Categories   >   Predictive Analytics Software
Last Reviewed: November 13th, 2024

Best Predictive Analytics Software Of 2024

What is Predictive Analytics Software?

Predictive analytics software is like a fortune teller for your business data. It analyzes past trends and current information to forecast future outcomes. Imagine looking in a crystal ball and seeing how likely customers are to churn, which products will be most popular next quarter, or even potential equipment failures. This future-focused approach solves critical problems by helping businesses anticipate customer needs, optimize inventory management, and mitigate potential risks. The benefits are significant: increased revenue, reduced costs, and a proactive approach to business challenges. These software tools use a variety of functionalities like machine learning algorithms, statistical modeling, and data mining to uncover hidden patterns. Emerging features include natural language processing to glean insights from text data and real-time analytics for near-instant predictions. Predictive analytics empowers users across various departments, from marketing and sales to finance and operations, and benefits industries like retail, healthcare, and manufacturing. While powerful, it's important to remember that predictions are not guarantees – the quality of the data directly impacts the accuracy. In essence, predictive analytics software transforms data into a roadmap for the future, giving businesses the power to make smarter decisions and achieve a competitive edge.

What Are The Key Benefits of Predictive Analytics Software?

  • Improved Customer Targeting
  • Reduce Customer Churn
  • Optimize Inventory Management
  • Forecast Future Demand
  • Proactive Risk Management
  • Data-Driven Decision Making
  • Identify Sales Opportunities
  • Personalized Marketing Efforts
  • Boost Revenue & Profitability
Read more

Overall

Based on the latest available data collected by SelectHub for 137 solutions, we determined the following solutions are the best Predictive Analytics Software overall:

Tableau
Tableau
Start Price
$15
Per User, Monthly
Company Size
Small Medium Large
Deployment
Cloud On-Premise
Platform
Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
Request Pricing Request Demo

Why We Picked Tableau

Tableau Desktop is a BI solution for data visualization, dashboarding and location analysis. In online reviews, users said they found its drag-and-drop charting a boon for creating charts and maps. Regarding customization, many users praised the platform for its various labeling and design options.

I recently tried the Tableau Desktop 2024.1.3 version. The trial is only for 14 days and is enough for a sneak peek into Tableau’s dashboarding and data storytelling capabilities. For more straightforward use cases, Tableau is incredibly user-friendly and fast. Creating a new sheet gives you a canvas to create a visualization. Once you have the required sheets, combining them into a dashboard view is straightforward — select and add.

My dataset included healthcare data, including details of patients, their hospital visits and insurance payer details. One use case was to find the total claim settlement amount. I dragged the Total Claims Cost and Payer fields to the column and row shelves, and Tableau gave me a bar graph. The toolbar had single-click options for sorting data from increasing to decreasing values or the other way around.

To view the number of encounters by payer, I dragged the Payer field to the row shelf and used the SUM(ROW_COUNT()) function on the column shelf. The chart popped up with more visualization and layout options.

I wanted an interactive filter to view the average claim cost by birthdate. I dragged the Birthdate field to the Filters shelf and right-clicked on it to set the end date as October 22, 1961. Selecting Show Filter added a slider conveniently to the right of my visualization. I could see the data for people born before October 22, 1961, and if required, I could change the end date.

Another use case would be viewing the data by the type of hospital visits — how many people were inpatients, outpatients or those who needed emergency care. I dragged and dropped the Total Claims Cost and Payer fields into columns and rows, respectively. Similarly, I dropped Encounterclass into the Filters shelf and clicked on Show Filter to enable a checkbox on the screen. It had all the categories of visits, giving users the option to select the desired views.

One-fourth of the users discussing adoption said there was a steep learning curve. Tableau relies on Python and R scripts for statistics in its visualizations. It's where the named licenses can prove to be a blessing, as you can opt to train upcoming Creators and Explorers. We recommend factoring in training if you want to hit the ground running.

Some reviewers felt discounted packages for business editions should be available, similar to the free student licenses. At $70 per user, the Creator license can seem costly when compared to Power BI ($9.99 per user) and Qlik Sense ($30 per user).

Here's the good news, though. Its built-in user management acts as a permissions layer for your organization - users can only access the relevant content. Plus, an organization will have very few Creators and a greater number of Viewers and Explorers, and the license fee reduces from Creator to Explorer to Viewer.

We recommend opting for a wise license combination to get the most out of the product.

On the upside, the vendor constantly releases new features, the latest one being Einstein CoPilot in beta.

Overall, Tableau is a competitive BI solution, but if the pricing seems inflexible, quite a few other solutions offer live insights and advanced analytics out of the box.

Pros & Cons

  • Data Visualization: Almost 98% of users who reviewed its visual capabilities praised the platform for its dashboards and the freedom to play around with data and modify charts as desired.
  • User-Friendly: According to 93% of users who mentioned ease of use, it makes data accessible with its easy user actions and handy tooltips.
  • Data Connectivity: About 92% of users who discussed data sourcing praised its ability to pull data from disparate systems.
  • Pricing: Around 90% of the users citing cost found it expensive.
  • Speed: About 71% of the users who discussed performance found it slow when processing large data volumes.
  • Onboarding Woes: Approximately 67% of the users who reviewed the platform's adoption said there was a steep learning curve.

Key Features

  • Connectors: Combine data from various sources by choosing from a wide range of connectors — no need to spend on expensive third-party data integration tools. Tableau Bridge connects private networks to live data sources via Tableau Cloud.
  • AI: Tableau now offers AI capabilities thanks to Einstein Analytics.
    • Tableau Pulse: Explore data independently and ask questions with AI analytics. Tableau Pulse is available with Tableau Cloud and Embedded Analytics.
    • Explain Data: Understand the displayed insights with natural language explanations of data points.
    • Einstein CoPilot (Beta): Close the gap in understanding data with AI insights. Discover hidden trends by asking follow-up questions without losing context, thanks to generative AI. Einstein CoPilot is available with a Tableau Cloud subscription.
  • Tableau Prep: Clean and transform data of all types, including survey results, feedback data and social media posts. Shape and combine it with Tableau Prep, which is available with the paid edition only.
  • Data Stories: Convey your message with compelling narratives to get stakeholder buy-in. Drag and drop sheets onto the storyboard to show the growth, decline or stability of critical metrics.
  • Animations: Explain how data changes over time with animated charts and customize them to include graphics, labels and colors.
  • Filtering: Focus on the data that matters; it’s as easy as dragging and dropping desired fields to the Filter shelf. Specify a value range, set a condition or choose the top values to display.
  • User-Based Licenses: Explore cost-effective license combinations that work for your team.
    • Creators can build dashboards, permissions, and governance rules, and establish connections to new sources. They’re content authors who transform and analyze data. This license is available at $70 per user monthly, billed annually. However, they can’t control the Tableau Server or Desktop environment.
    • Explorer licenses are suitable for line-of-business users whose role requires independent data exploration. They can author content but within a governed ecosystem. Each Explorer license costs $42 monthly, billed annually. They can’t connect to new sources, modify data, or use the Tableau desktop or custom SQL.
    • Viewers can interact with data, apply filters and follow pre-decided workflows. This license is available for $15 per user monthly, billed annually. Viewers have limited rights and can’t create and edit visualizations and the underlying data.
Power BI
Power BI
Start Price
$10
Per User, Monthly
Company Size
Small Medium Large
Deployment
Cloud On-Premise
Platform
Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
Request Pricing Request Demo

Why We Picked Power BI

Our researchers ranked products on a whole bunch of features. They include data management, querying and visualization, advanced and embedded analytics, mobile BI, and IoT and location analytics.

In our rankings, Power BI scores 87 for connectivity, leaving behind Tableau, Oracle Analytics and Dundas BI. Robust Microsoft technology is one reason, for sure. Besides, intelligent techniques like DirectQuery and easy data modeling make it popular among users.

In product reviews, some users mentioned a lag when sharing reports from the desktop to the cloud. For me, the platform was a tad slow to start, but otherwise, it stayed performant for my average-sized dataset.

When dealing with sales data, total sales, the top-performing products, seasonality and period trends are common queries. Creating a sales KPI report in Power BI was an excellent way for me to answer them. My CSV files included sales, calendar, products and store data.

Connecting to sources is straightforward with Get Data on the home screen and toolbar. Once I had pulled in the data, I clicked on Transform Data and opened the Power Query editor. It automatically detects the data type for strings and numbers but can get confused with dates and currency, which it marks as text. It involved some manual wrangling, but I had it sorted in no time. Read my article on KPI Reports to learn how I did it.

But I wouldn’t call it a deal-breaker as it’s not a tedious task. I had the same experience with Qlik Sense, but Tableau was way better as it recognizes seven data types — string, number, date, date and time, boolean, geographic and cluster values.

Tracking sales over periods required a greater level of detail, so I added new columns to the calendar data — start of month and start of week. Column statistics were immensely helpful in identifying unique, distinct and null values and correcting incomplete records. Clicking on the number of products selling at a particular price allowed me to see which toys sold at that price.

Creating a relational data model by defining primary keys is a manual process and seems dated once you’ve used Qlik Sense. Adding calculated measures is where DAX shows its magic. For data workers well-versed with SQL, DAX is a ready-to-go tool they’ll be glad to have in their corner.

Creating visualizations wasn’t as intuitive as Tableau as it involved drag-and-drop onto the canvas, and frankly, I felt like I was flying blind. I didn’t feel that way with Tableau, and it’s slicker.

Power BI offers a paintbrush tool that lets you define the layout, the card arrangement and the maximum number of cards. You can define the canvas settings, background and headers and determine the filter pane settings. It took me longer to create a dashboard from scratch than it took in Tableau.

Some users found the pricing structure too complex. While using Azure data in Power BI for basic queries is free, costs can add up when you go for text and sentiment analysis. With Microsoft Fabric, the pricing complexity is set to rise. Though Power BI is available separately too, you’ll need to rely on Fabric to manage users, licenses and other administrative tasks.

About 31% of the users mentioning cost complained about onboarding difficulties, possibly because DAX introduces the complexity of learning syntax. It can daunt non-technical users initially, but guided formulas can make the task easier. That said, I agree with the majority of user reviews that training will speed up onboarding and help your team maximize the investment.

