolargeaudiencesinapersonalizedandautomatedmanner.Thishelpstoensuretheon-timedeliveryofinformationtoend-userssotheycanmaketimely,informeddecisions.
MicroStrategyisdesignedforhigh-volume,automateddeliveryofreportsanddashboards.•Theplatformmakesitpossibletoscaledistributionofanalyticalcontentto100softhousandsofusers,withtheabilitytoautomateandschedulethedeliveryofreportsanddashboards,basedontime-,event-,andthreshold-basedalerts.•MicroStrategysupportsthewidestvarietyofdeliverymethods,withoptimalformattingforeachdeviceandapplication.•MicroStrategyprovidesburstingcapabilitiestodeliverslicingorpage-byexecutions,allowingasinglereporttobeextractedfromthedatawarehousethatcanbeparsedintosub-reportsforindividualsubscribers.Thisavoidshavingtorundifferentreportsfordifferentrecipientswhilestillbeingabletogeneratepersonalizedreports.•AlertingcapabilitiescanmonitorKPIvalueswhennewdataisavailableandsenddetailedreportsoralertmessageswhenthresholdsarereached.•SecurityfiltersandACLssetontheuserlevelguaranteespersonalizedandsecureinformationto1000sofuserswiththedeliveryofasingledashboard.•MicroStrategyleveragessegmentationcapabilitiestomanageresourceutilizationinlargescalereportdeliverydeploymentsbyanalyzingthelistofsubscriptionstodetermineifseveralsubscriptionssharethesamecombinationofsecurityandpersonalizationandgroupingthemintobucketssincetheyreceivethesamecontent.
FromburstingandsmartpaginationforPDFexportstothedeliveryofhighlypersonalizedcontent,MicroStrategydeliverssophisticateddistributioncapabilitiesthatmakeitpossibletopublishdataandinsightsacrosstheorganizationwithouttheneedtoinvestinothertechnologies.
•SAPBusinessObjectshaslimiteddynamicdistributioncapabilitiesacrosstheirproductset.Administratorsmustdefinefixeddistributionlistsandcannotuseconditionstodynamicallyalterarecipientlist.•Limitedsupportfortheschedulinganddistributionofdashboards.•CrystalReportssupportsexception-basedalerting.However,WebIntelligencedoesnot.•WebIntelligencereportuserscannotsetupproactivenotificationsbasedonthresholdconditions.•EventhoughapartoftheSAPAnalyticsportfolio,LumiradoesnotinheritalloftheSAPBusinessObjectsplatformcapabilities-itdoesnotsupportschedulingandalerting.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotSAPBODetailsbyCapability -vsSAPBO -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotSAPBO
SAPBO
ScoreMSTRScore
EnterpriseMobility
TransactionalWorkflows
Write-backcapabilitiesthatallowmobileuserstosubmittransactionstoERP,CRM,orotheroperationalsystems.
•MicroStrategyprovidesmobilewrite-backcapabilitiesthatletusersupdatesystemsofrecordfromthefield.Userscanchangedataonthefly,insertnewinformation,andviewupdatedreportsanddashboards.•Thesetransactionscanincludeone-tapapprovalsanddenials,inputsforcapturingnewinformation,andeditingexistinginformationinERPsystems,CRMsystems,andotheroperationaldatabases.•Appdeveloperscancreatesmartformsthatarecontextualandconditional,basedonauser’spermissionsorlocation.•MicroStrategyoffersabroadsetofinputcontrols,includingbarcodescanners,signaturecapture,starrating,textandnumberfields,calendar,camera,steppers,sliders,andmore.•TransactionServicescanalsoauto-captureadditionalinformationalongsidetheuserinputstofurtherstreamlinebusinessprocesses.Forexample,theuser’sprofileinformationaswellaslatitude,longitude,andatimestampcanbeincludedinatransactionalsubmissionwithoutrequiringadditionalworkbytheuser.•Userscanaccesstransactionalinputsandformsregardlessofinternetconnectivity.Whenoffline,transactionsarequeuedforsubmissionandexecutedwhentheusernextconnects.
•Write-backcapabilitiesareavailablewithlimitations.TheyareoptimizedforSAPBW,SAPERPsystems,andSAPHANA.TheSAPFIORIinterfaceallowsfortheblendingofBIdataandsomewrite-backcapabilities.
EmbeddedMultimedia
Abilitytodownloadandviewmultimediafilesonlineandoffline,suchaspresentations,videos,PDFs,andePUBbooksonmobiledevices.
•MicroStrategyprovidesin-appviewingofmultimediacontentincludingvideos,PDFs,images,presentations,spreadsheets,documents,email,andwebcontent—allseamlesslyembeddedinthemobileapp.•Asisthecaseforothercontentintheapp,multimediacanbepre-cachedorstoredforconvenient,offlineaccess.•Therearetwowaystoincludemultimediainapps:HTMLcontainersandtheMultimediaWidget.•HTMLcontainersenableaccesstoanywebcontentbyplacingitdirectlyintheapp'siFrame.URLsprovidelinkstopullupentiredocumentsorwebpages.•TheMultimediaWidgetprovidesaframeworkinwhichtodownload,consume,andstoremultimediafiles.WebDAVfolderintegrationenablesuserstodynamicallybrowseandviewexistingfilesandfoldersinaWebDAVfolder,forexampleinMicrosoftSharePoint.Thismakesiteasyfortraditionallynon-technicalpeople,forexampleinMarketingorHR,todistributeupdatedversionsofcollateralortrainingvideostoemployeesinthefield.•MicroStrategyalsoprovidesawidgetthatisespeciallydesignedforvideos.Theinteractive,elegantVideoPlayerWidget(thatleveragesthenativeOSvideoplayer)loadsandplaysavideofromaremotelocationorfromthelocalcache.Thewidgetcandisplay:videosfromastreamingservicesuchasYouTube,videosfromafileserverlocation,oracachedvideofromtheWebDAVcache.Ifthemobiledeviceisonline,theVideoPlayerWidgetloadsthevideofromtheremotelocationbutissmartenoughtocheckfirstifalocalcachealreadyexistsonthedevice’sWebDAVcachestore.
•SAPBOMobiledoesnotsupportembeddedmultimediacontent.•Duetothelackofanin-appviewerintheSAPBOMobileapp,usersarelimitedtolinkingtoanSAPMobileDocumentsAppthatisdesignedtostorethemultimediacontent.Thisapproachresultsinapooruserexperienceandperformanceissues.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotSAPBODetailsbyCapability -vsSAPBO -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotSAPBO
SAPBO
ScoreMSTRScore
GeospatialAnalysis
Abilitytodisplaygeospatialdataoverlaidonaninteractivemap(ESRI,GoogleMaps,andcustomimages).
•MicroStrategyabstractsallthegeospatialanalysiscapabilitiesfromthebasemaplayer,socustomerscanleveragewhicheverbasemaptheywant,dependingonexistingmapinvestmentsorpreferences.•MicroStrategyMobileprovidessupportforbuildingmapvisualizationsonESRIandGoogleMaps,aswellascustomimagesasmapswiththeImageLayoutWidget.Thesemapsrenderseamlesslyontheappropriatenativemobilemap(AppleMapsoniOSandGoogleMapsonAndroid).•BothESRIandGoogleMapsdisplaygeospatialdataoverlaidonaninteractivemap.Userscanswipe,scroll,andzoomindirectlyonthemap,orevenfilterthedatashownbyselectingelementswithintheirmobileapp.Datacanbedisplayedusingapinmarker,adensitymap,orabubbletoprovidemultipletypesofanalysiswithineachmap.Inaddition,ESRImapscandisplaydatafromacustomgeographicalregion,suchasthecountiesofastateordistrictswithinacity.Theimagelayoutwidgetallowsappdeveloperstoincludevisualizationsrepresentativeofdifferentgeographicregionssuchascountries,states,andregions,orvisualizationsthatrepresentcustomspatialanalyseslikeastorelayout.
•SAPBOMobilesupportsgeoanalysisthroughSAPLumira,althoughmapinteractionsarerudimentary.•Itshowspointsofinterest(POI)asbubblesormarkers;userscanclickonaPOIforadditionalinformation.•SAPMobiledoesnothavemoreadvancedinteractivitysuchasusingamapasafilter,usinglassotoolstodrillintospecificareas,expandingorcollapsingmarkersasyouzoomin/out,etc.•SAPMobiledoesnotsupportGoogleMapsandonlyoffersESRIsupportthroughLumirafor4outof9basemaps.•Geomapsarenotsupportedoffline.
OfflineAccess Abilitytosupport
applicationsinofflinemoderegardlessofconnectivity.Thisincludesinteractivitywithdata,multimediacontent,andtransactionalworkflows.
•MicroStrategyMobileappscanbeconfiguredtoworkentirelyoffline.Thisincludessupportforanalytics,visualizations,multimedia,andtransactions.•MicroStrategyprovidesadvancedofflinefunctionality,including:promptpanelsthatdisplayvalidcachesformultiplepromptscenarios;visualcuessuchasanofflinemodeindicatorandshadingtoindicateavailability;aviewoftransactionqueues;andtheabilitytodeleteoredittransactionsbeforeaconnectionisreestablished.Inasituationwhereauserwantstoavoidusingdata,theusercanmanuallyswitchtoofflinemodeusingtheappsettings.•Whileusersareinofflinemode,mobileusagestatsarestillcapturedandsubmittedtotheserveroncetheuserreconnects.Additionally,data-at-restishighlysecured.Thestoreddataisencrypted;theappcanstillrequirecredentials,andtheofflinecachecanbesettoexpireatadesiredtime.
SAPsupportsofflinemobileconsumptionwithlimitationsonhowusersdownloadandinteractwithLumirastorieswhileoffline.•Furthermore,portraitmodeanddifferentcolorpalletsarenotsupported.SAPonlysupportstheLumiracolorpallet.•SAPlimitsaccesstocertaindatabase/bigdatasourcessuchHANAOnlineandHadoopwhenoffline.•AccessingLumirathroughSDKisnotsupported.•UserscannotrenderESRImapsoruseanimationforbubblemarkers.Userscannottakeadvantageoftrellisforallchartsorreferencelineswhenoffline.
MobileClientCachingforHighPerformance
Abilitytocachedataonthedevicetooptimizeappperformance.Deliversub-secondresponsetimesevenwhendealingwithlargevolumesofdata,numerousconcurrentusers,orslow,unreliableconnectivity.
•MicroStrategyoffersthreemaincachingstrategiesthatcustomerscanleveragewhenconfiguringtheirapps:automaticcaching(devicescheckfornewandupdatedcontentandsynccontentinthebackground),pre-cachingfolders(asetofobjectsarepre-cachedwhentheappstarts),andadaptivemobilecaching(theappprioritizesbackgroundcacheloadingbasedonwheretheuserisanddownloadscontenttheuserwilllikelywanttoseebeforetheytaponit).•MicroStrategyhasasophisticatedanalyticalenginewithinthemobileclient,sothemobileclientitselfcanperformcomputationsonlocallycacheddatawithouthavingtogobacktotheserver.Becausethecomputationscanbedonelocallyonthedevice,thisalsohelpstospeedappperformance.•Asa100%nativeapp,MicroStrategyusesOpenGLframeworksavailableonthemobileOSwhichhelptoachievemaximumappperformance.Allofthedrawings(renderings)ofvisualizationsleveragenativedevicedrawingcapabilitieswhichareoptimizedforhighperformance.
•TherearesomerudimentarycachingcapabilitiesfortheSAPMobileApp.Theappwillcachereportsduringanactivesession,butthecachewillbeclearedoncethesessionisover.Usershavetomanuallyaddreportstoa"myitems"pagetopertaintocertaincachingcapabilitieswhichpermanentlycachereportsonthedevice.•Cachingislimitedtostaticcontentinhyperlinks,dashboards,LumiraCloud,andServer.•Thereisnoevidenceofany"adaptive"cachingbasedonuserlocation.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotSAPBODetailsbyCapability -vsSAPBO -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotSAPBO
SAPBO
ScoreMSTRScore
PersonalizedAlertsviaPushNotifications
Abilitytosendalertstomobileusersintheformofpushnotifications.Thesenotificationsshouldbetriggeredbypresetthresholds,orbeavailableondemand.
•MicroStrategy’sscalablealertingengineprovidespersonalizedalertstoeveryuser.•Thealertingengineisbasedonarobustdistributionserverthatsupportsmonitoringmultipledatasources100sof1000softimeseveryminuteandcreatingpersonalizedalertsformobileuserswhenasetconditionhasbeenmet.•Thresholdscanbesetonanymetriconanyreport.•Alertsarehandledthroughthedevice’snativepushnotificationsysteminoneofthreeforms:abadge(agraphicassociatedwiththeapplication),ahomescreennotification(amessagewhichtheusercanviewandinteractwith),and/orasound.•Smartbadgescanshowmetricvaluesorthenumberofalerts.
•SAPlimitsitsabilitytosendpushnotificationstousersbyallowingthemtobeconfiguredonlyfordocumentupdates,inboxdocuments,andbroadcastmessages.•Furthermore,thresholdscannotbesetforanymetriconanyreport,prohibitingalertsonmetricsbasedonconditions.
InstantUpdatestoCustomAppswithNoRecompilation
Updateandpublishchangestocustomappswithouthavingtorecompileandredistribute.Changesaredistributedandavailabletouserswithoutrequiringanappupdate.
•MicroStrategyletsappdevelopersmakeupdatesandpublishchangestotheirmobileappswithouttheneedtorecompile(inXcodeforiOSandinAndroidDevelopmentStudioforAndroid)andredistributeapps.Anychangeinfunctionalityorconfigurationisinstantlyreflectedinthemobileappwithoutrequiringtheusertoupgradetheapponthemobiledevice.Thisflexibilityisverypowerfulwhenusersaretryingtooperateonanagiledevelopmentcycle,whereusersneedtoaccessthechangesinstantlywithouthavingtoconstantlyupgradetheirapp.•MicroStrategyalsoprovidesadrag-and-dropinterfacetomigrateappsfromdevelopment,totest,toproductionbyusingMicroStrategyObjectManager.
•SAPMobiledoesnotsupportinstantupdatestomobileapps.•Furthermore,usersneedtoconstantlyupgradetheirappstoviewrecentchangestotheirdata.
Customize/WhiteLabel
Abilitytorebrandthemobileappbyincludingcustomizedicons,aswellassplash,launch,andloginscreens.
•TheMobileSDKprovidesappdeveloperswithamultitudeofcustomizationoptions.Thisincludesacode-freeapproachtowhite-labelingandrebrandinganyMicroStrategyMobileapp.•Customizationincludeschangingicons,aswellassplash,launch,andloginscreens.Itenablesdeveloperstomatchcorporatebrandingandlook-and-feelstandards.
•AnSDKisavailableforbasicapprebrandingsuchaschangingthedefaulticonandappname,aswellascustomizingthelaunchscreen,homescreen,andgettingstartedguide.•ThereisnoSDKavailableforAndroidmobiledevelopment,limitingtheabilitytocustomize/reskinmobileapps.
NativeIntegrationwithEMMVendors
NativeSDKintegrationwithleadingEMMvendorsAirWatch,MobileIron,andBlackberryDynamics,andAppConfigcommunityguidelines.
•MicroStrategy'snativemobilesecurityfeaturesprovideextensivecapabilitiestoprotectsensitivecompanydata,butMicroStrategyprovidestheflexibilitytoleverageadditionalthird-partycapabilities,includingthoseprovidedbyEMMvendors.•MicroStrategyoffersnativeSDKintegrationoniOSwiththreeEMMproviders:MobileIron,BlackberryDynamics,andAirWatch.MicroStrategyoffersnativeSDKintegrationonAndroidwithAirWatch.•MicroStrategyMobilealsosupportsEMMcapabilitiesviaimplementationoftheAppConfigguidelines,nativelyonbothiOSandAndroid.
•SAPprovidesalimitedlevelofintegrationwithAirWatch.
•Mocanacanbeusedasanappwrappingtool,butSAPdoesnotprovidenativeintegration.
MobileAppUsageMonitoring
Abilitytocollectmobileusagestatisticsandpopulateadatabaseforanalysis.
•Mobileappclient-sidemonitoringcapturespersonalizedanalysiseverytimeausertapsonanappscreen.Statisticsaregatheredontimespentoneachappscreen,explorationpaths,GPSlocation,appusage,devicetype,operatingsystemversion,andcacheusage.•Withthisinformation,appdeveloperscantrackoverallappadoptionandgeo-locationofusage,performcohortanalysis,supportcontinuousdevelopmentcycles,analyzeappperformance,spotnetworkissues,andtrackadoptionratesofnewdevices,operatingsystems,andclients.Thesestatisticsarecriticaltodrivingappenhancementsandtohoningtheappexperience.•Mobileusagestatsarecapturedevenwhileauserisoffline.Oncetheuserreconnects,thestatsaresubmittedtotheserver.
•SAPBOMobiledoesnotprovideanextensivelevelofmobilestatisticscapturesuchasgeographic,userbehavior,operational.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotSAPBODetailsbyCapability -vsSAPBO -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotSAPBO
SAPBO
ScoreMSTRScore
EmbeddedAnalytics
CreateCustomWebApplications
Theabilitytomodifyandextendexistingfunctionality,createacustomwebapplication,embedcontentinportals,orsimplychangethelookandfeelwithpersonalizedbrandingandlogosthroughapplicationprogramminginterfaces(APIs).
•Akeycomponentofanenterprise-classplatformistheabilitytomodifyandextendexistingfunctionalitytomeettheuniqueneedsofanorganization.Forbuildingcustomizedapplications,arobustBIplatformmustprovideaccesstoallofitsfunctionalitythroughAPIs.TheMicroStrategyBIplatformisamodern,sophisticatedservice-orientedarchitecturethatisdesignedforflexibilityandextensibilitysothatitcangrowwiththedemandsofenterpriseapplications.
•TheMicroStrategyWebSDKenablesdeveloperstobuildafull-fledgedwebapplicationorchangethelookandfeelofanexistingwebapplicationwithanintuitivecustomizationtool.TheWebCustomizationEditorisintegratedwiththemostwidelyusedJavaIDE,Eclipse.Withover5000classesexposedintheWebAPI,thisintegrationnotonlysimplifiesdevelopment,butalsoallowsdeveloperstowritetheircodewithoutmodifyinganysourcecodeorout-of-the-boxconfigurationfiles.Thisapproachishelpfulinmaintainingandupgradingcustomizations.
•TheWebSDKalsoallowsdeveloperstowritetheirownWebServicesthatencapsulateMicroStrategyfunctionalityandexposethisfunctionalitytothird-partyapplications.SincetheservicesusestandardprotocolssuchasHTTPorHTTPSandgeneratearesponseinstandardW3C-compliantformatssuchasXMLorJSON,anythird-partyapplication(webormobile)canconsumetheseservicesandembedMicroStrategyfunctionalityintotheirproduct.MicroStrategy'sservice-orientedarchitectureguaranteesefficiencyforeachserviceorcomponentwithnocoderedundancy.Thisarchitectureisinstarkcontrasttotheservice-orientedarchitecturesofotherBIvendors,whichareaproductofdisparate,separatelydevelopedarchitectures,inheritedfrommergers,andmashedtogether.
•Inaddition,MicroStrategyprovidesaplug-inarchitecturethatenablesdeveloperstoextendout-of-the-boxMicroStrategyWebcodewithstand-alonecustomizationswithouttheneedtochangethesourcecode,thus,makingupgradeswithoutrecodingpossible.MicroStrategysupportsthefollowinglanguagesforWebSDK:Java,XML/JSON,JavaScript,and.NET.
•SAPBusinessObjectsisacombinationofmultipletoolssuchasDashboardDesign,Lumira,CrystalReports,WebIntelligence,andmore.ThereareSDKsforeachofthetools,however,itisveryconfusingforcustomerstochoosewhichSDKtouseforwebcustomization.Also,theAPIsavailablearenotrobustenoughtocreateanenterprise-widewebapplicationorextend/modifyexistingfunctionalitytoanylevel.
CreateCustomMobileApplicationsiniOSandAndroid
Theabilitytocreatecustomizedmobileapplications,embedBIinthird-partyapps,orrebrandthemobileappbyincludingcustomizedicons,aswellassplash,launch,andloginscreens.
•TheMicroStrategyMobileAPIenablesmobileappdeveloperstocustomizeMicroStrategyMobileappsonAndroidandiOSmobiledevicesbychangingthelookandfeeloftheapp,ordevelopingnewMobileappsthatuseMicroStrategyBIcontent.MicroStrategyprovidesdifferentAPIsforAndroidandiOSdevices.TheflexibilityoftheMobileAPIsenabledeveloperstobuildcustommobileapplicationstoaccommodategrowingneedsoftheorganization.
•TheMobileSDKforiOSconsistsofXcodeprojectsthatallowdeveloperstocompileanddistributecustomMicroStrategyMobileapps.WithoneoftheXcodeprojects,userscanrebrandtheappbyaddingicons,splashscreens,andanappnamethroughsimpleconfigurationchanges.Inaddition,theMobileSDKforiOSenablesuserstoembedMicroStrategyinanexistingapplicationorbuildcustomwidgetsthatcanconsumeMicroStrategydata.
•TheMobileSDKforAndroidletsuserscustomizetheMicroStrategyMobileapplicationtomatchcorporatebrandingrequirements.Italsoallowsuserstopreconfiguretheapplicationtoallowmultipleinstancesoftheapplicationtoexistonasingledevice.
•MicroStrategysupportsthefollowingprogramminglanguagesforMobileSDK:iOS-ObjectiveC,Swift;Android–Java.
•AnSDKisonlyavailableforiOSdevicesforbasicappreskinningsuchaschangingthedefaulticonandappname,aswellascustomizingthelaunchscreen,homescreen,andgettingstartedguide.However,embeddingBusinessObjectscontentintoanexistingapporbuildingcustomwidgetstoconsumeBusinessObjectsdataisnotsupported.Inaddition,thereisnoSDKavailableforAndroid,soAndroidusersdonothavetheflexibilitytocustomizeorrebrand/reskintheirapps.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotSAPBODetailsbyCapability -vsSAPBO -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotSAPBO
SAPBO
ScoreMSTRScore
EmbedThird-PartyDataasDatasets
Theabilityforthird-partyapplicationstopushdatadirectlyintoaBIapplicationforuseindashboardsorreports.
•Organizationsarealwayslookingtoconnecttoavarietyofsourcesthatmaynotbenativelysupportedwiththeplatform.UsingthePushAPI,organizationscanpushexternaldatainJSONformatusingRESTAPIsintoin-memorycubesontheMicroStrategyIntelligenceServer,souserscanreadilyconsume,process,andanalyzethecorrespondingdata.•MicroStrategymakesitpossiblefororganizationstoleveragenewdataassetsbyenablingapplicationssuchasETLtoolsthatconnecttothesedatasourcesandmovedataintoMicroStrategy.•ThePushAPIenablesthird-partyvendorstogenerateMicroStrategydatasets,thus,unlockingnewend-userworkflowsandopportunitiesforpartnerintegrations.
•BusinessObjectsdoesnothaveamechanismforthird-partyapplicationstopushdataascubes.Thus,customerscanonlyusethelimiteddatasourcesthatarecertifiedbyBusinessObjects.Inordertouseanyotherdatasource,customerswouldhavetowaituntilit'sincludedasapartoftheplatform.
CreateCustomHTML5Visualizations
TheabilitytoembedorcreatecustomHTML5visualizationswithopensourcelibrariessuchasD3,thatcanbedeployedontopofdatasources.
•MicroStrategyintegrateswiththird-partyandopensourceJavaScriptvisualizations,souserscantellevenmorecompellingstorieswiththeirdata.•MicroStrategyprovidesAPIs,tools,samples,anddocumentationtohelpusersbuildcustomHTML5visualizationsusingopensourceandcommerciallibrarieslikeD3andGoogleCharts.•Userscanbuildoutsupportforfunctionalityincludingselectors,dropzones,colorpalettes,andthresholds.Itisalsopossibletotransformvisualizationsintotext-basednarrativesbyintegratingwithnativelanguagegeneration(NLG)platforms,suchasthoseofferedbyAutomatedInsightsandNarrativeScience.
•SAPLumiraoffersVisualizationExtensionsthatallowD3visualizationstobeembeddedindashboards.However,thisprocessinvolvessignificantcodinganddeveloperexperience.ItisnotassimpleasdownloadingaD3visualizationandimportingitintoadashboard.TherearealsonoAPIsforuserstocreatetheirowncustomvisualizationleveragingD3.Inaddition,supportforembeddingHTML5visualizationsisonlysupportedinSAPLumira,andnotintheotherdashboardtoolslikeDashboardDesign.
ExtractSubsetsofDataUsingRESTfulAPIs
Theabilityforcustomthird-partywebapplicationstousetheBIplatformasadatasourcetoextractsubsetsofdatafromareportorexistingcube.
•WithRESTfulAPIs,organizationscanuseMicroStrategyasadatasourcetoquicklyextractsubsetsofpre-processeddatainJSONformat.ThisaddressestheneedsoflargeenterprisesandOEMpartnersthatconsumedatathroughMicroStrategy'sgovernedandsecuredarchitectureviacustomizedbusinessapplications.
•Onlyreportspublishedasawebservicecanbeconsumedbyotherapplications.However,thereisnosupportforextractingasubsetofdatafromacubeorreporttobeusedasadatasetinacustomapplication.
CreateCustomDataConnectors
Theabilitytocreateacustomdatasourcethatuserscanconnecttoandleverageintheirreportsanddashboards.
•Withnewandupdateddatasourcesbeingpublishedbydatabasevendorsalmostweekly,organizationsneedfastaccesstoconnecttoandusethedatastoredinthesevariousdatalocations.•MicroStrategynativelysupports100softhemostpopulardatasourcesandcontinuestoenhanceconnectivitywitheachdatabaseupgrade.•MicroStrategyalsoallowsorganizationstobuildtheirownconnectorstocustomdataassetswiththeDataConnectorSDK.OrganizationscanleverageHTMLandJavaScripttobuildcustomconnectorsfortheMicroStrategyDataImportinterfaceandbuildtheirowncustomizedintegrationsforthesedatasourceswithinMicroStrategy,thus,providingusersaccesstoanydatasourcewithoutwaitingforthemtobecertifiedbytheplatform.
•ThiscapabilityisonlyavailableinSAPDesignStudio(dashboardinterface)throughtheirDataSourceSDK.However,thedatacannotbeconsumedbyfiltersorcrosstabcomponents,thus,limitingtheworkflowswherethedatacanbeleveraged.
MultitenancySupport
Theabilitytodeployasingleinstanceofasoftwareapplicationtoservemultiplecustomers,whereeachcustomeriscalledatenant.
•MultitenancyenablesanOEM’svariouscustomerstoexperiencecustomapplications,allbuiltonasinglearchitecture.Sharingresourcesresultsinlessadministrativeoverhead,reducedresourceconsumption,andlowoverallTCO.•MicroStrategysupportsaspectrumofmultitenantarchitecturesfromhighisolationtohighsharing.Inaddition,MicroStrategyallowsforpersonalizationinasharedprojectsuchascustombrandingandlogosforeachtenant,personalizedobjectnames,andinternationalizationcapabilities.
•SAPBOsupportsmultitenantdeploymentswhereatenanttemplatecanbedefinedtomanagetenantsinarepeatablemanner.Eachtenanttemplateconsistsofusergroups,folders,BIdocuments,universes,connections,andsecuritysettings.However,thereisnowaytocustomizeeachenvironmentwiththetenant'sbranding,logo,orpersonalizedschema.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotSAPBODetailsbyCapability -vsSAPBO -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotSAPBO
SAPBO
ScoreMSTRScore
EnterpriseCloud
SimplifiedEnterpriseDeployment
TheabilitytoeasilydeployanenterprisecloudenvironmentwithoutITsupport.
•MicroStrategyonAWSwillenablecustomerstodeployenterprisenetworksthatarefullyconfiguredandreadytouseinlessthan30minutes.Thissavesuserstimeandmoneybyeliminatingtheneedtodownload,install,andconfiguretheenvironmentsthemselves.Userscanchoosefromdifferentinstancetypesandsizesbasedoncostorusagerequirements.•Cloudenvironmentscanalsobedeployeddirectlyintoacustomer'sAWSaccountformaximumcontrol.•Userscanlaunch3differentenvironmenttypes,rangingfromanall-in-onesystemtoanenterprise-gradedistributedandredundantsystem.
•SAPBusinessObjectscannoteasilydeploytheirownenvironmentinthecloud.SAPwantstoomuchcontrolandrequiresTechnicalSupporttochangeanyconfigurationsorsettings.SAPBusinessObjectscloudversiondoesnotsupportthefullscopeoftheon-premisesfeaturesandcapabilitieslist.•SAPBusinessObjectsCloudisaseparateproductdespitethecommonname.OperationsbetweenSAPBusinessObjectsEnterpriseandSAPBusinessObjectsCloudislimited.•Whilethereissomeinteroperabilityondatasourceanddataaccesslevel,contentcreatedbyoneplatformcannotbepromotedtoorreusedbytheother.
GlobalAvailability
Theabilitytodeployenvironmentsglobally.Globaloptionsmakeiteasyforcustomerstodeploytheirenvironmentsclosertohomesotheycanmeetperformance,compliance,anddatarequirements.
•MicroStrategyCloudcandeploydistributedandredundantsystemsinover42AWSAvailabilityZonesin16geographicregionsaroundtheworld.ThisincludescountriesacrossNorthAmerica,SouthAmerica,Asia,Europe,andAustralia.ThisenablesorganizationstodeployMicroStrategyclosertoitsusers.Thisdecreaseslatencyandenablesfasterresponsetimes.Byhavingdatacentersclosertohome,italsoallowsthedataenterstocomplywithlocallawsandregulations.
RegionandNumberofAvailabilityZones
•AWSGovCloud(2)
•USWestOregon(3),NorthernCalifornia(3)
•USEastNorthernVirginia(5),Ohio(3)
•CanadaCentral(2)
•SouthAmericaSãoPaulo(3)
•EuropeIreland(3),Frankfurt(2),London(2)
•AsiaPacificSingapore(2),Sydney(3),Tokyo(3),Seoul(2),Mumbai(2)
•ChinaBeijing(2)
•NewRegions(comingsoon)ParisNingxia
•SAPBOClouddatacentersarelimitedtoSterling,VA,SydneyAustraliaandSt.LeonRot/Walldorf,Germany.Thiscausesadditionalworkandpainforcustomersoutsidetheseregionsbecauseitincreaseslatency.Securityandcompliancelawswillalsobedifferent.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotSAPBODetailsbyCapability -vsSAPBO -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotSAPBO
SAPBO
ScoreMSTRScore
APIEnabledOperations
JavaScriptframeworksthatprovideanumberofAPIstohelpcustomersbuildapplications.
•TheMicroStrategyCloudAPIgivescustomersunlimitedflexibilitytocreatetheirowncustomworkflows.Customershavetheabilitytobuildpersonalizeduserinterfacesfordeployingandmanagingtheircloudenvironments.ThisempowersdeveloperstoautomatetheirMicroStrategyCloudcapabilities.•ThroughAPIs,itispossibletolaunch1000MicroStrategyinstanceswithasinglelineofcode,resizethemtoanysize,andthenterminatethemoncedone.WithoutAPIs,thiswouldbeamanualprocess.It’seasytointegratewithotherautomationtoolsandtheAPIworkswithanyprogramminglanguage.
CloudSpecificAPIswesupport:•Retrieveorsearchforenvironments•Createnewenvironments•GetEnvironmentContactDetailsList•ResendEmailtotheownersoftheenvironments•Restartenvironment/s•Startenvironment/s•GetEnvironmentStates•Stopenvironment/s•Terminateenvironments•FindenvironmentdetailsbyenvironmentID•UpdateEnvironmentContactDetails•Updateexpirationdateforenvironment•FindalltheinstancesinanenvironmentbyenvironmentID•FindalltheinstancesstateinanenvironmentbyenvironmentID•RestartInstance•StartInstance•StopInstance•Findschedulesbyenvironmentid•Createscheduleforenvironment•Inactivatetheselectedschedulebyscheduleidandenvironmentid•Findschedulebyscheduleidandenvironmentid•Updatescheduleforenvironment•Resizeallserverinstanceorselectedserverinstanceofanenvironment•Createnewenvironments
SAPBusinessObjectsusersareonlyabletoconsumeAPIsthroughtheSAPAPImanagementwithaminimum12-monthsubscription.TheSAPAPIManagementsolutionrunsthroughSAPdatacentersinGermany.Thismaynotsuitableforcustomerswhodonotwanttheirdatatransmittingthroughothercountries.
DisasterRecoveryandFailover
Clusteredserversthatrestorebackupsafterfailuresonoworkortimeislost.
