MicroStrategy Review

PROS: With Microstrategy’ simplicity I can create complex SQL reports and visualisations over varied datasets. We use this tool to help us with our complex data environment with strict data governance controls, it copes with all demands of data discovery and it accommodates change control and data governance. It provides with ability to stay of upcoming opportunities.

CONS: It requires some learning, they could open its learning material on the product functionality so the tech users become even more familiar with specific problems. Licencing and product registration changes in MS10 are being described as confusing and complex.

PROS: MicroStrategy offers a powerful report delivery system named distribution services. It is well developed and mature for a company. Top features include useful web portal, dashboarding, advanced metrics, and sophisticated in-memory cubes. The system is less buggy and crashes much less compared to other popular BI apps.

CONS: You need many full-time employees to set up the repository and manage the product. It takes time to learn to use the app and you need the services of a qualified data warehouse engineer to use it effectively. Plus, the pricing packages are expensive.

PROS: MicroStrategy’s backend is excellent. The SQL engine is intelligent and has plenty of settings to adapt to your database to boost performances. Security is flexible and robust, users can access various dashboards/reports or the same object but can see only a portion of the data. Plus, you can use the plugin architecture to add new features or to integrate the app with your environment.

CONS: The vendor has enhanced the front-end for data exploration, but in my opinion they still lag behind Tableau. However, MicroStrategy is better than other apps. Another issue is the system can be annoyingly buggy. A lot of new features have been added to the tool in the past few years, but it is a bit difficult to use them. Though new features have been added, the interface remains the same old-fashioned one.

PROS: I like that MicroStrategy has an excellent front end for complex SQL reports. The app is easy to use, but the user interface can be improved. You also need to spend a lot on hardware. The system works well with the native MSTR DB.

CONS: I have no major complaints about this app. However, sometimes there is slight confusion between History and My Reports. Some of my reports in My Reports do not update, while other reports in History update automatically when clicked on and show the current requested data.

PROS: For me, the main advantage of MicroStrategy is I can manipulate how the report returns data which can be compared to a pivot table. Plus, it is easy to select specific metrics. I also appreciate that I can schedule reports to run at specific moments, which means our servers are not overloaded when my colleagues run their reports.

CONS: I’ve worked in companies that do not use the whole package. This means I have to do the tiresome job of logging in daily or weekly instead of getting the reports by email. Another issue is sometimes there is slight confusion between History and My Reports. Some of my reports in My Reports do not update, while other reports in History update automatically when clicked on and show the current requested data.

PROS: With Microstrategy’ simplicity I can create complex SQL reports and visualisations over varied datasets. We use this tool to help us with our complex data environment with strict data governance controls, it copes with all demands of data discovery and it accommodates change control and data governance. It provides with ability to stay of upcoming opportunities.

CONS: It requires some learning, they could open its learning material on the product functionality so the tech users become even more familiar with specific problems. Licencing and product registration changes in MS10 are being described as confusing and complex.

PROS: MicroStrategy offers greta functionality, and the cubes that are created in MSTR can use all cored of the server and they can be configure to use MPP architecture. I like its Big Data Engine feature. MSTRs BDE embeds right on top of Hadopp FS and it provides direct access to files in FS without the need of other languages. I like the SQL because it retrieves data from warehouse and it provides lot of VLDB settings to tweak the SQL.

CONS: They need to work on the version control and the license cost.

PROS: MicroStrategy is easy to use. You can use multiple methods such as main screen, starburst menu, or navigation bar to do the same thing. If organized well, it is simple to find existing reports. It is important that the admin sets up the app in an organized manner so that users don’t need to be concerned about relationships between data sets.

CONS: If your company does not organize data properly, it may be difficult to find. The online app is a bit unstable at times, but most of the problems are because your company’s server strength. Sometimes, it can take a long time for reports to run, but this again depends on the amount of data plus the server strength.

PROS: I love that it is easy to manipulate data and link to various sources. Both the desktop and web versions are easy to learn and use. I can do a lot with this app. As a developer, I can easily create metrics and attributes and they work too. There is small margin for error. Plus, users can generate their own ad hoc reports without us having to be concerned about it.

CONS: I wish the vendor didn’t place emphasis on going mobile. They keep promoting their mobile apps but I prefer the using data the old-fashioned way on desktops. Another drawback is the dashboard creation is a bit difficult and could be made easier.

PROS: MicroStrategy software has high scalability and it is very stable tool. It offers robust reporting capabilities and greta mobile BI. It offers even exploration tools for power users.

CONS: The evolving process is slow and it has high migration costs compared to gains, also because of its complexity the tool is unsuitable for general audience and I don’t like that the UI is combination of old and brand new.

PROS: There are lot of things that I like in MicroStrategy like its robust SQL engine, various types of connections to lot of data sources, easy integration with numerous data sources in one dashboard. It allows us to choose the components we need so we can fix reporting problems. We don’t have to spend huge amount of time on operational stability thanks to its cloud services.

CONS: Graphs doesn’t look good in reports as it does in dashboards. Also, if you want to use all its features then you have to spend some time in learning about all of them what they can do for you.