Overall, Power BI has many powerful features and will give you value for your money. If you’re not a Microsoft user yet, it’s worth checking out for the baked-in vendor technologies like Azure and SSAS. If you are an MS user, Power BI might be a no-brainer, though be prepared to shell out a little extra for advanced functionality and additional modules.

Pros & Cons

  • Integrations: Around 95% of users who mentioned data sources said they were satisfied with its flexibility in connecting to sources.
  • Data Visualization: About 93% of the users who discussed visual analysis said they relied on it for daily reporting.
  • Functionality: Over 75% of the users reviewing features said they were impressed with its live queries, DAX calculations and data modeling.
  • Ease of Use: Approximately 72% of the users who mentioned its UI said it was straightforward to use.
  • Speed: About 95% of recent reviews citing performance said the platform lagged when dealing with large data volumes.
  • Adoption: Around 81.5% of the reviewers mentioning adoption said the learning curve was steep.
  • Cost: Approximately 71% of users discussing pricing complained about the platform being expensive.

Key Features

  • Dataflows: Save time with reusable workflows that lock the logic in. While shared datasets are open to interpretation, dataflows will take your users in one direction only, ensuring consistent results. It’s like a written recipe, just follow the steps to get the taste right.
  • Analyze in Excel: Focus on the end game. Give your teams the freedom to analyze their data in Excel and move the results back to Power BI.
  • DAX: Empower your people to go beyond raw data. Derive calculated columns and measures with Data Analysis Expressions. Watch them update as you apply filters and slicers and interact with data in other ways.
  • Data Alerts: Act in time to keep things running smoothly. Stay informed of changes with alerts. Subscribe to receive notifications via email or the Power BI notification center (available only with Power BI Service). Among visualizations, KPI cards, cards and gauges have the alert option. 
  • Data Refreshes: Stay ahead of trends with the latest insight. Update data on demand in Power BI or schedule refreshes with Power Automate. Power BI Pro and Premium allow up to eight and 48 refreshes daily, respectively.
  • Key Influencers Visual: Decide the next steps by spotting the factors affecting a critical metric. As a transporter, does only the terrain impact how consistently your trucks deliver, or is the average age of the fleet vehicles also a factor?
  • Decomposition Tree: Identify which product category or region contributed most to sales increase or decrease. For instance, you can analyze sales trends by channel with the decomposition tree.

Pricing

License/Subscription Cost
  • Based on the number of users for Power BI Pro and capacity-based pricing for Power BI Premium
Maintenance Cost
  • Included in the subscription cost
Installation/Implementation Cost
  • Included in the subscription cost. Additional charges may apply for data migration during implementation of Power BI, maintaining on-premise data sources and building dashboards and reports
Customization Cost
  • Dependent on functional requirements and specific needs of the organization
Data Migration Cost/Change Management/Upfront Switching Cost
  • Dependent on your current software, amount of data to be migrated, availability of migration tools, complexity of data and gaps between the existing system and the new system.
Recurring/Renewal Costs
  • Renewal cost is included in the fees paid monthly or annually
Mathematica
Mathematica
Start Price
$1,800
Annually
Company Size
Small Medium Large
Deployment
Cloud On-Premise
Platform
Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
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Why We Picked Mathematica

Let's crunch some numbers and see what users have to say about Mathematica!

Mathematica has garnered a reputation as a powerful computational tool, particularly in academic and research settings. Users frequently praise its symbolic computation capabilities, allowing them to manipulate and solve complex mathematical expressions and equations with ease. This strength sets Mathematica apart from competitors like MATLAB, which primarily focuses on numerical computation. Mathematica's notebook interface also receives positive feedback for its ability to combine code, visualizations, and text in a single document, facilitating reproducible research and clear communication of findings. However, Mathematica's steep learning curve and high price point are often cited as drawbacks. Users transitioning from other programming languages may find Mathematica's syntax and functional programming paradigm challenging to grasp initially. Additionally, the cost of a Mathematica license can be prohibitive for individual users or small businesses.

Overall, Mathematica is best suited for researchers, scientists, and engineers who require a comprehensive tool for symbolic and numerical computation, data analysis, and visualization. Its extensive functionality and ability to handle complex mathematical problems make it an invaluable asset in these fields. However, individuals or organizations with limited budgets or those seeking a more user-friendly option may want to explore alternative software solutions. Keep in mind that software is constantly evolving, so it's always a good idea to check for the latest updates and user reviews to make an informed decision.

Pros & Cons

  • Symbolic Computation: Mathematica excels at handling and manipulating symbolic expressions, making it ideal for tasks that involve algebra, calculus, and other forms of mathematical analysis. This can be particularly useful for financial modeling, risk analysis, and other business intelligence applications that require complex calculations.
  • Visualization Capabilities: Mathematica offers a wide range of visualization tools that can be used to create high-quality charts, graphs, and other visual representations of data. These visualizations can be interactive, allowing users to explore data from different perspectives and gain deeper insights. This is essential for effectively communicating complex data to stakeholders in a business setting.
  • Automation and Scripting: Mathematica allows users to automate tasks and create scripts, which can save time and improve efficiency. This can be particularly useful for repetitive tasks, such as data cleaning and analysis. Automating these tasks can free up time for business intelligence professionals to focus on more strategic initiatives.
  • Machine Learning and AI: Mathematica includes a wide range of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) tools that can be used for tasks such as predictive modeling, classification, and anomaly detection. These capabilities are becoming increasingly important for business intelligence, as they can help organizations to identify trends, make better decisions, and gain a competitive advantage.
  • Price: Mathematica comes with a hefty price tag, especially for commercial use, which can be a significant barrier for individuals or small businesses.
  • Learning Curve: The software has a steep learning curve due to its vast functionality and unique syntax, requiring a significant time investment to master.
  • Closed Ecosystem: Mathematica operates within a closed ecosystem, making it challenging to integrate with other data analysis tools or programming languages commonly used in business intelligence.
  • Limited Collaboration: Collaboration features are not as robust as those found in other business intelligence platforms, hindering teamwork and knowledge sharing.
  • Visualization Capabilities: While Mathematica offers visualization tools, they may not be as intuitive or user-friendly as dedicated data visualization software, potentially limiting the ability to create compelling and insightful dashboards.

Key Features

  • Wolfram Language: Wolfram’s proprietary computational language allows developers to code with a language that allows both computers and humans to communicate with each other through almost 6,000 built-in functions. Built on a philosophy of knowledge-based programming, it aims to help users automate as much as possible and maximize coherence of design while being universally deployable in any environment.
  • Connect to Everything: Through symbolic expressions, interactions and external connections, the Wolfram Language conveniently connects to a broad spectrum of platforms, languages, databases, protocols, APIs, applications, file formats and devices.
  • Notebook Interface: With structured documents that store text, runnable code, dynamic graphics and more, Wolfram Notebooks provide an environment for technical workflows that supports interactive computation. They empower user literacy in a high-level programming interface through interactive coding, natural language queries and expansive documentation that make the platform accessible to users without coding experience.
  • AlgorithmBase: Not just through industrial-strength algorithms but also meta-algorithms and super functions, which automatically select the optimal algorithms to use in a given situation, users can define their goals or concepts and let the system take over to automatically achieve them, enabling discoveries and experimentation with algorithms. With its robust library of scalable and accurate algorithms, the AlgorithmBase serves as a trustworthy resource for programmers to use to ensure high-quality computations.
  • Data Visualization: Through algorithms, Mathematica can create visually compelling representations of data in the form of 2D and 3D plots, graphs, histograms, word clouds, geographic visualizations and more.
  • Machine Learning: Through highly automated functions that work on many types of data, the platform can carry out a wide range of tasks, including classifying data in categories, predicting values, learning from examples and performing automated time series analysis. 
  • Mathematica Online: Powered by the Wolfram Cloud, users can harness the computational system from directly within their web browsers, with no installation required. Everything automatically saves and stays in the cloud, and users can control who can access their documents through instant sharing, URL links and permissions controls. Seamlessly integrated with the desktop version, it allows users to upload or download notebooks and access the cloud from a computer.
  • Wolfram Knowledgebase: Mathematica and the Wolfram Language has access to the world’s largest and broadest trusted source of computable knowledge, curated by experts and derived from primary sources, including not just the data but also the methods that compute results.
  • Mobile App: The Wolfram Cloud free app for iOS and Android mobile devices allows users to edit, run and deploy programs and access Wolfram notebooks and instant apps through its home-screen-like experience.
QlikView
QlikView
Start Price
$2,500
Per User, Annual
Company Size
Small Medium Large
Deployment
Cloud On-Premise
Platform
Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
Request Pricing Request Demo

Why We Picked QlikView

QlikView is one of the foremost BI solutions in the market today, mainly due to the power of its associative query engine to link data from multiple sources that drives its visually impressive dashboards. With its strong data visualization capabilities, users can perform search and filter through data on-the-fly and conduct deep-dives to glean insights that matter to them. With a fast setup, users can have their first data model up and running in very little time. The software resides in-memory and houses data in RAM for quicker retrieval. With multi-tier access permissions for in-organization users, it enables users to view executive summaries at a glance, while allowing them to drill-down into data to find out more.
Sadly, Qlik is now scaling back on improvements and updates for QlikView and focusing on promoting QlikSense instead, a possible reason why its filter and search functions, ad-hoc reporting and graphics are lagging in terms of quality, as mentioned in many user reviews. Also, this platform can prove to be resource-heavy for databases housed on local machines, especially when performing batch update jobs. In addition to inflexible pricing plans and the cost of licensing, quite a few necessary add-ons are paid.
In summary, QlikView is one of the leading in-memory BI tools available in the market today and rates excellently with users in terms of data aggregation and visualization capabilities; however, buyers should factor in its pricing plans and other limitations when searching for the perfect BI solution for their enterprise.

