RStudio vs Einstein Analytics

RStudio is a powerful web- and cloud-based BI platform with excellent statistical analysis and data science capabilities. Integrating with cloud computing technologies, the platform has good machine learning capabilities to power data analysis by providing a wide range of features for data recovery, presentation and interpretation. It provides rich built-in visualization libraries with pre-set charts and functions that drastically reduce the need to code. Many users who reviewed its UI said that the interface was user-friendly and easy to navigate, though some users said that it looked dated and could do with an upgrade. Quite a few users who reviewed the platform for data analysis said that it was easy to run statistical and regression tests with minimal coding, and coupled with an open-source server, this platform served their data needs well. On the flip side, many users who reviewed the tool for performance said that it consumes a lot of memory and lags behind its competitors in speed. Quite a lot of users mentioned that the platform could be buggy at times and was prone to crashes, possibly because some libraries were not optimized for performance with large datasets. Many users found it confusing to access the open-source version, especially since separate versions of the platform work differently with some library packages. Some users complained that the code run, once started, could not be stopped and the stop button on the interface didn’t work. A majority of users who reviewed the learning curve as a feature said that the help section was difficult to understand and previous knowledge of R was required to leverage the tool to its fullest. In summary, RStudio is a versatile and extensible BI tool powered by machine learning and is capable of insightful statistical data analysis and forecasting capabilities.

Einstein Analytics from Salesforce is a predictive analytics BI tool that uses the power of AI and machine learning to glean insights and create visualizations and reports to drive business decisions. All users who reviewed its analytics capabilities said that it excels at augmented analytics. Many users who reviewed data visualization said that templates and dashboards are easy to customize for deep-dive data exploration. With a range of reporting options and intuitive drag-and-drop functionality, the platform empowers business users to create their own reports without needing to code. Being part of the Salesforce suite, the platform integrates well with other SF offerings, as expected, as well as with external data sources. As for the tool’s data management capabilities, some users said that ETL functions are self-contained in that they replace the need to write code, however others said that data needs to be cleansed before the ETL engine can consume it for data analysis. Commenting on the software’s functionality, around 68% of users said that it is easy to drill down into KPIs with little training in analytics, whereas some users said that the platform is sparse in terms of features and does not have the same reporting capabilities as other Salesforce tools. Mentioning the interface, a majority of users said that it is clean and interactive, though quite a few users said that they preferred the classic version to the new one. A majority of the users who reviewed pricing said that, in addition to expensive per-user licenses, other costs can quickly add up, since implementation is not easy and often requires professional vendor support. Many users who discussed setup said that the platform struggles when processing large amounts of data, and plugins are needed to process heavier data sets, which further compounds costs. Quite a few users said that the platform performs well within the Salesforce ecosystem; however, it does not have the robustness and flexibility of Tableau. Overall, Einstein Analytics is a BI tool with strong out of the box ETL and data visualization capabilities that glean deeper insights into business metrics and seems to be suited for organizations with lightweight data analysis needs or those that already implement Salesforce solutions.