•MicroStrategyCloudclustersenterprisedeploymentswithmultiplenodes,andgivesorganizationstheflexibilitytoaddadditionalnodes.•Clusterednodesprovideloadbalancing,highavailability,failover,andredundancy.Eachnodesynchronizesmetadatainformation,historylists,andreportcaches.Incaseofdisasterorfailure,MicroStrategybackupsarestoredredundantlyacrossmultipleavailabilityzonesandcanbeaccessedandrestoredinanalternateavailabilityzone.ThisaffordszerodowntimeanduserscanalwaysaccesstheirMicroStrategyenvironment.
•DisasterrecoveryisamanualprocessanditmustbeconfiguredbySAPadministratorsorpartners.ThismaycausedelaysduetoadditionalbackandforthwithSAPadministratorsoradditionalcostswithpartners.
CentralizedAdministration
Asingleinterfacethatprovidesalltheadministrationtoolstomanageandmonitoranenterprisecloudenvironment.
•MicroStrategyallowsthecustomertostart,stop,andrestartanAWSenvironmentwhileretainingitscontents.Customerscantakeadvantageofstoppingtheirenvironmentstosaveoncosts,especiallyduringnon-peakhours.•ThenewEnvironmentManagertoolallowsuserstoscheduletheseroutinetaskstooccuratspecificdatesandtimes.•ForPOCordevelopmentpurposes,anadministratorcanstopthesemachinesduringnon-peakhourstoreducecosts.•Customersonlypayforwhattheyuse.
•SAPismanagedeitherbythecustomerorthroughprofessionalservices.Theschedulingofroutineadministrativetasksisnotsupportedandcloudenvironmentsmustbestartedandstoppedmanually.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotSAPBODetailsbyCapability -vsSAPBO -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotSAPBO
SAPBO
ScoreMSTRScore
AutoScaling Theabilitytoresizecloudenvironmentsbasedontheconditionsthecustomerdefines.
•MicroStrategyCloudcustomershavetheabilitytoscaletheirenvironmentupordownwithover6differentinstancesizeoptionsfromAWSrangingfrom4vCPUand15.25GiBto64vCPUand488GiBofmemory.•Environmentscanscaleon-demandorschedulebasedonusagepatterns,applicationusagepatterns,anddatasize.Customerscanaddnewusersatanytimeanddeploymultipleenvironmentsandprojectsastheyseefit.•Customerspayforwhattheyuseaccordingtolengthoftime.
•SAPimplementationscannotbeautomaticallyscaledupordown.Thisisamanualprocesswhichrequiresanengineer'stime.ITwillneedtobeinvolvedifascriptisnecessarytoautomatetheprocess.Customersmaychoosetogothroughpartnerstoresizetheirenvironmentsaswellbutitwillbecostly.
•SAPisunabletocluster8nodes.Largeenterpriseorganizationsmayneedtoclusterupto8nodestosupporthundredsofusersandpetabytesofdata.
SeamlessUpgrades
Upgradetheplatformandcorrespondingserverswithoutanydowntimeoradditionalwork.
BymovingtotheMicroStrategyCloud,customerscanensurethattheyhavethelatestplatformandversionrelease,allowingthemtotakeadvantageofthelatestplatformsecurityandfeatureenhancements.WiththenewCloudEnvironmentManager,customerscanscheduleupgradesduringnon-peakhourstoguaranteeseamlessupgradeswithzerodowntime.Testingandhealthchecksareautomaticallyperformedtohelpensureasuccessfulupgrade.
SAPdoesnotsupportautomatedupgradesatthistime.Usersmustmanuallyinstallandconfigurethenewversionoftheplatform.ThisispronetocausingerrorsandwillrequireexpertisefromITforupgrades.
HighPerformanceandReliability
Maintainhighperformanceandreliabilitywithoutsacrificinguserexperienceorsecurity.
•EachMicroStrategydeploymentisinasingle-tenant,privatecloud.Thisallowsorganizationstocustomizethesoftwaretomeettheirneeds.Queriesrunbycustomerswillnotaffectothers.Eachinstanceisisolatedfromothersformaximumprivacy.
•TheMicroStrategyCloudoperationsteamhasthecloudexpertsandsupporttohelpensurehighperformanceandreliability.WearebackednotonlybyAWS’sworld-classinfrastructure,butalsoAWSexpertswhohelpeddesignandautomateourclouddeployment.OurCloudenvironmentwasbuiltwiththelatestAWStechnologyandaccordingtoAWS’sbestpractices.Ourteamproactivelypatchesinfrastructure,operatingsystems,andapplicationstooptimizeperformancewhiledeterringsecuritythreats.Wehaveprocessesinplacesothatsystemsaremonitored,includingtheanalyticsandmobilityservers.
•MicroStrategyallowsorganizationstoclusterupto8servernodes.Beyondbeingabletofurtherscaleinvolumeofanalyticscontent,thiswillimproveoverallSLAsbyreorganizinglargeclustersforhigheravailabilityandfasterservicerecovery,reduceTCObyconsolidationofmultipleenvironments,andremovefrictiontodeploynewapplicationsandincreaseusercapacity.
•SAPBusinessObjectsdoesnotsupporthighperformanceandreliabilityformultitenantenvironments.Asaresult,customerqueriesmayimpactperformanceforothercustomers.Customerscanoptforsingletenant,butitmustberequestedsinceitisnotanautomaticconfiguration.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotSAPBODetailsbyCapability -vsSAPBO -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotSAPBO
SAPBO
ScoreMSTRScore
DataConnectivityandMigration
Servicesforcustomerslookingtomovetheirdataintothecloudorconnecttheiron-premdatatotheircloudenvironment.
•MicroStrategyprovidesdataconnectivityanddatawarehousesolutionstomeetcustomerneeds.Customersmaychoosetomigratetheirdataintothecloud.WeofferoptionstomigrateintoAmazonRedshift,SQLServerEnterprise,SQLServerStandard,MySQL,orAuroraDWHplatforms.Whencustomerschoosethisoption,MicroStrategybuildsthechosenDWHwithinthesameVPCastherestoftheBIcloudenvironment.MicroStrategyworkswithcustomerstoselectthecorrectsize(CPU/RAM)DWHmachinethatmeetstheirneeds.ETLoptionsarealsoavailable.
•Ifacustomerchoosestomaintaintheirdatabaseon-premorinanotherclouddatasource,atypicalimplementationinvolvesestablishingaVPNconnectionbetweentheMicroStrategyCloudanditsdatabaseordata.Theperformanceofthisarchitecturecanvarybasedonavarietyoffactors,includingthephysicaldistancebetweentheMicroStrategyClouddatacenterandthecustomerdatasource,thelatencyofthedataconnection,thebandwidthoftheconnection,theamountofusage,itsqueryintensiveness,thequery-responselatencyofthecustomerdatasource,andothervariables.
•SAPBusinessObjects'clouddoesnotconnecttomostdatasources.Theyareonlyabletoconnecttoahandfulofclouddatasources,andtheyarelimitedtojustSAPon-premisesdatasources.Eventhen,usersmustpurchaseSAPHANAtogeteverythingconnected.MostcustomersutilizeotherdatasourcesoutsideofSAP,soifacustomerisnotalreadyusingSAPproducts,thenthisproductwillcostmorebecauseitwillbenecessarytopurchaseadditionalSAPproducts.
DataSecurity Securitytoprotectcustomerdata24/7/365.
•MicroStrategyCloudsecuritymeetsorexceedsindustrystandardsandbestpractices.MicroStrategyimplementsstrongcontrolpracticestoeffectivelymaintainthesecurityandavailabilityoftheMicroStrategyCloudandassociateddata.Wehelpensurethatyourdataissecureatnetworkandapplicationlevelsfromanyattacks.WefollowthelatestindustrystandardsonmanycompliancesandcertificationssuchasSOCI&II,HIPAA,PCI,andPrivacyShield.
•SAPBOCloudprovidesseveraluserrolesecurityoptionsthatcanbeappliedtomodelsanddimensions.•FormodelsbasedonHANAviews,theanalyticprivilegesimportedfromHANAcanbegrantedorrevokedforeachuserrole.•Inaddition,versionsecuritycanbeappliedtoamodelthusrestrictingreadandwriteaccesstopublicversions.•Adminscancreateandmanageusersorteams,i.e.groupsofusers,orimportthemfromanactivedirectoryorfile.
EnterpriseIoT
DigitalBadge Useasingledigitalidentifiertotrack,report,andmanagealluserinteractionswithenterpriseassets.Thebadgeverifiesidentitiespriortograntingaccesstoenterpriseassets.
•MicroStrategy,viaUsher,deliverssmartphone-baseddigitalbadgesthatprovideseamlessaccesstophysicalandlogicalassetsacrosstheenterprise.•Digitalbadgesreplacephysicalbadges,keyfobs,passwords,andotheridentifierswithdigitalcredentialsdeliveredviaamobileapp.Badgesarebrandedbytheissuingorganizationandaredynamicallyandsecurelylinkedtoanindividuals'privilegesandaccessrights.•Badgescanberemotelyissuedandrevokednearlyinstantaneously.Theyareprovisionedviasecure,out-of-bandmeans,andtheirusecanbegatedbybiometric,geographical,ortemporalconstraints.•Thedigitalbadgeprovidesauniqueidentifierthatcanbeusedbyanysinglebadgetovalidatetheidentityofanyotherbadge.Italsoprovidesone-timepasscodesforasecondfactorofauthentication.
•DigitalbadgesarenotprovidedinBusinessObjects.MicroStrategyistheonlyBIplatformthatofferspassword-freeloginviaamobileapp.
PhysicalAccess
Controlandmanageaccesstoanyentrywayacrossanenterpriseusingadigitalbadgetoenhanceorreplaceexistingaccesscardsforemployees,contractors,andvisitors.
•MicroStrategyprovidessmartphone-basedphysicalaccessfunctionalitypre-integratedwithleadingPACSvendors.Usherworkstoconsolidatemultiplephysicalaccesscontrolsystemsthroughoutanenterprise.•WithanOpenAPImodel,MicroStrategycanintegratewithpartnerphysicalaccesscontrolsystems,buildingautomationsystems,manufacturingsystems,InternetofThings(IoT)grids,andnetworksandmanagementsystemstodelivermoreadvancedfunctionalityandimplementationoptionstocustomers.
•Physicalaccessisnotsupported.SAPBOdoesnotsupportOTBintegrationwithleadingPACSvendorsonmobiledevices.SAP'sIoTproductsalsodonotprovidethisfunctionality.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotSAPBODetailsbyCapability -vsSAPBO -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotSAPBO
SAPBO
ScoreMSTRScore
LogicalAccess
AccessalltypesofdigitalassetsinanorganizationincludingBIapplications,webapplications,VPNs,andworkstationsfromasinglepoint.
•MicroStrategyprovidessecuredigitalidentitythatallowsuserstoaccessnearlyanysysteminanenterprise(devices,applications,andVPNs)fromasinglepoint.InordertobothprotectthecurrentITinvestmentsofcorporationsaswellasenablefutureinvestments,logicalaccesswithMicroStrategyiscompatiblewithbothindustry-standardprotocolslikeSAMLandRADIUSaswellasemergingstandardssuchasOpenIDConnect.
•SAPBOdoesnotofferlogicalaccesstodigitalsystemsotherthanitsownBIsuite.BusinessObjectscanbeconfiguredtouseSAML(securityassertionmarkuplanguage)orKerberosforpassword-freelogins/singlesign-on,butthisrequiresathird-partyauthenticationsolution.
BluetoothSensing
Enablecontextualinteractions,security,andseamlessuserexperiencesviaBluetoothdeliveringreal-timelocationalawarenessofenterpriseassets.
•IntheMicroStrategyplatform,Usher’sBluetooth(BLE4.0)integrationenablesreal-timemicro-locationalawarenessofenterpriseassetsaswellastouch-freephysicalandlogicalaccess.•Thisallowsthousandsofuserstoprojecttheiridentityandmoveaboutacorporateenvironmentaccessingdoorwaysandsystemssecurelywithdrasticallydecreasedamountsoffriction.TheBluetoothsensingcapabilitycanalsobeconfiguredtologproximityataparticularplaceandtime.
•BusinessObjectsdoesnotintegratenativelywithBluetooth.IntheEIoTcontext,acustomerwouldneedtomakeaninvestmentinSAP'sLeonardoIoTplatformtoacquireBluetoothcapabilities.
BarcodeScanner
TrackenterpriseassetsbyscanningbarcodesorQRcodeswheneverauserinteractswiththem.Thisabilitysetsthefoundationforseamlessrepair,maintenance,andinventorymanagementofenterpriseassets.
•TheintegratedbarcodescannerinMicroStrategybadgescanscanvirtuallyanykindofQRorbarcodetag,securelyloggingalinkagebetweenanemployeeandaproduct,machine,oranyvaluableenterpriseasset.•ThiscapabilityallowsthetrackingofofflineassetsusinglabelsandtagswithbarorQRcodesandcanimproveprocessauditingandenforcementforcustomerservice,maintenance,andmore.Scanningbarcodeshelpstakedatafrommultiplecomponentsandsystemsandcombinethemtoimprovethepredictabilityofperformanceissuesthatariseinday-to-daybusinessoperations.
•TrackingassetswithbarcodescannersisnotsupportedinBO.ThisisinpartduetoBusinessObjectsnotprovidingadigitalbadgeforuseininteractingwiththeEnterpriseInternetofThings.
Communication&Collaboration
Empowermanagementanddecision-makingtobemoretimely,informed,andcollaborativethroughdirect,in-app2-waymessagingbasedonlocationandsystemsaccess.
•TheUsherout-of-the-boxproductivityapplicationallowsmanagerstoquicklyidentify,verify,coordinate,andcommunicatewithotherusers–eitherin-personorbyremotelocation.•UsershavethecapabilitytoexchangemessagesfromanyclientinterfaceviatheIdentityserverastheintermediary.Thisfeaturesupportsanumberofusecasesincludingemployeesafety,support,andcoordination,particularlyforfieldworkforcesorduringspecialevents.
•ForSAPBO,thisisnotofferedoutsideofannotationsandcollaborationfordashboardsinitsBIinterfaces.SinceSAPBOdoesnotprovideadigitaltwinthatiscarriedbyuserswiththeminamobileform-factoratalltimes,itfurtherlacksaconvenientmeansofreachingusersinatimelyfashion.Additionally,thismeansthereismuchlesscontextualinformationavailableaboutusersinanygivenpointintimetoinfluencethedirectionofcommuniques.
Real-timeTelemetry
Generateconsumablereal-timeintelligenceviadigitalidentityinteractionswithalltypesofenterpriseassets(physicalandlogical)andconstituents.
•WithMicroStrategyUsherbadges,userpresenceandactionscreatereal-timetelemetryviaanApacheKafkaCluster–anopen-sourceprogramdeliveringadistributed,partitioned,andreplicatedcommitlogservicesupportingreal-timedataprocessingandbigdatavolumes.Thistelemetrydataisarichandunderutilizedsourceofinformationthatisthekeytounlockingasmarter,moreproductiveworkforce.Toexpeditevaluecreation,MicroStrategyhelpsorganizationsefficientlycreateandharnessmassiveamountsoftimelyinformationarrivingfromEIoTdevices.
•Real-timestreamingindashboardsissupportedwiththeSAPEventStreamProcessor,SAPHANASmartDataStreaming,andSAPDesignStudio1.4.Nonetheless,BusinessObjects'lackofadigitalbadgepreventsitfromgeneratingcomprehensive,real-timetelemetrystemmingfromtheinteractionsbetweenenterpriseassetsandconstituents.ToaccomplishsomeofthiswithSAP,customerspurchaselicensesandserversforaseparateproduct(LeonardoIoT)thatisnotfullyintegratedwithBusinessObjects.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotSAPBODetailsbyCapability -vsSAPBO -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotSAPBO
SAPBO
ScoreMSTRScore
OTBReportingModule
Deployreportingbasedontelemetry,pullingdatafromallassetsandaccesspointstodeliverinsightintooperationsandcomplianceinaunified,“singlesourceoftruth”dashboard.Reportsshouldbecustomizablewiththeabilitytoblenddatafromotherenterpriserepositories.
•UsherAnalyticsisaMicroStrategyprojectincludedout-of-the-boxwithabadgeimplementation.MicroStrategytakescareoftheETLprocessessoaccessandauthorizationdatageneratedontheback-endisautomaticallyloadedintoadatawarehouseandleveragedbyapre-builtdataschema.Thisprojectincludesmultipledashboardsandamobileapplicationforvisibilityintointeractionsbetweenenterpriseconstituentsandassets.
•OTBreportingforanaccess-centricEIoTimplementationisnotsupportedbySAPBO.AlthoughBusinessObjectscanintegratewithSAPLeonardoBridgetopullinsensordata,forBusinessObjectstodeliverdashboardsthatshowaconvergedlogofphysicalandlogicaltransactionsbyeachuserinanenterprise,asignificantamountoflabor(connecting,ETL-ing,architecting,dashboarding)wouldneedtooccur.
IntegrationwithDirectoryServices
Synchronizetodirectoryservicesastheauthoritativesourceforemployeerecordsandattributes.Supporttheenforcementofdirectoryprovisioningforauthorization(privileges,entitlements,andrestrictions).
•WithintheMicroStrategyplatform,UsherNetworkManagerhaspre-builtdirectoryintegrationswithMicrosoftActiveDirectory,AWSDirectoryServices,andOktaUniversalDirectory.UsherisalsocompatiblewiththeOpenLDAPstandard.ThisallowsMicroStrategytoquicklyissuestandardizedcredentialstoallusers,eveninorganizationswhichutilizemultipleidentityrepositories-orevenmanuallyaddtemporaryuserswhodonotexistinanyrepository.
•SAPBOleveragesActiveDirectorytoassignuserprivileges.However,itintegratesnativelywithfewerthird-partyidentityrepositoriescomparedtoMicroStrategy.
IdentityServer Manageanetworkofusersbyconfiguringrelationshipsthatprompt,enable,orsecureinteractionsamongemployeesandassetswithinthenetwork.IdentityServersenableadministratorstocreate,configure,distribute,revoke,andmanagedigitalidentitieswithuserbadges.
•TheMicroStrategyUsheridentityserver,whichassignsandissuesdigitaltwinstousersintheformofbadges,isFIDOAlliance-certifiedonaUAFprotocolfordeliveringpassword-freeauthenticationbasedonpublickeycryptography.Itisstronglyresistanttophishingandcanmakeuseraccesssubjecttogeographicandtemporalconstraints.
TheUsherserverarchitectureisbuilttoensurethatonlyauthorizedbadgeuserscommunicatewiththeidentityserver,andonlyfromauthorizeddevices.TheUsherserverhasthesoleauthoritytoconvertamobiledeviceintoanauthorizeddevicethroughaprocessthathelpsensurethatroguedevicesorapplicationswillnotbeabletocommunicatewiththeidentityserver.Theidentityserverprovidessupportforencryptionofdataatrestandintransit,encryptionkeymanagement,andtransactionloggingtiedtoanindividualuser’sidentity.
•SAPBOdoesnotprovideOTBsupportforidentityservers.UserandassetadministrationinBusinessObjectsislimitedtocontrollingBIapplicationsandenvironments.AsitpertainstotheEIoT,SAPhasaseparateoffering(Leonardo)whichallowsfortheprovisioningandconfigurationofrelationshipsbetweenconnectedsensorsanddevices(thoughthesearegenerallynotusedasidentityextensionsforemployees).
EnterprisePartner
100%FocusonEnterpriseAnalytics
Corebusinessisexclusivelyfocusedonenterpriseanalytics.
•MicroStrategyisdedicatedtoasinglebusinessline,exclusivelyfocusedonenterpriseanalyticsandmobilitysoftware.•MicroStrategy’smissionistoprovideenterprisecustomerswithaworld-classsoftwareplatformandexpertservicessotheycandeployuniqueintelligenceapplications.
•SAPisaconglomeratewith4distinctoperatingsegments,noneofwhichfocusonanalytics.•SAPoffersproductsinmorethan10differentcategoriesthatrangefrominvoiceprocessingtoPOSsoftware.Oneoftheseproductcategoriesis“analytics,”whichincludesBusinessObjects(acquiredbySAPin2008)amongmorethan15producttypes.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotSAPBODetailsbyCapability -vsSAPBO -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotSAPBO
SAPBO
ScoreMSTRScore
PlatformCohesion
Cohesionisanimportantconceptinsoftwaredesignbecauseitreducescomplexity,enhancessystemmaintainabilityandincreasesreusability,whichtogetherpromoteperformance,scalabilityandelegance.
•MicroStrategy10hasaunifiedplatformarchitectureuniquelysuitedtodeliverhigh-performanceapplicationsthatarehighlyreusableandsecure,andcanmeetthebusinessintelligencedemandsofvarioususersandorganizations.•Sinceitsinception,MicroStrategyhasbeendevelopingitsplatformtechnology100%organically.
•BusinessObjectsistheresultofeffortstomelddisparatetechnologies.•SAPacquiredBusinessObjectsin2008tointegrateBIcapabilitiesmoredeeplyintheotherapplicationsitoffered.•BusinessObjectsitselfrepresentstheamalgamationofnumerousotherthird-partytechnologiesthatwereacquiredbyBusinessObjectsovermanyyears,includingCrystalDecisionsin2003.•BusinessObjectsmustcompeteforattentionandfundingwithintheSAPconglomerate.
VisionaryCEO
CEOanticipatesanddrivestechnologytrendsintheenterpriseanalyticsindustry.
•MicroStrategy’sCEO,MichaelSaylor,hasanticipatedtechnologytrendssuchasmobiletechnology’stransformationofbusinessoperations,andledthecompanythroughmultiplewavesofinnovationsuchasclient-server,web,mobile,cloudandenterpriseinternetofthings.•Mr.SaylorisalsotheauthorofTheNewYorkTime’sbest-sellingbook,“TheMobileWave.”
•TheattentionofSAP’sCEOisdividedamong11productcategories,onlyoneofwhichisanalytics.It’sunclearwhattheCEO’svisionisforBusinessObjects.
CEOEngagementwithCustomers
CEOengagesdirectlyandsubstantiallywithcustomersaroundtheworld.
•MicroStrategy’sCEOdirectlyengageswithcustomersaroundtheworldbypersonallyparticipatinginamajorityofthe100+SymposiumeventsthatMicroStrategyholdsperyearin35differentcountries,inadditiontoothercustomermeetingsandeventsonaregularbasis.
•BusinessObjectsisasmallportionofSAP’sconglomeratebusiness.GiventhelargenumberofSAPproductsolutions,itsCEOcan’tbefocusedonengagementwithenterpriseanalyticscustomers.
TenuredExecutiveTeam
Executiveteamhasextensiveexperienceinenterpriseanalyticsandmobility.
•MicroStrategy’sCEOandCTOcollectivelyhaveover50yearsofexperienceinenterpriseanalyticsandmobility.•Additionally,MicroStrategy’sCEOhassciencedegreesfromMITandmorethan50patentstohisname,andhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindMicroStrategy’stechnologysinceitsinception.
•Enterpriseanalyticsisn’tthecorebackgroundofanymemberonSAP’sseniorexecutiveteam.
ShareholderAlignment
Principalshareholderandmanagementinterestsarealignedwiththecompany’slong-termsuccess.
•Mr.Saylor,thecompany’sChairmanoftheBoard,President&CEO,foundedMicroStrategyin1989andhasbeenthecompany’scontrollingshareholdersinceitsinception.Accordingly,shareholderandmanagementinterestsarefullyalignedinpursuingMicroStrategy’svisionandlong-termsuccess.
•SAP’sstockownershipisdispersed.•SAP’smanagementholdsonlyasmallpercentageofthetotalownershipinterestinthecompany.
PubliclyTradedCompany
Withgreatertransparency,stabilityandaccesstofunding,apubliclytradedcompanygenerallyhasastrongermanagementteam,instillsgreaterconfidenceincustomersandhasmorefinanciallevers.
•Havinggonepublic18yearsago,MicroStrategyisamaturepubliclytradedcompany.
•SAPisapubliclytradedcompany,butBusinessObjects’sfinancialperformanceisunknownbecauseit’ssuchasmallportionofSAP’soverallbusinessandSAPdoesn’tseparatelyreportonit.ThismakesitmoredifficulttopredictSAP’splansforBusinessObjectsandcreatessignificantuncertaintyforcustomers.
StrongFinancials
Aprofitableorganizationwithastrongbalancesheetcanbetterwithstandmarketvolatilityandfluctuations.
•MicroStrategyhasbeenprofitableoverthelast13years,withcombinednetincomeof$197millionoverthelast2fiscalyearsandanoperatingmarginof21%for2016.•Inaddition,MicroStrategy’sbalancesheetisstrongwithzerodebt.
•SAPisaconglomerate,andthefinancialperformanceofBusinessObjectsisunclear.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotSAPBODetailsbyCapability -vsSAPBO -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNotSAPBO
SAPBO
ScoreMSTRScore
WorldwideSalesPresence
Companyhastheabilitytodirectlyengagewithorganizationsaroundtheworld.
•MicroStrategyhasofficesin26countriesacrosseverymajorregionoftheworld.
•WhileSAPhasofficesinanumberofcountries,SAPisaconglomeratebusiness,andtheextenttowhichthoseofficessupportenterpriseanalyticssalesandcustomersisunclear.
WorldwideServicesPresence
Companyhastheabilitytoprovidesupportandservicestocustomersaroundtheworld.
•MicroStrategyhasofficesin26countriesacrosseverymajorregionoftheworld.
•WhileSAPhasofficesinanumberofcountries,SAPisaconglomeratebusiness,andtheextenttowhichthoseofficesprovideenterpriseanalyticsservicesisunclear.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData OverviewOverview -vsPowerBI -
CriticalCapabilities-MicrosoftPowerBIScoresTechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
1ObjectOriented
Reusability
Self-ServiceData
DiscoveryTransactionalWorkflows
CreateCustomWebApplications
SimplifiedEnterpriseDeployment
DigitalBadge100%Focus
onEnterpriseAnalytics
2 DataGovernance
OptimizedData
ConnectivityEmbeddedMultimedia
CreateCustomMobile
ApplicationsiniOSandAndroid
GlobalAvailability
PhysicalAccess
PlatformCohesion
3 UserSecurity
DataPreparation
andBlending
GeospatialAnalysis
EmbedThird-PartyDataas
DatasetsAPIEnabledOperations LogicalAccess Visionary
CEO
4 Scalability EnterpriseReports OfflineAccess
CreateCustomHTML5
Visualizations
DisasterRecoveryand
FailoverBluetoothSensing
CEOEngagement
withCustomers
5 PerformanceDashboards
anddocuments
MobileClientCachingfor
HighPerformance
ExtractSubsetsofDataUsing
RESTfulAPIs
CentralizedAdministration
BarcodeScanner
TenuredExecutiveTeam
6 Automation MobileAnalytics
PersonalizedAlertsviaPush
Notifications
CreateCustomDataConnectors
AutoScaling Communication&Collaboration
ShareholderAlignment
7 Monitoring RealTimeAnalytics
InstantUpdatesto
CustomAppswithNo
Recompilation
MultitenancySupport
SeamlessUpgrades
Real-timeTelemetry
PubliclyTraded
Company
8 Deployment
PredictiveAnalytics
andMachineLearning
Customize/WhiteLabel
HighPerformanceandReliability
OTBReportingModule
StrongFinancials
9 HighAvailability
BigDataAnalytics
NativeIntegrationwithEMMVendors
Data
ConnectivityandMigration
IntegrationwithDirectoryServices
WorldwideSales
Presence
10 In-memoryArchitecture
AutomatedDistributionandAlerting
MobileAppUsage
Monitoring DataSecurity IdentityServer
WorldwideServicesPresence
TechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
119 / 167
CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData CriticalCapabilities-MicrosoftPow…Overview -vsPowerBI -
TechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
1ObjectOrientedReusability
Self-ServiceData
DiscoveryTransactionalWorkflows
CreateCustomWebApplications
SimplifiedEnterpriseDeployment
DigitalBadge100%Focus
onEnterpriseAnalytics
2 DataGovernance
OptimizedData
ConnectivityEmbeddedMultimedia
CreateCustomMobile
ApplicationsiniOSandAndroid
GlobalAvailability
PhysicalAccess
PlatformCohesion
3 UserSecurity
DataPreparation
andBlending
GeospatialAnalysis
EmbedThird-PartyDataasDatasets
APIEnabledOperations LogicalAccess Visionary
CEO
4 Scalability EnterpriseReports OfflineAccess
CreateCustomHTML5
Visualizations
DisasterRecoveryandFailover
BluetoothSensing
CEOEngagement
withCustomers
5 PerformanceDashboards
anddocuments
MobileClientCachingforHigh
Performance
ExtractSubsetsofDataUsingRESTfulAPIs
CentralizedAdministration
BarcodeScanner
TenuredExecutiveTeam
6 Automation MobileAnalytics
PersonalizedAlertsviaPush
Notifications
CreateCustomDataConnectors
AutoScaling Communication&Collaboration
ShareholderAlignment
7 Monitoring RealTimeAnalytics
InstantUpdatestoCustomAppswithNo
Recompilation
MultitenancySupport
SeamlessUpgrades
Real-timeTelemetry
PubliclyTradedCompany
8 Deployment
PredictiveAnalyticsand
MachineLearning
Customize/WhiteLabel
HighPerformanceandReliability
OTBReportingModule
StrongFinancials
9 HighAvailability
BigDataAnalytics
NativeIntegrationwithEMMVendors
Data
ConnectivityandMigration
IntegrationwithDirectoryServices
WorldwideSales
Presence
10 In-memoryArchitecture
AutomatedDistributionandAlerting
MobileAppUsage
Monitoring DataSecurity IdentityServer
WorldwideServicesPresence
TechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
CriticalCapability
120 / 167
CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData CriticalCapabilities-MicrosoftPow…Overview -vsPowerBI -
EnterprisePartner
CriticalCapability
PowerBIScore
100%Focuson
EnterpriseAnalytics
PlatformCohesion
VisionaryCEO
CEOEngagement
withCustomers
TenuredExecutiveTeam
ShareholderAlignment
PubliclyTraded
Company
StrongFinancials
WorldwideSales
Presence
WorldwideServicesPresence
TechnicalSolution
Index
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
EnterprisePartner
PowerBIScore
TechnicalSolution
Index
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData OverviewDetailsbyCapability -vsPowerBI -
WhyNotMicrosoftPowerBITechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
EnterprisePlatform
ObjectOrientedReusability
Anobject-orientedarchitecturecatalogseveryaspectofthebusiness.Dataassets,KPIs,dimensions,users,reports,anddashboardsareallstoredinacentrallocationasuniquelogicalobjectstosupportreusability.
MicroStrategyoffersacentralizedmetadatarepositorythatisbuiltwithandcontainsobjects,asdefinedbydevelopers,andcanbereusedacrosstheBIproject.Objectscanbecombinedtocreatehigherlevelobjects(e.g.,attributesandmetricsmakeupareport;reports,filters,andpromptsmakeupadocument;documents,andotherreportscanbeembeddedintoadocument-allofwhicharestoredas"metadataobjects"),andthistogetherdeliversasingleBIprojectoradatamodel.•ThereusablemodelenablesobjectsacrosstheBIdeploymenttobesecurelyreusedhundredsoftimesbyusersacrosstheenterprise,withoutanyduplicationofeffort.•Themodelnotonlyincludesdimensionsandmetrics,butalsocoversfilters,reports,prompts,customgroups,reports,dashboards,anddocuments-makingitpossibletoflexiblyreusealloftheseobjectsmultipletimesacrossanyapplicationandBIproject.•Changesormodificationsmadetoanyobjectinthemetadataautomaticallyproliferatestoallotherdependentobjects.Thiseliminatestheneedtomanuallyupdatethechangesacrossthedeployment,whichisparticularlyhelpfulforlargerBIprojects.•Thereusablemodelhelpsensurefasterdevelopmenttimes,increasedplatformscalability,efficientmanagement,andalsomaintainsasingleversionofthetruth.
•PowerBIDesktopclientisusedasthestartingpointofanydevelopment/modeling.Web(PowerBIService)istheinterfaceforsharingandconsumption.
•InPowerBI,metadataisstoredindatasetswhichcanbereusedbutalsocomeswithlimitations.DatasetscanonlybecreatedbyPowerBIDesktopbutnotinPowerBIservice.Datasetscontainmodelingfeatures,cleansingfeatures,connectors.Datasetsaretiedtoonereportandmustcontainallsourceneededinareport.ThereisnojoiningbetweendatasetsandrefreshislimitedandrequiresDataGateways.
•Therearealsolimitationsinherenttothetypeofdatasetsused.
•InImportedDatasets(in-memory),modelsarestoredusingthesametechnologyasSSASTabularmodels.DatasetscancontaincomplexDAX(dataanalysisexpressions)needforcomplexcalculationsandtransformations.Thesedatasetshavesomerowlevelsecurity.
•DirectQueryModeDatasetsstorethequeryinsteadthedata.Theyareonlyavailableforafewsources,mainlyMicrosoft,noBigDatasource,ie.BigDatahastobeallinmemory.VerylimitedDAXandrowlevelsecurityisnotadvised.
•LiveConnectdatasetsareonlyaverrableforSSAS.