Pros & Cons

  • Data Visualization: Approximately 80% of users who review its data visualization capabilities are satisfied with its intuitive drag-and-drop feature, rich libraries and its range of aesthetically appealing data representation options.
  • Data Preparation: Of users who mention data processing, 83% appreciate the platform’s seemingly limitless data transformation capabilities that help them deep-dive into all possible data relationships to glean actionable insights.
  • Functionality: Among users who share their views on this platform, around 68% say that they are satisfied with the power of its associative query engine that enables faster on-the-fly calculations and analytics aggregation at the speed of thought.
  • Sharing and Collaboration: About 83% of users who comment on sharing capabilities appreciate its multi-tier permissions capabilities and easy sharing of reports with clients via external sharing options.
  • Setup: Around 66% of users who mention ease of setup say that QlikView has a fast implementation cycle.
  • Cost: Pricing plans are inflexible and can be cost-prohibitive for small organizations and startups, though large organizations may find that it offers high value, as stated by 93% of users who mention its cost.
  • Performance: Approximately 42% of users say that performance-wise, this platform is resource-hungry and liable to slow down when crunching large amounts of data on local machines.
  • User Interface and Graphics: Of users who mention user interface, around 44% say that it needs improvement in deep-dive capabilities, as well as its quality of graphics.
  • Reporting: Of users who mention reporting, approximately 46% say that it lacks ad-hoc reporting and built-in reporting capabilities, requiring paid plugins to enhance the graphics quality of reports.

Key Features

  • Direct Data Source Connection: Connect to almost any data source, including cloud, big data, file-based and on-premise data. Pull information from many services (Salesforce, Hive, Teradata) and combine intel seamlessly into unique and intuitive dashboards.
  • Intelligent Visualization: Offer interactive displays and represent data in multiple ways for better data analysis. Flexible visualizations allow users to change and adjust graphics according to screen size.
  • Enterprise Collaboration: Facilitate collaboration for users to share the same dashboard, look at the same view or track one another as they navigate the application.
  • Strong Associations: Leverage the strength of the platform’s built-in association engine to conduct direct and indirect searches across data or within a single field. Identify data that is related and not associated.
  • Self-Service App Building: Build apps and files via the drag-and-drop function. Create individual lists with their visualization while managing and sharing across organizations.
  • Associative Indexing: Combine, transform and ingest data from multiple sources. Gathers data and indexes it to find logical associations. Explore and search big data repositories freely while keeping data intact.
  • Interactive Dashboards: Provide visualization capabilities and improve interaction using tooltip, lasso selection, filtering and drill-down functions. Encourage viewers to explore data by creating smart dashboards and distributing them using interactive elements.
  • In-Memory Application: House the software in memory, so conversions, queries and searches happen quicker and more efficiently. Eliminate problems that traditionally plague slow, on-disk applications. Locate all data in RAM.
  • Web Connectors: Extract data from multiple social networking sites and web-based sources using web APIs. Built-in connectors easily connect to any URL and fetch data.
  • Robust Data Controls: Enable meaningful data manipulation within the application by leveraging unique dashboards, reports and filter views.
  • Data Alerts: Spot anomalies and outliers by requesting context-aware alerts. Monitor and manage data without limitations.

Pricing

License/Subscription Cost Based on a combination of server, user, document and application-based licensing
Maintenance Cost
  • For On-Premise solution, maintenance cost is over and above the upfront fee
  • Standard support services are charged at 20% of the license cost
  • Premium (24X7) support services are charged at 23% of the license cost
    		•
    Installation/Implementation Cost Implementation services are provided by QlikView Consulting or through an implementation partner at an additional cost
    Customization Cost Will vary depending on the functional requirements or services chosen
    Data Migration Cost/Change Management/Upfront Switching Cost Dependent on your current software, amount of data to be migrated, availability of migration tools, complexity of data and gaps between the existing system and the new system.
    Training Cost
    • E-learning or self-learn modules are available free of cost on QlikView.com
    • All other trainings are charged based on volume. Live classroom training or online (virtual classroom) training is charged at $700 per person per day or $3,500 for a dedicated course (1 company) for up to 10 people
    Recurring/Renewal Costs Renewal costs includes software update license and support cost
    Spark
    Spark
    Company Size
    Small Medium Large
    Deployment
    Cloud On-Premise
    Platform
    Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
    Request Pricing Request Demo

    Key Features

    • Standalone Mode: Standalone mode is a web-based cluster manager for creating and distributing clusters on local machines, without using YARN or Apache Mesos. It can be used for local data processing or testing on a smaller scale. 
    • GraphX: A series of API that enable graph-parallel computation and graph generation within the system. It can accomplish ETL, iterative graphing and exploratory analysis. 
    • Machine Learning: The MLlib library enables machine learning at a big data level. It works with Python, R and Scala, and features machine learning pipeline construction and a community-supported set of algorithms. 
    • Distributed Datasets: Datasets are partitioned into smaller segments for distributed processing, called Resilient Distributed Datasets. RDDs are created by parallelizing a set or referencing an external one. 
    • Data Streaming: Spark Streaming is an extension that allows for a continuous data flow, enabling real-time analytics. It receives live data in a stream that it partitions into batches before sending it to the Spark Engine for processing through high-level abstraction called discretized stream.  
    • Integrations: Because it is open source, a vast community is constantly adding extensions and API to the core software. Spark can connect to virtually every mainstream data source, big data solution, warehouse/lake or visualization program. If the connector does not already exist, it could likely be developed. 
    SAS Visual Analytics
    SAS Visual Analytics
    Start Price
    $8,000
    Monthly
    Company Size
    Small Medium Large
    Deployment
    Cloud On-Premise
    Platform
    Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
    Request Pricing Request Demo

    Why We Picked SAS Visual Analytics

    SAS Analytics is a versatile business intelligence and analytics tool that empowers users to explore and understand data through interactive data visualizations. Many users who reviewed data analysis said that, coupled with the power of predictive analytics, the platform offers a plethora of graphics options — charts, graphs and dashboards — with deep-dive capabilities, such as filtering, to zero in on pertinent business data. Many users who reviewed functionality and data preparation said that, possibly because of its capable ETL engine and in-memory architecture, data processing speed is very high and reports load faster. A majority of users who reviewed data connectivity said that the tool is efficient in pulling data from multiple sources for data modeling and analysis.

    On the flip side, quite a few users who reviewed functionality said that the platform’s integration with Python and R is still in the development stage and this limits its functional scope. Some users who discussed user-friendliness said that the processes are not the most intuitive — errors and warnings in logs are misleading, and new users may find adoption difficult. Though the industry scope of user tutorials is limited, a majority of users said that the steep learning curve of the platform is sufficiently addressed by training. For many users, its cost-prohibitive licensing plans caused them to not consider it their first choice when it came to purchasing a BI solution.

    Overall, SAS Visual Analytics is a versatile tool with fast data processing capabilities and strong visualizations to generate reports for insightful data analysis.

    Pros & Cons

    • Data Analysis: Around 81% of users who reviewed its data analysis capabilities said that the tool offers out-of-the-box advanced analytics to identify patterns and relationships in business data.
    • Functionality: Citing its powerful in-memory technology, approximately 62% of users who reviewed functionality said that the solution provides a single, compact interface for data exploration and modeling for faster analytic computations.
    • Data Visualization: Around 60% of users who reviewed data visualization said that they can perform exploratory data analysis with a multitude of graphics options, such as bubble charts, line charts, dual axis charts.
    • Ease of Use: Approximately 54% of users who mentioned ease of using the software said that it is easy to generate reports with some basic SQL knowledge.
    • Cost: Around 80% of users who discussed the platform’s cost said that they find the pricing to be cost-prohibitive.

    Key Features

    • Ad Hoc Reporting and Analysis: Assemble reports from data creatively in real time as opposed to relying on a predesigned template. Run queries and perform analysis on data on demand without knowing code.
    • Predictive Analysis: Make predictions about future conditions based on historical data through data mining, machine learning and predictive modeling.
    • Mobile Apps: Leverage the power of native apps on iOS, Android and Microsoft devices, with an optimized mobile interface. Interact with visualizations on the go, view previous reports, leave comments, capture screenshots and set mobile notifications.
    • Interactive Discovery: Identify outliers, clusters, relationships, trends, etc. by exploring data in a natural query-based way rather than through coding.
    • Location Analytics: Lasso data points on a map through OpenStreetmap or Esri ArcGIS to select them for analysis and then enrich demographic data through point clustering, map pins, custom polygons and more.
    • Trend Indicators: Identify which types of data to observe through built-in trend indicators that attempt to predict future movement of data points based on historical trends.
    • Visualizations: Get desired insights from data and easily discover patterns through a range of visualization options, such as bar graphs, pie charts, donut graphics, line graphs, scattergrams, heat maps, bubble maps, dot maps, needle graphics, numeric series, schedule charts, vectors, key value infographics and more.
    • Scheduled Reporting: Programmable to send reports at scheduled intervals or based on triggered events to ensure they are delivered regularly.
    • Customizable Dashboard: Access only relevant tools, visualizations and data through the customizable dashboard interface. Engage with data as well as collaborate with others on data visualizations, irrespective of technical skill levels.
    • Embedded BI: Embed the system into web applications or other software solutions for a seamless interface and direct data draw. Also, embed individual reports and dashboards using SAS SDK.

    Pricing

    License/Subscription Cost
    •  Price is based on server and user capacity. It includes license and hosting infrastructure cost 
    •  150, 300 and 600 GB storage is provided by the SaaS Now environment. The price of additional storage is $0.50 per GB per month 
    Maintenance Cost
    •  On-Premise: An additional cost over and above the upfront cost has to be paid for ongoing support and maintenance 
    •  Cloud-based/SaaS: Upgrades and add-ons are managed directly in the cloud at no extra cost 
    Installation/Implementation Cost
    •  On-Premise: Typically charged in addition to the license cost 
    •  Cloud-based/SaaS: Included in the subscription cost 
    Customization Cost
    • Will vary depending on the functional requirements such as configurable dashboards, dashboard and operational reporting needs, type of data elements required for tracking, complexity of workflows, forms to collect additional data, UI changes, etc
    Data Migration Cost/Change Management/Upfront Switching Cost
    • Dependent on your current software, amount of data to be migrated, availability of migration tools, complexity of data and gaps between the existing system and the new system
    Training Cost
    • Provides free e-learning and online demos
    Recurring/Renewal Costs
    •  On-Premise: Includes cost for updates, maintenance, upgrades, and patches 
    •  Cloud-based/SaaS: Renewal cost is equivalent to the fees paid monthly or annually 
    Qlik Sense
    Qlik Sense
    Start Price
    $30
    Monthly, Quote-based
    Company Size
    Small Medium Large
    Deployment
    Cloud On-Premise
    Platform
    Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
    Request Pricing Request Demo

    Why We Picked Qlik Sense

    Qlik Sense focuses on independent data analysis for enterprises with advanced tools that include AI, natural language processing and automation. User reviews praise it for its associative engine, interactive visualizations and sophisticated analytics.

