!

"#$% '()%*
+,-)(*#.,/ ,0 12.#/%.. 3/$%44#5%/6% 7$(68.9
:#6*,.,0$ 7;< 7%*=%* >%),*$#/5 7%*=#6%.
(/? 7@' 12.#/%.. ABC%6$.
!uly 7, 2010

Cap1ech venLures, lnc.
1419 WesL Maln SLreeL
8lchmond, vA 23220
804.333.0311
lAx 804.333.4220


age 2 of 16
roprleLary and ConfldenLlal
2010 Cap1ech venLures, lnc.
All 8lghLs 8eserved.
+,/$%/$.

!"#$% '()%* DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD E
+,/$%/$. DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD F
GH%62$#=% 72--(*IDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD J
@B.$*(6$ DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD J
K%0#/#$#,/. DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD L
lncluded AspecLs.................................................................................................................3
Scorlng................................................................................................................. 6
M%/?,* '*,?26$ @/(4I.#. DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD N
MlcrosofL SCL Server 8eporLlng Servlces............................................................ 7
SS8S Scorlng Summary .......................................................................................................9
SS8S Scorlng 8adar Craph ................................................................................................10
M%/?,* '*,?26$ @/(4I.#. DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD EO
SA 8uslness Cb[ecLs ........................................................................................ 10
8C8! Scorlng Summary.....................................................................................................13
8C8! Scorlng 8adar Craph................................................................................................14
+,-)(*#.,/DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD EL
Cverlapplng Scorlng 8adar Craph ....................................................................................13
Slde by Slde 8ar CharL.......................................................................................................13
+,/642.#,/. DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD EP


age 3 of 16
roprleLary and ConfldenLlal
2010 Cap1ech venLures, lnc.
All 8lghLs 8eserved.
GH%62$#=% 72--(*I
1hls wrlLe up lnvesLlgaLes Lhe 8uslness lnLelllgence soluLlon offerlng from MlcrosofL (SCL Server
8eporLlng Servlces or SS8S) and Lhe offerlng from SA, Lhe 8uslness Cb[ecLs base reporLlng
package (8C8!). Whlle 8C8! does have more opLlons for reporLlng and presenLaLlon, from a
baslc reporL feaLure sLandpolnL boLh of Lhe Lools offer slmllar funcLlonallLy and offer Lhe user a
greaL deal of flexlblllLy ln Lhe presenLaLlon of Lhelr daLa.
1he oLher dlfference beLween Lhe Lwo soluLlons LhaL needs Lo be consldered ls Lhe expense
assoclaLed wlLh Lhe 1oLal CosL of Cwnershlp. Whlle you wlll have slmllar cosLs ln Lhe
requlremenLs gaLherlng, deslgn, developmenL, LesLlng, and ongolng admlnlsLraLlon, Lhere ls a
slgnlflcanL dlfference ln Lhe llcenslng cosL of Lhese producLs. Whlle 8C8! charges by elLher
named user or Cu, SS8S comes wlLh SCL Server so Lhere are no addlLlonal cosLs wlLh addlng a
8l Lool seL.
@B.$*(6$
8uslness lnLelllgence (8l) encompasses a wlde range of enLerprlse appllcaLlons and Lechnologles
for gaLherlng, sLorlng, analyzlng, and accesslng lnformaLlon Lo make beLLer buslness declslons.
8l appllcaLlons lnclude buL are noL llmlLed Lo declslon supporL sysLems, query and reporLlng,
onllne analyLlcal processlng (CLA), sLaLlsLlcal analysls, forecasLlng, daLa mlnlng, dashboardlng
and key performance lndlcaLors (kls) and more recenLly analysls vla moblle Lechnologles.

1hey are many reasons a buslness wlll Lurn Lo a 8l soluLlon. 1he followlng are examples of
8uslness lnLelllgence soluLlons LhaL Cap1ech has worked wlLh:
A naLlonal credlL card provlder lmplemenLed a mulLl-year enLerprlse-wlde efforL Lo brlng
Lhelr flnanclal reporLlng sysLems ln llne wlLh Lhose of peer banks. 1hls lncluded a
resLrucLure of Lhe lnformaLlon sLored ln Lhe Ceneral Ledger Lo feed lnLernal
managemenL reporLlng and regulaLory flllngs Lhrough a 8l reporLlng Lool. 1he soluLlon
consolldaLed Lhe managemenL accounLlng and plannlng sysLems onLo a slngle corporaLe
plaLform deslgned Lo dellver a conslsLenL level of deLall Lo Lhe buslness and Lo exLernal
regulaLors.