•StreamingoptionsarebasednonMicrosofttechnologiesandapplypushcapabilities.
•WhilePowerBIuserscanmanipulate,transform,andexploredata,includingcreatingcalculatedmeasuresandcolumns,joiningtables,orchangingdatatypes,theycannotreusetheseobjectsbeyondtheirlocalenvironment.
•PowerBI’slimitedobjectreusabilityforcesdeveloperstorepeatedlycreatethesameobjectdefinitions,whichishighlyinefficient.Theythenmustredefinethosedefinitionsinmultipleplacesanytimeacommonbusinessdefinitionchanges,creatingatediouschangemanagementprocess.
DataGovernance
Uniquedefinitionstoeverydimensionandmetricboundtogetherbystrictrulesthataredefinedbyalogicalmodel,thusensuringasingleversionofthetruth
TheMicroStrategymetadatamodelmakesitpossibleforanyonewiththerightprivilegestopromotenewandexternalcontenttotheServerandtieittoacertifieddatamodel,allwitheasyworkflows.•Itispossibletomapthemetadataatthedimensionlevel,aswellasthecubelevel,givinguserstheflexibilitytocontrolthedatathatispublishedtothemodel.•Theplatformsupportsgovernancefordatafromdisparatesources,evenexternalnon-certifiedsources,thathelpsbuildasystemofrecordthatuserscantrust--whilealsodeliveringflexibilitytoendusers.•Beyondtheabilitytogovernexternaldatasources,theplatformoffers
•PowerBIdoesnothaveacentralizedsemanticlayerinthetraditionalsense,butinsteadreliesondatasets(seeabove).Ultimately,thismayresultinuserscreatingmultipledisconnectedanalyticalsilos,increasingthepotentialforinvalidorinconsistentdatatoproliferateacrosstheenterprise.•GovernanceishardtomaintainduetovariousdegreesofuserfreedominvarioustoolswithvariouscapabilitiesandnocentralAdmin•GovernancerequirestheuseofAzuredatacatalog,AzureData
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
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TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
EnterprisePlatform
ObjectOrientedReusability
Anobject-orientedarchitecturecatalogseveryaspectofthebusiness.Dataassets,KPIs,dimensions,users,reports,anddashboardsareallstoredinacentrallocationasuniquelogicalobjectstosupportreusability.
MicroStrategyoffersacentralizedmetadatarepositorythatisbuiltwithandcontainsobjects,asdefinedbydevelopers,andcanbereusedacrosstheBIproject.Objectscanbecombinedtocreatehigherlevelobjects(e.g.,attributesandmetricsmakeupareport;reports,filters,andpromptsmakeupadocument;documents,andotherreportscanbeembeddedintoadocument-allofwhicharestoredas"metadataobjects"),andthistogetherdeliversasingleBIprojectoradatamodel.•ThereusablemodelenablesobjectsacrosstheBIdeploymenttobesecurelyreusedhundredsoftimesbyusersacrosstheenterprise,withoutanyduplicationofeffort.•Themodelnotonlyincludesdimensionsandmetrics,butalsocoversfilters,reports,prompts,customgroups,reports,dashboards,anddocuments-makingitpossibletoflexiblyreusealloftheseobjectsmultipletimesacrossanyapplicationandBIproject.•Changesormodificationsmadetoanyobjectinthemetadataautomaticallyproliferatestoallotherdependentobjects.Thiseliminatestheneedtomanuallyupdatethechangesacrossthedeployment,whichisparticularlyhelpfulforlargerBIprojects.•Thereusablemodelhelpsensurefasterdevelopmenttimes,increasedplatformscalability,efficientmanagement,andalsomaintainsasingleversionofthetruth.
•PowerBIDesktopclientisusedasthestartingpointofanydevelopment/modeling.Web(PowerBIService)istheinterfaceforsharingandconsumption.
•InPowerBI,metadataisstoredindatasetswhichcanbereusedbutalsocomeswithlimitations.DatasetscanonlybecreatedbyPowerBIDesktopbutnotinPowerBIservice.Datasetscontainmodelingfeatures,cleansingfeatures,connectors.Datasetsaretiedtoonereportandmustcontainallsourceneededinareport.ThereisnojoiningbetweendatasetsandrefreshislimitedandrequiresDataGateways.
•Therearealsolimitationsinherenttothetypeofdatasetsused.
•InImportedDatasets(in-memory),modelsarestoredusingthesametechnologyasSSASTabularmodels.DatasetscancontaincomplexDAX(dataanalysisexpressions)needforcomplexcalculationsandtransformations.Thesedatasetshavesomerowlevelsecurity.
•DirectQueryModeDatasetsstorethequeryinsteadthedata.Theyareonlyavailableforafewsources,mainlyMicrosoft,noBigDatasource,ie.BigDatahastobeallinmemory.VerylimitedDAXandrowlevelsecurityisnotadvised.
•LiveConnectdatasetsareonlyaverrableforSSAS.
•StreamingoptionsarebasednonMicrosofttechnologiesandapplypushcapabilities.
•WhilePowerBIuserscanmanipulate,transform,andexploredata,includingcreatingcalculatedmeasuresandcolumns,joiningtables,orchangingdatatypes,theycannotreusetheseobjectsbeyondtheirlocalenvironment.
•PowerBI’slimitedobjectreusabilityforcesdeveloperstorepeatedlycreatethesameobjectdefinitions,whichishighlyinefficient.Theythenmustredefinethosedefinitionsinmultipleplacesanytimeacommonbusinessdefinitionchanges,creatingatediouschangemanagementprocess.
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TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
DataGovernance
Uniquedefinitionstoeverydimensionandmetricboundtogetherbystrictrulesthataredefinedbyalogicalmodel,thusensuringasingleversionofthetruth
TheMicroStrategymetadatamodelmakesitpossibleforanyonewiththerightprivilegestopromotenewandexternalcontenttotheServerandtieittoacertifieddatamodel,allwitheasyworkflows.•Itispossibletomapthemetadataatthedimensionlevel,aswellasthecubelevel,givinguserstheflexibilitytocontrolthedatathatispublishedtothemodel.•Theplatformsupportsgovernancefordatafromdisparatesources,evenexternalnon-certifiedsources,thathelpsbuildasystemofrecordthatuserscantrust--whilealsodeliveringflexibilitytoendusers.•Beyondtheabilitytogovernexternaldatasources,theplatformoffersgranularsecurityfeaturesthatallowprojectownersanddatastewardstograntpermissionsandprivilegestotherightpeople.Thisdeliversdatasecurityandalsopersonalizesreportsanddashboardstoendusers.•WorkflowsavailablewiththeMicroStrategyplatformtopromoteexternaldataintothesystemofrecord,combinedwiththeflexibilityofthesystemtodeliverself-serviceaccesstobusinessteamswillincreasetheoveralladoptionoftheBIplatform.
•PowerBIdoesnothaveacentralizedsemanticlayerinthetraditionalsense,butinsteadreliesondatasets(seeabove).Ultimately,thismayresultinuserscreatingmultipledisconnectedanalyticalsilos,increasingthepotentialforinvalidorinconsistentdatatoproliferateacrosstheenterprise.•GovernanceishardtomaintainduetovariousdegreesofuserfreedominvarioustoolswithvariouscapabilitiesandnocentralAdmin•GovernancerequirestheuseofAzuredatacatalog,AzureDatalake,masterdataservices(MDS)anddataqualityservices(DQS).•InthecontextofaMicrosoft’secosystem,MicrosoftiskeenontransferringdatasourceownershiptoITforstabilityandmeettheneedsfor:criticalapplicationsandbroadersupport,sizelimitsissuesinPowerBI,securitylimitations,refreshratesofthedataset•Atransfertypicallyrequires:rebuildingdatasetsinSSASmodelstostoreMetadata;rebuildingdatacleansingandjoiningwithSSIS(ETL)•Usersmustbeawareoflackofmonitoring,asthereisnogodwayowayofknowingwhouseswhatsourcesandifthereareduplicatedatasets.TofullybenefitfromPowerBI,typicallyseveraltypesofpowerusersareneed-PowerBIchampionforcomplexDAX;modelerstomodel,cleanseandcreatedatasetsandmonitorstotryandpreventanarchy.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotMicrosoftPowerBIDetailsbyCapability -vsPowerBI -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
UserSecurity Rolesandprivilegesthatassignrestrictionstousersandgroupsensurethatendusersonlyseepersonalizedandrelevantcontentandareonlyabletoperformauthorizedactions.
ThesecuritymodelwithintheMicroStrategyplatformisbuiltaroundusersandusergroups,whicharerepresentedaslogicalmetadataobjects.Thisensuresthatdataissecuredatthemostgranularlevels.•Securityfiltersbasedondimensionvalueshelpensurethatusersarerestrictedtoonlyseedatathatisrelevanttothem.Thiseliminatestheneedtobuildmultiplecopiesofthesameapplication,andmakesitpossibletooptimallyscale.•WithMicroStrategy'stools,administratorscanapplyAccessControlLists(ACLs)tolargeusergroups,restrictingtherangeofdataobjectstheycanaccessoractionstheycanperform,andspecifyingthescopeoftheirprivilegesintheenvironment.•WithUsher,itispossibletoprovidesecuredigitalauthenticationoptions,includinggeo-fencingandtime-fencingcapabilities,makingitpossibletorestrictuseraccessbasedonlocationandtime.
•UnlikeMicroStrategy,PowerBIlackscentralizeduseradministrationtoenforcedatasecurityonanenterprise-widebasis.Thereisnooverarching,automatedmechanismtocontinuouslyensurethatusersseeonlythedataappropriateforthem,basedontheirrolesandprivileges.
•MicrosoftsecurityreliesheavilyonAzureActiveDirectory(AAZ).InPowerBI,securityishandledattheuserlevel-auser’sPowerBIloginisusedbyon-premisesActiveDirectoryserverstomaptoaUPNforcredentials.However,ifauserconnectstodatasourcesusinghisorhercredentials,thensharesareport(ordashboard,ordataset)basedonthatdata,userswithwhomthedashboardissharedarenotauthenticatedagainsttheoriginaldatasource,andwillbegrantedaccesstothereport.
•Row-levelsecurity(RLS)isavailableinMicrosoftPowerBIPro,butcannotbeusedagainstSSAS.UsingRLS,directqueryperformancemaygetworse,andnotabletooptimizequery,whichiswhytheyadvisetoimplementRLSinsource.ThiscanbeappliedusingDAXorsecurityRoles,howeverDAXiscomplex,andsecurityrolesrequiremaintenance.RLSisappliedperdataset,soitneedstobereplicatedperdataset.DuetoDAXandbadqueryperformanceRLSisadvisedonlyforin-memorydatasetsunlessimplementedalreadyonsource
•Incontrast,MicroStrategynotonlysupportsrow-levelsecurity,butalsoenforcessecurityonindividualmetadataobjects,enablingmuchmoregranularcontroloverdataaccessandusercapabilities.Ifauserhasaccesstoaparticularrowofdata,theycanseeallthecolumnsofdataforthatrow.
•Column-levelsecurity(CLS)isnotavailableinMicrosoftPowerBI.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotMicrosoftPowerBIDetailsbyCapability -vsPowerBI -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
Scalability Deliveranalyticstoeveryoneacrosstheenterprise,andbeyond.Allow1000sofuserstoleverageanalyticswithoutsacrificingperformanceandwithoutrestrictionsondatasize.
MicroStrategyisoptimizedinitsdesignforenterprisescaleandspeed;assuch,theplatformcansupporttheanalyticalreportingneedsof100softhousandsofusersacrosstheenterprise.•Theplatformcanbeclusteredwithupto8nodeswithwork-anduser-fencingoptionstohelpensureperformanceandreliabilityacrosstheentireuserpopulation.•Theplatformhasnorestrictionsondatasizeforeitherdirectorin-memoryaccesstodata•MicroStrategycustomersareleveragingtheplatformtostoredatausingin-memorycubeswithover2billionrowswhiledeliveringsub-secondresponsetimestotheirend-users.•MicroStrategyistheonlycomprehensiveanalyticsvendorthatsupportsbigdataanalyticswithnativeconnectorstoHDFStoaccesspetabytesofdatainrealtime.
•PowerBIwasdesignedfordepartmentaluserstovisualizeandexploredata;itisnotarchitectedforenterprise-scale,system-of-recordanalytics.Itfundamentallylacksthescaleandprocessinghorsepowerneededtosupport100softhousandsofusers,thousandsofsimultaneousreports,orautomatedreportdistributionacrosstheenterprise.
•AsaSaaSsolution,PowerBIislimitedbytheconstraintsofitsunderlyingcloudinfrastructure.Currently,PowerBIDesktophasa10million-rowlimit,andthereisa1GBlimit,perdataset,thatcanbeimportedintoPowerBI.
•PowerBIlacksanefficientSQLgenerationengine,sothenumberofPowerBIuserscouldimpactperformancewhenusingDirectQueryforon-demanddatabaseaccess.
•UserfencingisavailableinPowerBIPremiumonly.Performance Publishanddeliver
informationtoend-userswithquickresponsetimes,anddeliveranalyticswithoutbeingimpededbydatasize.
MicroStrategyemploysavarietyofstrategiestoincreasetheoverallperformanceoftheplatform,makingitpossibletodeliversub-secondresponsetimes-evenwithlargedatasets.•MicroStrategywasamongthefirstBIvendorstosupportpush-downanalyticalfunctionsacrossallleadingdatabases.Thiscapabilityhelpsdrivecomputationsintelligentlytothedatabasewhenneeded,therebyimprovingtheoverallresponsetimetoendusers.•Theplatformcancreatemultipleparallelthreadstothedatabase,increasingthespeedatwhichdataisfetchedfromthewarehouse.•WhereasotherBIvendorsattempttoimplementcachingatasinglelevel,MicroStrategyimplementsself-tuningstrategiesthatcreatecachesatkeypointswithinthequeryflow.TheServercachesdatainthefollowingcrucialareas:Metadataobjectcaching,attributeelementcaching,databaseconnectioncaching,resultcaching,anddocumentcaching.•Theplatformisbasedonanin-memoryarchitecturethatcanpartitioncubesandprocessdatainparallel,makingitpossibletoprocesslargercubesthanothervendorsinthemarket.•VLDBsettingsareavailabletofine-tuneandoptimizeconnectivityforeverytypeofdatasource,deliveringcustomsettingstoorganizationswithuniquedeployments.
•PowerBIperformanceislimitedbytheamountofdatathatcanbepulledintomemory,andbyitslackofanefficientSQLgenerationengine.
•Currently,PowerBIDesktophasa10-millionrowlimit,andthereisa1-GBlimit,perdataset,thatisimportedintoPowerBI.IfuserschoosetokeeptheExcelexperience,insteadofimportingthedata,theywillbelimitedto250MBforthedataset.
•PowerBIlimitsstorageto10GBperuserforProand100TBpercapacityinPremium.ApplicationswithgreaterdatavolumescanbebuiltusingMicrosoftSQLServerAnalysisServicesorAzureHDInsights,butthiscanaddtothedeploymentcomplexityandownershipcosts.
•PowerBIdoesnotsupportmulti-passSQL,soperformanceusingDirectQueryislikelytosuffer.
Automation ReduceburdenonITadministrators,especiallywithlargescaledeployments,bycuttingdownonroutineorredundanttasks.
•MicroStrategyofferstoolsthatallowadministratorstomaintainandupgradesystems,automateworkflows,andensuresuperiordataqualityandsecurity,withoutredundancies.•Theplatformallowsadminstoreducethetimeandeffortspentonroutinemaintenanceandadministrativetasks,likemovingassetsfromtesttoproductionenvironments,tocheckingthedataqualitybetweenupgrades,andschedulinghealthchecksandtaskswithworkflows.•Beyondadministrativetasks,datauploads/refreshesandscheduleddeliveriescanbeautomatedaswell,whichremovestheburdenfromITandhelpsreduceoverallTCO.
•PowerBIprovidesverylimitedcapabilitiesforbuildingautomationworkflowsusingagraphicaluserinterface.
•PowerBIdoesnothaveatoolequivalenttoMicroStrategyIntegrityManagerforautomatedregressiontestingordataandreportconsistencychecking.
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TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
Monitoring Easilymonitor,maintain,manage,fine-tune,andautomateactionsandworkflowstoensurethehealthofthesystem.EliminateredundanttaskstoreduceoverallTCO.
•MicroStrategyofferstoolsthatallowadministratorstomonitoreveryenvironmentinaMicroStrategydeployment,acrossmultipleprojectsandevenservermachines-bothon-premisesandinthecloud.•Theinterfaceenablesadministratorstoquicklyandeasilyviewusagepatterns,systemresources,uptime,andalertsacrossenvironments.•Theplatformcollectsinformationfromeachenvironment’sHealthCenter,andpresentskeyusageandperformanceindicatorsusinggraphsandcharts.•Administratorscandefinethresholdsforsystemusageandperformancethatautomaticallytriggeralertswhenthresholdcriteriaaremetorexceeded.•Beyondthe100sofOOTBreportsanddashboardsavailablewiththeplatform,administratorscanbuildtheirownreportswithcustomKPIstomeasureplatformusage.
•ThePowerBIadminportalallowsforonlybasicusagemonitoringbasedonusagedataforindividualusersandgroups.
•PowerBIdoesnothavetoolsequivalenttoMicroStrategyIntegrityManager,CommandManager,orObjectManagerforautomatedregressiontesting.Usershavetomanuallycheckdashboardsandreportsforconsistency.
Deployment Optionstodeployonanyinfrastructure,regardlessofsize,team,orhardwareresources,thusreducingoverallTCOandmaintenancerequired.
MicroStrategydeliversflexibleoptionsfordeployinganalyticsacrosstheenterprisewithon-premises,cloud,andhybridoptionsforteamsofanysize.•TheplatformissupportedonbothWindowsandLinux,andcanbeclusteredwithupto8Servernodes.•PartneringwithAWS,theleadingcloudvendor,MicroStrategyallowsorganizationsaroundtheworldtospinupinstancesforenterpriseanalyticsandmobilityinminutes,allowingcompaniestostartsmallandexpandasneeded.•Pre-configuredenvironmentsinthecloudcanbecreated,managed,maintained,andupgradedwithself-serviceconsoles,enablingextremelylowTCOs.
•PowerBIisacloudsolutionthatrunsontopoftheMicrosoftAzurecloud.DefaultismultitenantandthereisanoptionwithPowerBIPremiumtohaveareservedcapacitymodel.Premiumcapacityislimitedto16cores,100GB.
•Therearethreewaysof'goingon-prem'buttherealsosomelimitations.
•Userscaninstallanon-premisesgatewaywhichiscurrentlysupportedonlyon64-bitWindowsoperatingsystems.Itallowsclouduserstoconnecttoon-premdata.Multipleuserscanshareandreusethegateway,whichcouldbecomeaperformanceconstraint.
•WiththepurchaseofPowerBIPremium,usersgetdedicatedcapacitynodesinthecloud,andthePowerReportServretouseon-prem.UserdeploywithPowerBIReportserveronpremises(privatecloud)forhosting(publishing,managinganddelivering)PowerBIreportsinawebbrowser,mobileoremail.
•Userscanalsoviewon-premisesPowerBIreportswiththePowerBImobileapps.
HighAvailability
Robustarchitecturethatprovidesthehighestuptimeforuserstoalwayshaveaccesstothesystem,withprovisionsandtuningmechanismsforincreasedsystemstabilityandbetterfailovermanagement.
•WithMicroStrategy,usersacrosstheorganizationcanaccessreliableanalyticsdeliveredonarobustarchitecturethatisdesignedforenterprisescale,performance,andstability.•Disasterrecoveryandfailoveroptionsalloworganizationstoavoiddowntimesforend-users.Systemadministratorshavethechoicetosetuphot,warm,orcoldfailoverstrategies(forbackupnodes)dependingonthehardwareresourcesavailabletothem.•Clusteringandworkfencingcapabilitiesmakeitpossibletoproactivelypreventservercrashesbydeflectingheavyjobstospecificserversortimeperiods.•Reliablegovernorsateverylevelofthequerypathmakeitpossibletoavertsystemcrashes,evenunderpeakuseranddataloads.
•ThePowerBISaaSofferingcomeswitha99.9%-uptime,financiallybackedservicelevelagreement(SLA).ThisSLAonlycoverstheclouddeployment.
•High-availabilityoptionsfortheon-premisesdatagatewayarenotyetavailable.
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TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
In-memoryArchitecture
Architecturethatcanhostterabytesofdatain-memorymakingitavailabletoend-userswithfasterresponsetimes.
•TheMicroStrategyplatformenablesorganizationstotakeadvantageofin-memorycubetechnology,whichincreasesperformancebyreducingtheneedtoaccessdatadirectlyfromthedatawarehouse.•MicroStrategyin-memorycubescanbequicklyloadedwithdatausingparallelthreadsfromthedatabasewhichcanalsobeoptimizedandfine-tunedforspecificdatabases.•Dynamicsourcingisaplatformcapabilitythatautomaticallyroutesqueriestothefastestavailabledatasource—whetherit’sacache,acube,ortheoriginalrelationalsource,thushelpingmaximizeperformanceandthroughput.•MicroStrategy'sparallelprocessingandpartitioningcapabilitiesdifferentiateitfromothervendors,helpingtoboostprocessingspeedsinsituationswherethereareterabytesofdatastoredinmemory.
•PowerBIincludesanavailablexVelocityin-memorydatabaseenginethatcancompressdatafilesandimprovequeryresponses.Inpracticethough,PowerBIleveragesDirectQueryformostdatasources,inwhichmodelleddataisnotreplicatedintothein-memoryengine.
•PowerBIfiles(.pbix)arecompresseddatafilesusedbyxVelocity,butthemaximumacceptedfilesizemaystilllimitPowerBItosubsetsofenterprisedatawarehouses.
EnterpriseAnalytics
Self-ServiceDataDiscovery
Intuitiveworkflowsforend-userstoaccess,visualize,analyze,andshareinsightswithoutthesupportofIT.
MicroStrategydifferentiatesitselffromotherpointsolutionsbycombiningtheease-of-useofdataexplorationwithenterprisecapabilitiesincludingscalability,performance,security,andgovernance,inasingleplatform.•MicroStrategyDesktopandWebprovideaccessto80+datasources,fromExcelspreadsheets,torelationalsources,bigdata,Cloudservices,Hadoop,andmore.•Built-intoolsareavailablefordatapreparation,aswellastheabilitytoblenddataacrossmultiplesources.•ItprovidestheabilitytovisualizedatawithanychartorgraphnativelyandoffersworkflowstoincludeD3,Highcharts,GoogleCharts,andotherlibraries(includingopensourceandNLGoptions)•Includeseasysharingoptions(PDF,email,sendtofilelocation,print,andmore),andworkflowstopromoteexternaldataintoagovernedmodel.AlsosupportsoptionstoexporttoPDFandemailoptions.•MicroStrategyiscompatiblewithMacandWindowsPC.AnalystscanquicklysetupandinstallMicroStrategywithoutITsupport.•Theplatformsupportsadvancedanalyticswith350+out-of-the-boxfunctions,andcanalsointegratewithR.
•PowerBIoffersbothdesktop-basedauthoringandbrowser-basedauthoring,withapplicationssharedinthecloud.Desktopisrequiredforauthoringcomplexdatamashupsinvolvingon-premisesdatasources.•Q&Aisasearch-likeinterfaceforuserstogeneratevisualizations.•QuickInsightsautomaticallygeneratesthemost-meaningfulcharts.•OTBvisualizationscanbeaddedtoPowerBIreports,specifiedinQ&A,andpinnedtodashboards.Inaddition,visuals.powerbi.comprovidescustomvisualstouseindashboardsandreports.•Tabledisplayswithsubtotalsarestillnotsupported.CustomerscreatethetablesinExcelandimportthecontentintoPowerBI.•PowerBIlimitsdatavisualizationstoonly3,500datapoints.Itautomaticallyfiltersanydatapointsbeyondthatthreshold.
OptimizedDataConnectivity
Driversandgatewaysthatdeliverinstantandreliableaccesstoavarietyofdatasourcesandinformationinanyformat,regardlessofsize.
•MicroStrategynativelysupports100softhemostpopulardatasources,fromExcelspreadsheettorelationaldatabases,cloudsystems,HDFSandmore.•OrganizationscanalsobuildtheirownconnectorstocustomdataassetswithAPIs,allowingthemtoconnecttoanynewsourceavailableinthemarket.•Eachconnectorisoptimizedforhighperformance,withtheabilitytointelligentlypush-downcalculationstothedatabaseswhenneeded,generatemulti-passSQL,loadparallelthreadssimultaneously,andcanloaddatawithoutrestrictionsonsizeortype.•EasyworkflowsareavailabletobusinessuserstoblenddataontheirownwithoutITsupport.•VLDBparametersareavailabletofine-tuneandoptimizeSQLgenerationspecifictoeachdatabase.•MicroStrategyleveragesanaggregate-awareSQLgenerationenginetotransparentlynavigateaggregatetables,dynamicallydirectingqueriestosummarytables,withouttheuserhavingtospecifytheuseofthetablewhencreatingthequery.•MicroStrategycangeneratemulti-passSQLtoansweranalyticalquestionsthatcannotbeansweredwithasingleSQLqueryblock,coveringscenariosthatinclude:setanalysis,splitmetrics,andcalculationsatdifferentlevelsofaggregation.
•PowerBIProcomeswithover20prebuiltapplications(called"contentpacks")thatincludedataconnectors,models,metadata,andout-of-the-boxdashboards.Prebuiltconnectors(andcontent)includeFacebook,Salesforce,DynamicsCRM,GoogleAnalytics,Zendesk,Marketo,etc.•InPowerBI,userscanquerycloud,relational,bigdatasources(Spark),andsomeon-premisesdata,butoverallitfunctionswithfewerdatasourcesthanMicroStrategy.•DirectQuerytoanalysisserviceson-premisesnowincludesconnectivitytoSQLServerAnalysisServices,multidimensionalOLAPcubes(SSASMD),aswellastabular.•Whenaliveconnection/DirectQueryisinplace(toacube),itisnotpossibletoconnecttoanotherdatasource.Withoutanunderlyingmetadatalayer,PowerBIisincapableofsupportingapush-downqueryarchitecturethatcanspanmultipledbs.•PowerBIsupportsalimitednumberofvendorsinDirectQuery(SQLServer,Oracle),butcannotliveconnecttoWeb,OData,IBMDB2,MySQL,Sybase,SAPBW,IBMInformixDatabase,orODBC.•PowerBIExcelconnectivitytomultidimensionalcubesissupported.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotMicrosoftPowerBIDetailsbyCapability -vsPowerBI -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
DataPreparationandBlending
Transformandarrangedatatomakeitbettersuitedforvisualexploration,withtheabilitytocreatejoinsacrosstablesfromdisparatesources.
MicroStrategyoffersbuilt-indatawranglingandblendingcapabilitiesandissupportedacrossalldatasources.•EnduserscanperformtransformationsondatapriortovisualizinginformationusingdozensoffunctionsavailableviagraphicalinterfacesandwithoutexportingouttoExcel.•Datawranglingandblendingispossiblebybusinessusersacrossspreadsheets,relationalsources,HDFS,cloudsystems,andotherpopulardatabases.•Userscansplitcolumns,identifyspellingerrors,performtextandnumericfacets,eliminatewhitespaces,pivottables,andperformdozensmoretransformationsbasedonintelligentrecommendationsfromtheproduct.•Historylistsareautomaticallyrecorded,sowhenmorecurrentdataisavailable,theactionsdonotneedtoberepeated.
•PowerBIworksbestifthedatapulledinhasalreadybeenproperlyscrubbedandcleanedup.•Formorerobustdatacleansingcapabilities,customerswillneedtofindanalternatesolutionsuchasAlteryxtocleanseandpreptheirdata.
EnterpriseReports
Optionstoviewlargevolumesofdatainaneasy-to-readgridformat,withtoolstoperformad-hocanalysisforimproveddecision-making.
•MicroStrategyprovidesaflexiblereportingenvironmentthatleveragesOLAPfunctionalitytogiveenduserstheabilitytoquicklysliceanddicedatafromacrossmultiplesources,usingavarietyofoptions:sorting,pivoting,page-by,drilldown,drillanywhere,totalsandsubtotals,one-clickmetrics,derivedelements,viewfilters,lockheaders,switchbetweengrid/graph,fittocontent/window,andmore.•Withtheabilitytopublishbandedreports,theplatformcanrollupandpresentdynamicaggregatesforlargevolumesacross100sofpagesofdata.•WithMicroStrategy,developerscanquicklydesignoperationalreportsandstatementsusingdrag-and-dropfunctionalityandflexibleformattinginordertostructurelargeamountsofdataintoanaturalhierarchyformaximumreadabilityandeaseofnavigation.•MicroStrategyenablesparameter-drivenreportsbysupportingmoretypesofuserpromptsthananyothervendor,allowinguserstoinputselectionsatruntimetoalterthecontentsofthereports.Optionsincludesimpledimensionprompts,hierarchyprompts,listprompts,objectprompts,valueprompts,levelprompts.
•PowerBIDesktopisusedfordevelopment.Itisathickclient,Windowsonly.andallowsfortheimporting,modelingandcleansingofdata.Userscanbuildreportsindesktopbutnotdashboards.
•PowerBIServiceisawebclientusedtobuildreportsanddashboards.Thereisnomodelingordatacleansingavailable,onlyimportofdatasets.ReportscreatedinPowerBIservicecannotbeusedindesktop.
•PowerBIreportsanddashboardscannotacceptorpassuser,account,orotherentityparameters.Thismakesitimpossibletocreateentity-specificdashboardssuchasadashboardforanaccount,opportunity,case,orcampaign.Instead,dashboardsarelimitedtoaggregateviewsofentitydata.
•DashboardsandreportscanonlybesharedwithuserswhohavethesameemaildomainsoremaildomainslistedwiththeOffice365tenant.
•Whileadatasetcanincludemultipledatatypes,PowerBIreportsanddashboardscanonlysourcedatafromasingledataset.Similarly,PowerBIcannotmiximporteddatawithdataaccessedfromreal-timeconnections.It'soneortheother.
•PowerBIdoesn'tsupportcustomcolors,dynamicreferencelinesorparameters,parseddates,quickcalculations,ordynamictooltips.
•PowerBIismainlyusedforparameterizedreportsanddashboards,notforenterpriseoperationalreporting.PowerBIisaseparateproductlinefromMicrosoftSQLServerReportingServices•Bandedreportsarenotsupported.
•Userscanprintanentiredashboard,adashboardtile,areportpage,orareportvisualfromPowerBIservice.Reportscanonlybeprintedonepageatatime.Youcannotprinttheentirereportatonce.
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TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
Dashboardsanddocuments
Highlyformattedoptionstoauthor,visualize,andinteractwithdatatoidentifytrendsandoutliersandmakeefficientdecisions.
•MicroStrategydeliversgraphicalWYSIWYGdesignertoolstocreatepixel-perfectdocuments,invoices,statements,scorecards,andinteractivereal-timedashboards,allfromasingledesigneditor.•AllstylesofBIdescribedabovesupportresponsivedesignandcanbeconsumedonanybrowserormobiledevice.•Dashboardsarebuiltonthemetadatamodel,sotheyaresecureandpersonalizedforeachuser,andsupporttransactions,offlineconsumption,andcanbedeliveredinanydesiredformat.•Dashboardssupportad-hocdatadiscoveryacross100sofoptionsandletusersvisualizedatawithaccesstonativeandthird-partychartinglibraries.•Transactionalworkflowscanbeembeddedtoenablewrite-backcapabilitiesforbothwebandmobileapplications.
•PowerBIDesktopisusedfordevelopment.Ititsathickclient,Windowsonly.andallowsfortheimporting,modelingandcleansingofdata.Userscanbuildreportsindesktopbutnotdashboards.
•PowerBIreportsanddashboardscannotacceptorpassuser,account,orotherentityparameters.Thismakesitimpossibletocreateentity-specificdashboardssuchasadashboardforanaccount,opportunity,case,orcampaign.Instead,dashboardsarelimitedtoaggregateviewsofentitydata.
•DashboardsandreportscanonlybesharedwithuserswhohavethesameemaildomainsoremaildomainslistedwiththeOffice365tenant.
•Whileadatasetcanincludemultipledatatypes,PowerBIreportsanddashboardscanonlysourcedatafromasingledataset.Similarly,PowerBIcannotmiximporteddatawithdataaccessedfromreal-timeconnections.It'soneortheother.
•PowerBIdoesn'tsupportcustomcolors,dynamicreferencelinesorparameters,parseddates,quickcalculations,ordynamictooltips.
MobileAnalytics
Consumereportsanddashboardsonmobiledevices,withcompleteinteractivity,inordertoperformanalyticsandmakedecisionswhileonthego.