    Its dataset-linking functionality gets my vote as the most significant differentiator since it makes data modeling seamless and saves time. In comparison, manually linking tables in Tableau and Power BI feels like a huge task.

    It supports fewer features out of the box (69%) compared to Tableau (72%) and Power BI (74%), but this could be intentional. Qlik has ready-to-go modules for analytics, automation and printing, so keeping it lean is a smart vendor move. Users should be aware that additional modules will cost extra, though.

    Qlik Sense SaaS is multi-cloud, so unless the admin assigns separate workspaces, your users won’t be able to create personal dashboards — everything is shared otherwise. Some users said the platform slowed when processing large workloads, which is a common issue with many other platforms. Assess your need for speed before committing to a purchase.

    If upgrading from QlikView, you’ll need to create new objects initially, as both platforms have different architectures. However, the vendor assists in seamless migration with the Qlik Analytics Modernization program.

    Overall, Qlik Sense is an efficient platform that offers many analysis capabilities worth considering. We recommend checking it out if you’re looking for an alternative to Power BI, entrenched in Microsoft technology, or Tableau, with its emphasis on visualization.

    Pros & Cons

    • Integrations: Approximately 86% of users reviewing data sources were satisfied with its wide connectivity.
    • Ease of Use: About 84% of users who cited usability praised the platform for self-service BI.
    • Functionality: Around 80% of the reviews that mentioned features praised it for ETL and data visualization.
    • Data Visualization: About 66% of the users discussing dashboards were satisfied with its interactive displays that allowed them to dig deep.
    • Cost: About 87% of users who mentioned pricing found the tool expensive.
    • Performance: Around 86% of users citing speed said it lagged when processing large and complex datasets.
    • Training: Approximately 69% of users who discussed adoption said there was a significant learning curve.
    • Customization: Around 65% of users who mentioned the freedom to design dashboards said the tool offered limited options.

    Key Features

    • AI Integration: Ask and answer questions in natural language and automate processes using OpenAI and H2O.ai. Feed massive datasets to the LLM and watch as it summarizes the insight for you. Move beyond traditional analysis by working with the IBM Watson API for natural language.
    • Qlik Sense Management Console: Develop apps, manage tasks and connections, and track performance. With QMC, create content and consume data insights.
    • Reporting Service: Keep partners and clients on the same page by sending reports to everyone involved, even non-Qlik users. Download reports, subscribe to charts and sheets, or automate report delivery with its Reporting Service, available with Qlik Sense Enterprise SaaS.
    • Apps: Create interactive dashboards and visualizations for separate tasks within Qlik Sense. An organization can use hundreds of Qlik Sense apps in its tech stack. 
    • Associative Recommendations: Save time defining how data tables relate with its intelligent suggestions, something Tableau and Power BI lack. Bubbles represent data tables and color-coded rings — green, orange and red — inside them indicate the possibility of links between the tables.

    Pricing

    License/Subscription Cost
    On-Premise:
    • License fees include an upfront fee to own the software, plus IP for a fixed term, installation, customization and integration costs
    • Enterprise Edition is offered on-premise and is based on a token system
    • Based on a combination of server, user, document and application-based licensing
    Cloud-Based/SaaS:
    • Based on recurring subscription-based model: $X per user, per month
    Cost may vary depending on the Qlik Sense Pricing plan selected:
    • Cloud Basic, Cloud Business, Desktop, Enterprise Edition or Personal Edition
    Maintenance Cost
    On-Premise: Maintenance cost is over and above the upfront fee
    Cloud-Based/SaaS: Maintenance cost is included in the service fees charged at the time of purchase
    Installation/Implementation Cost
    On-Premise: Included in the upfront cost/subscription cost
    Cloud-Based/SaaS: None
    Customization Cost
    For both on-premise and cloud-based/SaaS, customization costs vary depending on the product and pricing tier chosen, and the level of customization requiredCosts will vary depending on the package selected
    Recurring/Renewal Costs
    On-Premise: Annual recurring fees to be paid over and above the upfront cost include annual renewal, upgrades and ongoing support
    Cloud-Based/SaaS: A recurring monthly fee is charged, which typically includes maintenance, monitoring, upgrades, training and support
    Dundas BI
    Dundas BI
    Start Price
    $2,500
    Monthly, Quote-based
    Company Size
    Small Medium Large
    Deployment
    Cloud On-Premise
    Platform
    Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
    Request Pricing Request Demo

    Why We Picked Dundas BI

    Dundas BI is a web application that stands out for placing the buyer first with built-in ETL, shared licenses and unlimited refreshes. It surpasses market leaders like Power BI and Qlik Sense in native functionality. It’s feature-rich, with 77% of capabilities available out of the box.

    About 72% of users reviewing the interface praised the platform, whereas others felt it was confusing. An open API architecture might be one reason for the UI's clutter, but the vendor offers a way out. You can make onboarding easier by removing components that seem complex.

    Usually, reporting is a loose term for dashboards and static reports and not much else. However, the vendor packs these tools into a neat package at no extra cost. Dashboards are usually static, single-screen views, but Dundas allows embedding reports in them to complement your KPIs. The support team is responsive with clear SOPs and quick responses, and the documentation is detailed.

    On the downside, many users felt it slowed when handling heavy workloads. Performance is critical in business, but every data tool has accompanying tradeoffs, and sadly, it’s often speed. That said, keep in mind that many factors are at play here — the hardware, internet speed, data complexity and database efficiency. Consider them for your use cases when evaluating performance, as they significantly impact how a program responds to user interactions.

    Ultimately, it boils down to this — how much lag can you accept before it impacts your business? A proof-of-concept or, even better, a trial would be your best bet to assess how the platform fares.

    Due to its rich scripting options, the learning curve can be steep. Users felt the feature documentation should cover more information on Javascript and APIs. Most reviewers were satisfied with the pricing, saying it offers value for money.

    In summary, Dundas BI is a powerful tool if you need a high degree of customization, scalability and flexibility. It can handle complex data environments and supports many users concurrently. It would be a good fit for mid to large-sized enterprises as they have diverse data needs and are open to investing in training.

    Organizations with simple data requirements may find the tool a bit over the top and the cost excessive. In such a case, opting for a tool with basic functionality might be a good start. One non-negotiable would be frequent, stable updates. It'll ensure the tool grows with your business over time.

    Pros & Cons

    • Cost: Around 88% of reviewers mentioning pricing said the platform offered value for money.
    • Data Analysis and Visualization: Around 86% of users reviewing dashboards said they helped in decision-making.
    • Service and Support: Almost 83% of users praised support services for being prompt and said they got the help they needed.
    • Functionality: Around 75% of users praised the solution's rich feature set for helping them accomplish their tasks.
    • Ease of Use: Around 72% of users citing user friendliness said they could use it without much difficulty.
    • Training: Around 86% of users citing learning said there was a steep learning curve and documentation was inadequate.
    • Speed: Around 75% of users who reviewed performance said it lagged when handling large data volumes.

    Key Features

    • Data Visualization Sandbox: Create and test data visualizations before using them in dashboards. Experiment with different chart types, color schemes and data combinations without risk. It's an excellent learning tool for teams that want to start using data for decisions.
    • Pattern Identification: The Identify Clusters button is a tool within Dundas BI that examines your dataset. It helps you find patterns in your data by clicking a button rather than manually sorting it. The tool puts similar data into groups that can help spot trends or unusual patterns.
    • Small Multiples: They allow you to compare values on the same scale and axes but in separate charts and graphs. One example is comparing the prices of hotels on an aggregator site.
    • Mobile Insight: Collaborate with your teams through an HTML5 browser, whatever the device. Leave comments and annotations for colleagues on visualizations and share them as a PDF or link. Double-tap to zoom into views, and pinch in and out to see maps and charts.
    • Content Scheduling: Share content by setting a schedule or trigger. Dundas BI offers scheduled sharing via the notifications option. Select the content type from among Excel, CSV, PDF, PowerPoint and PNG formats. Choose from email or file delivery. More distribution methods are available if you install Dundas BI extensions.
    • Administrator Privileges: Create, edit and delete projects and configure security settings. Share projects among tenants and assign or revoke permissions as required. Set up and manage user accounts and view login history. Monitor system and warehouse performance and keep tabs on memory storage with application logs.
    • DundasScript: Do more with your data. Write custom formulas and expressions that aren’t possible with standard connectors or visualization tools. Apply conditional formatting and define how users should interact with visual elements, such as setting up drill downs and tooltips.
    • Contextual Views: View only the information that matters to your role. Dundas BI has a data connector override function that switches to a different data source or schema based on who’s viewing the content.
    • Architecture: Dundas BI has JavaScript, HTML and CSS on the back end with a patented in-memory engine. It’s a C#, Asp.NET application hosted on Microsoft IIS for Windows, systemd for Linux or a Docker or Kubernetes container. The platform is available in hosted and managed versions. Supported databases include Microsoft SQL or PostgreSQL. All screens, including dashboards and report designers, are built on a public API with JavaScript or a REST interface. It makes it easy to customize and embed. Tiers include the user, application and data layers. End users get a smooth user experience with drag-and-drop and select actions. It's open to plugins for adding new functions, formulas, controls, and security and tenant and export providers.

