WebFOCUS (Information Builders) Review

OLAP REPORT REVIEW: WebFOCUS (Information Builders)

Authors: Nigel Pendse Released: 2006 Pages: 36 Single User Price: $495 USD An in-depth product evaluation and rating WebFOCUS: OLAP delivery through a production reporting tool Information Builders, one of the longest established BI vendors, appears in The OLAP Report for the first time with release 7.1.3 of this unique product which offers simple OLAP reporting capabilities from a dazzling array of data sources. WebFOCUS runs as a mid-tier server on J2EE platforms but unlike most BI products, Information Builders claim that this versatility means that more than 50% of its customers deploy the product on non-windows servers. Without doubt, one of the key strengths of WebFOCUS is the vast range of data sources it can access. Using Information Builders' proprietary iWay adapters, the need for an intermediate data warehouse is bypassed. This review gives you a full list of adapters available, but also reveals the downside of this all-embracing approach. In this 29-page review, extensively illustrated with screenshots and examples, you will also discover the strengths and weaknesses of WebFOCUS in relation to: Calculation functionality Reporting flexibility Overall performance Though it may seem a surprise to see this vendor appearing here, WebFOCUS occupies a space of its own in the marketplace and may be worth considering if your reporting requirements necessitate access to a variety of data sources.

Contents: Vendor overview Product commercial issues Pricing Architecture and platforms Data access functionality Calculation functionality Reporting flexibility Matrix reports OLAP-enabled reports Prompting Active reports Visual discovery Security and DBMS issues Performance Conclusions and scores Ask a question about this product? Other customers also purchased: Hyperion Essbase Review Outlooksoft Everest Review Cognos Planning Review Email a colleague about this product

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