•MobileisfullyintegratedintotheMicroStrategyanalyticsplatform,soorganizationscanleverageexistingvisualizations,reports,anddashboardstoinstantlydeployBIonmobiledevices.•MicroStrategyMobileenhancesthemobileexperienceoniOSandAndroidbydeliveringnativeappsthatletuserstakefulladvantageoftheuniquecapabilitiesoftheirmobiledeviceswheninteractingwiththeirdata,whilealsobeingabletorelyontransactionandofflinecapabilities.•Withflexible,code-freetoolsandaclick-to-configuredevelopmentcanvas,organizationscanmobilizebusinessworkflowsanddeliverahighlyresponsive,nativeuserexperiencewithappsthatcanbebuiltinrecordtimeandatafractionofthecost.
•PowerBIsupportshybridappsforiOS,Android,andWindows.BesidesviewingPowerBIdashboardsandreports,userscanalsoleveragesupportforPowerBIonAppleWatch.Userscanannotateandshareafile,report,orvisualization.ItdoesnotprovideamultimediawidgetcontrolsimilartoMicroStrategy.PowerBIdoesnotprovidetransactional(write-back)capabilities.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotMicrosoftPowerBIDetailsbyCapability -vsPowerBI -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
RealTimeAnalytics
Theabilitytodeliverinstantanalyticsandinsightswheredataisavailableinreal-time.
MicroStrategydeliverstheabilitytovisualizedatafromexternalstreamingapplicationsandtriggeralertsfromthesesources.•Theplatformcaninstantlyingestreal-timefeedsfromStorm,Spark,andKafka.Forotherrelationalsystems,theplatformcanalsosupportdatarefreshesatthesmallestintervals,andcanperformatthespeedofincominginformation.•MicroStrategycanmanagereal-timeinformationandgiveaninstantviewofthedata.•Theapplicationcanalsosendthreshold-basedalertstoanydeviceallowingdecision-makerstotakeinstantandproactiveaction,allinrealtime.•MicroStrategycanalsointegratewithvisualizationsandwidgetsthatsupportreal-timemappingofinformationonbothWebandMobile.
•PowerBIsupportsreal-timestreaming.Thedevicesandsourcesofstreamingdatacanbefactorysensors,socialmediasources,serviceusagemetrics,andanythingelsefromwhichtime-sensitivedatacanbecollectedortransmitted.•Therearethreetypesofreal-timedatasetswhicharedesignedfordisplayonreal-timedashboards:pushdatasets,streamingdatasets,andPubNubstreamingdatasets.Eachcomeswithcertainlimitations.UserscannotconnecttopushorstreamingdatasetsinPowerBIdesktop.•Streamingdatasetsdonotsupportfiltering.Forpushdatasets,userscancreateareport,filterthereport,andthenpinthefilteredvisualstoadashboard.However,thereisnowaytochangethefilteronthevisualonceit'sonthedashboard.•Livereportfileswillnotupdateinreal-timeasdataispushedin–usershavetomanuallyupdatethevisualizations.•Modelingisnotpossibleonastreamingdatasetsincethedataisnotstoredpermanently.However,itispossibletomodelapushdataset,asuserscanusetheupdateddataset/tableRESTAPIstoaddmeasuresandrelationships.•Whileadatasetcanincludemultipledatatypes,PowerBIreportsanddashboardscanonlysourcedatafromasingledataset.Similarly,PowerBIcannotmiximporteddatawithdataaccessedfromreal-timeconnections.It'soneortheother.
PredictiveAnalyticsandMachineLearning
Advancedalgorithmsandworkflowsforuserstobeabletoperformsummarizations,optimizations,predictions,statisticalcalculations,orcreatecustomgroups,training,andscoringmetrics.
WithminimalhelpfromIT,MicroStrategyuserscancreateandvisualizeadvancedmetricsandperformthemostcomplexcalculations.•EnduserscanbuildsophisticatedstatisticalandmathematicalmodelswiththenativelibraryoffunctionsavailabledirectlywithMicroStrategy.Theycangeneratepredictive,scoring,ortrainingmetricsusingnativelyavailablealgorithms.•MicroStrategyoffersover350nativefunctions,outofthebox,sothatbusinessusersareabletoperformdataminingandcreatehighlyadvancedstatisticalalgorithmsontheirown,withminimalsupportfromIT.•UserscanintegrateMicroStrategywithdataminingmodelsfromotherapplicationsbyimportingPredictiveModelMarkupLanguage(PMML),SAS,andSPSSintothemetadatarepository.•Theplatformintegrateswiththird-partyoptionslikeRusinggraphicalinterfaces.
•PowerBIallowsuserstoinstallalocalRinstanceandembedanRscriptdirectlywithinPowerBIDesktop.•Forecastingthroughamenu-drivenoptionisnotsupported.•PowerBIdoesnotnativelysupportdecisiontreesandclustering,althoughthird-partyextensionsareavailable.•StatisticalfunctionssuchasDataAnalysisExpressions(DAX)arenativelysupported.•ThereisnosupportforPMML.
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TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
BigDataAnalytics
AccessdatafromHadoopandotherdistributedfilesystemswithoutlimitationsonsizeandwithoutexperiencingdropsinperformance.
MicroStrategyistheonlycomprehensiveplatformthatsupportsaccesstobigdatawithnativeconnectorstoHDFSwhilealsoprovidingbuilt-inworkflowsfordatapreparationontopofHadoopdata.•Whetherit’sapersonalspreadsheetoradispersedHadoopDistributedFileSystem(HDFS),userscaneasilyconnecttotheirdatawithoutrelyingonITandwithoutlimitsondatasize.It'seasytoaccessdatafromanyflavorofHadoop,includingCloudera,Hortonworks,andMapR,withcomprehensivesupportforSpark,Kerberos,andthetopfileformats.•WithMicroStrategy,userscanleverageinformationfromclickstreams,webactivity,callcenterlogs,andIDscans-andblenditwithdatafromothersourcesusinggraphicalworkflows.•MicroStrategyconnectstobigdatasourcesandNoSQLoptionssuchasMongoDBandCassandra,andalsoconnectstoHDFSvianativeconnectorstoClouderaHive,Impala,MapRDrill,Pigscripts,SparkSQL,andmore.•WithMicroStrategy,userscanalsolimitandmanagetheamountofdataimportedfromHDFS,orperformaggregationsontopofthedatapriortoimportingitintoMicroStrategyforanalysis.•Userscanalsoapplyadvancedfunctionsandfilterstocontrolandrestricttheamountofdata.
•PowerBIconnectstoSparkonAzureHDInsightviaDirectQuery.•ThePowerBIserviceonlysupportsaconfigurationofSpark2.0andHDInsight3.5.•Eachaction,suchasselectingacolumnoraddingafilter,sendsaquerybacktothedatabase,whichmaynegativelyimpactperformance.•PowerBIQ&AisnotavailableforDirectQuerydatasets.•Schemachangesarenotpickedupautomatically.•PowerBIsupports16,000columnsacrossalltableswithinadatasetand,whenworkingwithaSparkdatasource,usersmayencounterlimitations.
AutomatedDistributionandAlerting
Distributereports,dashboards,anddocumentstolargeaudiencesinapersonalizedandautomatedmanner.Thishelpstoensuretheon-timedeliveryofinformationtoend-userssotheycanmaketimely,informeddecisions.
MicroStrategyisdesignedforhigh-volume,automateddeliveryofreportsanddashboards.•Theplatformmakesitpossibletoscaledistributionofanalyticalcontentto100softhousandsofusers,withtheabilitytoautomateandschedulethedeliveryofreportsanddashboards,basedontime-,event-,andthreshold-basedalerts.•MicroStrategysupportsthewidestvarietyofdeliverymethods,withoptimalformattingforeachdeviceandapplication.•MicroStrategyprovidesburstingcapabilitiestodeliverslicingorpage-byexecutions,allowingasinglereporttobeextractedfromthedatawarehousethatcanbeparsedintosub-reportsforindividualsubscribers.Thisavoidshavingtorundifferentreportsfordifferentrecipientswhilestillbeingabletogeneratepersonalizedreports.•AlertingcapabilitiescanmonitorKPIvalueswhennewdataisavailableandsenddetailedreportsoralertmessageswhenthresholdsarereached.•SecurityfiltersandACLssetontheuserlevelguaranteespersonalizedandsecureinformationto1000sofuserswiththedeliveryofasingledashboard.•MicroStrategyleveragessegmentationcapabilitiestomanageresourceutilizationinlargescalereportdeliverydeploymentsbyanalyzingthelistofsubscriptionstodetermineifseveralsubscriptionssharethesamecombinationofsecurityandpersonalizationandgroupingthemintobucketssincetheyreceivethesamecontent.
FromburstingandsmartpaginationforPDFexportstothedeliveryofhighlypersonalizedcontent,MicroStrategydeliverssophisticateddistributioncapabilitiesthatmakeitpossibletopublishdataandinsightsacrosstheorganizationwithouttheneedtoinvestinothertechnologies.
•UserscansharecontentviathePowerBIteamsite,buttheycannotschedulethedistributionofcontentviaemailorPDFonatimeoreventbasis.•Userscanprintanentiredashboard,adashboardtile,areportpage,orareportvisualfromPowerBIservice.Reportscanonlybeprintedonepageatatime.Youcannotprinttheentirereportatonce.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotMicrosoftPowerBIDetailsbyCapability -vsPowerBI -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
EnterpriseMobility
TransactionalWorkflows
Write-backcapabilitiesthatallowmobileuserstosubmittransactionstoERP,CRM,orotheroperationalsystems.
•MicroStrategyprovidesmobilewrite-backcapabilitiesthatletusersupdatesystemsofrecordfromthefield.Userscanchangedataonthefly,insertnewinformation,andviewupdatedreportsanddashboards.•Thesetransactionscanincludeone-tapapprovalsanddenials,inputsforcapturingnewinformation,andeditingexistinginformationinERPsystems,CRMsystems,andotheroperationaldatabases.•Appdeveloperscancreatesmartformsthatarecontextualandconditional,basedonauser’spermissionsorlocation.•MicroStrategyoffersabroadsetofinputcontrols,includingbarcodescanners,signaturecapture,starrating,textandnumberfields,calendar,camera,steppers,sliders,andmore.•TransactionServicescanalsoauto-captureadditionalinformationalongsidetheuserinputstofurtherstreamlinebusinessprocesses.Forexample,theuser’sprofileinformationaswellaslatitude,longitude,andatimestampcanbeincludedinatransactionalsubmissionwithoutrequiringadditionalworkbytheuser.•Userscanaccesstransactionalinputsandformsregardlessofinternetconnectivity.Whenoffline,transactionsarequeuedforsubmissionandexecutedwhentheusernextconnects.
•IncontrasttoPowerBIdesktop,themobileclientdoesnotsupporttransactional(write-back)capabilitiesfrommobiledevices.•Thiscreateslimitationsforusers,preventingthemfrommakinganyrevisionstodatasetsdirectlyfromtheirmobiledevices.
EmbeddedMultimedia
Abilitytodownloadandviewmultimediafilesonlineandoffline,suchaspresentations,videos,PDFs,andePUBbooksonmobiledevices.
•MicroStrategyprovidesin-appviewingofmultimediacontentincludingvideos,PDFs,images,presentations,spreadsheets,documents,email,andwebcontent—allseamlesslyembeddedinthemobileapp.•Asisthecaseforothercontentintheapp,multimediacanbepre-cachedorstoredforconvenient,offlineaccess.•Therearetwowaystoincludemultimediainapps:HTMLcontainersandtheMultimediaWidget.•HTMLcontainersenableaccesstoanywebcontentbyplacingitdirectlyintheapp'siFrame.URLsprovidelinkstopullupentiredocumentsorwebpages.•TheMultimediaWidgetprovidesaframeworkinwhichtodownload,consume,andstoremultimediafiles.WebDAVfolderintegrationenablesuserstodynamicallybrowseandviewexistingfilesandfoldersinaWebDAVfolder,forexampleinMicrosoftSharePoint.Thismakesiteasyfortraditionallynon-technicalpeople,forexampleinMarketingorHR,todistributeupdatedversionsofcollateralortrainingvideostoemployeesinthefield.•MicroStrategyalsoprovidesawidgetthatisespeciallydesignedforvideos.Theinteractive,elegantVideoPlayerWidget(thatleveragesthenativeOSvideoplayer)loadsandplaysavideofromaremotelocationorfromthelocalcache.Thewidgetcandisplay:videosfromastreamingservicesuchasYouTube,videosfromafileserverlocation,oracachedvideofromtheWebDAVcache.Ifthemobiledeviceisonline,theVideoPlayerWidgetloadsthevideofromtheremotelocationbutissmartenoughtocheckfirstifalocalcachealreadyexistsonthedevice’sWebDAVcachestore.
•MobilePowerBIdoesnotprovidesupportforin-appviewingofmultimediacontentincludingvideos,PDFs,images,presentations,andwebcontent.•Thelackofthiscapabilityisalimitingfactor,makingitdifficultfornon-technicalusers(suchasmarketingorHRemployees)todistributeupdatedversionsofsalesenablementmaterialsornewhiretrainingcontenttofieldemployees.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotMicrosoftPowerBIDetailsbyCapability -vsPowerBI -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
GeospatialAnalysis
Abilitytodisplaygeospatialdataoverlaidonaninteractivemap(ESRI,GoogleMaps,andcustomimages).
•MicroStrategyabstractsallthegeospatialanalysiscapabilitiesfromthebasemaplayer,socustomerscanleveragewhicheverbasemaptheywant,dependingonexistingmapinvestmentsorpreferences.•MicroStrategyMobileprovidessupportforbuildingmapvisualizationsonESRIandGoogleMaps,aswellascustomimagesasmapswiththeImageLayoutWidget.Thesemapsrenderseamlesslyontheappropriatenativemobilemap(AppleMapsoniOSandGoogleMapsonAndroid).•BothESRIandGoogleMapsdisplaygeospatialdataoverlaidonaninteractivemap.Userscanswipe,scroll,andzoomindirectlyonthemap,orevenfilterthedatashownbyselectingelementswithintheirmobileapp.Datacanbedisplayedusingapinmarker,adensitymap,orabubbletoprovidemultipletypesofanalysiswithineachmap.Inaddition,ESRImapscandisplaydatafromacustomgeographicalregion,suchasthecountiesofastateordistrictswithinacity.Theimagelayoutwidgetallowsappdeveloperstoincludevisualizationsrepresentativeofdifferentgeographicregionssuchascountries,states,andregions,orvisualizationsthatrepresentcustomspatialanalyseslikeastorelayout.
•PowerBIofferslimitedmapssupportfortheirmobileapplications.TheresupportisonlylimitedtoESRImaps.However,theArcGISMapsforPowerBIdoesnotsupport"PublishtoWeb"functionality.Publishtoweborpublishtoemailarecrucialfeatures.Withoutthesefeatures,thesemapshaveverylimitedvaluesincetheycan'tbeshared.•FurthermoretheydonotsupportGoogleMaps.PowerBIuserscurrentlycannotsignintoaccesstheirprivateorganizationaldatasoitisn'tpossibletogainaccesstoextensivebasemapsandreferencelayers.
OfflineAccess Abilitytosupportapplicationsinofflinemoderegardlessofconnectivity.Thisincludesinteractivitywithdata,multimediacontent,andtransactionalworkflows.
•MicroStrategyMobileappscanbeconfiguredtoworkentirelyoffline.Thisincludessupportforanalytics,visualizations,multimedia,andtransactions.•MicroStrategyprovidesadvancedofflinefunctionality,including:promptpanelsthatdisplayvalidcachesformultiplepromptscenarios;visualcuessuchasanofflinemodeindicatorandshadingtoindicateavailability;aviewoftransactionqueues;andtheabilitytodeleteoredittransactionsbeforeaconnectionisreestablished.Inasituationwhereauserwantstoavoidusingdata,theusercanmanuallyswitchtoofflinemodeusingtheappsettings.•Whileusersareinofflinemode,mobileusagestatsarestillcapturedandsubmittedtotheserveroncetheuserreconnects.Additionally,data-at-restishighlysecured.Thestoreddataisencrypted;theappcanstillrequirecredentials,andtheofflinecachecanbesettoexpireatadesiredtime.
PowerBIprovideslimitedrenderinganddatamanipulationfunctionalityinofflinemode,asuserscannotfilter,crossfilter,sort,oruseslidersontheirreportswhenoffline.•Thebackgroundrefreshcapability,usedtoupdatecontentincellularnetworks,takesupto24hours,prohibitingusersfromaccessingrefreshedreportsinstantly.•Multimediacontent,suchasentireExcelworkbooks,andgeospatialcontent,suchasBingmaptiles,andsomecustomtilesarenotavailableoffline.
MobileClientCachingforHighPerformance
Abilitytocachedataonthedevicetooptimizeappperformance.Deliversub-secondresponsetimesevenwhendealingwithlargevolumesofdata,numerousconcurrentusers,orslow,unreliableconnectivity.
•MicroStrategyoffersthreemaincachingstrategiesthatcustomerscanleveragewhenconfiguringtheirapps:automaticcaching(devicescheckfornewandupdatedcontentandsynccontentinthebackground),pre-cachingfolders(asetofobjectsarepre-cachedwhentheappstarts),andadaptivemobilecaching(theappprioritizesbackgroundcacheloadingbasedonwheretheuserisanddownloadscontenttheuserwilllikelywanttoseebeforetheytaponit).•MicroStrategyhasasophisticatedanalyticalenginewithinthemobileclient,sothemobileclientitselfcanperformcomputationsonlocallycacheddatawithouthavingtogobacktotheserver.Becausethecomputationscanbedonelocallyonthedevice,thisalsohelpstospeedappperformance.•Asa100%nativeapp,MicroStrategyusesOpenGLframeworksavailableonthemobileOSwhichhelptoachievemaximumappperformance.Allofthedrawings(renderings)ofvisualizationsleveragenativedevicedrawingcapabilitieswhichareoptimizedforhighperformance.
•PowerBImobileprovidesalimitedclientcacheofupto250MBofdataofflinewhichimpactsrenderingandviewingoflargedatasets.•Theircachingmechanismupdatesthemobileappintermittently,whichiswhyinsightsareafewhoursoutofdate.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotMicrosoftPowerBIDetailsbyCapability -vsPowerBI -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
PersonalizedAlertsviaPushNotifications
Abilitytosendalertstomobileusersintheformofpushnotifications.Thesenotificationsshouldbetriggeredbypresetthresholds,orbeavailableondemand.
•MicroStrategy’sscalablealertingengineprovidespersonalizedalertstoeveryuser.•Thealertingengineisbasedonarobustdistributionserverthatsupportsmonitoringmultipledatasources100sof1000softimeseveryminuteandcreatingpersonalizedalertsformobileuserswhenasetconditionhasbeenmet.•Thresholdscanbesetonanymetriconanyreport.•Alertsarehandledthroughthedevice’snativepushnotificationsysteminoneofthreeforms:abadge(agraphicassociatedwiththeapplication),ahomescreennotification(amessagewhichtheusercanviewandinteractwith),and/orasound.•Smartbadgescanshowmetricvaluesorthenumberofalerts.
•PowerBIusershavelimitedalertcapabilities.Usersdonotreceivealertswithstreamingdata,alertsonlyworkfortilesfeaturingasinglenumbersuchascardsandgauges.
InstantUpdatestoCustomAppswithNoRecompilation
Updateandpublishchangestocustomappswithouthavingtorecompileandredistribute.Changesaredistributedandavailabletouserswithoutrequiringanappupdate.
•MicroStrategyletsappdevelopersmakeupdatesandpublishchangestotheirmobileappswithouttheneedtorecompile(inXcodeforiOSandinAndroidDevelopmentStudioforAndroid)andredistributeapps.Anychangeinfunctionalityorconfigurationisinstantlyreflectedinthemobileappwithoutrequiringtheusertoupgradetheapponthemobiledevice.Thisflexibilityisverypowerfulwhenusersaretryingtooperateonanagiledevelopmentcycle,whereusersneedtoaccessthechangesinstantlywithouthavingtoconstantlyupgradetheirapp.•MicroStrategyalsoprovidesadrag-and-dropinterfacetomigrateappsfromdevelopment,totest,toproductionbyusingMicroStrategyObjectManager.
•PowerBIMobiledoesnotsupportinstantupdatestoapps.Therefore,anychangesinfunctionalityorconfigurationarenotimmediatelyupdatedinthemobileapp.Thislackofflexibilitybecomesarealstumblingblockwhenusersaretryingtooperateonanagiledevelopmentcycle.Usersneedtoaccessthechangesinstantlywithouthavingtoconstantlyupgradetheirapp,sothislimitationresultsinanegativecustomerexperience.
Customize/WhiteLabel
Abilitytorebrandthemobileappbyincludingcustomizedicons,aswellassplash,launch,andloginscreens.
•TheMobileSDKprovidesappdeveloperswithamultitudeofcustomizationoptions.Thisincludesacode-freeapproachtowhite-labelingandrebrandinganyMicroStrategyMobileapp.•Customizationincludeschangingicons,aswellassplash,launch,andloginscreens.Itenablesdeveloperstomatchcorporatebrandingandlook-and-feelstandards.
•MicrosoftPowerBIdoesnotprovideanSDKbuildanddoesnotallowcustomizedbrandingofthemobileapp.
NativeIntegrationwithEMMVendors
NativeSDKintegrationwithleadingEMMvendorsAirWatch,MobileIron,andBlackberryDynamics,andAppConfigcommunityguidelines.
•MicroStrategy'snativemobilesecurityfeaturesprovideextensivecapabilitiestoprotectsensitivecompanydata,butMicroStrategyprovidestheflexibilitytoleverageadditionalthird-partycapabilities,includingthoseprovidedbyEMMvendors.•MicroStrategyoffersnativeSDKintegrationoniOSwiththreeEMMproviders:MobileIron,BlackberryDynamics,andAirWatch.MicroStrategyoffersnativeSDKintegrationonAndroidwithAirWatch.•MicroStrategyMobilealsosupportsEMMcapabilitiesviaimplementationoftheAppConfigguidelines,nativelyonbothiOSandAndroid.
•PowerBIdoesnotprovidenativeintegrationwithanyofthewidelyusedEMMvendors,whichlimitspopularbenefitssuchasApptunneling,useofexistingVPNsolutions,andmuchmore.EnterprisemobilitymanagementabilityislimitedtoMicrosoftIntune(aseparateproduct).
MobileAppUsageMonitoring
Abilitytocollectmobileusagestatisticsandpopulateadatabaseforanalysis.
•Mobileappclient-sidemonitoringcapturespersonalizedanalysiseverytimeausertapsonanappscreen.Statisticsaregatheredontimespentoneachappscreen,explorationpaths,GPSlocation,appusage,devicetype,operatingsystemversion,andcacheusage.•Withthisinformation,appdeveloperscantrackoverallappadoptionandgeo-locationofusage,performcohortanalysis,supportcontinuousdevelopmentcycles,analyzeappperformance,spotnetworkissues,andtrackadoptionratesofnewdevices,operatingsystems,andclients.Thesestatisticsarecriticaltodrivingappenhancementsandtohoningtheappexperience.•Mobileusagestatsarecapturedevenwhileauserisoffline.Oncetheuserreconnects,thestatsaresubmittedtotheserver.
•PowerBIdoesnotprovidebusinessuserstheabilitytoviewusagestatistics.Usersneedtoinvolveadmintoviewtheusagestatistics.PowerBIdoesnotprovideawaytogetusagelogsinanautomatedfashion.•AuditingusagemonitoringinPowerBIisonlyaPowerBIProfeature(notstandardusingthefreeversion)andauditingeventsareonlyavailableforPowerBIProusers,notthefreeversion.•Furthermore,themaximumdaterangeofusageislimitedto90daysevenwiththePowerBIProversion.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotMicrosoftPowerBIDetailsbyCapability -vsPowerBI -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
EmbeddedAnalytics
CreateCustomWebApplications
Theabilitytomodifyandextendexistingfunctionality,createacustomwebapplication,embedcontentinportals,orsimplychangethelookandfeelwithpersonalizedbrandingandlogosthroughapplicationprogramminginterfaces(APIs).
•Akeycomponentofanenterprise-classplatformistheabilitytomodifyandextendexistingfunctionalitytomeettheuniqueneedsofanorganization.Forbuildingcustomizedapplications,arobustBIplatformmustprovideaccesstoallofitsfunctionalitythroughAPIs.TheMicroStrategyBIplatformisamodern,sophisticatedservice-orientedarchitecturethatisdesignedforflexibilityandextensibilitysothatitcangrowwiththedemandsofenterpriseapplications.
•TheMicroStrategyWebSDKenablesdeveloperstobuildafull-fledgedwebapplicationorchangethelookandfeelofanexistingwebapplicationwithanintuitivecustomizationtool.TheWebCustomizationEditorisintegratedwiththemostwidelyusedJavaIDE,Eclipse.Withover5000classesexposedintheWebAPI,thisintegrationnotonlysimplifiesdevelopment,butalsoallowsdeveloperstowritetheircodewithoutmodifyinganysourcecodeorout-of-the-boxconfigurationfiles.Thisapproachishelpfulinmaintainingandupgradingcustomizations.
•TheWebSDKalsoallowsdeveloperstowritetheirownWebServicesthatencapsulateMicroStrategyfunctionalityandexposethisfunctionalitytothird-partyapplications.SincetheservicesusestandardprotocolssuchasHTTPorHTTPSandgeneratearesponseinstandardW3C-compliantformatssuchasXMLorJSON,anythird-partyapplication(webormobile)canconsumetheseservicesandembedMicroStrategyfunctionalityintotheirproduct.MicroStrategy'sservice-orientedarchitectureguaranteesefficiencyforeachserviceorcomponentwithnocoderedundancy.Thisarchitectureisinstarkcontrasttotheservice-orientedarchitecturesofotherBIvendors,whichareaproductofdisparate,separatelydevelopedarchitectures,inheritedfrommergers,andmashedtogether.
•Inaddition,MicroStrategyprovidesaplug-inarchitecturethatenablesdeveloperstoextendout-of-the-boxMicroStrategyWebcodewithstand-alonecustomizationswithouttheneedtochangethesourcecode,thus,makingupgradeswithoutrecodingpossible.MicroStrategysupportsthefollowinglanguagesforWebSDK:Java,XML/JSON,JavaScript,and.NET.
•MicrosoftPowerBIcontentcanbeembeddedincustomapplicationsthroughthePowerBIEmbeddedService.However,PowerBIdoesnothaveacomprehensiveWebAPIsthatallowdeveloperstocustomizewithbranding,logos,orfunctionality.MostpeopleusePowerBIforitsDesktoptoolandnotforitswebcapabilities.
CreateCustomMobileApplicationsiniOSandAndroid
Theabilitytocreatecustomizedmobileapplications,embedBIinthird-partyapps,orrebrandthemobileappbyincludingcustomizedicons,aswellassplash,launch,andloginscreens.
•TheMicroStrategyMobileAPIenablesmobileappdeveloperstocustomizeMicroStrategyMobileappsonAndroidandiOSmobiledevicesbychangingthelookandfeeloftheapp,ordevelopingnewMobileappsthatuseMicroStrategyBIcontent.MicroStrategyprovidesdifferentAPIsforAndroidandiOSdevices.TheflexibilityoftheMobileAPIsenabledeveloperstobuildcustommobileapplicationstoaccommodategrowingneedsoftheorganization.
•TheMobileSDKforiOSconsistsofXcodeprojectsthatallowdeveloperstocompileanddistributecustomMicroStrategyMobileapps.WithoneoftheXcodeprojects,userscanrebrandtheappbyaddingicons,splashscreens,andanappnamethroughsimpleconfigurationchanges.Inaddition,theMobileSDKforiOSenablesuserstoembedMicroStrategyinanexistingapplicationorbuildcustomwidgetsthatcanconsumeMicroStrategydata.
•TheMobileSDKforAndroidletsuserscustomizetheMicroStrategyMobileapplicationtomatchcorporatebrandingrequirements.Italsoallowsuserstopreconfiguretheapplicationtoallowmultipleinstancesoftheapplicationtoexistonasingledevice.
•MicroStrategysupportsthefollowingprogramminglanguagesforMobileSDK:iOS-ObjectiveC,Swift;Android–Java.
•Theabilitytorebrandthemobileapp,includingcustomizedicons,splashscreens,andloginscreensisnotyetsupported.Inaddition,thereisnosupportforembeddingPowerBIcontentinanexistingmobileapplicationorbuildingwidgetsthatconsumePowerBIdata.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotMicrosoftPowerBIDetailsbyCapability -vsPowerBI -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
EmbedThird-PartyDataasDatasets
Theabilityforthird-partyapplicationstopushdatadirectlyintoaBIapplicationforuseindashboardsorreports.
•Organizationsarealwayslookingtoconnecttoavarietyofsourcesthatmaynotbenativelysupportedwiththeplatform.UsingthePushAPI,organizationscanpushexternaldatainJSONformatusingRESTAPIsintoin-memorycubesontheMicroStrategyIntelligenceServer,souserscanreadilyconsume,process,andanalyzethecorrespondingdata.•MicroStrategymakesitpossiblefororganizationstoleveragenewdataassetsbyenablingapplicationssuchasETLtoolsthatconnecttothesedatasourcesandmovedataintoMicroStrategy.•ThePushAPIenablesthird-partyvendorstogenerateMicroStrategydatasets,thus,unlockingnewend-userworkflowsandopportunitiesforpartnerintegrations.
•PowerBIdoesnothaveamechanismforthird-partyapplicationstopushdataascubes.Thus,customerscanonlyusethelimiteddatasourcesthatarecertifiedbyPowerBI.
CreateCustomHTML5Visualizations
TheabilitytoembedorcreatecustomHTML5visualizationswithopensourcelibrariessuchasD3,thatcanbedeployedontopofdatasources.
•MicroStrategyintegrateswiththird-partyandopensourceJavaScriptvisualizations,souserscantellevenmorecompellingstorieswiththeirdata.•MicroStrategyprovidesAPIs,tools,samples,anddocumentationtohelpusersbuildcustomHTML5visualizationsusingopensourceandcommerciallibrarieslikeD3andGoogleCharts.•Userscanbuildoutsupportforfunctionalityincludingselectors,dropzones,colorpalettes,andthresholds.Itisalsopossibletotransformvisualizationsintotext-basednarrativesbyintegratingwithnativelanguagegeneration(NLG)platforms,suchasthoseofferedbyAutomatedInsightsandNarrativeScience.
•MicrosoftPowerBIprovidestheabilitytoimportD3visualizationsandcreatenewcustomvisualizations.
ExtractSubsetsofDataUsingRESTfulAPIs
Theabilityforcustomthird-partywebapplicationstousetheBIplatformasadatasourcetoextractsubsetsofdatafromareportorexistingcube.
•WithRESTfulAPIs,organizationscanuseMicroStrategyasadatasourcetoquicklyextractsubsetsofpre-processeddatainJSONformat.ThisaddressestheneedsoflargeenterprisesandOEMpartnersthatconsumedatathroughMicroStrategy'sgovernedandsecuredarchitectureviacustomizedbusinessapplications.
•ThereiscurrentlynowaytoextractdatafromPowerBItobeusedincustomwebapplications.
CreateCustomDataConnectors
Theabilitytocreateacustomdatasourcethatuserscanconnecttoandleverageintheirreportsanddashboards.
•Withnewandupdateddatasourcesbeingpublishedbydatabasevendorsalmostweekly,organizationsneedfastaccesstoconnecttoandusethedatastoredinthesevariousdatalocations.•MicroStrategynativelysupports100softhemostpopulardatasourcesandcontinuestoenhanceconnectivitywitheachdatabaseupgrade.•MicroStrategyalsoallowsorganizationstobuildtheirownconnectorstocustomdataassetswiththeDataConnectorSDK.OrganizationscanleverageHTMLandJavaScripttobuildcustomconnectorsfortheMicroStrategyDataImportinterfaceandbuildtheirowncustomizedintegrationsforthesedatasourceswithinMicroStrategy,thus,providingusersaccesstoanydatasourcewithoutwaitingforthemtobecertifiedbytheplatform.
•MicrosoftPowerBIdoesnotcurrentlysupportthecreationofcustomdataconnectors.Rather,PowerBIprovidessupportforonlyasetofdatasourcesthatareavailableforuse.
MultitenancySupport
Theabilitytodeployasingleinstanceofasoftwareapplicationtoservemultiplecustomers,whereeachcustomeriscalledatenant.
•MultitenancyenablesanOEM’svariouscustomerstoexperiencecustomapplications,allbuiltonasinglearchitecture.Sharingresourcesresultsinlessadministrativeoverhead,reducedresourceconsumption,andlowoverallTCO.•MicroStrategysupportsaspectrumofmultitenantarchitecturesfromhighisolationtohighsharing.Inaddition,MicroStrategyallowsforpersonalizationinasharedprojectsuchascustombrandingandlogosforeachtenant,personalizedobjectnames,andinternationalizationcapabilities.
•PowerBIrecentlyintroducedrow-levelsecurity,whichishowtheygoaboutsettingupamultitenantenvironment.However,thereisnowaytocustomizeeachenvironmentwithatenant'sbranding,logo,orcustomizedschema.Theyhavelimitedmulti-tenantarchitectureoffersaswell.