    Pricing

    License/Subscription Cost
    • Dependent on the deployment method and the number of users
    • Offers a flexible license-pricing model and concurrent user licenses.
    Maintenance Cost
    • On-premise: Support and maintenance incur additional costs.
    • Cloud-Based/SaaS: Included in the subscription cost.
    Installation/Implementation Cost
    • On-premise: Typically charged over and above the license cost.
    • Cloud-based/SaaS: Included in the subscription cost.
    Customization Cost
    • This information and section are only included for products in a pricing guide.
    Data Migration Cost/Change Management/Upfront Switching Cost
    • Will vary depending on the functional requirements such as configurable dashboards, operational and dashboard reporting needs, type of data elements required for tracking, the complexity of workflows, forms to collect additional data, UI changes, etc.
    Recurring/Renewal Costs
    • Dependent on the model opted – an annual lease or own in perpetuity.
    Cognos Analytics
    Cognos Analytics
    Start Price
    $50
    Per User, Monthly
    Company Size
    Small Medium Large
    Deployment
    Cloud On-Premise
    Platform
    Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
    Request Pricing Request Demo

    Why We Picked Cognos Analytics

    IBM Cognos Analytics is an excellent BI tool and rates very highly with users on all major counts. Users are unanimous in their praise of its data management and data analysis capabilities to provide a single source of truth. Having ventured into AI-powered tools with the 11.1.3 version in 2018, IBM is making bold strides to incorporate augmented intelligence into the platform. IBM has astutely combined this solution with the capabilities of one of its other offerings, Watson Analytics, for natural language processing - a game-changer for empowering non-technical users to create a vast range of dashboards. With AI-enabled exploration, users can review key drivers of metrics and identify gaps in data, though some users feel that more tools are needed for content store exploration through its relational database. It also rates excellently with users for its data integration and ad-hoc reporting capabilities, efficient metadata management and extensive data modeling features.

    Several strong features of this platform, as noted by reviewers, include Jupyter notebooks, regular updates to the platform and enhancements to data modules, though when it comes to integrating with Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) data sources and IBM Planning Analytics in particular, it comes up short. Version 11 of the platform comes with over-the-top installs for upgrades, which reduces time to set up; though some users feel that integrations built with the current SDK solution can be tedious to implement and maintain. Being part of the IBM software suite, it connects seamlessly to other IBM products under the same umbrella. However, integration with MS-Sharepoint is not supported; this can be managed with workarounds, but only for on-premise setups, not cloud-based deployments. The platform has a rich reporting repertoire with report burst capabilities, pivots and Cognos Event Studio for event-driven reports. However, many users feel that Report Studio should provide the write back capability, which is crucial for business. As for the cost, a majority of users feel that its licensing models are restrictive, especially when compared to other BI solutions; though the vendor seems to address pricing and ease of use with version 11.1.3.

    In summary, Cognos Analytics is among the best BI solutions in the market today and IBM, with its ear to the ground, is delivering enhanced data analysis and reporting capabilities at scale.

    Pros & Cons

    • Data Analysis and Visualization: All users who mention data analysis and presentation unanimously agree that this solution covers the full spectrum of BI analytics capabilities.
    • Data management: All users who mention data preparation praise its data integrations and effective metadata management, which ensure data consistency and accuracy across multiple reporting systems.
    • Functionality: Of users who mentioned this platform’s features, around 90% were satisfied with regular updates and enhancements which allow them to create faster, more responsive dashboards.
    • Reporting: Around 89% of users who mention reporting are satisfied, appreciating its ad-hoc reporting and report-sharing capabilities.
    • Setup: Excellent vendor support coupled with the ease of establishing data connectivity with data sources make installation of this solution a breeze, as approximately 87% of users have mentioned.
    • Cost: Around 87% of users who mention cost feel that its licensing model is expensive when compared to other BI solutions.
    • Training: Approximately 45% of users who reviewed training say that the learning curve can be quite steep and though self-service training is available, they would prefer a formal learning program.

    Key Features

    • Components: Boost the feature set of the core platform with components that enhance data modeling, visualization and analytics capabilities. 
    • Powerful Reporting: Create detailed charts, graphs, maps, voiceovers and repeat functions with the robust, professional reporting suite. Simplify reporting for non-technical users with express mode. 
    • Web-based Interface: Access the platform on any hardware via the web.
    • Natural Language-powered AI: Interrogate data and receive natural, consistent responses with a built-in AI, powered by NLP. 
    • Automated Modeling: Verify and combine data via automated modeling, and assess relationships between separate data points. 

    Pricing

    License/Subscription Cost
    • Dependent on the type of license – workgroup, standard or enterprise (refer pricing section for more details)
    Maintenance Cost
    • Subscription & Support costs are based on a percentage of the license cost (25% of initial license cost)
    • Software Accelerated Value Programs are an incremental charge calculated on a per-case basis, dependent on the specific service that the customer requires. Customers can't purchase Software Accelerated Value Programs without paying standard Subscription & Support cost
    Installation/Implementation Cost
    • Included in license/subscription cost
    Customization Cost
    • Will vary depending on the functional requirements such as configurable dashboards, complexity of workflows, forms to collect additional data, UI changes, etc.
    Data Migration Cost/Change Management/Upfront Switching Cost
    • Dependent on your current software, amount of data to be migrated, availability of migration tools, complexity of data and gaps between the existing system and the new system.
    Training Cost
    • Self-service support is available online
    • Native language support consists of live support and unlimited access for all certified IT technical staff within an organization
    Recurring/Renewal Costs
    • Renewal fee includes license cost and maintenance fee for the new or next year
    Looker
    Looker
    Start Price
    $2,900
    Monthly
    Company Size
    Small Medium Large
    Deployment
    Cloud On-Premise
    Platform
    Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
    Request Pricing Request Demo

    Why We Picked Looker

    Looker is a forerunner in the business intelligence field for a reason; it generates reports that include easy sharing via link, automatic scheduling and a level of granular detail that allows for deeper analysis below the surface. It excels in its filter and drill-down features and creates unique URLs when users make changes to data, leading to enhanced sharing. However, one of its biggest strengths could also be considered one of its biggest weaknesses: its proprietary programming language, LookML which is used to construct SQL queries in the platform. While a flexible and powerful data querying language, of course, LookML isn’t the most accessible to non-technical users, which means that Looker requires an IT or data team to access its full capabilities and has a steep learning curve. Users also note that its data visualizations, while simple and easy to understand, are quite basic and lacking in customization options, particularly in comparison to competitors. Some users say that it may be more appropriate for internal reporting than presentation to shareholders and end-users because of its bare-bones visualization options. However, Looker truly shines when used by enterprises, with its scalability and data accessibility making it a stellar solution that can align departments and provide thousands of users access to data insights. Its price point reflects this, with its pricing being prohibitive to startups as about 88% of users who comment on its cost remark. Overall, Looker is a solid pick for larger businesses that have a team of power users who can maximize its functionality and set it up to deliver to employees across an entire organization.

    Pros & Cons

    • Reporting: Looker features strong reporting features that offer a degree of granularity and scheduling that 100% of users who mention reporting evaluate as a strong benefit.
    • Support: Of the users who say they’ve contacted customer support, 95% say the team’s quick and informative responses are a plus.
    • Data Accessibility: All users who mention accessibility to data say Looker does this well, distributing insights to employees across departments and teams with ease, with 100% of users mentioning this feature believing it is a benefit.
    • Learning Curve: About 74% of users who touch on the platform’s ease of use say that the confusing documentation, lack of training opportunities and difficulty of using programming language make Looker a tough tool to pick up as a beginner.
    • Setup: Of the users who mention implementation, 81% say that setting up the platform is difficult, with integrations not being as plug-and-play as competitors and assistance from IT necessary to the setup process.
    • Speed: Approximately 87% of users who comment on the platform’s speed say that it is slow to render certain queries and often takes a while to load.
    • Functionality: About 78% of users who talk about Looker’s features say that they are left wanting many functions and find the ones that it does have limited in customization or too complex to use easily.

    Key Features

    • Automated Modeling: Connects to relational databases and automatically generates models from the database schema.
    • Intuitive Visualizations: Generates visualizations in real time directly from the specified data source. Choose from an expansive library of visualization options like bar graphs, pie charts, Sankey diagrams, spider web charts, sunburst graphs, chord diagrams, heatmaps, funnels, treemaps and many more.
    • Time Zone Handling: Incorporates data seamlessly into the visualization, regardless of what time zone it is coming from.
    • LookML Data Modeling Language: Create scalable, reusable data models through the proprietary SQL-based data modeling language LookML.
    • Pre-Built Analytics Code: Use its Blocks feature as a starting point for building data analytics models with customizable code blocks. Includes optimized SQL patterns, custom visualization options, pre-built data models and more.

    COMPARE THE BEST Predictive Analytics Software

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    Tableau
    $15
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    Tableau
    Power BI
    $10
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    Power BI
    Mathematica
    $1,800
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    QlikView
    $2,500
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    No
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    QlikView
    Spark
    Still gathering data
    No
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    Spark
    SAS Visual Analytics
    $8,000
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    SAS Visual Analytics
    Qlik Sense
    $30
    Monthly, Quote-based
    Yes
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    Dundas BI
    $2,500
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    Cognos Analytics
    $50
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    Cognos Analytics
    Looker
    $2,900
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    All Predictive Analytics Software (137 found)

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    Tableau

    by Tableau Software
    Tableau
    Tableau is a data visualization and analytics solution for enterprises and individuals. A rich library of connectors helps you pull data from files, cloud sources and servers. A separate data management module, Tableau Prep, ensures your data is ready to transform when it comes into the platform.Its latest features include AI with Tableau Pulse and the Einstein CoPilot.Software, healthcare, manufacturing, banking and financial services, and retail companies will find it helpful. Whatever your domain, chart, plot and map data will give you a clear picture of business performance.Besides, you can track daily operations and support line-of-business decisions with hardcore data. At the higher level, it boosts planning by giving senior management the freedom to dig deeper.A Tableau Creator license costs $70 per user and includes Tableau Desktop and Tableau Cloud. Alternatively, you can deploy it on-premise and connect to the cloud using a bridge. A free trial of Tableau Desktop is available, and Tableau Public is always free to use.Though it's a user favorite for data visualization, many users find it expensive and slow when handling large datasets.
    User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
    Cost Breakdown
    $10 - $100
    Company Size
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    Deployment
    Cloud On-Premise
    Platform
    Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
    Request with no obligation:
    Demo Pricing

