Running and managing a successful business involves the smooth functioning of several business processes and seamless interconnection with each other. This means that companies need to have the right software so that they can maintain this unified interconnection. One of the best software to achieve this is a business intelligence software.
Read on the find out all about this software and which are the five best business intelligence software for Mac!
Table of Contents
What is business intelligence software?
Dealing with a vast amount of data is a part and parcel of every organization. However, it is vital that all the raw data is presented in a meaningful and easy-to-understand form so that the employees can take the required actions. A business intelligence software can help companies achieve this data transformation and presentation.
A business intelligence software is a process driven by technology to analyze the raw data and deliver information that can be used by managers, employees, and executives, etc., to take the required business actions. In a nutshell, a business intelligence software implements a combination of data management, analytics, reporting tools, and different methodologies to analyze and manage the business data.
Different types of business intelligence tools and techniques
Some of the common types of business intelligence tools include –
- Ad hoc analysis
- Online Analytical Processing (OLAP)
- Mobile business intelligence
- Real-time business intelligence
- Operational Intelligence (OI)
- Software-as-a-service business intelligence
- Open-source business intelligence
- Embedded business intelligence
- Collaborative business intelligence
- Location intelligence
5 best business intelligence software for Mac
Now, let’s talk about the 5 best business intelligence software for Mac in 2021 –
1. Tableau
When we talk about data visualization tools for Mac, one name that is extremely popular is Tableau. This data-driven solution can help businesses analyze all the business data and find the required solutions for any business problems. You can use this tool to generate easy-to-understand and useful insights by gathering data from different sources, such as SQL, cloud platforms, databases, spreadsheets, etc.
This business intelligence tool serves the purposes for freelancers as well as businesses of all sizes. It is capable of adapting easily to your business environment and also comes equipped with strong security and governance requirements. This business intelligence tool is definitely top of the line with one of its key USP being the fact that it can be used by people of all skill levels. It also offers an interactive dashboard along with automatic visual analytics which makes it extremely easy for the users to view and analyze all the insights.
Features
Below are some of the key features of Tableau –
- The Tableau dashboard is very informative and provides the information in the form of beautiful visualization, text, multiple layouts and formats, data in the form of stories, etc.
- You can securely share data from various sources, such as on-cloud, on-premise, etc. Tableau offers amazing collaboration tools to instantly share dashboards, sheets, visualizations, etc. in real-time.
- Tableau offers the possibility to connect and gather data from a wide range of data sources like spreadsheets, relational databases, non-relation databases, big data, on-premise files, etc. You can also connect to data connectors, such as SQL server, Dropbox, Google Analytics, Google Sheets, Salesforce, and more.
- With Tableau, you can create any type of visualizations ranging from simple charts like pie charts and bar charts to advanced ones like boxplot, motion chart, bullet chart, histogram, treemap, and Gantt chart.
Limitations
Though Tableau is considered as one of the best business intelligence software for Mac, it does have certain limitations, such as –
- It is more expensive compared to other business intelligence tools.
- The learning curve is quite steep.
Pricing plans
- Tableau Creator – $70/user/month/billed annually
- Tableau Explorer – $35/user/month/billed annually
- Tableau Viewer – $12/user/month/billed annually
2. Sisense
Sisense is another great software that offers all the required business intelligence tools and techniques. This software offers scalable end-to-end business intelligences processes which enable organizations to retrieve, analyze, and visualize multiple complex datasets in easy-to-understand formats. Sisense can be used by both technical as well as non-technical users to gain key insights and apply them as a means to drive the success of their business. You can connect to multiple data sources and have all the information in one central location within few minutes.
Sisense is AI-driven and its back-end is powered by in-chip technology. Suitable for businesses of all sizes, you can deploy this business intelligence tool on-premise, as a fully managed SaaS, private cloud-hosted SaaS, or as a hybrid strategy. Sisense offers a wide range of features and solutions including machine learning, augmented intelligence, new modes of interaction, and more.
Features
Some of the key features of Sisense include –
- The tool has the capability to retrieve data from various sources and unifies them in a centralized dashboard. You can use the drag-and-drop feature to combine all the data on the Sisense platform. The built-in connectors allow the users to join various data formats, such as Google AdWords, Excel, Analytics, etc., from any database that the organization uses.
- You can easily create interactive and visually appealing dashboards by selecting the required widgets and placing them exactly where you want. You can use different types of visualizations like geographical maps, pie charts, scatter plots, etc. If you want to remove any widget or filter, it can be easily done with just one click.
- Sisense offers extensive collaboration tools which allows the users to share the interactive dashboards quickly and efficiently with their peers and other key decision-makers.
- Sisense’s data visualization toolset allows businesses to create dynamic visuals and business intelligence reports. It also automatically corrects the data format to suit the visualization type you choose.
Limitations
The limitations of Sisense include –
- The Sisense dashboard does not support advanced visualization types like 3D graphics.
- There is no feature for emailing scheduled reports.
Pricing plans
- Annual subscription plan – custom pricing
3. DOMO
Compared to the other business intelligence software for Mac, DOMO provides support for the widest datasets and data connectors combined with excellent collaboration tools. This software offers several features and functionalities, such as creating data agility, promoting data literacy, enabling actionable automation, and more. DOMO is a cloud-based software that is suitable for small, medium, and large enterprises.