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CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
EnterpriseCloud
SimplifiedEnterpriseDeployment
TheabilitytoeasilydeployanenterprisecloudenvironmentwithoutITsupport.
•MicroStrategyonAWSwillenablecustomerstodeployenterprisenetworksthatarefullyconfiguredandreadytouseinlessthan30minutes.Thissavesuserstimeandmoneybyeliminatingtheneedtodownload,install,andconfiguretheenvironmentsthemselves.Userscanchoosefromdifferentinstancetypesandsizesbasedoncostorusagerequirements.•Cloudenvironmentscanalsobedeployeddirectlyintoacustomer'sAWSaccountformaximumcontrol.•Userscanlaunch3differentenvironmenttypes,rangingfromanall-in-onesystemtoanenterprise-gradedistributedandredundantsystem.
•PowerBIisonlyaSaaS.Itisnotdeployableasasingletenant.OrganizationslookingforenterprisegradeperformanceshouldnotusePowerBI.
GlobalAvailability
Theabilitytodeployenvironmentsglobally.Globaloptionsmakeiteasyforcustomerstodeploytheirenvironmentsclosertohomesotheycanmeetperformance,compliance,anddatarequirements.
•MicroStrategyCloudcandeploydistributedandredundantsystemsinover42AWSAvailabilityZonesin16geographicregionsaroundtheworld.ThisincludescountriesacrossNorthAmerica,SouthAmerica,Asia,Europe,andAustralia.ThisenablesorganizationstodeployMicroStrategyclosertoitsusers.Thisdecreaseslatencyandenablesfasterresponsetimes.Byhavingdatacentersclosertohome,italsoallowsthedataenterstocomplywithlocallawsandregulations.
RegionandNumberofAvailabilityZones
•AWSGovCloud(2)
•USWestOregon(3),NorthernCalifornia(3)
•USEastNorthernVirginia(5),Ohio(3)
•CanadaCentral(2)
•SouthAmericaSãoPaulo(3)
•EuropeIreland(3),Frankfurt(2),London(2)
•AsiaPacificSingapore(2),Sydney(3),Tokyo(3),Seoul(2),Mumbai(2)
•ChinaBeijing(2)
•NewRegions(comingsoon)ParisNingxia
•PowerBIisaSaaSsolutionthatrunsontopofAzure.Azureisgenerallyavailablein34regionsaroundtheworld,withplansannouncedfor4additionalregions.
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CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
APIEnabledOperations
JavaScriptframeworksthatprovideanumberofAPIstohelpcustomersbuildapplications.
•TheMicroStrategyCloudAPIgivescustomersunlimitedflexibilitytocreatetheirowncustomworkflows.Customershavetheabilitytobuildpersonalizeduserinterfacesfordeployingandmanagingtheircloudenvironments.ThisempowersdeveloperstoautomatetheirMicroStrategyCloudcapabilities.•ThroughAPIs,itispossibletolaunch1000MicroStrategyinstanceswithasinglelineofcode,resizethemtoanysize,andthenterminatethemoncedone.WithoutAPIs,thiswouldbeamanualprocess.It’seasytointegratewithotherautomationtoolsandtheAPIworkswithanyprogramminglanguage.
CloudSpecificAPIswesupport:•Retrieveorsearchforenvironments•Createnewenvironments•GetEnvironmentContactDetailsList•ResendEmailtotheownersoftheenvironments•Restartenvironment/s•Startenvironment/s•GetEnvironmentStates•Stopenvironment/s•Terminateenvironments•FindenvironmentdetailsbyenvironmentID•UpdateEnvironmentContactDetails•Updateexpirationdateforenvironment•FindalltheinstancesinanenvironmentbyenvironmentID•FindalltheinstancesstateinanenvironmentbyenvironmentID•RestartInstance•StartInstance•StopInstance•Findschedulesbyenvironmentid•Createscheduleforenvironment•Inactivatetheselectedschedulebyscheduleidandenvironmentid•Findschedulebyscheduleidandenvironmentid•Updatescheduleforenvironment•Resizeallserverinstanceorselectedserverinstanceofanenvironment•Createnewenvironments
•UserscanleverageanyprogramminglanguagethatsupportsRESTcallstocreatecustomPowerBIdashboardswithreal-timedata.However,customersarenotabletolaunchacloudserverwithPowerBIinstalledonit.
DisasterRecoveryandFailover
Clusteredserversthatrestorebackupsafterfailuresonoworkortimeislost.
•MicroStrategyCloudclustersenterprisedeploymentswithmultiplenodes,andgivesorganizationstheflexibilitytoaddadditionalnodes.•Clusterednodesprovideloadbalancing,highavailability,failover,andredundancy.Eachnodesynchronizesmetadatainformation,historylists,andreportcaches.Incaseofdisasterorfailure,MicroStrategybackupsarestoredredundantlyacrossmultipleavailabilityzonesandcanbeaccessedandrestoredinanalternateavailabilityzone.ThisaffordszerodowntimeanduserscanalwaysaccesstheirMicroStrategyenvironment.
•Highavailabilityoptionsforthegatewayarenotyetavailable.•ThePowerBIservicecomeswitha99.9%uptimeandafinancially-backedservicelevelagreement(SLA).ThisSLAcoversonlytheclouddeployment.
CentralizedAdministration
Asingleinterfacethatprovidesalltheadministrationtoolstomanageandmonitoranenterprisecloudenvironment.
•MicroStrategyallowsthecustomertostart,stop,andrestartanAWSenvironmentwhileretainingitscontents.Customerscantakeadvantageofstoppingtheirenvironmentstosaveoncosts,especiallyduringnon-peakhours.•ThenewEnvironmentManagertoolallowsuserstoscheduletheseroutinetaskstooccuratspecificdatesandtimes.•ForPOCordevelopmentpurposes,anadministratorcanstopthesemachinesduringnon-peakhourstoreducecosts.•Customersonlypayforwhattheyuse.
•TheadminportalallowsfortenantmanagementofPowerBIintheorganization.Itincludesitemssuchasusagemetrics,accesstotheOffice365admincenter,andsettings.
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CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
AutoScaling Theabilitytoresizecloudenvironmentsbasedontheconditionsthecustomerdefines.
•MicroStrategyCloudcustomershavetheabilitytoscaletheirenvironmentupordownwithover6differentinstancesizeoptionsfromAWSrangingfrom4vCPUand15.25GiBto64vCPUand488GiBofmemory.•Environmentscanscaleon-demandorschedulebasedonusagepatterns,applicationusagepatterns,anddatasize.Customerscanaddnewusersatanytimeanddeploymultipleenvironmentsandprojectsastheyseefit.•Customerspayforwhattheyuseaccordingtolengthoftime.
PowerBIisaSaaSsolutionthatrunsontopofAzure.Customerscanloaddatain-memory,limitingthemtojust10GBofdata.Or,theycanuseDirectQuery,whichalsocomeswithlimitations.
SeamlessUpgrades
Upgradetheplatformandcorrespondingserverswithoutanydowntimeoradditionalwork.
BymovingtotheMicroStrategyCloud,customerscanensurethattheyhavethelatestplatformandversionrelease,allowingthemtotakeadvantageofthelatestplatformsecurityandfeatureenhancements.WiththenewCloudEnvironmentManager,customerscanscheduleupgradesduringnon-peakhourstoguaranteeseamlessupgradeswithzerodowntime.Testingandhealthchecksareautomaticallyperformedtohelpensureasuccessfulupgrade.
•PowerBIisaSaaSsolutionthatrunsontopofAzure.Microsoftmanagesadministration,monitoring,ongoingmaintenance,andupgrades.
HighPerformanceandReliability
Maintainhighperformanceandreliabilitywithoutsacrificinguserexperienceorsecurity.
•EachMicroStrategydeploymentisinasingle-tenant,privatecloud.Thisallowsorganizationstocustomizethesoftwaretomeettheirneeds.Queriesrunbycustomerswillnotaffectothers.Eachinstanceisisolatedfromothersformaximumprivacy.
•TheMicroStrategyCloudoperationsteamhasthecloudexpertsandsupporttohelpensurehighperformanceandreliability.WearebackednotonlybyAWS’sworld-classinfrastructure,butalsoAWSexpertswhohelpeddesignandautomateourclouddeployment.OurCloudenvironmentwasbuiltwiththelatestAWStechnologyandaccordingtoAWS’sbestpractices.Ourteamproactivelypatchesinfrastructure,operatingsystems,andapplicationstooptimizeperformancewhiledeterringsecuritythreats.Wehaveprocessesinplacesothatsystemsaremonitored,includingtheanalyticsandmobilityservers.
•MicroStrategyallowsorganizationstoclusterupto8servernodes.Beyondbeingabletofurtherscaleinvolumeofanalyticscontent,thiswillimproveoverallSLAsbyreorganizinglargeclustersforhigheravailabilityandfasterservicerecovery,reduceTCObyconsolidationofmultipleenvironments,andremovefrictiontodeploynewapplicationsandincreaseusercapacity.
•PowerBIisnotrecommendedforanenterpriseclouddeployment.PowerBIhasa10millionrowlimitationanda10GBperuserlimitperuser.Thislimitstheamountofanalyticsausercandoandcanslowdownthemostcommonpoweruser.Thereisalsoa1GBlimit,perdataset,thatisimportedintoPowerBI.IfyouhavechosentokeeptheExcelexperience,insteadofimportingthedata,youwillbelimitedto250MBforthedataset.Enterprisedatasetsaretypicallymuchgreaterthan250MBsouserswillnotbeabletodoanytypeofanalysisordashboardcreationinPowerBI.
•ApplicationswithgreaterdatavolumescanbebuiltusingMicrosoftSQLServerAnalysisServicesorAzureHDInsights.However,thisaddstodeploymentcomplexityandownershipcosts.
DataConnectivityandMigration
Servicesforcustomerslookingtomovetheirdataintothecloudorconnecttheiron-premdatatotheircloudenvironment.
•MicroStrategyprovidesdataconnectivityanddatawarehousesolutionstomeetcustomerneeds.Customersmaychoosetomigratetheirdataintothecloud.WeofferoptionstomigrateintoAmazonRedshift,SQLServerEnterprise,SQLServerStandard,MySQL,orAuroraDWHplatforms.Whencustomerschoosethisoption,MicroStrategybuildsthechosenDWHwithinthesameVPCastherestoftheBIcloudenvironment.MicroStrategyworkswithcustomerstoselectthecorrectsize(CPU/RAM)DWHmachinethatmeetstheirneeds.ETLoptionsarealsoavailable.
•Ifacustomerchoosestomaintaintheirdatabaseon-premorinanotherclouddatasource,atypicalimplementationinvolvesestablishingaVPNconnectionbetweentheMicroStrategyCloudanditsdatabaseordata.Theperformanceofthisarchitecturecanvarybasedonavarietyoffactors,includingthephysicaldistancebetweentheMicroStrategyClouddatacenterandthecustomerdatasource,thelatencyofthedataconnection,thebandwidthoftheconnection,theamountofusage,itsqueryintensiveness,thequery-responselatencyofthecustomerdatasource,andothervariables.
•DatainPowerBIcanonlybemigratedtoAzuredatasources.•Dataconnectivityislimitedtoahandfulofdatasourcesandmostofthemhavetobequeriedandloadedintoafile.InthePowerBIservice,userscannotconnectdirectlytoadatabaseandbeginexploringitsdata(unlessitisatabularmodeldatabase).Userscan,however,usePowerBIDesktoporExceltoqueryandloadthatlogisticsdataintoadatamodelandthensaveasafile.UserscanthenimportthatfileintoPowerBIwhereadatasetiscreated.ThisisdifficultforcustomersnotcurrentlyutilizinganyMicrosoft'sdatasources.Thiswilladdcomplexityandcostformostusers.•Thereisnomigrationpathbacktoon-premisesandviceversa.
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CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
DataSecurity Securitytoprotectcustomerdata24/7/365.
•MicroStrategyCloudsecuritymeetsorexceedsindustrystandardsandbestpractices.MicroStrategyimplementsstrongcontrolpracticestoeffectivelymaintainthesecurityandavailabilityoftheMicroStrategyCloudandassociateddata.Wehelpensurethatyourdataissecureatnetworkandapplicationlevelsfromanyattacks.WefollowthelatestindustrystandardsonmanycompliancesandcertificationssuchasSOCI&II,HIPAA,PCI,andPrivacyShield.
•ThePowerBIserviceisbuiltontheMicrosoftAzurecloudcomputingplatformandtakesadvantageofAzure’ssetofsecuritytechnologiesandpractices.•PowerBIusesseparatefront-endandback-endclusters,thegatewayrole,andasecuredatastoragearchitecturetoprotectinformation.•Dataisencryptedatrestandintransit.
EnterpriseIoT
DigitalBadge Useasingledigitalidentifiertotrack,report,andmanagealluserinteractionswithenterpriseassets.Thebadgeverifiesidentitiespriortograntingaccesstoenterpriseassets.
•MicroStrategy,viaUsher,deliverssmartphone-baseddigitalbadgesthatprovideseamlessaccesstophysicalandlogicalassetsacrosstheenterprise.•Digitalbadgesreplacephysicalbadges,keyfobs,passwords,andotheridentifierswithdigitalcredentialsdeliveredviaamobileapp.Badgesarebrandedbytheissuingorganizationandaredynamicallyandsecurelylinkedtoanindividuals'privilegesandaccessrights.•Badgescanberemotelyissuedandrevokednearlyinstantaneously.Theyareprovisionedviasecure,out-of-bandmeans,andtheirusecanbegatedbybiometric,geographical,ortemporalconstraints.•Thedigitalbadgeprovidesauniqueidentifierthatcanbeusedbyanysinglebadgetovalidatetheidentityofanyotherbadge.Italsoprovidesone-timepasscodesforasecondfactorofauthentication.
•DigitalbadgesarenotprovidedinPowerBI.MicroStrategyistheonlyBIplatformthatofferspassword-freeloginviaamobileapp.
PhysicalAccess
Controlandmanageaccesstoanyentrywayacrossanenterpriseusingadigitalbadgetoenhanceorreplaceexistingaccesscardsforemployees,contractors,andvisitors.
•MicroStrategyprovidessmartphone-basedphysicalaccessfunctionalitypre-integratedwithleadingPACSvendors.Usherworkstoconsolidatemultiplephysicalaccesscontrolsystemsthroughoutanenterprise.•WithanOpenAPImodel,MicroStrategycanintegratewithpartnerphysicalaccesscontrolsystems,buildingautomationsystems,manufacturingsystems,InternetofThings(IoT)grids,andnetworksandmanagementsystemstodelivermoreadvancedfunctionalityandimplementationoptionstocustomers.
•Physicalaccessisnotsupported.PowerBIdoesnotsupportOTBintegrationwithleadingPACSvendorsonmobiledevices.Microsoft'sIoTproductsdonotprovidethisfunctionality.
LogicalAccess
AccessalltypesofdigitalassetsinanorganizationincludingBIapplications,webapplications,VPNs,andworkstationsfromasinglepoint.
•MicroStrategyprovidessecuredigitalidentitythatallowsuserstoaccessnearlyanysysteminanenterprise(devices,applications,andVPNs)fromasinglepoint.InordertobothprotectthecurrentITinvestmentsofcorporationsaswellasenablefutureinvestments,logicalaccesswithMicroStrategyiscompatiblewithbothindustry-standardprotocolslikeSAMLandRADIUSaswellasemergingstandardssuchasOpenIDConnect.
•MicrosoftPowerBIdoesnotofferlogicalaccesstodigitalsystemsotherthanitsownBIsuite.PowerBIcanbeconfiguredtouseSAML(securityassertionmarkuplanguage)orOAuthforpassword-freelogins/singlesign-on,butthisrequiresathird-partyauthenticationsolution.InWindows10Mobile,Microsoftdoesprovidesomeseamless/multi-factorlogicalaccesscapabilitiestodevices,VPNs,andthird-partyapps,thoughthatisadifferentproductentirelyandisnotinteroperablewithiOS/Androiddevices.
BluetoothSensing
Enablecontextualinteractions,security,andseamlessuserexperiencesviaBluetoothdeliveringreal-timelocationalawarenessofenterpriseassets.
•IntheMicroStrategyplatform,Usher’sBluetooth(BLE4.0)integrationenablesreal-timemicro-locationalawarenessofenterpriseassetsaswellastouch-freephysicalandlogicalaccess.•Thisallowsthousandsofuserstoprojecttheiridentityandmoveaboutacorporateenvironmentaccessingdoorwaysandsystemssecurelywithdrasticallydecreasedamountsoffriction.TheBluetoothsensingcapabilitycanalsobeconfiguredtologproximityataparticularplaceandtime.
•PowerBIdoesnotintegratewithBluetooth.IntheEIoTcontext,acustomerwouldneedtomakeaninvestmentintoMicrosoft'sAzureIoTplatformtoacquireBluetoothcapabilities.
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TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
BarcodeScanner
TrackenterpriseassetsbyscanningbarcodesorQRcodeswheneverauserinteractswiththem.Thisabilitysetsthefoundationforseamlessrepair,maintenance,andinventorymanagementofenterpriseassets.
•TheintegratedbarcodescannerinMicroStrategybadgescanscanvirtuallyanykindofQRorbarcodetag,securelyloggingalinkagebetweenanemployeeandaproduct,machine,oranyvaluableenterpriseasset.•ThiscapabilityallowsthetrackingofofflineassetsusinglabelsandtagswithbarorQRcodesandcanimproveprocessauditingandenforcementforcustomerservice,maintenance,andmore.Scanningbarcodeshelpstakedatafrommultiplecomponentsandsystemsandcombinethemtoimprovethepredictabilityofperformanceissuesthatariseinday-to-daybusinessoperations.
•TrackingassetswithbarcodescannersisnotsupportedinPowerBI.ThisisinpartduetoPowerBInotprovidingadigitalbadgeforuseininteractingwiththeEnterpriseInternetofThings.TheAzureIoTplatformcanpulldatacollectedbythird-partybarcodescanners,butthesearedistinctproductswithseparatelicensingandintegrationprocesses.
Communication&Collaboration
Empowermanagementanddecision-makingtobemoretimely,informed,andcollaborativethroughdirect,in-app2-waymessagingbasedonlocationandsystemsaccess.
•TheUsherout-of-the-boxproductivityapplicationallowsmanagerstoquicklyidentify,verify,coordinate,andcommunicatewithotherusers–eitherin-personorbyremotelocation.•UsershavethecapabilitytoexchangemessagesfromanyclientinterfaceviatheIdentityserverastheintermediary.Thisfeaturesupportsanumberofusecasesincludingemployeesafety,support,andcoordination,particularlyforfieldworkforcesorduringspecialevents.
•ForPowerBI,thisisnotofferedoutsideofannotationsandcollaborationfordashboardsinitsBIinterfaces.SincePowerBIdoesnotprovideadigitaltwinthatiscarriedbyuserswiththeminamobileform-factoratalltimes,itfurtherlacksaconvenientmeansofreachingusersinatimelyfashion.Additionally,thismeansthereismuchlesscontextualinformationavailableaboutusersinanygivenpointintimetoinfluencethedirectionofcommuniques.
Real-timeTelemetry
Generateconsumablereal-timeintelligenceviadigitalidentityinteractionswithalltypesofenterpriseassets(physicalandlogical)andconstituents.
•WithMicroStrategyUsherbadges,userpresenceandactionscreatereal-timetelemetryviaanApacheKafkaCluster–anopen-sourceprogramdeliveringadistributed,partitioned,andreplicatedcommitlogservicesupportingreal-timedataprocessingandbigdatavolumes.Thistelemetrydataisarichandunderutilizedsourceofinformationthatisthekeytounlockingasmarter,moreproductiveworkforce.Toexpeditevaluecreation,MicroStrategyhelpsorganizationsefficientlycreateandharnessmassiveamountsoftimelyinformationarrivingfromEIoTdevices.
•PowerBIsupportsreal-timestreamingwithsomelimitations.Thedevicesandsourcesofstreamingdatacanbefactorysensors,socialmediasources,serviceusagemetrics,oranythingelsefromwhichtime-sensitivedatacanbecollectedortransmitted.•Whileadatasetcanincludemultipledatatypes,PowerBIreportsanddashboardscanonlysourcedatafromasingledataset.Similarly,PowerBIcannotmiximporteddatawithdataaccessedfromreal-timeconnections.It'soneortheother.•PowerBIs'lackofadigitalbadgepreventsitfromgeneratingcomprehensive,real-timetelemetrystemmingfromtheinteractionsbetweenenterpriseassetsandconstituents.ToaccomplishsomeofthiswithMicrosoft,customerspurchaselicensesandserversforaseparateproduct(AzureIoT)thatisnotfullyintegratedwithPowerBI.
OTBReportingModule
Deployreportingbasedontelemetry,pullingdatafromallassetsandaccesspointstodeliverinsightintooperationsandcomplianceinaunified,“singlesourceoftruth”dashboard.Reportsshouldbecustomizablewiththeabilitytoblenddatafromotherenterpriserepositories.
•UsherAnalyticsisaMicroStrategyprojectincludedout-of-the-boxwithabadgeimplementation.MicroStrategytakescareoftheETLprocessessoaccessandauthorizationdatageneratedontheback-endisautomaticallyloadedintoadatawarehouseandleveragedbyapre-builtdataschema.Thisprojectincludesmultipledashboardsandamobileapplicationforvisibilityintointeractionsbetweenenterpriseconstituentsandassets.
•OTBreportingforanaccess-centricEIoTimplementationisnotsupportedbyPowerBI.AlthoughPowerBIcanintegratewithAzureIoTinafairlystraightforwardfashiontopullinsensordata,forPowerBItodeliverdashboardsthatshowaconvergedlogofphysicalandlogicaltransactionsbyeachuserinanenterprise,asignificantamountoflabor(connecting,ETL-ing,architecting,dashboarding)wouldneedtooccur.
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TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
IntegrationwithDirectoryServices
Synchronizetodirectoryservicesastheauthoritativesourceforemployeerecordsandattributes.Supporttheenforcementofdirectoryprovisioningforauthorization(privileges,entitlements,andrestrictions).
•WithintheMicroStrategyplatform,UsherNetworkManagerhaspre-builtdirectoryintegrationswithMicrosoftActiveDirectory,AWSDirectoryServices,andOktaUniversalDirectory.UsherisalsocompatiblewiththeOpenLDAPstandard.ThisallowsMicroStrategytoquicklyissuestandardizedcredentialstoallusers,eveninorganizationswhichutilizemultipleidentityrepositories-orevenmanuallyaddtemporaryuserswhodonotexistinanyrepository.
•PowerBIsupportsintegrationwithonpremiseActiveDirectoryserversmappingtoaUPNforcredentials.However,itintegratesnativelywithfewerthird-partyidentityrepositoriescomparedtoMicroStrategy.
IdentityServer Manageanetworkofusersbyconfiguringrelationshipsthatprompt,enable,orsecureinteractionsamongemployeesandassetswithinthenetwork.IdentityServersenableadministratorstocreate,configure,distribute,revoke,andmanagedigitalidentitieswithuserbadges.
•TheMicroStrategyUsheridentityserver,whichassignsandissuesdigitaltwinstousersintheformofbadges,isFIDOAlliance-certifiedonaUAFprotocolfordeliveringpassword-freeauthenticationbasedonpublickeycryptography.Itisstronglyresistanttophishingandcanmakeuseraccesssubjecttogeographicandtemporalconstraints.
TheUsherserverarchitectureisbuilttoensurethatonlyauthorizedbadgeuserscommunicatewiththeidentityserver,andonlyfromauthorizeddevices.TheUsherserverhasthesoleauthoritytoconvertamobiledeviceintoanauthorizeddevicethroughaprocessthathelpsensurethatroguedevicesorapplicationswillnotbeabletocommunicatewiththeidentityserver.Theidentityserverprovidessupportforencryptionofdataatrestandintransit,encryptionkeymanagement,andtransactionloggingtiedtoanindividualuser’sidentity.
•PowerBIdoesnotprovideOTBsupportforidentityservers.UserandassetadministrationinPowerBIislimitedtocontrollingBIapplicationsandenvironments.AsitpertainstotheEIoT,Microsofthasaseparateoffering(AzureIoT)whichallowsfortheprovisioningandconfigurationofrelationshipsbetweenconnectedsensorsanddevices(thoughthesearegenerallynotusedasidentityextensionsforemployees).
EnterprisePartner
100%FocusonEnterpriseAnalytics
Corebusinessisexclusivelyfocusedonenterpriseanalytics.
•MicroStrategyisdedicatedtoasinglebusinessline,exclusivelyfocusedonenterpriseanalyticsandmobilitysoftware.•MicroStrategy’smissionistoprovideenterprisecustomerswithaworld-classsoftwareplatformandexpertservicessotheycandeployuniqueintelligenceapplications.
•Microsoftisaconglomeratewith3distinctbusinesssegments,noneofwhichfocusonenterpriseanalytics.•WithintheIntelligentCloudbusinesssegment,ServerProductsandCloudServicesandEnterpriseServicesaretheprimarycategories.PowerBIismerelyoneofmanyproductsofferedintheCloudServicescategory(othersincludeSQLServer,WindowsServerandAzure).•PowerBIisn’tevenmentionedinMicrosoft’smostrecentannualreport.
PlatformCohesion
Cohesionisanimportantconceptinsoftwaredesignbecauseitreducescomplexity,enhancessystemmaintainabilityandincreasesreusability,whichtogetherpromoteperformance,scalabilityandelegance.
•MicroStrategy10hasaunifiedplatformarchitectureuniquelysuitedtodeliverhigh-performanceapplicationsthatarehighlyreusableandsecure,andcanmeetthebusinessintelligencedemandsofvarioususersandorganizations.•Sinceitsinception,MicroStrategyhasbeendevelopingitsplatformtechnology100%organically.
•Releasedpubliclyin2015,PowerBIwastheamalgamationofseveralMicrosoftExceladd-ins,includingPowerQuery,PowerPivotandPowerView.PowerBIisaSaaSonlysolutiondeliveredviatheAzurecloud,whereasMicrosoftReportingServicesandAnalysisServicesmakeupMicrosoft’son-premisessolution.Presently,theintegrationbetweenthetwoislimited.•MicrosoftacquiredDatazenin2015tobeefupPowerBI.•PowerBIcontinuestorelyonExcelforcertainfunctions,andenterprisecustomersoftenneedtouseotheranalyticstoolsinconjunctionwithPowerBI.•PowerBIhasnotbeenorganicallygrowntoserveasanenterpriseanalyticssolution.•PowerBImustcompeteforattentionandfundingwithintheMicrosoftconglomerate.
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TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTPowerBI PowerBI
ScoreMSTRScore
VisionaryCEO
CEOanticipatesanddrivestechnologytrendsintheenterpriseanalyticsindustry.
•MicroStrategy’sCEO,MichaelSaylor,hasanticipatedtechnologytrendssuchasmobiletechnology’stransformationofbusinessoperations,andledthecompanythroughmultiplewavesofinnovationsuchasclient-server,web,mobile,cloudandenterpriseinternetofthings.•Mr.SaylorisalsotheauthorofTheNewYorkTime’sbest-sellingbook,“TheMobileWave.”
•TheattentionofMicrosoft’sCEOisdividedamongalargenumberofbusinesssegmentsandproductcategories.It’sunclearwhattheCEO’svisionisforPowerBI.
CEOEngagementwithCustomers
CEOengagesdirectlyandsubstantiallywithcustomersaroundtheworld.
•MicroStrategy’sCEOdirectlyengageswithcustomersaroundtheworldbypersonallyparticipatinginamajorityofthe100+SymposiumeventsthatMicroStrategyholdsperyearin35differentcountries,inadditiontoothercustomermeetingsandeventsonaregularbasis.
•PowerBIisaverysmallportionofMicrosoft’sconglomeratebusiness.GiventhelargenumberofMicrosoftbusinesssegmentsandproductcategories,itsCEOcan’tbefocusedonengagementwithenterpriseanalyticscustomers.
TenuredExecutiveTeam
Executiveteamhasextensiveexperienceinenterpriseanalyticsandmobility.
•MicroStrategy’sCEOandCTOcollectivelyhaveover50yearsofexperienceinenterpriseanalyticsandmobility.•Additionally,MicroStrategy’sCEOhassciencedegreesfromMITandmorethan50patentstohisname,andhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindMicroStrategy’stechnologysinceitsinception.
•Enterpriseanalyticsisn’tthecorebackgroundofanymemberonMicrosoft’sseniorexecutiveteam.
ShareholderAlignment
Principalshareholderandmanagementinterestsarealignedwiththecompany’slong-termsuccess.
•Mr.Saylor,thecompany’sChairmanoftheBoard,President&CEO,foundedMicroStrategyin1989andhasbeenthecompany’scontrollingshareholdersinceitsinception.Accordingly,shareholderandmanagementinterestsarefullyalignedinpursuingMicroStrategy’svisionandlong-termsuccess.
•Microsoft’sstockownershipisdispersedanditslargershareholdersareinvestmentmanagementcompanies.•Microsoft’sCEOholdslessthan1%ownershipinterestinthecompany.EvenBillGates,thecompany’sfounder,onlyholdslessthan2.5%ofthecompany.
PubliclyTradedCompany
Withgreatertransparency,stabilityandaccesstofunding,apubliclytradedcompanygenerallyhasastrongermanagementteam,instillsgreaterconfidenceincustomersandhasmorefinanciallevers.
•Havinggonepublic18yearsago,MicroStrategyisamaturepubliclytradedcompany.
•Microsoftisapubliclytradedcompany,butPowerBI’sfinancialperformanceisunknownbecauseit’ssuchasmallportionofMicrosoft’soverallbusinessandMicrosoftdoesn’tseparatelyreportonit.ThismakesitmoredifficulttopredictMicrosoft’splansforPowerBIandcreatessignificantuncertaintyforcustomers.
StrongFinancials
Aprofitableorganizationwithastrongbalancesheetcanbetterwithstandmarketvolatilityandfluctuations.
•MicroStrategyhasbeenprofitableoverthelast13years,withcombinednetincomeof$197millionoverthelast2fiscalyearsandanoperatingmarginof21%for2016.•Inaddition,MicroStrategy’sbalancesheetisstrongwithzerodebt.
•Microsoftisaconglomerate,andthefinancialperformanceofPowerBIisunclear.
WorldwideSalesPresence
Companyhastheabilitytodirectlyengagewithorganizationsaroundtheworld.
•MicroStrategyhasofficesin26countriesacrosseverymajorregionoftheworld.
•WhileMicrosofthasofficesinanumberofcountries,Microsoftisaconglomeratebusiness,andtheextenttowhichthoseofficessupportenterpriseanalyticssalesandcustomersisunclear.
WorldwideServicesPresence
Companyhastheabilitytoprovidesupportandservicestocustomersaroundtheworld.
•MicroStrategyhasofficesin26countriesacrosseverymajorregionoftheworld.