    Power BI

    by Microsoft Corporation
    Power BI
    Microsoft Power BI is an analytics and reporting solution for individuals and enterprises. Ranked among the top five products in our BI product directory, it’s a user favorite, with 88% of reviewers giving it the thumbs up.It’s versatile in connectivity, pulling data from files, databases and cloud sources. Power Query helps users transform data to the desired format for building accurate models. They will serve as the basis for analysis and reporting. With Azure Machine Learning, Power BI incorporates AI into the analysis.Government agencies find them handy for tracking citizen programs, crime and health data, and utilities. For healthcare companies, it proves helpful in patient data tracking, population health management and operations. Retail is all about sales and revenue, and if this is you, the vendor offers ready-made report templates that can help you hit the ground running. That’s not all; other report samples are available too.Reusable dataflows in Power BI help you create a process once and run it again. Dataflows are shareable, so your whole team benefits. DAX enables complex calculations, while natural language Q A speeds up analysis. Team workspaces enable collaboration, and mobile insight is available.Individual accounts include Power BI Desktop, Power BI Pro and Premium per User (PPU). Pro and PPU licenses use Power BI Service, which lets you share content with other Pro users and is suitable for small businesses.Power BI Premium is an enterprise license; you can share content with anyone, even external users. Pro and PPU cost $9.99 and $20 per user monthly, while Premium comes at $4,995 per month. User reviews praise it for ease of use, connectivity and modeling, but most users find the pricing confusing, possibly because of the various Microsoft integrations that make Power BI a complete package.
    User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
    Cost Breakdown
    $10 or less
    Company Size
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    Deployment
    Cloud On-Premise
    Platform
    Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
    Request with no obligation:
    Demo Pricing

    Mathematica

    by Wolfram
    Mathematica
    Wolfram Mathematica is a technical computing platform that can perform a wide range of computations and algorithms for mathematics and beyond. Primarily designed for research and academia, it enables users to create powerful scripts through a flexible, multi-purpose programming language. It allows users to analyze and visualize data in sophisticated ways and employ methods such as machine learning, data mining and deep learning to model and solve complicated problems. It is available in the cloud through any web browser or installable on-premises on all desktop environments. Users can purchase licenses as individuals or under group or enterprise pricing for cloud, desktop or both versions.
    User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: excellent
    Cost Breakdown
    $1,000 or more
    Company Size
    Small Medium Large
    Deployment
    Cloud On-Premise
    Platform
    Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
    Request with no obligation:
    Demo Pricing

    QlikView

    by QLIK TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    QlikView
    QlikView is a data discovery and customer insight platform from Qlik, a leader in the insight and intelligence space. However, it is not available for purchase any longer. Qlik Sense, Qlik’s next-generation offering, is available for new customers. It offers self-service data that can help drive decisions and generate significant ROI for technical skill level users. It’s built from the ground up to be affordable, scalable and adaptable. It can ingest data from diverse sources like big data streams, file-based data, and on-premise or cloud data. It is well-known for its data associations and relationship functionality, keeping data in context automatically. It delivers results quickly via its patented in-memory data processing module, processing data down to as little as 10% of its original size. Pros Intuitive interface Fast data visualization Easy data exploration User-friendly for non-technical users Strong community and support Cons Limited data modeling capabilities Licensing costs can be high Customization can be challenging Version control can be a concern Performance can slow with large datasets
    User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
    Cost Breakdown
    $1,000 or more
    Company Size
    Small Medium Large
    Deployment
    Cloud On-Premise
    Platform
    Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
    Request with no obligation:
    Demo Pricing

    Spark

    by Apache Software Foundation
    Spark
    Apache Spark is an open source unified analytics software for distributed, rapid processing. It distributes data across clusters in real time to produce market-leading speeds. It is rising in popularity in the space, catching up to its sister-offering, Hadoop, because of its quicker speeds and specific focus on optimizing processing performance and ability to stream data. It supports several coding languages, including Python, R, Scala, SQL and Java. It can function stand-alone, or be integrated into broader workflows easily.
    User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
    Cost Breakdown
    $100 - $500
    Company Size
    Small Medium Large
    Deployment
    Cloud On-Premise
    Platform
    Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
    Request with no obligation:
    Demo Pricing

    SAS Visual Analytics

    by SAS Institute
    SAS Visual Analytics
    SAS Visual Analytics offers fast answers to complex questions drawn from datasets of all sizes. It provides guided exploration, interactive dashboards, smart visualizations and self-service analytics to users of all technical skill levels, promoting data literacy and visibility. Its versatile, scalable design helps users make better business decisions based on data transparency. Built on a cohesive in-memory architecture, it promotes intelligent action driven by insight.
    User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
    Cost Breakdown
    $1,000 or more
    Company Size
    Small Medium Large
    Deployment
    Cloud On-Premise
    Platform
    Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
    Request with no obligation:
    Demo Pricing

    Qlik Sense

    by QLIK TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Qlik Sense
    Qlik Sense is a self-service analytics solution that supports enterprise decisions and strategy. Its value lies in interactive dashboards and reports for exploring data independently. Embedded analytics lets your users work freely with data within their applications and websites.Like QlikView, Qlik Sense has an associative engine. It links data tables in memory, keeping the information ready for when your users build models. Plus, its cognitive engine uses natural language for data tasks.The Enterprise subscription includes Talend Data Integration and Qlik Advanced Analytics in Qlik Cloud. You can also choose Qlik Data Integration. Qlik Sense Enterprise SaaS includes 5000 automations and 100 reports. It might be a good fit if your data loads are predictable and don't change much. The vendor charges for the data you move or the volumes you analyze; you can choose between the two.Qlik Sense deploys on Windows, Mac, Linux and any phone device. By contrast, Tableau runs on Windows, Mac and mobile, while Power BI is available only on Windows and Android devices.Individual users can choose the desktop edition, though they’ll need a Qlik Cloud account to download it. A 30-day trial period is available, after which it'll cost $30 per user monthly.
    User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
    Cost Breakdown
    $10 - $100
    Company Size
    Small Medium Large
    Deployment
    Cloud On-Premise
    Platform
    Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
    Request with no obligation:
    Demo Pricing

    Dundas BI

    by Dundas Data Visualization
    Dundas BI
    Dundas BI is a self-service analytics solution with a keen focus on embeddability. With an eye on the end-user experience, the vendor provides options to design and embed dashboards into applications. Ranked five on our leaderboard, Dundas BI is a user favorite. The platform supports standard file formats and connects to cloud storage and enterprise systems.Report templates and interactive visualizations make data accessible to all users. Some available graphics include bar and line graphs, scattergrams, pie charts, scorecards and maps. The system also suggests visualizations that fit the analyzed data.Besides a long list of connectors, the platform has built-in ETL. You can switch from a data warehouse to live sources with the click of a button and write back to the warehouse from the interface.The vendor, insightsoftware, offers it under the Logi Symphony umbrella, but Dundas BI remains a distinct product, and support is available. It supports multi-tenancy, and you can manage multiple clients with assured data security.Roles include developers, power users and report consumers. The vendor provides shared concurrent licenses to keep pricing within reach. Unlimited data refreshes at no extra cost make it an attractive option.Reviews praise its visual capabilities and ease of use, though most users say there’s a steep learning curve and performance can lag sometimes. Pricing starts from $2,500 monthly.
    User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
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    $1,000 or more
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    Cognos Analytics

    by IBM
    Cognos Analytics
    IBM Cognos Analytics is a self-service, web-based analytics platform which empowers users of all skill levels to explore data through reporting, data analytics, KPI monitoring, events and metrics. Reports give users the ability to not just visualize their insights, but also share them with colleagues. It integrates with Watson Analytics, which leverages IBM’s artificial intelligence and natural language processing to make insights more accessible to non-technical users. It has various components which give additional functionality, flexibility and agility when processing large sets of data.
    User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
    Cost Breakdown
    $10 - $100
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    Looker

    by Looker Data Sciences
    Looker
    Looker is a web-based analytics solution that offers businesses the ability to explore, discover, visualize and share data insights. Enterprises can view data sources and drill down into data to better understand their business and metrics. Using a simple proprietary modeling language, this system helps define data relationships while bypassing SQL. It facilitates data literacy and accessibility, irrespective of technical skill levels. It was acquired by Google on June 6, 2019, for $2.9 billion.
    User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
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    $1,000 or more
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    Sisense

    by Sisense
    Sisense
    Sisense is an end-to-end data analytics platform that makes data discovery and analytics accessible to customers and employees alike via an embeddable, scalable architecture. With a back-end powered by in-chip technology, it allows analysts to blend large datasets from a variety of sources into a single cohesive database for the entire company. On the front-end, users of all technical skill levels can craft visualizations, reports and dashboards to explore and share insights that drive businesses forward. Its AI-driven, cloud-native analytics offering, Fusion, embeds into business workspaces and empowers teams to view key metrics and data insights where they work. Designed for companies of all sizes, it can be deployed on-premises, as a private cloud-hosted SaaS, as a fully managed SaaS or via a hybrid strategy. It is available via annual subscription pricing and offered in three packages: its main offering BI Analytics Teams, its embedded analytics component Product Teams and code-driven cloud analytics through Cloud Data Teams.
    User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
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    $1,000 or more
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    Spotfire

    by TIBCO Software Inc.
    Spotfire
    Spotfire is a software solution for business reporting and analytics. Ranked third on our product directory, it shines for data science and streaming analytics. Dashboards are customizable and interactive. Automation services help create and deliver reports on schedule. You can download it on Windows and access it through other operating systems via workarounds.Organizations across the board find Spotfire helpful, be it pharma companies or oil and gas suppliers. Manufacturing and supply chain businesses also opt for it on account of its functions and formulas. Techniques like regression and what-if analysis support predictions. Reporting on inventory levels can help you anticipate and plan when to place the next order.With a data tool, you expect to have data management built in, and Spotfire does an excellent job. It enables cleaning data from the user interface — inline data cleansing — and flags anomalies.Geomapping is sometimes an afterthought in BI tools. Spotfire scores with excellent location analytics and companies with field machinery find it helpful. Plan maintenance by keeping tabs on machine performance and aging trends using Spotfire dashboards.Spotfire has data management with anomaly detection and inline data cleansing. Geomapping is sometimes an afterthought in BI tools. Spotfire scores with excellent location analytics, which is why many companies with field machinery find it helpful.Spotfire's robust calculations are due to TIBCO's runtime engine. Report templates are available, and you can create your own. Its Automation Services help manage routine reporting.Users praise Spotfire for its connections with an active community that contributes additional connectors. They appreciate its visualizations and the freedom to customize data displays. The vendor provides exceptional support for mobile insights.The latest edition, Spotfire X, has NLQ-powered searches, AI recommendations and model-based processing. A 30-day trial with 250 GB of storage is available. At $1,250 per year, a Spotfire Analyst license costs more than Tableau and Power BI, and users agree that pricing is steep.
    User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
    Cost Breakdown
    $10 or less
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    Pentaho