A naLlonal food and soluLlons provlders needed a way Lo manage and beLLer organlze
Lhe large amounL of elecLronlc documenLaLlon LhaL Lhey reLaln. 1hrough a ShareolnL
porLal, Lhey are able Lo noL only search and locaLe Lhese flles, buL also have slgnlflcanLly
reduced Lhe dupllcaLlon of documenLs ln Lhelr flle sLorage porLal.



age 4 of 16
roprleLary and ConfldenLlal
2010 Cap1ech venLures, lnc.
All 8lghLs 8eserved.
A naLlonal wholesale food dlsLrlbuLor had a need for near real-Llme reporLlng. uaLa was
pulled from 18 lnsLances of Lhelr L8 soluLlon uslng SSlS. 1he daLa was Lhen moved Lo
an CperaLlonal uaLa SLore for lnLegraLlon and sLandardlzaLlon of Lhe daLa. 1he flnal
soluLlon was a Lhlck reporLlng cllenL LhaL comblned SS8S wlLh cusLom .neL developmenL
for a reporLlng soluLlon aL each of Lhelr operaLlng companles.

A naLlonal credlL card company needed reduce Lhe amounL of Llme lL Look for Lhelr
8ecovery analysls Lo process, analyze, and make declslons on Lhe daLa LhaL was avallable
Lo Lhem. 1hrough a 8uslness Cb[ecLs (8C8!) dashboard soluLlon, Lhe cllenL was able Lo
reduce Lhe Llme Lhelr analysLs spenL from hours per case Lo mlnuLes whlle also creaLlng
a conslsLenL sLandard process LhaL dld noL prevlously exlsL.

ln surveylng Lhe 8uslness lnLelllgence (8l) landscape, mega-vendors and nlche players domlnaLe
Lhe markeL. WlLhln Lhe pasL few years, Lwo of Lhe leadlng producL vendors, Cognos and
8uslness Cb[ecLs, were purchased by Lechnology powerhouses, l8M and SA respecLlvely, and a
Lhlrd 8l Lool, Pyperlon, was boughL by Cracle. MlcrosofL conLlnues Lo make sLrldes ln
affordable and easy Lo lnLegraLe producLs. SAS ls a ma[or player, speclallzlng ln predlcLlve
analysls, sLaLlsLlcs, and forecasLlng. MlcrosLraLegy conLlnues Lo be a leader ln 8elaLlonal Cnllne
AnalyLlcal rocesslng (8CLA) and has some lnnovaLlve moblle Lechnology, whlle Cllk1ech and
LoglxML focus on dashboards and lnLeracLlve reporLlng. Cpen source vendors such as AcLuaLe,
!aspersofL, and enLaho offer unlque low cosL opLlons buL suffer llmlLs ln feaLures and breadLh
of servlces.

ln Lhe pasL, companles have coupled besL of breed modules from mulLlple vendors. now,
organlzaLlons are able Lo adopL a slngle vendor offerlng, buL Lhe dlsLlncLlon beLween vendors
has become less clear as all pursue slmllar sLraLegles wlLh fewer apparenL producL dlfferences.
CurrenLly, organlzaLlons average 3.2 dlfferenL 8l vendors and 13 overall 8l deploymenLs.
1
1he
currenL Lrend from 8l vendors ls Lo bundle modules LogeLher lnLo a slngle plaLform LhaL
provldes exLenslve feaLures. 1he 8l Lool selecLlon declslon should be based more on sLraLeglc
conslderaLlons Lhan general producL capablllLles.

ln selecLlng a 8l plaLform, companles musL undersLand Lhe role of 8l wlLhln Lhe enLerprlse and
how lL wlll dellver measurable buslness value. Companles musL noL overlook Lhe role of l1 ln 8l
deploymenLs and dally malnLenance. 8l sysLems are complex enLlLles LhaL requlre Lechnlcal
resources Lo manage reporLs, daLa movemenLs, warehouse models and lnformaLlon dellvery.

1
TDWI BI for All! Executive Summary: http://www.tdwi.org/display.aspx?ID=7613


age 3 of 16
roprleLary and ConfldenLlal
2010 Cap1ech venLures, lnc.
All 8lghLs 8eserved.
Llkewlse, buslness sLakeholders musL be lnvolved ln Lhe acLual producL selecLlon Lo ensure an
undersLandlng of usablllLy and Lechnlcal complexlLy. 1he lnsLallaLlon and managemenL of 8l
SulLes requlres maLurlLy ln daLa analyLlcs and reporLlng knowledge for boLh real Llme
LransacLlonal sysLems and daLa warehouslng.