•WhileMicrosofthasofficesinanumberofcountries,Microsoftisaconglomeratebusiness,andtheextenttowhichthoseofficesprovideenterpriseanalyticsservicesisunclear.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData OverviewOverview -vsOBIEE -
CriticalCapabilities-OBIEEScoresTechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
OracleScore
CriticalCapability
OracleScore CriticalCapability Oracle
Score CriticalCapability OracleScore
CriticalCapability
OracleScore
CriticalCapability
OracleScore
CriticalCapability
OracleScore
1ObjectOriented
Reusability
Self-ServiceData
DiscoveryTransactionalWorkflows
CreateCustomWebApplications
SimplifiedEnterpriseDeployment
DigitalBadge100%Focus
onEnterpriseAnalytics
2 DataGovernance
OptimizedData
ConnectivityEmbeddedMultimedia
CreateCustomMobile
ApplicationsiniOSandAndroid
GlobalAvailability
PhysicalAccess
PlatformCohesion
3 UserSecurity
DataPreparationandBlending
GeospatialAnalysis
EmbedThird-PartyDataas
DatasetsAPIEnabledOperations LogicalAccess Visionary
CEO
4 Scalability EnterpriseReports OfflineAccess
CreateCustomHTML5
Visualizations
DisasterRecoveryand
FailoverBluetoothSensing
CEOEngagement
withCustomers
5 PerformanceDashboards
anddocuments
MobileClientCachingforHighPerformance
ExtractSubsetsofDataUsingRESTfulAPIs
CentralizedAdministration
BarcodeScanner
TenuredExecutiveTeam
6 Automation MobileAnalytics
PersonalizedAlertsviaPushNotifications
CreateCustomDataConnectors AutoScaling Communication
&CollaborationShareholderAlignment
7 Monitoring RealTimeAnalytics
InstantUpdatestoCustomAppswithNoRecompilation
MultitenancySupport
SeamlessUpgrades
Real-timeTelemetry
PubliclyTraded
Company
8 DeploymentPredictive
AnalyticsandMachineLearning
Customize/WhiteLabel
HighPerformanceandReliability
OTBReportingModule
StrongFinancials
9 HighAvailability
BigDataAnalytics
NativeIntegrationwithEMMVendors
Data
ConnectivityandMigration
IntegrationwithDirectoryServices
WorldwideSales
Presence
10 In-memoryArchitecture
AutomatedDistributionandAlerting
MobileAppUsageMonitoring DataSecurity IdentityServer
WorldwideServicesPresence
TechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
OracleScore
CriticalCapability
OracleScore CriticalCapability Oracle
Score CriticalCapability OracleScore
CriticalCapability
OracleScore
CriticalCapability
OracleScore
CriticalCapability
OracleScore
145 / 167
CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData CriticalCapabilities-OBIEEScoresOverview -vsOBIEE -
TechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
OracleScore
CriticalCapability
OracleScore CriticalCapability Oracle
Score CriticalCapability OracleScore
CriticalCapability
OracleScore
CriticalCapability
OracleScore
CriticalCapability
OracleScore
1ObjectOriented
Reusability
Self-ServiceData
DiscoveryTransactionalWorkflows
CreateCustomWebApplications
SimplifiedEnterpriseDeployment
DigitalBadge100%Focus
onEnterpriseAnalytics
2 DataGovernance
OptimizedData
ConnectivityEmbeddedMultimedia
CreateCustomMobile
ApplicationsiniOSandAndroid
GlobalAvailability
PhysicalAccess
PlatformCohesion
3 UserSecurity
DataPreparationandBlending
GeospatialAnalysis
EmbedThird-PartyDataas
DatasetsAPIEnabledOperations LogicalAccess Visionary
CEO
4 Scalability EnterpriseReports OfflineAccess
CreateCustomHTML5
Visualizations
DisasterRecoveryand
FailoverBluetoothSensing
CEOEngagement
withCustomers
5 PerformanceDashboards
anddocuments
MobileClientCachingforHighPerformance
ExtractSubsetsofDataUsingRESTfulAPIs
CentralizedAdministration
BarcodeScanner
TenuredExecutiveTeam
6 Automation MobileAnalytics
PersonalizedAlertsviaPushNotifications
CreateCustomDataConnectors AutoScaling Communication
&CollaborationShareholderAlignment
7 Monitoring RealTimeAnalytics
InstantUpdatestoCustomAppswithNoRecompilation
MultitenancySupport
SeamlessUpgrades
Real-timeTelemetry
PubliclyTraded
Company
8 DeploymentPredictive
AnalyticsandMachineLearning
Customize/WhiteLabel
HighPerformanceandReliability
OTBReportingModule
StrongFinancials
9 HighAvailability
BigDataAnalytics
NativeIntegrationwithEMMVendors
Data
ConnectivityandMigration
IntegrationwithDirectoryServices
WorldwideSales
Presence
10 In-memoryArchitecture
AutomatedDistributionandAlerting
MobileAppUsageMonitoring DataSecurity IdentityServer
WorldwideServicesPresence
TechnicalSolution EnterprisePlatform EnterpriseAnalytics EnterpriseMobility EmbeddedAnalytics EnterpriseCloud EnterpriseIoT EnterprisePartner
Index CriticalCapability
OracleScore
CriticalCapability
OracleScore CriticalCapability Oracle
Score CriticalCapability OracleScore
CriticalCapability
OracleScore
CriticalCapability
OracleScore
CriticalCapability
OracleScore
146 / 167
CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData OverviewDetailsbyCapability -vsOBIEE -
WhyNotOBIEETechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTOracle Oracle
ScoreMSTRScore
EnterprisePlatform
ObjectOrientedReusability
Anobject-orientedarchitecturecatalogseveryaspectofthebusiness.Dataassets,KPIs,dimensions,users,reports,anddashboardsareallstoredinacentrallocationasuniquelogicalobjectstosupportreusability.
MicroStrategyoffersacentralizedmetadatarepositorythatisbuiltwithandcontainsobjects,asdefinedbydevelopers,andcanbereusedacrosstheBIproject.Objectscanbecombinedtocreatehigherlevelobjects(e.g.,attributesandmetricsmakeupareport;reports,filters,andpromptsmakeupadocument;documents,andotherreportscanbeembeddedintoadocument-allofwhicharestoredas"metadataobjects"),andthistogetherdeliversasingleBIprojectoradatamodel.•ThereusablemodelenablesobjectsacrosstheBIdeploymenttobesecurelyreusedhundredsoftimesbyusersacrosstheenterprise,withoutanyduplicationofeffort.•Themodelnotonlyincludesdimensionsandmetrics,butalsocoversfilters,reports,prompts,customgroups,reports,dashboards,anddocuments-makingitpossibletoflexiblyreusealloftheseobjectsmultipletimesacrossanyapplicationandBIproject.•Changesormodificationsmadetoanyobjectinthemetadataautomaticallyproliferatestoallotherdependentobjects.Thiseliminatestheneedtomanuallyupdatethechangesacrossthedeployment,whichisparticularlyhelpfulforlargerBIprojects.•Thereusablemodelhelpsensurefasterdevelopmenttimes,increasedplatformscalability,efficientmanagement,andalsomaintainsasingleversionofthetruth.
•UnlikeMicroStrategy,OracledoesnotofferaunifiedBIplatformwithasinglecodebase.•OBIEEisanattempttointegratetheformerSiebelBusinessAnalyticsPlatform,HyperionBI,andOracleBusinessapplications.Thisleadstooverlapsinfunctionalityandrequiressignificantmaintenanceeffortsbetweenthedifferenttools.•Thereisnoseamlessintegrationbetweenproductpackages,suchasFoundationSuiteandEndecadatadiscovery.Solutionsforvisualanalysisandadvancedanalysisareseparatefromthesuite.•Reportdeveloperscannotcreatestandalonereportobjects,suchasmetricsandfilters,andreusethemacrossdifferentreports/dashboards.Thismeanstoomanyobjectsservethesamepurpose,whichleadstoreworkandmakesitdifficulttomaintain.
DataGovernance
Uniquedefinitionstoeverydimensionandmetricboundtogetherbystrictrulesthataredefinedbyalogicalmodel,thusensuringasingleversionofthetruth
TheMicroStrategymetadatamodelmakesitpossibleforanyonewiththerightprivilegestopromotenewandexternalcontenttotheServerandtieittoacertifieddatamodel,allwitheasyworkflows.•Itispossibletomapthemetadataatthedimensionlevel,aswellasthecubelevel,givinguserstheflexibilitytocontrolthedatathatispublishedtothemodel.•Theplatformsupportsgovernancefordatafromdisparatesources,evenexternalnon-certifiedsources,thathelpsbuildasystemofrecordthatuserscantrust--whilealsodeliveringflexibilitytoendusers.•Beyondtheabilitytogovernexternaldatasources,theplatformoffersgranularsecurityfeaturesthatallowprojectownersanddatastewardstograntpermissionsandprivilegestotherightpeople.Thisdeliversdatasecurityandalsopersonalizesreportsanddashboardstoendusers.•WorkflowsavailablewiththeMicroStrategyplatformtopromoteexternaldataintothesystemofrecord,combinedwiththeflexibilityofthesystemtodeliverself-serviceaccesstobusinessteamswillincreasetheoveralladoptionoftheBIplatform.
•Businessusersdonothavetheabilitytodrillanywhereacrossreports;alldrillpathsacrosscubesandreportsmustbemanuallydefinedbyITorreportdevelopers.
UserSecurity Rolesandprivilegesthatassignrestrictionstousersandgroupsensurethatendusersonlyseepersonalizedandrelevantcontentandareonlyabletoperformauthorizedactions.
ThesecuritymodelwithintheMicroStrategyplatformisbuiltaroundusersandusergroups,whicharerepresentedaslogicalmetadataobjects.Thisensuresthatdataissecuredatthemostgranularlevels.•Securityfiltersbasedondimensionvalueshelpensurethatusersarerestrictedtoonlyseedatathatisrelevanttothem.Thiseliminatestheneedtobuildmultiplecopiesofthesameapplication,andmakesitpossibletooptimallyscale.•WithMicroStrategy'stools,administratorscanapplyAccessControlLists(ACLs)tolargeusergroups,restrictingtherangeofdataobjectstheycanaccessoractionstheycanperform,andspecifyingthescopeoftheirprivilegesintheenvironment.•WithUsher,itispossibletoprovidesecuredigitalauthenticationoptions,includinggeo-fencingandtime-fencingcapabilities,makingitpossibletorestrictuseraccessbasedonlocationandtime.
•OBIEE’ssecuritycontrolsaredecentralizedandmustbemanuallyconfiguredinmanyplaceslikeOracleBIPublisher,OracleBI,OracleEnterpriseManager,etc.Thisincreasesthechancesofhumanerrors.•OBIEEoffersadministratorsverylimitedflexibilityorgranularityforsettinggroupanduserprivileges.Itisnotpossibletoassignaccesscontrolprivilegesonindividualmetadataobjectslikemetricsandattributes.•Securitysettingscannotbereusedacrosstheentiredeploymentandhavetobedefinedredundantlyforeveryusergroup.•WithOracle12c,userscannotlinktheiron-premisesActiveDirectoryorothersecuritysetuptoBICS,meaningthatallusersmustberecreatedasOracleCloudusers.There’salsoverylimitedsupportformultiplesubjectareas,accesstoon-premisesdatasources,andother“enterprise”characteristicsofanOracleBIplatform.
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTOracle Oracle
ScoreMSTRScore
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotOBIEEDetailsbyCapability -vsOBIEE -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTOracle Oracle
ScoreMSTRScore
EnterprisePlatform
ObjectOrientedReusability
Anobject-orientedarchitecturecatalogseveryaspectofthebusiness.Dataassets,KPIs,dimensions,users,reports,anddashboardsareallstoredinacentrallocationasuniquelogicalobjectstosupportreusability.
MicroStrategyoffersacentralizedmetadatarepositorythatisbuiltwithandcontainsobjects,asdefinedbydevelopers,andcanbereusedacrosstheBIproject.Objectscanbecombinedtocreatehigherlevelobjects(e.g.,attributesandmetricsmakeupareport;reports,filters,andpromptsmakeupadocument;documents,andotherreportscanbeembeddedintoadocument-allofwhicharestoredas"metadataobjects"),andthistogetherdeliversasingleBIprojectoradatamodel.•ThereusablemodelenablesobjectsacrosstheBIdeploymenttobesecurelyreusedhundredsoftimesbyusersacrosstheenterprise,withoutanyduplicationofeffort.•Themodelnotonlyincludesdimensionsandmetrics,butalsocoversfilters,reports,prompts,customgroups,reports,dashboards,anddocuments-makingitpossibletoflexiblyreusealloftheseobjectsmultipletimesacrossanyapplicationandBIproject.•Changesormodificationsmadetoanyobjectinthemetadataautomaticallyproliferatestoallotherdependentobjects.Thiseliminatestheneedtomanuallyupdatethechangesacrossthedeployment,whichisparticularlyhelpfulforlargerBIprojects.•Thereusablemodelhelpsensurefasterdevelopmenttimes,increasedplatformscalability,efficientmanagement,andalsomaintainsasingleversionofthetruth.
•UnlikeMicroStrategy,OracledoesnotofferaunifiedBIplatformwithasinglecodebase.•OBIEEisanattempttointegratetheformerSiebelBusinessAnalyticsPlatform,HyperionBI,andOracleBusinessapplications.Thisleadstooverlapsinfunctionalityandrequiressignificantmaintenanceeffortsbetweenthedifferenttools.•Thereisnoseamlessintegrationbetweenproductpackages,suchasFoundationSuiteandEndecadatadiscovery.Solutionsforvisualanalysisandadvancedanalysisareseparatefromthesuite.•Reportdeveloperscannotcreatestandalonereportobjects,suchasmetricsandfilters,andreusethemacrossdifferentreports/dashboards.Thismeanstoomanyobjectsservethesamepurpose,whichleadstoreworkandmakesitdifficulttomaintain.
DataGovernance
Uniquedefinitionstoeverydimensionandmetricboundtogetherbystrictrulesthataredefinedbyalogicalmodel,thusensuringasingleversionofthetruth
TheMicroStrategymetadatamodelmakesitpossibleforanyonewiththerightprivilegestopromotenewandexternalcontenttotheServerandtieittoacertifieddatamodel,allwitheasyworkflows.•Itispossibletomapthemetadataatthedimensionlevel,aswellasthecubelevel,givinguserstheflexibilitytocontrolthedatathatispublishedtothemodel.•Theplatformsupportsgovernancefordatafromdisparatesources,evenexternalnon-certifiedsources,thathelpsbuildasystemofrecordthatuserscantrust--whilealsodeliveringflexibilitytoendusers.•Beyondtheabilitytogovernexternaldatasources,theplatformoffersgranularsecurityfeaturesthatallowprojectownersanddatastewardstograntpermissionsandprivilegestotherightpeople.Thisdeliversdatasecurityandalsopersonalizesreportsanddashboardstoendusers.•WorkflowsavailablewiththeMicroStrategyplatformtopromoteexternaldataintothesystemofrecord,combinedwiththeflexibilityofthesystemtodeliverself-serviceaccesstobusinessteamswillincreasetheoveralladoptionoftheBIplatform.
•Businessusersdonothavetheabilitytodrillanywhereacrossreports;alldrillpathsacrosscubesandreportsmustbemanuallydefinedbyITorreportdevelopers.
UserSecurity Rolesandprivilegesthatassignrestrictionstousersandgroupsensurethatendusersonlyseepersonalizedandrelevantcontentandareonlyabletoperformauthorizedactions.
ThesecuritymodelwithintheMicroStrategyplatformisbuiltaroundusersandusergroups,whicharerepresentedaslogicalmetadataobjects.Thisensuresthatdataissecuredatthemostgranularlevels.•Securityfiltersbasedondimensionvalueshelpensurethatusersarerestrictedtoonlyseedatathatisrelevanttothem.Thiseliminatestheneedtobuildmultiplecopiesofthesameapplication,andmakesitpossibletooptimallyscale.•WithMicroStrategy'stools,administratorscanapplyAccessControlLists(ACLs)tolargeusergroups,restrictingtherangeofdataobjectstheycanaccessoractionstheycanperform,andspecifyingthescopeoftheirprivilegesintheenvironment.•WithUsher,itispossibletoprovidesecuredigitalauthenticationoptions,includinggeo-fencingandtime-fencingcapabilities,makingitpossibletorestrictuseraccessbasedonlocationandtime.
•OBIEE’ssecuritycontrolsaredecentralizedandmustbemanuallyconfiguredinmanyplaceslikeOracleBIPublisher,OracleBI,OracleEnterpriseManager,etc.Thisincreasesthechancesofhumanerrors.•OBIEEoffersadministratorsverylimitedflexibilityorgranularityforsettinggroupanduserprivileges.Itisnotpossibletoassignaccesscontrolprivilegesonindividualmetadataobjectslikemetricsandattributes.•Securitysettingscannotbereusedacrosstheentiredeploymentandhavetobedefinedredundantlyforeveryusergroup.•WithOracle12c,userscannotlinktheiron-premisesActiveDirectoryorothersecuritysetuptoBICS,meaningthatallusersmustberecreatedasOracleCloudusers.There’salsoverylimitedsupportformultiplesubjectareas,accesstoon-premisesdatasources,andother“enterprise”characteristicsofanOracleBIplatform.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotOBIEEDetailsbyCapability -vsOBIEE -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTOracle Oracle
ScoreMSTRScore
Scalability Deliveranalyticstoeveryoneacrosstheenterprise,andbeyond.Allow1000sofuserstoleverageanalyticswithoutsacrificingperformanceandwithoutrestrictionsondatasize.
MicroStrategyisoptimizedinitsdesignforenterprisescaleandspeed;assuch,theplatformcansupporttheanalyticalreportingneedsof100softhousandsofusersacrosstheenterprise.•Theplatformcanbeclusteredwithupto8nodeswithwork-anduser-fencingoptionstohelpensureperformanceandreliabilityacrosstheentireuserpopulation.•Theplatformhasnorestrictionsondatasizeforeitherdirectorin-memoryaccesstodata•MicroStrategycustomersareleveragingtheplatformtostoredatausingin-memorycubeswithover2billionrowswhiledeliveringsub-secondresponsetimestotheirend-users.•MicroStrategyistheonlycomprehensiveanalyticsvendorthatsupportsbigdataanalyticswithnativeconnectorstoHDFStoaccesspetabytesofdatainrealtime.
TheOracleBIServermulti-sourceenginedoesnotdynamicallydecidethemostoptimallocationtoperformacalculation;itwillconductthecalculationinthedatabasewheretheattributetableresides.•TheOracleBIServerdoesnotoffercollaborativeprocessingbetweenthedatabaseandtheBIServer,butitwillpullresultsetsbacktothemid-tiertoconductalltheprocessing.•TheOracleBIServerleveragesalimitedmulti-sourceenginethatdoesnotprovideanoptimizedretrievalofmulti-sourcedata,asitcannotsmartlyandefficientlyselectwhichisthebestdatasourcetoquery.TheOracleBIServerdoesnotsupportsmartpush-downtechnologyandpullsalltheinformationtothemid-tierforfurtheranalysis.•OraclereliesontheAggregatePersistenceWizardtoconfigureaggregatetablestobeusedwithintheschemalayer.Thesetableshavetobemanuallymaintainedovertime.
Performance Publishanddeliverinformationtoend-userswithquickresponsetimes,anddeliveranalyticswithoutbeingimpededbydatasize.
MicroStrategyemploysavarietyofstrategiestoincreasetheoverallperformanceoftheplatform,makingitpossibletodeliversub-secondresponsetimes-evenwithlargedatasets.•MicroStrategywasamongthefirstBIvendorstosupportpush-downanalyticalfunctionsacrossallleadingdatabases.Thiscapabilityhelpsdrivecomputationsintelligentlytothedatabasewhenneeded,therebyimprovingtheoverallresponsetimetoendusers.•Theplatformcancreatemultipleparallelthreadstothedatabase,increasingthespeedatwhichdataisfetchedfromthewarehouse.•WhereasotherBIvendorsattempttoimplementcachingatasinglelevel,MicroStrategyimplementsself-tuningstrategiesthatcreatecachesatkeypointswithinthequeryflow.TheServercachesdatainthefollowingcrucialareas:Metadataobjectcaching,attributeelementcaching,databaseconnectioncaching,resultcaching,anddocumentcaching.•Theplatformisbasedonanin-memoryarchitecturethatcanpartitioncubesandprocessdatainparallel,makingitpossibletoprocesslargercubesthanothervendorsinthemarket.•VLDBsettingsareavailabletofine-tuneandoptimizeconnectivityforeverytypeofdatasource,deliveringcustomsettingstoorganizationswithuniquedeployments.
•Oraclefeaturesalimitedmulti-passSQLenginewithnosupportfortemporarydatatables.Thisresultsinintermediatepassesbeingpulledintothemid-tierlevel,whichstressesthenetworkandhardwareresources.•OBIEEislimitedintheextenttowhichresourcescanbeoptimallysharedacrossacluster,withinasingleserver,oracrossmultiplephysicalservers.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotOBIEEDetailsbyCapability -vsOBIEE -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTOracle Oracle
ScoreMSTRScore
Automation ReduceburdenonITadministrators,especiallywithlargescaledeployments,bycuttingdownonroutineorredundanttasks.
•MicroStrategyofferstoolsthatallowadministratorstomaintainandupgradesystems,automateworkflows,andensuresuperiordataqualityandsecurity,withoutredundancies.•Theplatformallowsadminstoreducethetimeandeffortspentonroutinemaintenanceandadministrativetasks,likemovingassetsfromtesttoproductionenvironments,tocheckingthedataqualitybetweenupgrades,andschedulinghealthchecksandtaskswithworkflows.•Beyondadministrativetasks,datauploads/refreshesandscheduleddeliveriescanbeautomatedaswell,whichremovestheburdenfromITandhelpsreduceoverallTCO.
•OBIEEdoesnotprovideaworkflowautomationtool.
•OBIEEprovideslimitedcapabilitiesformigrationmanagementandconflictresolution.Thesetoolscannoteasilymergeandreconcilemetadataobjectsfromoneproductintoanother,thusincreasingtheworkrequiredtopreventerrors.
•OBIEEoffersonlylimitedintegrityandregressiontestingcapabilities.Itdoesnotprovideadataintegritytoolthatcanautomaticallyuncoverchangesanderrorsintroducedintothesystemwhileperformingchanges.ThisincreasesmaintenancecostsandsignificantlyreducesIT'sabilitytofinderrorsbeforebusinessusers.
•WithOracle12c,back-endfeaturesareonlyhalf-deployedwithinthe12cplatform;there’salackofarobustRPDuploadtool,BImodules,andservicesinstances.
Monitoring Easilymonitor,maintain,manage,fine-tune,andautomateactionsandworkflowstoensurethehealthofthesystem.EliminateredundanttaskstoreduceoverallTCO.
•MicroStrategyofferstoolsthatallowadministratorstomonitoreveryenvironmentinaMicroStrategydeployment,acrossmultipleprojectsandevenservermachines-bothon-premisesandinthecloud.•Theinterfaceenablesadministratorstoquicklyandeasilyviewusagepatterns,systemresources,uptime,andalertsacrossenvironments.•Theplatformcollectsinformationfromeachenvironment’sHealthCenter,andpresentskeyusageandperformanceindicatorsusinggraphsandcharts.•Administratorscandefinethresholdsforsystemusageandperformancethatautomaticallytriggeralertswhenthresholdcriteriaaremetorexceeded.•Beyondthe100sofOOTBreportsanddashboardsavailablewiththeplatform,administratorscanbuildtheirownreportswithcustomKPIstomeasureplatformusage.
•OracledeploysOracleEnterpriseManagertomanageandmonitortheperformanceandavailabilityofenterpriseapplicationsandtheirsupportinginfrastructureinbothenterpriseprivatecloudsandtraditionalenvironments.
Deployment Optionstodeployonanyinfrastructure,regardlessofsize,team,orhardwareresources,thusreducingoverallTCOandmaintenancerequired.
MicroStrategydeliversflexibleoptionsfordeployinganalyticsacrosstheenterprisewithon-premises,cloud,andhybridoptionsforteamsofanysize.•TheplatformissupportedonbothWindowsandLinux,andcanbeclusteredwithupto8Servernodes.•PartneringwithAWS,theleadingcloudvendor,MicroStrategyallowsorganizationsaroundtheworldtospinupinstancesforenterpriseanalyticsandmobilityinminutes,allowingcompaniestostartsmallandexpandasneeded.•Pre-configuredenvironmentsinthecloudcanbecreated,managed,maintained,andupgradedwithself-serviceconsoles,enablingextremelylowTCOs.
•OracleBIsupportshybriddeploymentsandcanbedeployedbothon-premisesorinthecloud.•OBIEEcandirectlyqueryon-premisesdatafromthecloudormigrateandextendon-premisesdatamodelsandcontenttothecloud.•Oracle'smainbusinessanalyticscloudproductsareBICloudService(BICS)andDataVisualizationCloudService(DVCS).Bothtoolsaredesignedfordepartmentaluse-cases.Thedatamodeloffered,aswellasthelimitedadministrativeconfigurationoptions,makethemunsuitableforafull-scaleenterprisebusinessintelligencedeployment.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotOBIEEDetailsbyCapability -vsOBIEE -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTOracle Oracle
ScoreMSTRScore
HighAvailability
Robustarchitecturethatprovidesthehighestuptimeforuserstoalwayshaveaccesstothesystem,withprovisionsandtuningmechanismsforincreasedsystemstabilityandbetterfailovermanagement.
•WithMicroStrategy,usersacrosstheorganizationcanaccessreliableanalyticsdeliveredonarobustarchitecturethatisdesignedforenterprisescale,performance,andstability.•Disasterrecoveryandfailoveroptionsalloworganizationstoavoiddowntimesforend-users.Systemadministratorshavethechoicetosetuphot,warm,orcoldfailoverstrategies(forbackupnodes)dependingonthehardwareresourcesavailabletothem.•Clusteringandworkfencingcapabilitiesmakeitpossibletoproactivelypreventservercrashesbydeflectingheavyjobstospecificserversortimeperiods.•Reliablegovernorsateverylevelofthequerypathmakeitpossibletoavertsystemcrashes,evenunderpeakuseranddataloads.
•OracleusesFusionMiddlewareControlandadministrativetoolssuchasClusterManagertomanagesystemavailability.
In-memoryArchitecture
Architecturethatcanhostterabytesofdatain-memorymakingitavailabletoend-userswithfasterresponsetimes.
•TheMicroStrategyplatformenablesorganizationstotakeadvantageofin-memorycubetechnology,whichincreasesperformancebyreducingtheneedtoaccessdatadirectlyfromthedatawarehouse.•MicroStrategyin-memorycubescanbequicklyloadedwithdatausingparallelthreadsfromthedatabasewhichcanalsobeoptimizedandfine-tunedforspecificdatabases.•Dynamicsourcingisaplatformcapabilitythatautomaticallyroutesqueriestothefastestavailabledatasource—whetherit’sacache,acube,ortheoriginalrelationalsource,thushelpingmaximizeperformanceandthroughput.•MicroStrategy'sparallelprocessingandpartitioningcapabilitiesdifferentiateitfromothervendors,helpingtoboostprocessingspeedsinsituationswherethereareterabytesofdatastoredinmemory.
•In-memorycubesareonlysupportedonalimitedlistofOracledatabasesascomparedtoMicroStrategy.Thesecubesaremodeledinabuilt-for-purposeformat,whichrequiresadditionalschemaworkinsteadofdirectlyleveragingthealready-builtschemamodel.•OBIEEdoesnotprovideatoolthatrecommendsandcreatesanoptimalsetofin-memorycubesbasedontheusagepatternoftheBIdeployment.
EnterpriseAnalytics
Self-ServiceDataDiscovery
Intuitiveworkflowsforend-userstoaccess,visualize,analyze,andshareinsightswithoutthesupportofIT.
MicroStrategydifferentiatesitselffromotherpointsolutionsbycombiningtheease-of-useofdataexplorationwithenterprisecapabilitiesincludingscalability,performance,security,andgovernance,inasingleplatform.•MicroStrategyDesktopandWebprovideaccessto80+datasources,fromExcelspreadsheets,torelationalsources,bigdata,Cloudservices,Hadoop,andmore.•Built-intoolsareavailablefordatapreparation,aswellastheabilitytoblenddataacrossmultiplesources.•ItprovidestheabilitytovisualizedatawithanychartorgraphnativelyandoffersworkflowstoincludeD3,Highcharts,GoogleCharts,andotherlibraries(includingopensourceandNLGoptions)•Includeseasysharingoptions(PDF,email,sendtofilelocation,print,andmore),andworkflowstopromoteexternaldataintoagovernedmodel.AlsosupportsoptionstoexporttoPDFandemailoptions.•MicroStrategyiscompatiblewithMacandWindowsPC.AnalystscanquicklysetupandinstallMicroStrategywithoutITsupport.•Theplatformsupportsadvancedanalyticswith350+out-of-the-boxfunctions,andcanalsointegratewithR.
•WithOracle12c,VisualAnalyzerisaweb-basedtoolthatappealstotheinstalledbase,butcomesatextracost.DataVisualizationDesktopCloudService(DVCS)usestheVisualAnalyzerCloudServiceaspartof12c,makingitavailableasastandalonetoolthatcanbeinstalledonaWindowsdesktop,orruninOracleCloudasaSaaSapplication.
•Endeca,alegacyproduct,wasacquiredbyOracleandisaseparateenterprisedatadiscoveryplatform.EndecaofferslimiteddatadiscoverycapabilitiesascomparedtoMicroStrategy,anditdoesnotintegratewiththerestoftheOBIEEplatform,onlyBIPublisher.Administratorscannotleverageanyoftheexistingadministrationorsecurityconfigurations.Inaddition,Endecaisaseparateproductwithitsownassociatedcosts,installation,andconfiguration,andthereisnosupportformobile.Itfailstoofferbuilt-inbestpracticesforad-hocanalysisandlacksavisualizationsuggestionmechanism.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotOBIEEDetailsbyCapability -vsOBIEE -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTOracle Oracle
ScoreMSTRScore
OptimizedDataConnectivity
Driversandgatewaysthatdeliverinstantandreliableaccesstoavarietyofdatasourcesandinformationinanyformat,regardlessofsize.
•MicroStrategynativelysupports100softhemostpopulardatasources,fromExcelspreadsheettorelationaldatabases,cloudsystems,HDFSandmore.•OrganizationscanalsobuildtheirownconnectorstocustomdataassetswithAPIs,allowingthemtoconnecttoanynewsourceavailableinthemarket.•Eachconnectorisoptimizedforhighperformance,withtheabilitytointelligentlypush-downcalculationstothedatabaseswhenneeded,generatemulti-passSQL,loadparallelthreadssimultaneously,andcanloaddatawithoutrestrictionsonsizeortype.•EasyworkflowsareavailabletobusinessuserstoblenddataontheirownwithoutITsupport.•VLDBparametersareavailabletofine-tuneandoptimizeSQLgenerationspecifictoeachdatabase.•MicroStrategyleveragesanaggregate-awareSQLgenerationenginetotransparentlynavigateaggregatetables,dynamicallydirectingqueriestosummarytables,withouttheuserhavingtospecifytheuseofthetablewhencreatingthequery.•MicroStrategycangeneratemulti-passSQLtoansweranalyticalquestionsthatcannotbeansweredwithasingleSQLqueryblock,coveringscenariosthatinclude:setanalysis,splitmetrics,andcalculationsatdifferentlevelsofaggregation.
•NativeconnectorsforclouddatasourcesarelimitedtoOracleandSalesforceapplications.•Whilemashupanalysisusingmultipledatasourcesispossible,user-generatedobjectsarenotreusable—onlyindividualdatasetsareavailabletoothers.•UsershavetowriteSQLstatementsinordertojoinmultipletablesinonedatasourceconnection.•Extraworkisrequiredforinferencesasdatatypesmustbemanuallyadjusted.Severaltypesofinferences,suchasjoinandhierarchyinferencesfordateandgeography,arenotsupported.
DataPreparationandBlending
Transformandarrangedatatomakeitbettersuitedforvisualexploration,withtheabilitytocreatejoinsacrosstablesfromdisparatesources.
MicroStrategyoffersbuilt-indatawranglingandblendingcapabilitiesandissupportedacrossalldatasources.•EnduserscanperformtransformationsondatapriortovisualizinginformationusingdozensoffunctionsavailableviagraphicalinterfacesandwithoutexportingouttoExcel.•Datawranglingandblendingispossiblebybusinessusersacrossspreadsheets,relationalsources,HDFS,cloudsystems,andotherpopulardatabases.•Userscansplitcolumns,identifyspellingerrors,performtextandnumericfacets,eliminatewhitespaces,pivottables,andperformdozensmoretransformationsbasedonintelligentrecommendationsfromtheproduct.•Historylistsareautomaticallyrecorded,sowhenmorecurrentdataisavailable,theactionsdonotneedtoberepeated.
•Oracledoesnotofferend-to-enddatapreparationcapabilitiesnatively.Inversion12c,thenewBigDataPreparationCloudService(“BDP”)isathin-clientapplicationwithinOracleCloudthat'susedforingesting,preparing,andenrichingdatasetsthatdon’thaveapredefinedschema.Userscanuploadfiles(.csv,.tsv,Excel,Word,.pdf)intoOracleStorageCloudService,andBDPloadsthefilesforpreparation.ThepreparedfilesarethenwrittenbacktoStorageCloudService.UserscanthenuploadpreparedfilesintoBICSasadatasourceforApEx/SchemaService.ThereisnodirectintegrationwithVisualAnalyzer.•ThereisnoparityinOracle’sWebandDesktopclients.Oracle’sdatadiscoverytoolcannotjoindatabetweendifferentcubesintoasinglevisualization.
EnterpriseReports
Optionstoviewlargevolumesofdatainaneasy-to-readgridformat,withtoolstoperformad-hocanalysisforimproveddecision-making.
•MicroStrategyprovidesaflexiblereportingenvironmentthatleveragesOLAPfunctionalitytogiveenduserstheabilitytoquicklysliceanddicedatafromacrossmultiplesources,usingavarietyofoptions:sorting,pivoting,page-by,drilldown,drillanywhere,totalsandsubtotals,one-clickmetrics,derivedelements,viewfilters,lockheaders,switchbetweengrid/graph,fittocontent/window,andmore.•Withtheabilitytopublishbandedreports,theplatformcanrollupandpresentdynamicaggregatesforlargevolumesacross100sofpagesofdata.•WithMicroStrategy,developerscanquicklydesignoperationalreportsandstatementsusingdrag-and-dropfunctionalityandflexibleformattinginordertostructurelargeamountsofdataintoanaturalhierarchyformaximumreadabilityandeaseofnavigation.•MicroStrategyenablesparameter-drivenreportsbysupportingmoretypesofuserpromptsthananyothervendor,allowinguserstoinputselectionsatruntimetoalterthecontentsofthereports.Optionsincludesimpledimensionprompts,hierarchyprompts,listprompts,objectprompts,valueprompts,levelprompts.