    by Hitachi Vantara
    Pentaho
    Pentaho is a data integration and analytics platform that helps businesses extract, transform, analyze, and visualize data from diverse sources. It caters to organizations navigating growing data volumes and seeking insights for informed decision-making. Users praise Pentaho's open-source, free core version, making it a budget-friendly option for beginners or small teams. Its wide range of tools tackles various data challenges, from basic reporting to advanced analytics. Scalability shines for larger datasets, handling complex processing effectively. Additionally, an active community offers valuable support. However, prepare for a steeper learning curve compared to more user-friendly options. Limited documentation can occasionally leave users struggling. Users report encountering bugs and glitches, potentially requiring technical expertise. Be mindful of resource intensiveness, as large-scale operations might demand powerful hardware. While customization options exist, some users crave more flexibility. Overall, Pentaho offers a powerful, free data platform, with trade-offs between its extensive capabilities and ease of use. Consider its strengths and limitations in the context of your specific needs and technical expertise. Pros Open-source and free Wide range of tools Scalable for large datasets Active community support Integration with various platforms Cons Steeper learning curve Limited documentation Occasional bugs and glitches Can be resource-intensive Limited customization options
    User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
    Cost Breakdown
    $10 - $100
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    Sisense For Cloud Data Teams

    by Periscope Data
    Sisense For Cloud Data Teams
    Formerly known as Periscope Data, Sisense for Cloud Data Teams is a data analytics software tool that integrates seamlessly with the Sisense platform, offering advanced analytics that delivers actionable insights to teams that work with data in the cloud. It provides a single, cohesive interface for users to store, organize, analyze and visualize all their data for better decision-making. It empowers users of all kinds to produce, consume and share insights intuitively together, with or without coding knowledge. Originally founded in 2012 in San Francisco, California, it was acquired by Sisense in May 2019 and rebranded in January 2020.
    User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
    Cost Breakdown
    $100 - $500
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    BusinessObjects

    by SAP, Inc.
    BusinessObjects
    BusinessObjects is a suite of business intelligence (BI) tools that helps organizations collect, analyze, and visualize data to make better decisions. It's most suited for large enterprises with complex data needs, as it offers a wide range of features and capabilities. Key benefits include improved data visibility, enhanced decision-making, and increased productivity. Popular features include data modeling, reporting, ad hoc querying, and dashboards. User experiences highlight its ease of use, robust functionality, and scalability, though some note its potential for complexity and higher learning curve. Compared to similar products, BusinessObjects often stands out for its comprehensiveness and integration capabilities. Pricing is typically based on a per-user or per-named-user basis, with annual subscription fees. Pros Easy to use Robust features Scalable Comprehensive Integrates well Cons Can be complex Steeper learning curve Costly May require training Can be resource-intensive
    User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
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    $1,000 or more
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    ThoughtSpot

    by ThoughtSpot
    ThoughtSpot
    ThoughtSpot is a cloud-based business intelligence and analytics platform that empowers users of all skill levels to explore and analyze data through a search-driven interface. It leverages artificial intelligence and natural language processing to simplify data analysis, making it accessible to a wider audience. ThoughtSpot is particularly well-suited for organizations seeking to democratize data access and promote data-driven decision-making across various departments. Key benefits include ease of use, accessibility from any device, and the ability to connect to diverse data sources for real-time insights. Popular features encompass interactive dashboards, AI-powered insights, and natural language search capabilities. In comparison to similar business intelligence tools, ThoughtSpot stands out for its user-friendly interface and emphasis on search-driven analytics. While some users find its pricing to be on the higher end of the spectrum, many appreciate the platform's ease of use and the value it delivers in terms of improved decision-making and operational efficiency. ThoughtSpot's pricing structure typically involves annual subscriptions based on the number of users and data volume.
    User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
    Cost Breakdown
    $10 - $100
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    Domo

    by Domo
    Domo
    Domo is a cloud-based analytics platform that integrates end-to-end data management into one solution. Being SaaS, it’s available from anywhere with an internet connection. The vendor offers the best of both worlds — self-serve ease of use and data science.Domo has a friendly interface aimed at senior management who are hard-pressed to make tough decisions daily. A breadcrumb trail at the top of the workspace will help you navigate between folders. A performant, scalable warehouse supports fast queries with in-memory data.Domo Buzz is an instant messaging option like Slack with file sharing and is available on the mobile app also. Annotation options allowed me to add comments to my chart and mark data points of interest. If you want something more than what it offers, you can build your own apps within Domo. It’s our analysts’ pick and a user favorite in its category for these and more features.Domo Everywhere is the embedded version, though it doesn’t offer as many options to design views as some other platforms, such as Dundas BI.You can use Domo dashboards and reports for several critical tasks. Decide where to reduce spending and identify the factors that affect your business. Forecast demand for your services and products. Predict how unexpected events can impact the economy and your business and do much more.There’s a 30-day free trial after which you can upgrade to the Standard or Enterprise pricing model. Or opt for the Business Critical edition to get a private AWS link that promises watertight security and reduces latency.Some users mention performance limitations, which could be caused by shared cloud resources. The vendor offers a consumption model — pay for what you use and add unlimited users at a flat fee of $750.
    User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
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    $10 - $100
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    Minitab

    by Minitab
    Minitab
    Minitab is a statistics package that delivers statistical analysis, data visualizations and data analytics to help users improve data-driven decision making by streamlining their analytical workflow. It can analyze all kinds of datasets, from small to large, and automates statistical calculations and the creation of graphs, allowing users to focus more on data analysis. It enables users a range of customization options and has powerful scripting macro capabilities.It is currently available for on-premise installation on Windows or Mac operating systems only, with no SaaS or mobile options. Customers may choose between a single license for a stand-alone copy or an annual network license for multiple users, which includes upgrades to new versions. The company offers government and academic pricing options as well.
    User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: excellent
    Cost Breakdown
    $500 - $1,000
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    Klipfolio

    by Klipfolio Inc.
    Klipfolio
    Klipfolio is an analytics software tool that helps users wield data intelligently and confidently by building dashboards and reports that track KPIs and monitor trends. Users can glean insights from information across the organization collected in one convenient place and deploy interactive data visualizations that they can share with ease. It is available through an annual or monthly subscription to one of four plans: Publish, Grow, Team and Team+. The number of dashboards and users allowed, as well as the data refresh rate and level of support varies depending on the pricing plan selected.
    User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: excellent
    Cost Breakdown
    $1,000 or more
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    MicroStrategy

    by MicroStrategy
    MicroStrategy
    MicroStrategy is a data visualization and reporting platform that deploys on-premise and on the web. The cloud version runs on AWS or Microsoft Azure. MicroStrategy Library is the web edition, while Workstation is the desktop version.It reigns supreme as the top analytics tool in our product directory and provides 91% of the required features out of the box. Regarding source data integration, it leaves very little to chance, winning our best-in-class award for connectivity. With over 200 connectors, there’s a high chance it’ll satisfy your data needs.If not, you can build one using a software development kit. SDKs are also the force behind REST and embedding APIs, HyperIntelligence and data visualization. Plus, the semantic layer enables automating data prep and analysis and generating visualizations on cue.Dossiers in MicroStrategy are like books; they have chapters further divided into pages, and each page has one or more visualizations. Every view is free-form — you can move charts around and organize them as you like. With write-back capability, you can update underlying databases from visualizations.The vendor launched its unified cloud AI analytics platform, MicroStrategy One, with GPT-4o in September 2024. It’s twice as fast, digging into the selected data to produce dashboard summaries and answer user queries in seconds. Update 12 has auditing capabilities and shows details of active licenses, including their compliance status.Its heart and soul is an Intelligence Server that manages metadata and processes queries. A mobile app is available. There’s a 30-day trial, but access to group permissions, KPIs and subscriptions requires a paid upgrade.User reviews mentioned that the solution was effective, but the ecosystem and pricing were complex.
    User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
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    $10 - $100
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    Buyer's Guide

    Predictive Analytics Software Is All About Learning About Future Trends 

    By Ritinder Kaur, Market Analyst at SelectHub

    Predictive Analytics Software BG Intro Header

    Capturing business intelligence to plan for the future is driving companies to the top of the pile in the data-rich world of 21st-century enterprise. They achieve this with BI solutions; several are predictive analytics tools. They provide statistical functions, mathematical calculations and data modeling to drive forecasts about future market trends and opportunities.

    Choosing a predictive analytics tool can be overwhelming among many solutions offering similar features. This software buyer’s guide informs you about predictive analytics software, its benefits, features and the top three market leaders.

    Executive Summary

    • Predictive analytics gives companies greater control over their business strategies by providing a glimpse into future trends.
    • Predictive analytics tools help you get ahead of your competitors by taking advantage of upcoming opportunities and preempting risks.
    • An efficient predictive solution should provide autonomous analytics capabilities with secure, self-service data modeling and a rich visualization library.
    • Ask the right questions within your company and predictive analytics vendors to aid your software selection process.

    What This Guide Covers:

    What is Predictive Analytics Software?

    Predictive analytics solutions provide business forecasts through statistical functions, mathematical calculations and data modeling. Companies can capitalize on market trends by taking advantage of these tools' insights into business opportunities.

    While organizations gather business intelligence from user insights, predictive platforms go further. They allow you to tweak data as needed and view its impact on dependent variables through data modeling, what-if analysis and regression analysis. Predictive software lets you take a peek into the future, assess how your business is doing and decide what you need to do to get the best results.

    Primary Benefits

    Why do businesses use predictive analytics solutions?

    Predictive Analytics Software Categories

    Predictive Analytics Benefits

    Get Ahead in the Market

    You can get a near-accurate market forecast by combining customer insights with variables like socioeconomic factors, seasonality and location. Utilizing business assets to predict customer preferences, trends and upcoming opportunities can put your company ahead of its competitors.

    You can identify where you’re losing revenue by analyzing customer churn and cart abandonment metrics to plug the gaps. Forecasting helps you plan better by assessing how your customers are likely to respond to changes in your sales strategies.