Companies can use DOMO to gain thorough insights through micro as well as macro-level analysis. The tool also offers one of the best interactive interfaces, creative data displays, dashboard widgets, trend indicators, and more. One of the key USPs of DOMO is that it is extremely easy to use. It also has a unique feature called storytelling which has made it a popular choice in the category of business intelligence software for Mac.
Features
Below are some of the key features of DOMO –
- This business intelligence tool offers a feature called DOMO Buzz which is their communication and messaging platform. Users can use this platform to send individual messages, receive notifications, or perform other communication functionalities.
- With DOMO, users can create intuitive dashboards with drop-down menus to differentiate between independent visualizations. You can retrieve information from multiple datasets like sales numbers, employee performance, ROI, etc.
- DOMO offers a native application for mobile devices through which users can access everything that they would access on the desktop site.
- The suggested visualizations feature enables the users to create the perfect visualization by suggesting what will work for the chosen data. The solution’s algorithms provide these suggestions and you are free to either accept or ignore them.
Limitations
Though DOMO is considered as one of the top business intelligence software for Mac, it does have some limitations, such as –
- The ad-hoc reporting has limited functionality.
- DOMO is cloud-based and hence, does not offer offline analysis mode.
Pricing plans
- Quotation based – custom pricing
4. Qlik Sense
Qlik Sense is a smart data analysis software for Mac that allows its users to instantly create dashboards and generate personalized reports. With simple drag-and-drop functionality, users can use the data insights and create fascinating visualizations. Qlik Sense makes it easy for the users to understand all the complex information by transforming it into meaningful insights. This software has extensive analytical possibilities which can support the entire life-cycle of insights.
Winner of multiple awards, Qlik Sense offers a wide range of business intelligence tools and techniques which has made it a popular choice among businesses of all sizes. From providing smart visualizations to easy navigation to supporting customizations to supporting robust integrations, this software offers all this and more!
Features
Some of the key features of Qlik Sense are –
- The data connectivity feature of Qlik Sense is one of its best features. It can easily pull in data from sources, such as databases, websites, spreadsheets, big data, on-premise applications, cloud-based, etc. It also supports native integrations with Microsoft, SAP, Snowflake Salesforce, Google, and Amazon Web Services.
- With Qlik Sense’s smart visualizations and analytics, users can better analyze their data. You can use the Qlik GeoAnalytics for mapping visualizations and calculations. Also, the visualizations are highly flexible and can automatically adjust according to the screen size.
- The collaboration tools are another key feature of Qlik Sense that enable the users to communicate and collaborate with other users through a unified hub. This hub can be used by the users to share reports and applications.
- Qlik Sense can be accessed on mobile devices as well which aids the users to access their required Qlik Sense applications at any time and from anywhere. It is very easy to manage the data on mobile devices because of the gesture-based touch user interface.
Limitations
Some of the limitations of Qlik Sense are –
- Sometimes users will face slowness issues, especially when Qlik Sense uses more than the usual memory space when working in the analysis mode.
- The storytelling feature has several drawbacks, such as the software becomes unresponsive in the edit mode of storytelling, some languages are not supported, etc.
Pricing plans
- Qlik Sense Business – $30 per user/month
- Qlik Sense Enterprise SaaS – Custom pricing
- Qlik Sense Enterprise Client-Managed – Custom pricing
5. Microsoft Power BI
The last business intelligence software for Mac to feature in our list is the Microsoft Power BI. This software provides key business insights through reporting, data visualization, and data mining. It has a simple and easy-to-navigate interface, allowing businesses to connect to multiple data sources and create the required reports and dashboards. Microsoft Power BI can be deployed on-premise as well as on-cloud and it can import data from big data sources, Excel, cloud-based sources, or hybrid sources.
Ideal for business of all sizes, this business intelligence tool can be used by employees at different levels to access the insights and take required business actions. You will have access to all the features and functionalities that are common to a business intelligence software plus more. For example, you can apply sensitivity labels, share interactive visualizations around the world, avail robust security in the form of Microsoft Cloud App Security, block risky user activities, etc.
Features
Below are some of the key features of Microsoft Power BI –
- This data visualization tool for Mac offers a wide range of appealing visualizations. Depending on your requirement, you can either create simple-looking visualizations or complex ones. You can also access their library which has several custom visualizations.
- You can use filters to view the exact data that is of relevance to you. Microsoft Power BI also has in-built data connectors, such as MailChimp, Oracle, SQL database, Azure, Salesforce, etc.
- This software makes it easy for the users to create visualizations of KPIs within minutes through pre-built templates. You can also create customized dashboards and reports using the drag-and-drop feature.
- The collaboration tools offered by this business intelligence software makes it easy for the users to communicate with each other. It offers collaboration features like alerts, content subscription, team comments, publishing and sharing of reports and dashboards, etc.
Limitations
Some of the limitations of Microsoft Power BI include –
- Compared to some of the other business intelligence software, the graphical visualization of Microsoft Power BI is limited.
- The user interface is not very user-friendly as you will find several options on the dashboard/reports which affects the way you view it.
Pricing plans
- Power BI Pro – $9.99 per user/month
- Power BI Premium (User) – $20 per user/month
- Power BI Premium (Capacity) – $4,995 per capacity/month
Conclusion
A business intelligence software is a must-have software so that businesses can gain key insights that can aid them in decision-making. This software is suitable for all types of industries and for businesses o all sizes. We hope this article on 5 best business intelligence software for Mac will help you in choosing the right one for your business.
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