Business Objects - GAP Analysis 1

[TheEntertainer]

Hi,

One of my objectives is the do a GAP Analysis between Business Objects and Crystal Reports. Has anyone done something similiar? Or do you have an opinion having used both report packages, which is best?

It's an Oracle 7 database that we are reporting off. We have to do many reports most of which the user needs to interact with. There are over a 1 million records and there are several one to many relationships. I'll post this on the Crystal Reports 4 Other Topics as well.

Thanks

 

[maverick00]

I have been comparing several products. BO has the metadata layer that makes the product easier for end user use. The reporting end is more spreadsheet like and treats the spreadsheet like an object. Crystal uses the band style report writer like Microsoft Access.

 

[TheEntertainer]

Thanks Maverick00,

Can I ask what other products you've evaulated. Does anyone know which is the easiest for the end user to use and over a LAN network which is the easiest to deploy?

Thanks again

 

[m676c]

Maverick00 is right. Additionally, xtal is a super report writer and can do most anything...but it is not for end-users. There are a bunch of solutions out there. Some look great from a UI perspective but don't necessarily deliver the goods. Check BO vs. Cognos. They tout #1 leadership in the marketplace. BO has many panels in their solution to build and modify queries and it can be a little confusing for users since querying data and formatting it are like 2 different things. Cognos has less panels making it easier to work with. One main difference is that when you add an item in Cognos, you add it to the query and to the report at the same time. Test both solutions with your sample reports and data and see which best fits your needs for today and tomorrow. Check with the analysts too (Gartner).