PROS: MicroStrategy offers greta functionality, and the cubes that are created in MSTR can use all cored of the server and they can be configure to use MPP architecture. I like its Big Data Engine feature. MSTRs BDE embeds right on top of Hadopp FS and it provides direct access to files in FS without the need of other languages. I like the SQL because it retrieves data from warehouse and it provides lot of VLDB settings to tweak the SQL.

CONS: They need to work on the version control and the license cost.

PROS: In my opinion, this is one of the best BI enterprise reporting tool which offers great set of features and advanced analysis in one end-to-end solution. I use MicroStrategy Desktop version so I can read huge data source from one flat flie to complex databases and online data sets. I like that all data is availabkle in one place. We can quickly blend and analyze all the data.

CONS: They could enable an optimization business rules and add advanced analytics and make better collaborative decisions.

PROS: Microstrategy offers great records as an enterprise BI solution. It allows us to create complex layers so we can deal with challenging warehouse structures and complex reporting requirements and it provdes access control. We can easily connect with commercial databases. With web document features we can wasily build compelling dashboard suites and web apps.

CONS: When it comes to development of standard MicroStrategy docs it can be really complex process because it requires practice and trainings. Also, its developer tool hasn’t been upgraded for at least 7 years and even other capabilities haven’t been updated at the same pace.

PROS: In my opinion, this is one of the best BI enterprise reporting tool which offers great set of features and advanced analysis in one end-to-end solution. I use MicroStrategy Desktop version so I can read huge data source from one flat flie to complex databases and online data sets. I like that all data is availabkle in one place. We can quickly blend and analyze all the data.

CONS: They could enable an optimization business rules and add advanced analytics and make better collaborative decisions.

PROS: It offers automation of administrative processes, lot of key components so we can run commands, flows and schedule distributions and centralized administration. I like the SDK because they allow us to do everything we can imagine. This is perfect tool for admins, analysts, Data scientist, users and reporters because it offers great knowledge.

CONS: There is little documentation on SDK, also when you start with this software you might feel overwhelmed but you can always find lot of information and courses so you can better understand the product.

PROS: There are lot of things that I like in MicroStrategy like its robust SQL engine, various types of connections to lot of data sources, easy integration with numerous data sources in one dashboard. It allows us to choose the components we need so we can fix reporting problems. We don’t have to spend huge amount of time on operational stability thanks to its cloud services.

CONS: Graphs doesn’t look good in reports as it does in dashboards. Also, if you want to use all its features then you have to spend some time in learning about all of them what they can do for you.

PROS: I am impressed by the following: Seamless maps integration for geographic reporting, graphic design starting from V9 onward, and the way MicroStrategy handles hierarchies compared to other apps.

CONS: A couple of issues: My desktop sometimes freezes when editing metrics or attributes. The architect visibility becomes a pain when there are plenty of tables in a project.

PROS: It offers automation of administrative processes, lot of key components so we can run commands, flows and schedule distributions and centralized administration. I like the SDK because they allow us to do everything we can imagine. This is perfect tool for admins, analysts, Data scientist, users and reporters because it offers great knowledge.

CONS: There is little documentation on SDK, also when you start with this software you might feel overwhelmed but you can always find lot of information and courses so you can better understand the product.

PROS: The following features are excellent: Performance tunning, link mechanism, thresholds on metrics, Vldb settings, filters and prompts, custom groups and consolidations, transformations, widgets, easy data modeling, analytic dashboards, and mobile dashboards.

CONS: I would rate the following as drawbacks: I am not able to apply thresholds for attributes, smart metrics do not work as expected from cube reports, the system does not support flash technology on desktops, intelligence cubes do not have derived metrics, reports have limited rows when run on desktop, finally, I am unable to fix metric headers.

PROS: MicroStrategy has high scalability and it is very stable tool. It offers robust reporting capabilities and greta mobile BI. It offers even exploration tools for power users.

CONS: The evolving process is slow and it has high migration costs compared to gains, also because of its complexity the tool is unsuitable for general audience and I don’t like that the UI is combination of old and brand new.

PROS: I love MicroStrategy for the following reasons: Excellent data exploration features for power users, useful mobile BI for Apple products, top rate reporting tools, stable system, and easily scalable.

CONS: I would rate the following as drawbacks: The tool is too complex for lay users, Web interface jangles as it is a mixture of very old and brand new, the migration costs are high with little gains, product development is slow, and finally, it is difficult to deploy and develop the system.

PROS: Microstrategy offers great records as an enterprise BI solution. It allows us to create complex layers so we can deal with challenging warehouse structures and complex reporting requirements and it provdes access control. We can easily connect with commercial databases. With web document features we can wasily build compelling dashboard suites and web apps.

CONS: When it comes to development of standard MicroStrategy docs it can be really complex process because it requires practice and trainings. Also, its developer tool hasn’t been upgraded for at least 7 years and even other capabilities haven’t been updated at the same pace.

PROS: I love that the infrastructure is robust. I can link to multiple data sources and combine the data easily. Plus, it is easy to distribute data and I can exercise great control over data personalization.

CONS: It takes too long to develop and build anything. Also, the integration of Visual Insight report with IS Server report is unstable and doesn’t work always.