MicroStrategy

PROS & CONS

What are the best aspects of this product?

With Microstrategy’ simplicity I can create complex SQL reports and visualisations over varied datasets. We use this tool to help us with our complex data environment with strict data governance controls, it copes with all demands of data discovery and it accommodates change control and data governance. It provides with ability to stay of upcoming opportunities.

What aspects are problematic or could work better?

It requires some learning, they could open its learning material on the product functionality so the tech users become even more familiar with specific problems. Licencing and product registration changes in MS10 are being described as confusing and complex.

What specific problems in your company were solved by this product?

MicroStrategy helps us to deliver reports and it saves us hige amount of time for doing all these reports. The online interactive dashbpards replace manual office based packs. The R models helps us to deliver real time analysis starting from Customer Renewal Propensity, Dynamic Pricing and Cancellation propohylaxis.

Are you a current user of this product?

Yes

PROS & CONS

What are the best aspects of this product?

MicroStrategy offers a powerful report delivery system named distribution services. It is well developed and mature for a company. Top features include useful web portal, dashboarding, advanced metrics, and sophisticated in-memory cubes. The system is less buggy and crashes much less compared to other popular BI apps.

What aspects are problematic or could work better?

You need many full-time employees to set up the repository and manage the product. It takes time to learn to use the app and you need the services of a qualified data warehouse engineer to use it effectively. Plus, the pricing packages are expensive.

What specific problems in your company were solved by this product?

I use MicroStrategy to deliver dashboards and reports for business ops. The tool helps me deliver analytics every day to senior management and major stakeholders.

Are you a current user of this product?

Yes

PROS & CONS

What are the best aspects of this product?

MicroStrategy’s backend is excellent. The SQL engine is intelligent and has plenty of settings to adapt to your database to boost performances. Security is flexible and robust, users can access various dashboards/reports or the same object but can see only a portion of the data. Plus, you can use the plugin architecture to add new features or to integrate the app with your environment.

What aspects are problematic or could work better?

The vendor has enhanced the front-end for data exploration, but in my opinion they still lag behind Tableau. However, MicroStrategy is better than other apps. Another issue is the system can be annoyingly buggy. A lot of new features have been added to the tool in the past few years, but it is a bit difficult to use them. Though new features have been added, the interface remains the same old-fashioned one.

What specific problems in your company were solved by this product?

We use MicroStrategy to build reports and dashboards for lower level employees as well as C level management. The new dashboard feature looks great and is easily customizable. It is quick and helpful to prototype from a simple db query. The app is db agnostic which allows us to use various databases. We are now trying to use Hadoop with MicroStrategy.

Are you a current user of this product?

Yes

PROS & CONS

What are the best aspects of this product?

I like that MicroStrategy has an excellent front end for complex SQL reports. The app is easy to use, but the user interface can be improved. You also need to spend a lot on hardware. The system works well with the native MSTR DB.

What aspects are problematic or could work better?

I have no major complaints about this app. However, sometimes there is slight confusion between History and My Reports. Some of my reports in My Reports do not update, while other reports in History update automatically when clicked on and show the current requested data.

What specific problems in your company were solved by this product?

MicroStrategy solves a lot of problems for us and we love its dashboarding feature. I pull reports to find out what inventory has sold where. I also pull reports that show data for previous weeks, months, and years, including the changes in margins and pricing. The app has a standard format which means it is easy to train other users and hand off to them. I can give other users the same report and they can manipulate categories to get the same metrics. This aspect is very useful as I am employed in a corporate retailer company.

Are you a current user of this product?

Yes

PROS & CONS

What are the best aspects of this product?

For me, the main advantage of MicroStrategy is I can manipulate how the report returns data which can be compared to a pivot table. Plus, it is easy to select specific metrics. I also appreciate that I can schedule reports to run at specific moments, which means our servers are not overloaded when my colleagues run their reports.

What aspects are problematic or could work better?

I’ve worked in companies that do not use the whole package. This means I have to do the tiresome job of logging in daily or weekly instead of getting the reports by email. Another issue is sometimes there is slight confusion between History and My Reports. Some of my reports in My Reports do not update, while other reports in History update automatically when clicked on and show the current requested data.

What specific problems in your company were solved by this product?

MicroStrategy resolves a lot of issues for us and we appreciate its dashboarding feature. I generate reports to find out what inventory has sold where. I also generate reports that show data for previous weeks, months, and years, including the changes in margins and pricing. The system has a standard format which makes it simple to train other users and hand off to them. I can give other users the same report and they can manipulate categories to get the same metrics. This feature is very useful as I work in a corporate retailer company.

Are you a current user of this product?

Yes