•OBIEE11gofferslimiteddynamicdistributionlistcapabilities.Therefore,administratorshavetodefinefixeddistributionlistsandcannotuseconditionstodynamicallyconformtherecipientlist.Burstingcapabilities,orthescheduling/distributionofdashboards,isextremelylimited.
•OraclereleasedanOracleBIPublisherfor12cinQ42015.ThemainchangetoPublisherwasthatinthisrelease(12.2.1),thelookandfeeloftheuserinterfacewasrefreshed,whichaffectsthepresentationoffeaturesonthehomepage.
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TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTOracle Oracle
ScoreMSTRScore
Dashboardsanddocuments
Highlyformattedoptionstoauthor,visualize,andinteractwithdatatoidentifytrendsandoutliersandmakeefficientdecisions.
•MicroStrategydeliversgraphicalWYSIWYGdesignertoolstocreatepixel-perfectdocuments,invoices,statements,scorecards,andinteractivereal-timedashboards,allfromasingledesigneditor.•AllstylesofBIdescribedabovesupportresponsivedesignandcanbeconsumedonanybrowserormobiledevice.•Dashboardsarebuiltonthemetadatamodel,sotheyaresecureandpersonalizedforeachuser,andsupporttransactions,offlineconsumption,andcanbedeliveredinanydesiredformat.•Dashboardssupportad-hocdatadiscoveryacross100sofoptionsandletusersvisualizedatawithaccesstonativeandthird-partychartinglibraries.•Transactionalworkflowscanbeembeddedtoenablewrite-backcapabilitiesforbothwebandmobileapplications.
•WithBIPublisher,userscanviewareportininteractivemodeforlightweightanalysisandgeneratepixel-perfectreports,documentsforMicrosoftOffice,AdobeAcrobat,Excel,andmachine-readablefiles(EFT,EDI,etc.).
MobileAnalytics
Consumereportsanddashboardsonmobiledevices,withcompleteinteractivity,inordertoperformanalyticsandmakedecisionswhileonthego.
•MobileisfullyintegratedintotheMicroStrategyanalyticsplatform,soorganizationscanleverageexistingvisualizations,reports,anddashboardstoinstantlydeployBIonmobiledevices.•MicroStrategyMobileenhancesthemobileexperienceoniOSandAndroidbydeliveringnativeappsthatletuserstakefulladvantageoftheuniquecapabilitiesoftheirmobiledeviceswheninteractingwiththeirdata,whilealsobeingabletorelyontransactionandofflinecapabilities.•Withflexible,code-freetoolsandaclick-to-configuredevelopmentcanvas,organizationscanmobilizebusinessworkflowsanddeliverahighlyresponsive,nativeuserexperiencewithappsthatcanbebuiltinrecordtimeandatafractionofthecost.
•Oracledoesnothaveadefinedmobilestrategyacrossitsplatform.OracleBusinessIntelligenceMobileallowsyoutoviewOBIEEcontentonmobile,butonlyonsupporteddevicessuchasiPhoneandiPad.Also,theirmobilesolutiondoesn’tofferwrite-back,multimedia,orofflinecapabilities.
RealTimeAnalytics
Theabilitytodeliverinstantanalyticsandinsightswheredataisavailableinreal-time.
MicroStrategydeliverstheabilitytovisualizedatafromexternalstreamingapplicationsandtriggeralertsfromthesesources.•Theplatformcaninstantlyingestreal-timefeedsfromStorm,Spark,andKafka.Forotherrelationalsystems,theplatformcanalsosupportdatarefreshesatthesmallestintervals,andcanperformatthespeedofincominginformation.•MicroStrategycanmanagereal-timeinformationandgiveaninstantviewofthedata.•Theapplicationcanalsosendthreshold-basedalertstoanydeviceallowingdecision-makerstotakeinstantandproactiveaction,allinrealtime.•MicroStrategycanalsointegratewithvisualizationsandwidgetsthatsupportreal-timemappingofinformationonbothWebandMobile.
•Real-timestreamingindashboardsissupportedwiththeOracleExalyticsIn-MemoryMachine,whichrequiresanadditionallicensethat'sseparatefromOBIEE.•OraclealsoleveragesOracleReal-TimeDecisions(OracleRTD),adifferentproduct,forreal-timeanalytics.
PredictiveAnalyticsandMachineLearning
Advancedalgorithmsandworkflowsforuserstobeabletoperformsummarizations,optimizations,predictions,statisticalcalculations,orcreatecustomgroups,training,andscoringmetrics.
WithminimalhelpfromIT,MicroStrategyuserscancreateandvisualizeadvancedmetricsandperformthemostcomplexcalculations.•EnduserscanbuildsophisticatedstatisticalandmathematicalmodelswiththenativelibraryoffunctionsavailabledirectlywithMicroStrategy.Theycangeneratepredictive,scoring,ortrainingmetricsusingnativelyavailablealgorithms.•MicroStrategyoffersover350nativefunctions,outofthebox,sothatbusinessusersareabletoperformdataminingandcreatehighlyadvancedstatisticalalgorithmsontheirown,withminimalsupportfromIT.•UserscanintegrateMicroStrategywithdataminingmodelsfromotherapplicationsbyimportingPredictiveModelMarkupLanguage(PMML),SAS,andSPSSintothemetadatarepository.•Theplatformintegrateswiththird-partyoptionslikeRusinggraphicalinterfaces.
Oraclecanintegratewithadvancedanalyticstools,butwithsomelimitations.•OracleAdvancedAnalyticscombinesOracleREnterprise(ORE)withOracleDataMining(ODM).Thisenablesuserstosortpredictiveanalysis,statisticalcomputing,andinteractivegraphicsinsidethedatabase.•Inversion12c,customerscanbuildadvancedstatisticalfunctionsusingRlibrariesdeployedinOBIEE,or,alternatively,theycanregisterRcustomfunctionsinBIServer,deployedinORE.AdvancedanalyticalcapabilitiesareonlyaccessiblethroughSQLandRprogramminglanguages.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotOBIEEDetailsbyCapability -vsOBIEE -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTOracle Oracle
ScoreMSTRScore
BigDataAnalytics
AccessdatafromHadoopandotherdistributedfilesystemswithoutlimitationsonsizeandwithoutexperiencingdropsinperformance.
MicroStrategyistheonlycomprehensiveplatformthatsupportsaccesstobigdatawithnativeconnectorstoHDFSwhilealsoprovidingbuilt-inworkflowsfordatapreparationontopofHadoopdata.•Whetherit’sapersonalspreadsheetoradispersedHadoopDistributedFileSystem(HDFS),userscaneasilyconnecttotheirdatawithoutrelyingonITandwithoutlimitsondatasize.It'seasytoaccessdatafromanyflavorofHadoop,includingCloudera,Hortonworks,andMapR,withcomprehensivesupportforSpark,Kerberos,andthetopfileformats.•WithMicroStrategy,userscanleverageinformationfromclickstreams,webactivity,callcenterlogs,andIDscans-andblenditwithdatafromothersourcesusinggraphicalworkflows.•MicroStrategyconnectstobigdatasourcesandNoSQLoptionssuchasMongoDBandCassandra,andalsoconnectstoHDFSvianativeconnectorstoClouderaHive,Impala,MapRDrill,Pigscripts,SparkSQL,andmore.•WithMicroStrategy,userscanalsolimitandmanagetheamountofdataimportedfromHDFS,orperformaggregationsontopofthedatapriortoimportingitintoMicroStrategyforanalysis.•Userscanalsoapplyadvancedfunctionsandfilterstocontrolandrestricttheamountofdata.
•OracleBigDataCloudPreparationServicesharesfunctionalityandunderlyingtechnologywithOracleBigDataDiscovery–theybothrunonHadoopanduseApacheSparkfordataprocessing,andbothofferdatatransformationandwranglingfeatures.InOracle12c,userscananalyzebigdatainHadooponlythroughClouderaImpala.
•OraclesleveragesApacheSparkforbigdataprocessingandtransformation.UserscanwrangledatainplaceinHadoopviaaspreadsheet-styleinterface.DataprocessingusesApacheSparktoprofile,sample,transform,andenrichbigdataacrossallthedatanodesintheHadoopcluster.
AutomatedDistributionandAlerting
Distributereports,dashboards,anddocumentstolargeaudiencesinapersonalizedandautomatedmanner.Thishelpstoensuretheon-timedeliveryofinformationtoend-userssotheycanmaketimely,informeddecisions.
MicroStrategyisdesignedforhigh-volume,automateddeliveryofreportsanddashboards.•Theplatformmakesitpossibletoscaledistributionofanalyticalcontentto100softhousandsofusers,withtheabilitytoautomateandschedulethedeliveryofreportsanddashboards,basedontime-,event-,andthreshold-basedalerts.•MicroStrategysupportsthewidestvarietyofdeliverymethods,withoptimalformattingforeachdeviceandapplication.•MicroStrategyprovidesburstingcapabilitiestodeliverslicingorpage-byexecutions,allowingasinglereporttobeextractedfromthedatawarehousethatcanbeparsedintosub-reportsforindividualsubscribers.Thisavoidshavingtorundifferentreportsfordifferentrecipientswhilestillbeingabletogeneratepersonalizedreports.•AlertingcapabilitiescanmonitorKPIvalueswhennewdataisavailableandsenddetailedreportsoralertmessageswhenthresholdsarereached.•SecurityfiltersandACLssetontheuserlevelguaranteespersonalizedandsecureinformationto1000sofuserswiththedeliveryofasingledashboard.•MicroStrategyleveragessegmentationcapabilitiestomanageresourceutilizationinlargescalereportdeliverydeploymentsbyanalyzingthelistofsubscriptionstodetermineifseveralsubscriptionssharethesamecombinationofsecurityandpersonalizationandgroupingthemintobucketssincetheyreceivethesamecontent.
FromburstingandsmartpaginationforPDFexportstothedeliveryofhighlypersonalizedcontent,MicroStrategydeliverssophisticateddistributioncapabilitiesthatmakeitpossibletopublishdataandinsightsacrosstheorganizationwithouttheneedtoinvestinothertechnologies.
•Userscaninteractandviewreportsonline,publishtoaportal,orusingDeliveryManagerscheduleanddelivermultipledocumentsindependentlytomultipledestinations(printers,e-mail,fax,WebDAV,orFTP).•Asinglereportcanbeburstwithpersonalizedcontenttomultipleoutputformatsanddestinationsonascheduledbasis.•Administratorshavetodefinefixeddistributionlistsandcannotuseconditionstodynamicallyconformtherecipientlist.•Deliverymechanismsagentsprovidetargetedanalyticstousersbasedonacombinationofscheduleandtriggerevents.•Deliverycanbeexecutedthroughavarietyofroutes,includingdashboardalertsoremail.•Tocreateanagent,OracleBusinessIntelligenceusers(withtheCreateAgentprivilege)candefineoperationsthattheagentistoperform.
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TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTOracle Oracle
ScoreMSTRScore
EnterpriseMobility
TransactionalWorkflows
Write-backcapabilitiesthatallowmobileuserstosubmittransactionstoERP,CRM,orotheroperationalsystems.
•MicroStrategyprovidesmobilewrite-backcapabilitiesthatletusersupdatesystemsofrecordfromthefield.Userscanchangedataonthefly,insertnewinformation,andviewupdatedreportsanddashboards.•Thesetransactionscanincludeone-tapapprovalsanddenials,inputsforcapturingnewinformation,andeditingexistinginformationinERPsystems,CRMsystems,andotheroperationaldatabases.•Appdeveloperscancreatesmartformsthatarecontextualandconditional,basedonauser’spermissionsorlocation.•MicroStrategyoffersabroadsetofinputcontrols,includingbarcodescanners,signaturecapture,starrating,textandnumberfields,calendar,camera,steppers,sliders,andmore.•TransactionServicescanalsoauto-captureadditionalinformationalongsidetheuserinputstofurtherstreamlinebusinessprocesses.Forexample,theuser’sprofileinformationaswellaslatitude,longitude,andatimestampcanbeincludedinatransactionalsubmissionwithoutrequiringadditionalworkbytheuser.•Userscanaccesstransactionalinputsandformsregardlessofinternetconnectivity.Whenoffline,transactionsarequeuedforsubmissionandexecutedwhentheusernextconnects.
•IncontrasttotheOBIEEplatform(EnterpriseDashboards),theOBIEEmobileclientdoesnotofferwrite-backcapabilities,limitingusersfromprovidingupdatesdirectlyfromtheirmobiledevicestothedatabase.Inaddition,Endeca,BIPublisher,orVisualAnalyzerdonotofferwrite-backcapability.
EmbeddedMultimedia
Abilitytodownloadandviewmultimediafilesonlineandoffline,suchaspresentations,videos,PDFs,andePUBbooksonmobiledevices.
•MicroStrategyprovidesin-appviewingofmultimediacontentincludingvideos,PDFs,images,presentations,spreadsheets,documents,email,andwebcontent—allseamlesslyembeddedinthemobileapp.•Asisthecaseforothercontentintheapp,multimediacanbepre-cachedorstoredforconvenient,offlineaccess.•Therearetwowaystoincludemultimediainapps:HTMLcontainersandtheMultimediaWidget.•HTMLcontainersenableaccesstoanywebcontentbyplacingitdirectlyintheapp'siFrame.URLsprovidelinkstopullupentiredocumentsorwebpages.•TheMultimediaWidgetprovidesaframeworkinwhichtodownload,consume,andstoremultimediafiles.WebDAVfolderintegrationenablesuserstodynamicallybrowseandviewexistingfilesandfoldersinaWebDAVfolder,forexampleinMicrosoftSharePoint.Thismakesiteasyfortraditionallynon-technicalpeople,forexampleinMarketingorHR,todistributeupdatedversionsofcollateralortrainingvideostoemployeesinthefield.•MicroStrategyalsoprovidesawidgetthatisespeciallydesignedforvideos.Theinteractive,elegantVideoPlayerWidget(thatleveragesthenativeOSvideoplayer)loadsandplaysavideofromaremotelocationorfromthelocalcache.Thewidgetcandisplay:videosfromastreamingservicesuchasYouTube,videosfromafileserverlocation,oracachedvideofromtheWebDAVcache.Ifthemobiledeviceisonline,theVideoPlayerWidgetloadsthevideofromtheremotelocationbutissmartenoughtocheckfirstifalocalcachealreadyexistsonthedevice’sWebDAVcachestore.
•OBIEEmobileclientprovideslimitedcapabilitiestorenderandembedmultimediacontentinthemobileapp.•VideosembeddedinthedashboarddonotworkwithmobiledevicessuchasiPadoriPhone.Appdesignershavetomanuallychangethevideoformatsandreplacethefilesinthewebserver.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotOBIEEDetailsbyCapability -vsOBIEE -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTOracle Oracle
ScoreMSTRScore
GeospatialAnalysis
Abilitytodisplaygeospatialdataoverlaidonaninteractivemap(ESRI,GoogleMaps,andcustomimages).
•MicroStrategyabstractsallthegeospatialanalysiscapabilitiesfromthebasemaplayer,socustomerscanleveragewhicheverbasemaptheywant,dependingonexistingmapinvestmentsorpreferences.•MicroStrategyMobileprovidessupportforbuildingmapvisualizationsonESRIandGoogleMaps,aswellascustomimagesasmapswiththeImageLayoutWidget.Thesemapsrenderseamlesslyontheappropriatenativemobilemap(AppleMapsoniOSandGoogleMapsonAndroid).•BothESRIandGoogleMapsdisplaygeospatialdataoverlaidonaninteractivemap.Userscanswipe,scroll,andzoomindirectlyonthemap,orevenfilterthedatashownbyselectingelementswithintheirmobileapp.Datacanbedisplayedusingapinmarker,adensitymap,orabubbletoprovidemultipletypesofanalysiswithineachmap.Inaddition,ESRImapscandisplaydatafromacustomgeographicalregion,suchasthecountiesofastateordistrictswithinacity.Theimagelayoutwidgetallowsappdeveloperstoincludevisualizationsrepresentativeofdifferentgeographicregionssuchascountries,states,andregions,orvisualizationsthatrepresentcustomspatialanalyseslikeastorelayout.
•OBIEEdoesnotprovidesupporttothemostcommonlyusedgeospatialservicesandmaptypes:ESRI,GoogleMaps,andMapbox.•ServicesarelimitedtotheOracleFusionMiddlewareMapViewerwhenincorporatingmapsandtilesfrommaps.oracle.com.
OfflineAccess Abilitytosupportapplicationsinofflinemoderegardlessofconnectivity.Thisincludesinteractivitywithdata,multimediacontent,andtransactionalworkflows.
•MicroStrategyMobileappscanbeconfiguredtoworkentirelyoffline.Thisincludessupportforanalytics,visualizations,multimedia,andtransactions.•MicroStrategyprovidesadvancedofflinefunctionality,including:promptpanelsthatdisplayvalidcachesformultiplepromptscenarios;visualcuessuchasanofflinemodeindicatorandshadingtoindicateavailability;aviewoftransactionqueues;andtheabilitytodeleteoredittransactionsbeforeaconnectionisreestablished.Inasituationwhereauserwantstoavoidusingdata,theusercanmanuallyswitchtoofflinemodeusingtheappsettings.•Whileusersareinofflinemode,mobileusagestatsarestillcapturedandsubmittedtotheserveroncetheuserreconnects.Additionally,data-at-restishighlysecured.Thestoreddataisencrypted;theappcanstillrequirecredentials,andtheofflinecachecanbesettoexpireatadesiredtime.
•OracleBIMobileallowslimitedofflineinteractivitywiththeirdashboardsandreports.Usershavetorefreshthedatawhenthenetworkconnectionhasbeenre-established.
MobileClientCachingforHighPerformance
Abilitytocachedataonthedevicetooptimizeappperformance.Deliversub-secondresponsetimesevenwhendealingwithlargevolumesofdata,numerousconcurrentusers,orslow,unreliableconnectivity.
•MicroStrategyoffersthreemaincachingstrategiesthatcustomerscanleveragewhenconfiguringtheirapps:automaticcaching(devicescheckfornewandupdatedcontentandsynccontentinthebackground),pre-cachingfolders(asetofobjectsarepre-cachedwhentheappstarts),andadaptivemobilecaching(theappprioritizesbackgroundcacheloadingbasedonwheretheuserisanddownloadscontenttheuserwilllikelywanttoseebeforetheytaponit).•MicroStrategyhasasophisticatedanalyticalenginewithinthemobileclient,sothemobileclientitselfcanperformcomputationsonlocallycacheddatawithouthavingtogobacktotheserver.Becausethecomputationscanbedonelocallyonthedevice,thisalsohelpstospeedappperformance.•Asa100%nativeapp,MicroStrategyusesOpenGLframeworksavailableonthemobileOSwhichhelptoachievemaximumappperformance.Allofthedrawings(renderings)ofvisualizationsleveragenativedevicedrawingcapabilitieswhichareoptimizedforhighperformance.
•Browser-basedaccessfrommobiledevices:OBIEEmobileappsarebasedonHTML5standards,whichdoesnotpermituserstocachedataondevicesandquicklyretrievethem.•TheMobileBIAppDesignerallowscustomerstobuildnativeBIapps,butitisnotyetwidelyadopted.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotOBIEEDetailsbyCapability -vsOBIEE -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTOracle Oracle
ScoreMSTRScore
PersonalizedAlertsviaPushNotifications
Abilitytosendalertstomobileusersintheformofpushnotifications.Thesenotificationsshouldbetriggeredbypresetthresholds,orbeavailableondemand.
•MicroStrategy’sscalablealertingengineprovidespersonalizedalertstoeveryuser.•Thealertingengineisbasedonarobustdistributionserverthatsupportsmonitoringmultipledatasources100sof1000softimeseveryminuteandcreatingpersonalizedalertsformobileuserswhenasetconditionhasbeenmet.•Thresholdscanbesetonanymetriconanyreport.•Alertsarehandledthroughthedevice’snativepushnotificationsysteminoneofthreeforms:abadge(agraphicassociatedwiththeapplication),ahomescreennotification(amessagewhichtheusercanviewandinteractwith),and/orasound.•Smartbadgescanshowmetricvaluesorthenumberofalerts.
•OracleBIMobileapplicationscanonlyrendercertaintypesofBIcontent.IfthecontentassociatedwithanalertisnotsupportedintheOracleBIMobileapplication(suchasabriefingbook),itallowsthealerttobeincludedinthelistofalertsbutprohibitsusersfromactuallybeingabletoaccessit.
InstantUpdatestoCustomAppswithNoRecompilation
Updateandpublishchangestocustomappswithouthavingtorecompileandredistribute.Changesaredistributedandavailabletouserswithoutrequiringanappupdate.
•MicroStrategyletsappdevelopersmakeupdatesandpublishchangestotheirmobileappswithouttheneedtorecompile(inXcodeforiOSandinAndroidDevelopmentStudioforAndroid)andredistributeapps.Anychangeinfunctionalityorconfigurationisinstantlyreflectedinthemobileappwithoutrequiringtheusertoupgradetheapponthemobiledevice.Thisflexibilityisverypowerfulwhenusersaretryingtooperateonanagiledevelopmentcycle,whereusersneedtoaccessthechangesinstantlywithouthavingtoconstantlyupgradetheirapp.•MicroStrategyalsoprovidesadrag-and-dropinterfacetomigrateappsfromdevelopment,totest,toproductionbyusingMicroStrategyObjectManager.
•OBIEEMobiledoesnotsupportinstantupdatestoapps.Thisbecomesachallengewhenanorganizationwantstooperateonanagiledevelopmentcycle,asusersneedtoaccesschangesinstantlywithouthavingtoconstantlyupgradetheirapp.
Customize/WhiteLabel
Abilitytorebrandthemobileappbyincludingcustomizedicons,aswellassplash,launch,andloginscreens.
•TheMobileSDKprovidesappdeveloperswithamultitudeofcustomizationoptions.Thisincludesacode-freeapproachtowhite-labelingandrebrandinganyMicroStrategyMobileapp.•Customizationincludeschangingicons,aswellassplash,launch,andloginscreens.Itenablesdeveloperstomatchcorporatebrandingandlook-and-feelstandards.
•OracleBIMobileAppDesignerdoesnotsupportcustomizedbrandingofmobileapps.
NativeIntegrationwithEMMVendors
NativeSDKintegrationwithleadingEMMvendorsAirWatch,MobileIron,andBlackberryDynamics,andAppConfigcommunityguidelines.
•MicroStrategy'snativemobilesecurityfeaturesprovideextensivecapabilitiestoprotectsensitivecompanydata,butMicroStrategyprovidestheflexibilitytoleverageadditionalthird-partycapabilities,includingthoseprovidedbyEMMvendors.•MicroStrategyoffersnativeSDKintegrationoniOSwiththreeEMMproviders:MobileIron,BlackberryDynamics,andAirWatch.MicroStrategyoffersnativeSDKintegrationonAndroidwithAirWatch.•MicroStrategyMobilealsosupportsEMMcapabilitiesviaimplementationoftheAppConfigguidelines,nativelyonbothiOSandAndroid.
•OracleBIMobileAppDesignerappscanbedeployedusingSSLandSSO,whereasOracleBIMobileHDleveragesiOSandAndroidplatformsecurityfeaturessuchaspasswordstorageinencryptedon-devicekeystoresandremote-wipeofdevices.•OraclehasitsownMobileSecuritySuite(OMSS),basedonthetechnologyOracleacquiredfromBitzerMobile.ItprimarilytargetsdevelopersofiOSapplicationsandorganizationsthatuseMacs.•OraclecanintegratewithMDMssuchasGoodTechnology,butthisapproachrequireschangesintheBIMobilesourcecodetoaccommodateGood’sAPIs.Ifusedincorrectly,thiscouldjeopardizesecurityandSSOintegration.
MobileAppUsageMonitoring
Abilitytocollectmobileusagestatisticsandpopulateadatabaseforanalysis.
•Mobileappclient-sidemonitoringcapturespersonalizedanalysiseverytimeausertapsonanappscreen.Statisticsaregatheredontimespentoneachappscreen,explorationpaths,GPSlocation,appusage,devicetype,operatingsystemversion,andcacheusage.•Withthisinformation,appdeveloperscantrackoverallappadoptionandgeo-locationofusage,performcohortanalysis,supportcontinuousdevelopmentcycles,analyzeappperformance,spotnetworkissues,andtrackadoptionratesofnewdevices,operatingsystems,andclients.Thesestatisticsarecriticaltodrivingappenhancementsandtohoningtheappexperience.•Mobileusagestatsarecapturedevenwhileauserisoffline.Oncetheuserreconnects,thestatsaresubmittedtotheserver.
•OBIEEsupportsthecollectionofusagetrackingdata,butitdoesnotextendthiscapabilitytoitsmobileapplication.Usersseekingthisdataneedtoinvolveadmintoviewtheusagestatistics,andOBIEEdoesnotprovideaccesstomobileusagelogsinanautomatedfashion.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotOBIEEDetailsbyCapability -vsOBIEE -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTOracle Oracle
ScoreMSTRScore
EmbeddedAnalytics
CreateCustomWebApplications
Theabilitytomodifyandextendexistingfunctionality,createacustomwebapplication,embedcontentinportals,orsimplychangethelookandfeelwithpersonalizedbrandingandlogosthroughapplicationprogramminginterfaces(APIs).
•Akeycomponentofanenterprise-classplatformistheabilitytomodifyandextendexistingfunctionalitytomeettheuniqueneedsofanorganization.Forbuildingcustomizedapplications,arobustBIplatformmustprovideaccesstoallofitsfunctionalitythroughAPIs.TheMicroStrategyBIplatformisamodern,sophisticatedservice-orientedarchitecturethatisdesignedforflexibilityandextensibilitysothatitcangrowwiththedemandsofenterpriseapplications.
•TheMicroStrategyWebSDKenablesdeveloperstobuildafull-fledgedwebapplicationorchangethelookandfeelofanexistingwebapplicationwithanintuitivecustomizationtool.TheWebCustomizationEditorisintegratedwiththemostwidelyusedJavaIDE,Eclipse.Withover5000classesexposedintheWebAPI,thisintegrationnotonlysimplifiesdevelopment,butalsoallowsdeveloperstowritetheircodewithoutmodifyinganysourcecodeorout-of-the-boxconfigurationfiles.Thisapproachishelpfulinmaintainingandupgradingcustomizations.
•TheWebSDKalsoallowsdeveloperstowritetheirownWebServicesthatencapsulateMicroStrategyfunctionalityandexposethisfunctionalitytothird-partyapplications.SincetheservicesusestandardprotocolssuchasHTTPorHTTPSandgeneratearesponseinstandardW3C-compliantformatssuchasXMLorJSON,anythird-partyapplication(webormobile)canconsumetheseservicesandembedMicroStrategyfunctionalityintotheirproduct.MicroStrategy'sservice-orientedarchitectureguaranteesefficiencyforeachserviceorcomponentwithnocoderedundancy.Thisarchitectureisinstarkcontrasttotheservice-orientedarchitecturesofotherBIvendors,whichareaproductofdisparate,separatelydevelopedarchitectures,inheritedfrommergers,andmashedtogether.
•Inaddition,MicroStrategyprovidesaplug-inarchitecturethatenablesdeveloperstoextendout-of-the-boxMicroStrategyWebcodewithstand-alonecustomizationswithouttheneedtochangethesourcecode,thus,makingupgradeswithoutrecodingpossible.MicroStrategysupportsthefollowinglanguagesforWebSDK:Java,XML/JSON,JavaScript,and.NET.
•UserscanembedOBIEEobjectsfromtheOracleBIPresentationCatalog,suchasanalysesanddashboards,inapplications.
•Userscanembedreports,visualizations,anddashboardscreatedinOracleBICloudServiceinotherapplicationsandportalsviaiFrame.
•SincetheuserinterfaceinOBIEEisgeneratedusingscripts,skinsandstylescanbecustomized.OBIEEshipswithseveralstyles,suchasSkyros,BLAFP(browserlookandfeel),andFusionFX(fusionapplications).However,thereisnowaytoextendorcustomizeexistingwebfunctionality,andthereisnoabilitytocreateanewwebapplicationfromscratch.
CreateCustomMobileApplicationsiniOSandAndroid
Theabilitytocreatecustomizedmobileapplications,embedBIinthird-partyapps,orrebrandthemobileappbyincludingcustomizedicons,aswellassplash,launch,andloginscreens.
•TheMicroStrategyMobileAPIenablesmobileappdeveloperstocustomizeMicroStrategyMobileappsonAndroidandiOSmobiledevicesbychangingthelookandfeeloftheapp,ordevelopingnewMobileappsthatuseMicroStrategyBIcontent.MicroStrategyprovidesdifferentAPIsforAndroidandiOSdevices.TheflexibilityoftheMobileAPIsenabledeveloperstobuildcustommobileapplicationstoaccommodategrowingneedsoftheorganization.
•TheMobileSDKforiOSconsistsofXcodeprojectsthatallowdeveloperstocompileanddistributecustomMicroStrategyMobileapps.WithoneoftheXcodeprojects,userscanrebrandtheappbyaddingicons,splashscreens,andanappnamethroughsimpleconfigurationchanges.Inaddition,theMobileSDKforiOSenablesuserstoembedMicroStrategyinanexistingapplicationorbuildcustomwidgetsthatcanconsumeMicroStrategydata.
•TheMobileSDKforAndroidletsuserscustomizetheMicroStrategyMobileapplicationtomatchcorporatebrandingrequirements.Italsoallowsuserstopreconfiguretheapplicationtoallowmultipleinstancesoftheapplicationtoexistonasingledevice.
•MicroStrategysupportsthefollowingprogramminglanguagesforMobileSDK:iOS-ObjectiveC,Swift;Android–Java.
•Theabilitytorebrandmobileappswithcustomicons,splashscreens,andloginscreensisnotyetsupported.Inaddition,EmbeddedBIPublisherReports,MobileAppDesignerApps,andotherexternalcontentembeddedusingiFramesisnotsupported.
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TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTOracle Oracle
ScoreMSTRScore
EmbedThird-PartyDataasDatasets
Theabilityforthird-partyapplicationstopushdatadirectlyintoaBIapplicationforuseindashboardsorreports.
•Organizationsarealwayslookingtoconnecttoavarietyofsourcesthatmaynotbenativelysupportedwiththeplatform.UsingthePushAPI,organizationscanpushexternaldatainJSONformatusingRESTAPIsintoin-memorycubesontheMicroStrategyIntelligenceServer,souserscanreadilyconsume,process,andanalyzethecorrespondingdata.•MicroStrategymakesitpossiblefororganizationstoleveragenewdataassetsbyenablingapplicationssuchasETLtoolsthatconnecttothesedatasourcesandmovedataintoMicroStrategy.•ThePushAPIenablesthird-partyvendorstogenerateMicroStrategydatasets,thus,unlockingnewend-userworkflowsandopportunitiesforpartnerintegrations.
•OBIEEdoesnothaveamechanismforthird-partyapplicationstopushdataascubes.CustomersarelimitedtoonlybeingabletousedatasourcescertifiedbyOBIEE.
CreateCustomHTML5Visualizations
TheabilitytoembedorcreatecustomHTML5visualizationswithopensourcelibrariessuchasD3,thatcanbedeployedontopofdatasources.
•MicroStrategyintegrateswiththird-partyandopensourceJavaScriptvisualizations,souserscantellevenmorecompellingstorieswiththeirdata.•MicroStrategyprovidesAPIs,tools,samples,anddocumentationtohelpusersbuildcustomHTML5visualizationsusingopensourceandcommerciallibrarieslikeD3andGoogleCharts.•Userscanbuildoutsupportforfunctionalityincludingselectors,dropzones,colorpalettes,andthresholds.Itisalsopossibletotransformvisualizationsintotext-basednarrativesbyintegratingwithnativelanguagegeneration(NLG)platforms,suchasthoseofferedbyAutomatedInsightsandNarrativeScience.
•OBIEEallowstheembeddingofHTMLandJavaScriptcustomvisualizations.
ExtractSubsetsofDataUsingRESTfulAPIs
Theabilityforcustomthird-partywebapplicationstousetheBIplatformasadatasourcetoextractsubsetsofdatafromareportorexistingcube.
•WithRESTfulAPIs,organizationscanuseMicroStrategyasadatasourcetoquicklyextractsubsetsofpre-processeddatainJSONformat.ThisaddressestheneedsoflargeenterprisesandOEMpartnersthatconsumedatathroughMicroStrategy'sgovernedandsecuredarchitectureviacustomizedbusinessapplications.
•WiththeBIPublisherRESTAPI,userscanonlyextractdatafromanOracleBusinessIntelligencePublisher(BIP)report.TheBIPublisherRESTAPIisanewfeatureinthe12cversionandfunctionsonlywhenaccessingaBIP12cenvironment.
CreateCustomDataConnectors
Theabilitytocreateacustomdatasourcethatuserscanconnecttoandleverageintheirreportsanddashboards.
