A comparison of Business Intelligence Solutions Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Sage 200 and Tableau

Over recent years Accounting, CRM & ERP software have moved from being nice to have to essential for many businesses. They provide one central place to store information about customers and contacts, they also have tools embedded in them which enable users to analyse data and interpret it.

Today, many decision makers focus on the future success of an organisation and less so on the past. However, it is important to consider what has happened in the past, after all, by analysing historical data you will gauge what is successful and not and you will also be able to spot any trends which have emerged. Based on this information you can make more informed business decisions.

However, although CRM, ERP and Accounts solutions have the tools to help you uncover valuable information, many organisations are now using Business Intelligence Software. When Business Intelligence software is linked to a CRM or Accounting solution, the results delivered can be outstanding.

So what is Business Intelligence?

Business intelligence (BI) refers to skills, technologies, applications and practices which are used to help decision makers acquire a better understanding of what is actually happening within their business. Essentially, business intelligence software transforms a company's raw data into information which is easy to understand and can be used to make business critical decisions.

Business intelligence is helping organisations to uncover nuggets of information which would have otherwise remained undiscovered as it provides a fully comprehensive view of what is occurring within their business.

Solutions Supplied by Concentrix

Concentrix provides both Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Sage 200 Business Intelligence solutions as well as Tableau software. Each have different features and functionality. Here is a comparison of Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Sage 200 and Tableau:

Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 for Business Intelligence

The Business Intelligence capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics NAV will deliver a meaningful insight across your organisation. Microsoft Dynamics NAV BI gives you and your staff access to real-time data and a wide range of analytical and reporting tools including graphical displays, which makes the information easier to understand.

Benefits of Implementing Microsoft Dynamics NAV Business Intelligence Capabilities include:

  • Employees can access real-time information, drilling down into the details of transactions, customer records, and histories, enabling them to make more informed business decisions.
  • Increasing productivity with relevant information and easy to use tools. Microsoft Dynamics NAV BI provides employees with access to up-to-date information and powerful analysis and reporting tools, enabling them to monitor performance, analyse trends and spot potential problems before they occur.
  • The tight integration across Microsoft Dynamics NAV with familiar programs such as Microsoft Office Excel makes it easy to access, analyse and share information- without having to swap between applications.

Sage 200 Business Intelligence

The Sage Business Intelligence tool provides a unified view of all your data, with complete management dashboards and analysis. Sage 200 BI makes complicated, out of date spreadsheets a thing of the past as reports are generated automatically. And because Sage 200 BI is integrated with the data in your Sage 200 solution, the reports will always be up to date.

Sage 200 Business Intelligence provides:

  • Increased Control and Agility - Sage BI will help you to identify areas of high and low performance
  • A complete view of your business - With Sage BI you can analyse your data closely in order to identify trends across your business
  • Industry-leading technology

Benefits of Sage 200 Business Intelligence

Sage 200 Business Intelligence brings a number of benefits to your business including:

  • It will help you work more intelligently
  • It will provide cost-effective reporting and analysis
  • It enables you to maximise your productivity and minimise costs
  • Helps you gain a rapid return on investment
  • Provides you with the ability to achieve a real competitive advantage

Tableau Business Intelligence Software

Tableau software displays data in ways which the brain can easily understand, helping all business decision makers rapidly gain a clear view of what's happening within their company.

Compared to the other solutions Tableau is extremely easy to use - if you can use Excel - you can use Tableau. This means users will be able to produce meaningful results in a very short time.

Concentrix can connect Tableau to the live data in your CRM, Accounts or Business Management solution. This will provide you with advanced visual data analysis and business intelligence direct from your system and customised to your needs. For example Concentrix can connect Tableau to the live data held by your Sage CRM or Microsoft Dynamics CRM system.

Concentrix can design Tableau dashboards specifically for your business and connect to data from your Sage, Microsoft or other accounts solution, enabling you to analyse and overlay financial data with information on sales activities or marketing campaigns. More importantly, despite almost unlimited combinations of dimensions, measurements and parameters, we can ensure Tableau presents the right information, in a way, which makes sense and works for you.

Benefits of implementing Tableau:

  • Achieve a comprehensive, in-depth understanding of what's happening within your business
  • Display information from multiple sources and perspectives - simultaneously and in countless relevant ways
  • Quickly and easily create and share data analysis with anyone who needs access to it
  • Produce easily understandable graphics, dashboards, visual representation and reports
  • Identify previously hidden data features and trends in minimal time
  • Display information visually so that people can quickly understand it

What is the best Business Intelligence solution?

It really isn't a case of there being a best BI solution, as all solutions have their advantages. The real question is which solution best satisfies the needs of your organisation.

Concentrix takes time to assess the requirements of your business. Once we have a full understanding of how your business operates, we recommend the solution which we think meets your requirements.

For more information about Business Intelligence or Concentrix, contact us on 01509 410500 or email info@concentrix.co.uk.