    Make Informed Decisions

    Retail, healthcare, financial, insurance companies and several other domains use the power of predictions to make intelligent decisions. Routine EHR data serves as an excellent source to predict health outcomes or diagnoses for clinical decision support and trial recruitment. Physicians need not waste time searching for the best-suited treatment options; this is especially significant for treating time-critical medical conditions.

    You can alter your marketing strategies to boost conversion with timely business predictions. Or prevent churn by offering loyalty programs and discounts for customers planning to shift elsewhere. You can decide which products to push and which ones to downscale based on demand forecasts.

    Boost Efficiency

    Besides client business, predictive software streamlines internal processes by helping you analyze your company’s operational metrics. You can integrate enterprise resource planning and workforce management with project management. Allocating resources by anticipating the project load can help you scale faster and finish projects on schedule.

    Employee management includes payroll, HR and performance management, which can benefit from predictive insights. Forecasting employee turnover with the appropriate predictive systems informs your HR team how many people you need to hire over, say, the next six months. Your predicted expenses and revenue over the same period can tell you whether you can afford onboarding and training.

    Mitigate Risk

    Predictive business analytics tools reduce risk in two ways – forecasting loss-making investments and preventing fraud. Banks and lenders can vet loan applicants by assessing the likelihood of timely premium payments based on their profile, credit repayment history and income. Similarly, insurance companies use predictions to verify policy applicants’ credibility, saving underwriting overheads.

    Predictive tools prevent fraud by spotting loopholes in workflows and security protocols for financial companies, banks and healthcare. They help organizations handle insider threats and data breaches proactively, rather than reacting after they’ve happened.

    Keep Your Hardware in Top Shape

    Predictive techniques built into company hardware let you monitor heavy machinery and issue periodic alerts for maintenance and upgrades. It prolongs your machines’ life, saving you thousands of dollars. Preventive maintenance is crucial for companies with lots of heavy equipment in the field.

    A predictive tool that lets you do this from a single, centralized hub is convenient and optimal.

    Key Features & Functionality

    When buying a predictive tool, it’s better to prepare a requirements checklist beforehand that includes your must-have and nice-to-have features. For instance, your business probably needs statistical analysis capabilities, but does it need artificial intelligence? Although AI can do many great things, it may not be worth an investment right away, and what would that look like for implementation?

    Here are some essential features an excellent predictive analytics tool should have.

    Big Data Integration

    The predictive analytics solution should help you maximize the value of your proprietary assets with connectors and integrations. It should pull information from images, audio files, videos, social media sites, CSV, XML and log files. Ingests information from databases and warehouses in the cloud, on premise and everything in-between.
    Data Mining

    You can extract useful information from all possible sources. Searches large repositories to discover patterns and trends that go beyond simple analysis. Predicts the likelihood of future events by connecting the dots between existing insights.
    Data Modeling

    Creates predictive models with statistical functions and mathematical calculations. Simulates what-if scenarios by letting you tweak key metrics and view the impact. It enables reverse-engineering of outcomes — define the desired results first and go back to view the key metrics.
    Self-Service Analytics

    Create visualizations with handy tools on a user-friendly interface. Autonomously sort, filter and drill down into metrics to view insights that matter to your role. Collaborate with others on intuitive dashboards by leaving comments and annotations through @mentions.
    Data Visualization

    View and present several linked metrics visually on a single, unified interface. Design visual aids like charts, graphs and maps to convey actionable insights. Choose from a rich library of visualizations — bar charts, histograms, pie charts, heat maps, scatter plots, box plots and more — and customize them as needed.
    Reporting

    View and share predictive business reports with stakeholders. Analyze forecast trends to factor in when designing business strategy. Extract relevant insights at will with ad hoc reporting through filtering, highlighting, pivoting and more.
    Security

    Secures business data with authentication protocols, SSO and role-based permissions. Track user activity through logs and audit trails.
    Embedded Analytics

    Lets you enhance your software offerings by adding embeddability to its tech stack. Embed analytics capabilities or white label the software to view forecasts and market trends within business applications.

    Software Comparison Strategy

    Several predictive tools offer similar features, and choosing the right solution can be difficult. Taking it step-by-step helps make the process easier. Start by listing your implementation goals and which attributes can help you achieve them.

    We have provided a list of questions below to ask yourself and potential predictive analytics software vendors to narrow down your choices. Additionally, we offer a great list of resources to help you select software. Gather your requirements into a checklist with our BI requirements template.

    Or go through our comparison matrix for a feature-by-feature analysis of leading predictive solutions.

    Choosing predictive business analytics software can take time, but putting in the effort beforehand will pay off in the long term.

    Cost & Pricing Considerations

    The cost of a predictive analytics tool can make or break your buying decision. While narrowing down your software options, check the cost of deployment, especially whether you will get implementation support from the vendor. If not, you will need to pencil in the cost of hiring external IT resources, if you don’t have an in-house team.

    Check how much data storage the vendor provides, with add-ons and user capacity on offer. Verify whether your plan will include email, phone and chat support or if you will need to subscribe to a paid plan. Look up the product cost on the vendor’s website or reach out to them for detailed quotes. Check out which software solutions are within your price range with our pricing guide.

    Most Popular Predictive Analytics Software

    The below solutions lead the pack in predictive analytics per research performed by the SelectHub analyst team.

    Tableau

    Tableau is famous globally for its rich visualizations that are free to view and download. You can analyze business assets through model-building with statistical calculations and predictive functions. The slice and dice action enables moving through different views of a visualization quickly.

    Automated clustering helps discover previously unidentified patterns that would be difficult to spot in large, complex data sets. You can explore the impact of seasonality on market trends with period-over-period analysis.

    Tableau

    Population Segmentation Based on Multidimensional Dataset Clustering.

    Power BI

    Known for its intuitive interface, Power BI enables power users of all skill levels to forecast business trends with its AutoML module. The key influencers visualization helps draw attention to key metrics drivers, making it easier to convey pertinent information. Decision tree visuals let you present various possible courses of action and their potential outcomes.

    If you’re using Dynamics 365, Microsoft Teams or Power Apps, you can embed Power BI reports and dashboards within your applications for handy insights. Or, you can white label the solution to give your end-users a seamless experience.

    Power BI

    The Key Influencers Visual Showing Guest Analytics for a Hotel.

    Board

    Board is known for its robust EPM and BI capabilities. Its in-memory data management solution, the Hybrid Bitwise Memory Pattern, performs discretionary full, on-demand and hybrid data processing. With efficient data compression and high user concurrency, the HBMP technology speeds up the time to insight.

    The platform supports forecasting through what-if analysis and profitability modeling. Additionally, you can utilize its predictive capabilities for internal workflows like financial reporting, budgeting, planning, monitoring and auditing.

    Board

    A Sales Intelligence and Planning Dashboard.

     

     

    Questions to Ask Yourself

    Predictive Analytics BG Key Questions To Ask

    Use these questions as a starting point for internal conversations:

    • What’s your budget? Is your current tool a money sink?
    • Who will use the predictive analytics tool, and which features will they need?
    • What are your company's present and future goals? How will the software fit with your company’s product roadmap?
    • Which deployment method will work best for your company — on-premise, cloud-based or hybrid?
    • How important is scalability?
    • What databases does it need to integrate?

    Questions to Ask Vendors

    To evaluate the various software available in the market, use these questions to start conversations with predictive analytics software vendors.

    About the Software

    • What does the tool offer in visualization, data management, reporting and collaboration?
    • Can it integrate with add-ons and other applications to provide a seamless user experience?
    • Will it need customization before deployment?
    • Does the tool integrate with the data sources that you need?
    • Is it available as a native mobile application? What functionalities are included on mobile?
    • Is the tool user-friendly and easy to navigate for users of all technical skills?

    About the Vendor

    • What’s the workflow to create predictive data models?
    • Which visualizations does it offer?
    • How often does the vendor release updates and enhancements?
    • What level of customization does the vendor provide?
    • Which features will cost extra?
    • What are the available pricing tiers, and which capabilities do they provide?
    • Does the predictive analytics vendor specialize in predictive analytics solutions?
    • Does the vendor provide demos? Is a free trial available?

    In Conclusion

    Choosing a predictive analytics solution is a task that demands proper research and preparation. This buyer’s guide is intended to be a starting point for IT professionals tasked with selecting predictive analytics software in their research.

    Product Comparisons

    Additional Resources

    About The Contributors

    The following expert team members are responsible for creating, reviewing, and fact checking the accuracy of this content.

    Ritinder
    By Ritinder Kaur
    Technical Content Writer
    Ritinder Kaur is a Senior Technical Content Writer at SelectHub and has eight years of experience writing about B2B software and quality assurance. She has a Masters degree in English language and literature and writes about Business Intelligence and Data Science. Her articles on software testing have been published on Stickyminds.
    See Full Bio
    Sagardeep
    Technical Research By Sagardeep Roy
    Senior Analyst
    Sagardeep is a Senior Research Analyst at SelectHub, specializing in diverse technical categories. His expertise spans Business Intelligence, Analytics, Big Data, ETL, Cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and machine learning, with additional proficiency in EHR and Medical Billing. Holding a Master of Technology in Data Science from Amity University, Noida, and a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science from West Bengal University of Technology, his experience across technology, healthcare, and market research extends back to 2016. As a certified Data Science and Business Analytics professional, he approaches complex projects with a results-oriented mindset, prioritizing individual excellence and collaborative success.
    See Full Bio
    Manan
    Technical Review By Manan Roy
    Principal Analyst
    Manan is a native of Tezpur, Assam (India), who currently lives in Kolkata, West Bengal (India). At SelectHub, he works on categories like CRM, HR, PPM, BI, and EHR. He has a Bachelor of Technology in CSE from The Gandhi Institute of Engineering and Technology, a Master of Technology from The Institute of Engineering and Management IT, and an MBA in Finance from St. Xavier's College. He's published two research papers, one in a conference and the other in a journal, during his Master of Technology.
    See Full Bio
    Hunter
    Edited By Hunter Lowe
    Content Editor
    Hunter Lowe is a Content Editor, Writer and Market Analyst at SelectHub. His team covers categories that range from ERP and business intelligence to transportation and supply chain management. Hunter is an avid reader and Dungeons and Dragons addict who studied English and Creative Writing through college. In his free time, you'll likely find him devising new dungeons for his players to explore, checking out the latest video games, writing his next horror story or running around with his daughter.
    See Full Bio