•Withnewandupdateddatasourcesbeingpublishedbydatabasevendorsalmostweekly,organizationsneedfastaccesstoconnecttoandusethedatastoredinthesevariousdatalocations.•MicroStrategynativelysupports100softhemostpopulardatasourcesandcontinuestoenhanceconnectivitywitheachdatabaseupgrade.•MicroStrategyalsoallowsorganizationstobuildtheirownconnectorstocustomdataassetswiththeDataConnectorSDK.OrganizationscanleverageHTMLandJavaScripttobuildcustomconnectorsfortheMicroStrategyDataImportinterfaceandbuildtheirowncustomizedintegrationsforthesedatasourceswithinMicroStrategy,thus,providingusersaccesstoanydatasourcewithoutwaitingforthemtobecertifiedbytheplatform.
•OracleBusinessIntelligencedoesnotcurrentlysupportthecreationofcustomdataconnectors.OBIEEprovidessupportforonlyalimitedsetofdatasourcesavailableforuse.
MultitenancySupport
Theabilitytodeployasingleinstanceofasoftwareapplicationtoservemultiplecustomers,whereeachcustomeriscalledatenant.
•MultitenancyenablesanOEM’svariouscustomerstoexperiencecustomapplications,allbuiltonasinglearchitecture.Sharingresourcesresultsinlessadministrativeoverhead,reducedresourceconsumption,andlowoverallTCO.•MicroStrategysupportsaspectrumofmultitenantarchitecturesfromhighisolationtohighsharing.Inaddition,MicroStrategyallowsforpersonalizationinasharedprojectsuchascustombrandingandlogosforeachtenant,personalizedobjectnames,andinternationalizationcapabilities.
•AsingleOBIEEinstallationcanrunononeserver,allowformultipleappdeployments,andservemultiplecustomersonthesameinfrastructure.However,thereisnowaytocustomizeanenvironmentwiththetenant'sbranding,logo,orpersonalizedschema.
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TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTOracle Oracle
ScoreMSTRScore
EnterpriseCloud
SimplifiedEnterpriseDeployment
TheabilitytoeasilydeployanenterprisecloudenvironmentwithoutITsupport.
•MicroStrategyonAWSwillenablecustomerstodeployenterprisenetworksthatarefullyconfiguredandreadytouseinlessthan30minutes.Thissavesuserstimeandmoneybyeliminatingtheneedtodownload,install,andconfiguretheenvironmentsthemselves.Userscanchoosefromdifferentinstancetypesandsizesbasedoncostorusagerequirements.•Cloudenvironmentscanalsobedeployeddirectlyintoacustomer'sAWSaccountformaximumcontrol.•Userscanlaunch3differentenvironmenttypes,rangingfromanall-in-onesystemtoanenterprise-gradedistributedandredundantsystem.
•OracleBICloudService(BICS)isaimedatdepartmentalusecasessuchassharingspreadsheetdata,teamreporting,anddevelopmentsandboxes.ItisathinclientandrunsaspartofOraclePublicCloud,partofawiderOraclePaaS(OracleAnalyticsCloud).BICScomespre-bundledwithOracleDatabaseSchemaService,asingle-schemaOracleDatabaseservice.•Itrequiresaminimumof10users,supportsasingleDBschema,andoffersonly50GBstorage/300GBofmonthlydatatransfer.•Currently,itonlyprovidesasubsetofonpremisefeatures.Majorlimitationsincludethefollowing:itcanonlyreportagainstasingledatabasesource;itdoesnotallowaccesstoagents,BIPublisher,orEssbase;thereisnoautomatedusagetracking.
GlobalAvailability
Theabilitytodeployenvironmentsglobally.Globaloptionsmakeiteasyforcustomerstodeploytheirenvironmentsclosertohomesotheycanmeetperformance,compliance,anddatarequirements.
•MicroStrategyCloudcandeploydistributedandredundantsystemsinover42AWSAvailabilityZonesin16geographicregionsaroundtheworld.ThisincludescountriesacrossNorthAmerica,SouthAmerica,Asia,Europe,andAustralia.ThisenablesorganizationstodeployMicroStrategyclosertoitsusers.Thisdecreaseslatencyandenablesfasterresponsetimes.Byhavingdatacentersclosertohome,italsoallowsthedataenterstocomplywithlocallawsandregulations.
RegionandNumberofAvailabilityZones
•AWSGovCloud(2)
•USWestOregon(3),NorthernCalifornia(3)
•USEastNorthernVirginia(5),Ohio(3)
•CanadaCentral(2)
•SouthAmericaSãoPaulo(3)
•EuropeIreland(3),Frankfurt(2),London(2)
•AsiaPacificSingapore(2),Sydney(3),Tokyo(3),Seoul(2),Mumbai(2)
•ChinaBeijing(2)
•NewRegions(comingsoon)ParisNingxia
•OracleCloudisdeployedinOracle'sdatacentersacrosstheglobe.Presently,thesecoverUSWest,USCentral,USEast,USGov,USDOD,USHIPAA,UKNorth,UKSouth,UKGov,EU,GermanyWest,USPCI,ANZEast,ANZCentral,Singapore,China,JapanEast,JapanSouth,Brazil,MiddleEast,Canada,Korea,India,andTurkey.
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TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTOracle Oracle
ScoreMSTRScore
APIEnabledOperations
JavaScriptframeworksthatprovideanumberofAPIstohelpcustomersbuildapplications.
•TheMicroStrategyCloudAPIgivescustomersunlimitedflexibilitytocreatetheirowncustomworkflows.Customershavetheabilitytobuildpersonalizeduserinterfacesfordeployingandmanagingtheircloudenvironments.ThisempowersdeveloperstoautomatetheirMicroStrategyCloudcapabilities.•ThroughAPIs,itispossibletolaunch1000MicroStrategyinstanceswithasinglelineofcode,resizethemtoanysize,andthenterminatethemoncedone.WithoutAPIs,thiswouldbeamanualprocess.It’seasytointegratewithotherautomationtoolsandtheAPIworkswithanyprogramminglanguage.
CloudSpecificAPIswesupport:•Retrieveorsearchforenvironments•Createnewenvironments•GetEnvironmentContactDetailsList•ResendEmailtotheownersoftheenvironments•Restartenvironment/s•Startenvironment/s•GetEnvironmentStates•Stopenvironment/s•Terminateenvironments•FindenvironmentdetailsbyenvironmentID•UpdateEnvironmentContactDetails•Updateexpirationdateforenvironment•FindalltheinstancesinanenvironmentbyenvironmentID•FindalltheinstancesstateinanenvironmentbyenvironmentID•RestartInstance•StartInstance•StopInstance•Findschedulesbyenvironmentid•Createscheduleforenvironment•Inactivatetheselectedschedulebyscheduleidandenvironmentid•Findschedulebyscheduleidandenvironmentid•Updatescheduleforenvironment•Resizeallserverinstanceorselectedserverinstanceofanenvironment•Createnewenvironments
•OracledoesnothavetheabilitytolaunchnewenvironmentswithitsAPIanddoesnotenableadministratorstocontrolactionssuchasstarting,stopping,restarting,andresizinganenvironment.
DisasterRecoveryandFailover
Clusteredserversthatrestorebackupsafterfailuresonoworkortimeislost.
•MicroStrategyCloudclustersenterprisedeploymentswithmultiplenodes,andgivesorganizationstheflexibilitytoaddadditionalnodes.•Clusterednodesprovideloadbalancing,highavailability,failover,andredundancy.Eachnodesynchronizesmetadatainformation,historylists,andreportcaches.Incaseofdisasterorfailure,MicroStrategybackupsarestoredredundantlyacrossmultipleavailabilityzonesandcanbeaccessedandrestoredinanalternateavailabilityzone.ThisaffordszerodowntimeanduserscanalwaysaccesstheirMicroStrategyenvironment.
•OracleCloudprovidestriplemirroringofstoragefordataredundancy,fullsystembackupandrestore,datacentersinmultiplegeographiclocations,andindustrial-strengthphysicalandlogicalsecurity.•Oracle’stargetuptimeforOracleBusinessIntelligenceCloudServiceandOracleDataVisualizationCloudServiceis99.95%.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotOBIEEDetailsbyCapability -vsOBIEE -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTOracle Oracle
ScoreMSTRScore
CentralizedAdministration
Asingleinterfacethatprovidesalltheadministrationtoolstomanageandmonitoranenterprisecloudenvironment.
•MicroStrategyallowsthecustomertostart,stop,andrestartanAWSenvironmentwhileretainingitscontents.Customerscantakeadvantageofstoppingtheirenvironmentstosaveoncosts,especiallyduringnon-peakhours.•ThenewEnvironmentManagertoolallowsuserstoscheduletheseroutinetaskstooccuratspecificdatesandtimes.•ForPOCordevelopmentpurposes,anadministratorcanstopthesemachinesduringnon-peakhourstoreducecosts.•Customersonlypayforwhattheyuse.
•Oracle'smaincloudbusinessanalyticsproductsareBICloudService(BICS)andDataVisualizationCloudService(DVCS).Thedatamodelprovidedbythesetoolsaswellasthelackofadvancedadministrationconfigurationoptionsmakesthemmoresuitableasdepartmentalsolutions,ratherthanfull-scaleenterprisebusinessintelligencedeployments.•EventhoughnewfeaturessuchasBICSDataSyncandRemoteDataConnectorattempttoaddresstheselimitations,thelackofdetailedadministrationandmaintenancecapabilitiespreventmanyOraclecustomersfrommovingcomplexenvironmentstothecloud.
AutoScaling Theabilitytoresizecloudenvironmentsbasedontheconditionsthecustomerdefines.
•MicroStrategyCloudcustomershavetheabilitytoscaletheirenvironmentupordownwithover6differentinstancesizeoptionsfromAWSrangingfrom4vCPUand15.25GiBto64vCPUand488GiBofmemory.•Environmentscanscaleon-demandorschedulebasedonusagepatterns,applicationusagepatterns,anddatasize.Customerscanaddnewusersatanytimeanddeploymultipleenvironmentsandprojectsastheyseefit.•Customerspayforwhattheyuseaccordingtolengthoftime.
AutoscalingcanbeconfiguredinOracleJavaCloudServicetoautomaticallyscaleaclusterinoroutbasedonCPUusage.
SeamlessUpgrades
Upgradetheplatformandcorrespondingserverswithoutanydowntimeoradditionalwork.
BymovingtotheMicroStrategyCloud,customerscanensurethattheyhavethelatestplatformandversionrelease,allowingthemtotakeadvantageofthelatestplatformsecurityandfeatureenhancements.WiththenewCloudEnvironmentManager,customerscanscheduleupgradesduringnon-peakhourstoguaranteeseamlessupgradeswithzerodowntime.Testingandhealthchecksareautomaticallyperformedtohelpensureasuccessfulupgrade.
•OracleBICloudServicesupportsrollingupgrades.ThatmeansthatanyonesubscribedtoOracleBICloudServicereceivesautomaticupgradesassoonasnewfeaturesbecomeavailable.
HighPerformanceandReliability
Maintainhighperformanceandreliabilitywithoutsacrificinguserexperienceorsecurity.
•EachMicroStrategydeploymentisinasingle-tenant,privatecloud.Thisallowsorganizationstocustomizethesoftwaretomeettheirneeds.Queriesrunbycustomerswillnotaffectothers.Eachinstanceisisolatedfromothersformaximumprivacy.
•TheMicroStrategyCloudoperationsteamhasthecloudexpertsandsupporttohelpensurehighperformanceandreliability.WearebackednotonlybyAWS’sworld-classinfrastructure,butalsoAWSexpertswhohelpeddesignandautomateourclouddeployment.OurCloudenvironmentwasbuiltwiththelatestAWStechnologyandaccordingtoAWS’sbestpractices.Ourteamproactivelypatchesinfrastructure,operatingsystems,andapplicationstooptimizeperformancewhiledeterringsecuritythreats.Wehaveprocessesinplacesothatsystemsaremonitored,includingtheanalyticsandmobilityservers.
•MicroStrategyallowsorganizationstoclusterupto8servernodes.Beyondbeingabletofurtherscaleinvolumeofanalyticscontent,thiswillimproveoverallSLAsbyreorganizinglargeclustersforhigheravailabilityandfasterservicerecovery,reduceTCObyconsolidationofmultipleenvironments,andremovefrictiontodeploynewapplicationsandincreaseusercapacity.
•AspartoftheOracleCloud,theOracleDatabaseCloudServiceisdeployedoninfrastructurethatincludesOracleEngineeredSystemsforhighperformanceandavailability,triplemirroringofstoragefordataredundancy,andfullsystembackupandrestore.•Nonetheless,therearestilllimitationsthatimpedeperformanceattheenterpriselevelincludingsupportforonlyasingledatabaseschemaandlimitsof50GBforstorage,300GBonmonthlydatatransfer,andfilesizesof50MB.•Inaddition,thereareCPUmemorylimitations,astheirhighestconfigurationis120GB.
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TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTOracle Oracle
ScoreMSTRScore
DataConnectivityandMigration
Servicesforcustomerslookingtomovetheirdataintothecloudorconnecttheiron-premdatatotheircloudenvironment.
•MicroStrategyprovidesdataconnectivityanddatawarehousesolutionstomeetcustomerneeds.Customersmaychoosetomigratetheirdataintothecloud.WeofferoptionstomigrateintoAmazonRedshift,SQLServerEnterprise,SQLServerStandard,MySQL,orAuroraDWHplatforms.Whencustomerschoosethisoption,MicroStrategybuildsthechosenDWHwithinthesameVPCastherestoftheBIcloudenvironment.MicroStrategyworkswithcustomerstoselectthecorrectsize(CPU/RAM)DWHmachinethatmeetstheirneeds.ETLoptionsarealsoavailable.
•Ifacustomerchoosestomaintaintheirdatabaseon-premorinanotherclouddatasource,atypicalimplementationinvolvesestablishingaVPNconnectionbetweentheMicroStrategyCloudanditsdatabaseordata.Theperformanceofthisarchitecturecanvarybasedonavarietyoffactors,includingthephysicaldistancebetweentheMicroStrategyClouddatacenterandthecustomerdatasource,thelatencyofthedataconnection,thebandwidthoftheconnection,theamountofusage,itsqueryintensiveness,thequery-responselatencyofthecustomerdatasource,andothervariables.
•WithOracle,thereisnoubiquitousconnectivity.Organizationscannottakeadvantageoftheirexistingon-premdirectoryservicesorothersecuritymodels.ThatmeanstheyhavetorecreatealloftheirusersasOracleCloudusers.Notonlythat,thereisalsoverylimitedaccesstomultiplesubjectareas,on-premdatasources,andsomeofthemoreenterprise-gradecapabilitiesoftheOracleBIplatform.
Furthermore,organizationslookingtomovetheirdataintothecloudarerestrictedtousingOracledatawarehouses.
DataSecurity Securitytoprotectcustomerdata24/7/365.
•MicroStrategyCloudsecuritymeetsorexceedsindustrystandardsandbestpractices.MicroStrategyimplementsstrongcontrolpracticestoeffectivelymaintainthesecurityandavailabilityoftheMicroStrategyCloudandassociateddata.Wehelpensurethatyourdataissecureatnetworkandapplicationlevelsfromanyattacks.WefollowthelatestindustrystandardsonmanycompliancesandcertificationssuchasSOCI&II,HIPAA,PCI,andPrivacyShield.
•OracleBICSisbuiltontopofOracle’sidentitymanagementplatform.BICSreliesonamulti-tenantcloudapproach,witheachsubscriptionidentifiedbyitsownIdentityDomain.TheIdentityDomaininturnspecifiestheCompanyTenantID.
EnterpriseIoT
DigitalBadge Useasingledigitalidentifiertotrack,report,andmanagealluserinteractionswithenterpriseassets.Thebadgeverifiesidentitiespriortograntingaccesstoenterpriseassets.
•MicroStrategy,viaUsher,deliverssmartphone-baseddigitalbadgesthatprovideseamlessaccesstophysicalandlogicalassetsacrosstheenterprise.•Digitalbadgesreplacephysicalbadges,keyfobs,passwords,andotheridentifierswithdigitalcredentialsdeliveredviaamobileapp.Badgesarebrandedbytheissuingorganizationandaredynamicallyandsecurelylinkedtoanindividuals'privilegesandaccessrights.•Badgescanberemotelyissuedandrevokednearlyinstantaneously.Theyareprovisionedviasecure,out-of-bandmeans,andtheirusecanbegatedbybiometric,geographical,ortemporalconstraints.•Thedigitalbadgeprovidesauniqueidentifierthatcanbeusedbyanysinglebadgetovalidatetheidentityofanyotherbadge.Italsoprovidesone-timepasscodesforasecondfactorofauthentication.
•DigitalbadgesarenotprovidedinOBIEE.MicroStrategyistheonlyBIplatformthatofferspassword-freeloginviaamobileapp.
PhysicalAccess
Controlandmanageaccesstoanyentrywayacrossanenterpriseusingadigitalbadgetoenhanceorreplaceexistingaccesscardsforemployees,contractors,andvisitors.
•MicroStrategyprovidessmartphone-basedphysicalaccessfunctionalitypre-integratedwithleadingPACSvendors.Usherworkstoconsolidatemultiplephysicalaccesscontrolsystemsthroughoutanenterprise.•WithanOpenAPImodel,MicroStrategycanintegratewithpartnerphysicalaccesscontrolsystems,buildingautomationsystems,manufacturingsystems,InternetofThings(IoT)grids,andnetworksandmanagementsystemstodelivermoreadvancedfunctionalityandimplementationoptionstocustomers.
•Physicalaccessisnotsupported.OBIEEdoesnotsupportOTBintegrationwithleadingPACSvendorsonmobiledevices.Oracle'sIoTproductsdonotprovidethisfunctionality.
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TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTOracle Oracle
ScoreMSTRScore
LogicalAccess
AccessalltypesofdigitalassetsinanorganizationincludingBIapplications,webapplications,VPNs,andworkstationsfromasinglepoint.
•MicroStrategyprovidessecuredigitalidentitythatallowsuserstoaccessnearlyanysysteminanenterprise(devices,applications,andVPNs)fromasinglepoint.InordertobothprotectthecurrentITinvestmentsofcorporationsaswellasenablefutureinvestments,logicalaccesswithMicroStrategyiscompatiblewithbothindustry-standardprotocolslikeSAMLandRADIUSaswellasemergingstandardssuchasOpenIDConnect.
•OracledoesnotofferlogicalaccesstodigitalsystemsotherthanitsownBIsuite.OBIEEcanbeconfiguredtouseSAML(securityassertionmarkuplanguage)forpassword-freeloginsandsinglesign-on,butthisrequiresintegrationwithathird-partyauthenticationsolution.
BluetoothSensing
Enablecontextualinteractions,security,andseamlessuserexperiencesviaBluetoothdeliveringreal-timelocationalawarenessofenterpriseassets.
•IntheMicroStrategyplatform,Usher’sBluetooth(BLE4.0)integrationenablesreal-timemicro-locationalawarenessofenterpriseassetsaswellastouch-freephysicalandlogicalaccess.•Thisallowsthousandsofuserstoprojecttheiridentityandmoveaboutacorporateenvironmentaccessingdoorwaysandsystemssecurelywithdrasticallydecreasedamountsoffriction.TheBluetoothsensingcapabilitycanalsobeconfiguredtologproximityataparticularplaceandtime.
•OBIEEdoesnotintegratewithBluetooth.IntheEIoTcontext,acustomerwouldneedtomakeanadditionalinvestmentintoOracle'sIoTplatformtoacquireBluetoothcapabilities.
BarcodeScanner
TrackenterpriseassetsbyscanningbarcodesorQRcodeswheneverauserinteractswiththem.Thisabilitysetsthefoundationforseamlessrepair,maintenance,andinventorymanagementofenterpriseassets.
•TheintegratedbarcodescannerinMicroStrategybadgescanscanvirtuallyanykindofQRorbarcodetag,securelyloggingalinkagebetweenanemployeeandaproduct,machine,oranyvaluableenterpriseasset.•ThiscapabilityallowsthetrackingofofflineassetsusinglabelsandtagswithbarorQRcodesandcanimproveprocessauditingandenforcementforcustomerservice,maintenance,andmore.Scanningbarcodeshelpstakedatafrommultiplecomponentsandsystemsandcombinethemtoimprovethepredictabilityofperformanceissuesthatariseinday-to-daybusinessoperations.
•TrackingassetswithbarcodescannersisnotsupportedinOBIEE.ThisisinpartduetoOraclenotprovidingadigitalbadgeforuseininteractingwiththeEnterpriseInternetofThings.Throughitsmobilesupplychainapplications,Oracle'sE-BusinessSuitecandeliverbarcodescanningfunctionalitiestoamobiledevice,butthesearedistinctproductsthatrequireintegrationandseparatelicensingagreements.
Communication&Collaboration
Empowermanagementanddecision-makingtobemoretimely,informed,andcollaborativethroughdirect,in-app2-waymessagingbasedonlocationandsystemsaccess.
•TheUsherout-of-the-boxproductivityapplicationallowsmanagerstoquicklyidentify,verify,coordinate,andcommunicatewithotherusers–eitherin-personorbyremotelocation.•UsershavethecapabilitytoexchangemessagesfromanyclientinterfaceviatheIdentityserverastheintermediary.Thisfeaturesupportsanumberofusecasesincludingemployeesafety,support,andcoordination,particularlyforfieldworkforcesorduringspecialevents.
•ForOBIEE,communicationandcollaborationisnotsupportedoutsideofdashboardsinitsBIinterfaces.SinceOBIEEdoesnotprovideadigitaltwinthatiscarriedbyuserswiththeminamobileform-factor,itlacksaconvenientwayofreachingusersinatimelyfashion.Thisalsomeansthatthereismuchlesscontextualinformationavailableaboutusersatanygivenpointintimethatcouldbeusedtoinfluencecommuniques.
Real-timeTelemetry
Generateconsumablereal-timeintelligenceviadigitalidentityinteractionswithalltypesofenterpriseassets(physicalandlogical)andconstituents.
•WithMicroStrategyUsherbadges,userpresenceandactionscreatereal-timetelemetryviaanApacheKafkaCluster–anopen-sourceprogramdeliveringadistributed,partitioned,andreplicatedcommitlogservicesupportingreal-timedataprocessingandbigdatavolumes.Thistelemetrydataisarichandunderutilizedsourceofinformationthatisthekeytounlockingasmarter,moreproductiveworkforce.Toexpeditevaluecreation,MicroStrategyhelpsorganizationsefficientlycreateandharnessmassiveamountsoftimelyinformationarrivingfromEIoTdevices.
•Real-timestreamingindashboardsissupportedwiththeOracleExalyticsIn-MemoryMachine.Nonetheless,OBIEE'slackofadigitalbadgepreventsitfromgeneratingcomprehensive,real-timetelemetrystemmingfromtheinteractionsbetweenusersandenterpriseassets.ToaccomplishsomeofthiswithOracle,customerswouldneedtopurchaselicensesandserversforaseparateproduct(OracleIoT)thatisnotfullyintegratedwithOBIEE.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotOBIEEDetailsbyCapability -vsOBIEE -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTOracle Oracle
ScoreMSTRScore
OTBReportingModule
Deployreportingbasedontelemetry,pullingdatafromallassetsandaccesspointstodeliverinsightintooperationsandcomplianceinaunified,“singlesourceoftruth”dashboard.Reportsshouldbecustomizablewiththeabilitytoblenddatafromotherenterpriserepositories.
•UsherAnalyticsisaMicroStrategyprojectincludedout-of-the-boxwithabadgeimplementation.MicroStrategytakescareoftheETLprocessessoaccessandauthorizationdatageneratedontheback-endisautomaticallyloadedintoadatawarehouseandleveragedbyapre-builtdataschema.Thisprojectincludesmultipledashboardsandamobileapplicationforvisibilityintointeractionsbetweenenterpriseconstituentsandassets.
•OTBreportingforanaccess-centricEIoTimplementationisnotsupportedbyOBIEE.OBIEEcanintegratewithOracleIoTinafairlystraightforwardfashiontopullinsensordataforanalysis.However,forOBIEEtodeliverdashboardsthatshowacomprehensivelogofphysicalandlogicaltransactionsacrossanorganization,asignificantamountoflabor(connecting,ETL-ing,architecting,anddashboarding)wouldberequired.
IntegrationwithDirectoryServices
Synchronizetodirectoryservicesastheauthoritativesourceforemployeerecordsandattributes.Supporttheenforcementofdirectoryprovisioningforauthorization(privileges,entitlements,andrestrictions).
•WithintheMicroStrategyplatform,UsherNetworkManagerhaspre-builtdirectoryintegrationswithMicrosoftActiveDirectory,AWSDirectoryServices,andOktaUniversalDirectory.UsherisalsocompatiblewiththeOpenLDAPstandard.ThisallowsMicroStrategytoquicklyissuestandardizedcredentialstoallusers,eveninorganizationswhichutilizemultipleidentityrepositories-orevenmanuallyaddtemporaryuserswhodonotexistinanyrepository.
•OBIEEsupportsintegrationwithOracleWebLogicServerLDAPdirectory,OracleInternetDirectory,andActiveDirectorytoassignprivilegestousers.Itcanalsointegratewithanundisclosednumberofthird-partydirectories.
IdentityServer Manageanetworkofusersbyconfiguringrelationshipsthatprompt,enable,orsecureinteractionsamongemployeesandassetswithinthenetwork.IdentityServersenableadministratorstocreate,configure,distribute,revoke,andmanagedigitalidentitieswithuserbadges.
•TheMicroStrategyUsheridentityserver,whichassignsandissuesdigitaltwinstousersintheformofbadges,isFIDOAlliance-certifiedonaUAFprotocolfordeliveringpassword-freeauthenticationbasedonpublickeycryptography.Itisstronglyresistanttophishingandcanmakeuseraccesssubjecttogeographicandtemporalconstraints.
TheUsherserverarchitectureisbuilttoensurethatonlyauthorizedbadgeuserscommunicatewiththeidentityserver,andonlyfromauthorizeddevices.TheUsherserverhasthesoleauthoritytoconvertamobiledeviceintoanauthorizeddevicethroughaprocessthathelpsensurethatroguedevicesorapplicationswillnotbeabletocommunicatewiththeidentityserver.Theidentityserverprovidessupportforencryptionofdataatrestandintransit,encryptionkeymanagement,andtransactionloggingtiedtoanindividualuser’sidentity.
•OBIEEdoesnotprovideOTBsupportforidentityservers.UserandassetadministrationinOBIEEislimitedtoBIapplicationsandenvironments.AsitpertainstotheEIoT,Oraclehasaseparateoffering(OracleIoT)whichallowsfortheprovisioningandconfigurationofrelationshipsbetweenconnectedsensorsanddevices(thoughthesearegenerallynotusedasidentityextensionsforemployees).
EnterprisePartner
100%FocusonEnterpriseAnalytics
Corebusinessisexclusivelyfocusedonenterpriseanalytics.
•MicroStrategyisdedicatedtoasinglebusinessline,exclusivelyfocusedonenterpriseanalyticsandmobilitysoftware.•MicroStrategy’smissionistoprovideenterprisecustomerswithaworld-classsoftwareplatformandexpertservicessotheycandeployuniqueintelligenceapplications.
•Oracleisaconglomeratewith3distinctbusinesssegments,whicharefurtherdividedintomorethan5separateoperatingsegments.Noneoftheseoperatingsegmentshaveenterpriseanalyticsasacorefocus.•Oracleoffersthousandsofproductsinmorethan20differentcategories,includinghundredsofproductsacquiredfromothercompanies,thatrangefromITinfrastructuretocontentstoragemanagement.OBIEEismerelyoneofthethousandsofproductsofferedbyOracle.
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TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTOracle Oracle
ScoreMSTRScore
PlatformCohesion
Cohesionisanimportantconceptinsoftwaredesignbecauseitreducescomplexity,enhancessystemmaintainabilityandincreasesreusability,whichtogetherpromoteperformance,scalabilityandelegance.
•MicroStrategy10hasaunifiedplatformarchitectureuniquelysuitedtodeliverhigh-performanceapplicationsthatarehighlyreusableandsecure,andcanmeetthebusinessintelligencedemandsofvarioususersandorganizations.•Sinceitsinception,MicroStrategyhasbeendevelopingitsplatformtechnology100%organically.
•OBIEEistheresultofeffortstomelddisparatetechnologies.•OracleacquiredSiebelSystemsin2006andHyperionSolutionsin2007tofilloutitsBIproductline.•BIsolutionsfromthesedifferentvendorswerecombinedtoformOBIEE.•OBIEEmustcompeteforattentionandfundingwithintheOracleconglomerate.
VisionaryCEO
CEOanticipatesanddrivestechnologytrendsintheenterpriseanalyticsindustry.
•MicroStrategy’sCEO,MichaelSaylor,hasanticipatedtechnologytrendssuchasmobiletechnology’stransformationofbusinessoperations,andledthecompanythroughmultiplewavesofinnovationsuchasclient-server,web,mobile,cloudandenterpriseinternetofthings.•Mr.SaylorisalsotheauthorofTheNewYorkTime’sbest-sellingbook,“TheMobileWave.”
•InadditiontohavingmorethanoneCEO,theattentionofOracle’sCEOsisdividedamongalargenumberofbusinesssegments,operatingsegments,andproductcategories.It’sunclearwhattheCEOs’visionisforOBIEE.
CEOEngagementwithCustomers
CEOengagesdirectlyandsubstantiallywithcustomersaroundtheworld.
•MicroStrategy’sCEOdirectlyengageswithcustomersaroundtheworldbypersonallyparticipatinginamajorityofthe100+SymposiumeventsthatMicroStrategyholdsperyearin35differentcountries,inadditiontoothercustomermeetingsandeventsonaregularbasis.
•OBIEEisaverysmallportionofOracle’sconglomeratebusiness.GiventhelargenumberofOraclebusinesssegments,operatingsegments,andproductcategories,itsCEOscan’tbefocusedonengagementwithenterpriseanalyticscustomers.
TenuredExecutiveTeam
Executiveteamhasextensiveexperienceinenterpriseanalyticsandmobility.
•MicroStrategy’sCEOandCTOcollectivelyhaveover50yearsofexperienceinenterpriseanalyticsandmobility.•Additionally,MicroStrategy’sCEOhassciencedegreesfromMITandmorethan50patentstohisname,andhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindMicroStrategy’stechnologysinceitsinception.
•Enterpriseanalyticsisn’tthecorebackgroundofanymemberonOracle’sseniorexecutiveteam.
ShareholderAlignment
Principalshareholderandmanagementinterestsarealignedwiththecompany’slong-termsuccess.
•Mr.Saylor,thecompany’sChairmanoftheBoard,President&CEO,foundedMicroStrategyin1989andhasbeenthecompany’scontrollingshareholdersinceitsinception.Accordingly,shareholderandmanagementinterestsarefullyalignedinpursuingMicroStrategy’svisionandlong-termsuccess.
•Oracle’sstockownershipisdispersed.•Oracle’smanagementholdslessthanathirdofthetotalownershipinterestinthecompany.
PubliclyTradedCompany
Withgreatertransparency,stabilityandaccesstofunding,apubliclytradedcompanygenerallyhasastrongermanagementteam,instillsgreaterconfidenceincustomersandhasmorefinanciallevers.
•Havinggonepublic18yearsago,MicroStrategyisamaturepubliclytradedcompany.
•Oracleisapubliclytradedcompany,butOBIEE’sfinancialperformanceisunknownbecauseit’ssuchasmallportionofOracle’soverallbusiness,andOracledoesn’tseparatelyreportonit.ThismakesitmoredifficulttopredictOracle’splansforOBIEEandcreatessignificantuncertaintyforcustomers.
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CriticalCapabilitiesfortheEnterprisewithNewData WhyNotOBIEEDetailsbyCapability -vsOBIEE -
TechnicalSolution
CriticalCapability
CriticalCapabilityDescription WhyMicroStrategy WhyNOTOracle Oracle
ScoreMSTRScore
StrongFinancials
Aprofitableorganizationwithastrongbalancesheetcanbetterwithstandmarketvolatilityandfluctuations.
•MicroStrategyhasbeenprofitableoverthelast13years,withcombinednetincomeof$197millionoverthelast2fiscalyearsandanoperatingmarginof21%for2016.•Inaddition,MicroStrategy’sbalancesheetisstrongwithzerodebt.
•Oracleisaconglomerate,andthefinancialperformanceofOBIEEisunclear.
WorldwideSalesPresence
Companyhastheabilitytodirectlyengagewithorganizationsaroundtheworld.
•MicroStrategyhasofficesin26countriesacrosseverymajorregionoftheworld.
•WhileOraclehasofficesinanumberofcountries,Oracleisaconglomeratebusiness,andtheextenttowhichthoseofficessupportenterpriseanalyticssalesandcustomersisunclear.
WorldwideServicesPresence
Companyhastheabilitytoprovidesupportandservicestocustomersaroundtheworld.
•MicroStrategyhasofficesin26countriesacrosseverymajorregionoftheworld.
•WhileOraclehasofficesinanumberofcountries,Oracleisaconglomeratebusiness,andtheextenttowhichthoseofficesprovideenterpriseanalyticsservicesisunclear.
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