Whlle lnformaLlon dellvery ls Lhe prlmary shorL-Lerm reLurn on lnvesLmenL of mosL 8l
deploymenLs, Lhe oLher Lwo areas provlde more long-Lerm sLraLeglc value. lnLeresL ln process
and sLraLegy-drlven 8l has lncreased ln recenL years, and wlLh lL, lnLeresL ln forecasLlng
ouLcome of buslness evenLs. When applled correcLly, such forecasLlng can promoLe lmproved
plannlng and help opLlmlze buslness processes.

WlLh Lhe maLuraLlon and levellng of Lhe 8l markeL ln Lerms of capablllLles, many producLs now
show commonallLy ln reporL access, securlLy, producLlon, dlsLrlbuLlon, and supporL for mulLlple
formaLs (xML, ul and P1ML). Powever, Lools can be dlfferenLlaLed on crlLlcal feaLures such as
ease of use for end users and reporL developers, scalablllLy of user populaLlon and daLa volume,
complexlLy of reporL lnLeracLlon, supporL for sophlsLlcaLed SCL, and enLerprlse sysLem
lnLegraLlon.
K%0#/#$#,/.
Cap1ech has creaLed a process ln order Lo conslsLenLly evaluaLe and rank dlfferenL 8uslness
lnLelllgence Lools by deflnlng Lhe aspecLs and feaLures by whlch we wlll compare Lhe producLs.
A scorlng sysLem was esLabllshed ln order Lo ensure Lhe producLs are belng compared falrly
uslng a common scale. lor Lhls analysls, slx aspecLs were lncluded as bases of comparlson
beLween producLs. WlLh each of Lhe aspecLs ls a llsL of feaLures upon whlch Lhe aspecL was
evaluaLed.

Whlle cosL ls and lmporLanL lnpuL Lo all 8l soluLlon dlscusslons, lL ls covered laLer ln Lhe analysls.

3/642?%? @.)%6$.
!"#$%&'()
usage envlronmenL (scheduled dellvery, real Llme deskLop, and real-Llme web)
uaLa layouL opLlons (Labular, maLrlxed, flnanclal)
arameLerlzaLlon, fllLerlng, drlll Lhrough (lnLeracLlvlLy)
SupporL for complex funcLlons and calculaLlons


age 6 of 16
roprleLary and ConfldenLlal
2010 Cap1ech venLures, lnc.
All 8lghLs 8eserved.
+',-./'0.&'$(
lncluslon of color coded score cardlng, dashboards, and key performance
lndlcaLors (kls)
Workflow and collaboraLlon
8eporL formaL exporLablllLy (P1ML, ul, Lxcel, eLc)
1.&. 2(./3,',
Cnllne AnalyLlcal rocesslng (CLA) capablllLy (also known as sllce and dlce")
WhaL lf?" scenarlo generaLlon
redlcLlve modellng and daLa mlnlng
4-(5&'$(./ 6.#.7'/'&'",
Ad-Poc Cuery
MeLa daLa managemenL
Moblle plaLform supporL
8,.7'/'&3 9:"5;('5'.( 4$5-,<
vendor supporL
ueveloper communlLy
uevelopmenL envlronmenL
ueploymenL and llfecycle managemenL
SupporLs complex SCL
=(>%.,&%-5&-%"? 2%5;'&"5&-%" @ =(&")%.&'$(
ScalablllLy of Lhe 8l sLack
SecurlLy admlnlsLraLlon
roducL SofLware uevelopmenL klLs (Suks) offered for lnLegraLlon
orLal lnLegraLlon
MlcrosofL Cfflce lnLegraLlon
LxLracL 1ransform Load (L1L) LoolseL

76,*#/5
ln order Lo make a falr comparlson of Lhe aspecLs across Lhe producLs, we creaLed a sysLem of
flve posslble scores wlLh 1 belng Lhe worsL and 3 belng Lhe besL. 1he flve scores are deflned as
follows:
1. 1he feaLure ls noL supporLed aL all.
2. 1he feaLure ls supporLed, buL lnLegraLlon and/or bulldlng ls requlred.
3. Some llghL cusLomlzaLlon ls requlred Lo use Lhe feaLure.


age 7 of 16
roprleLary and ConfldenLlal
2010 Cap1ech venLures, lnc.
All 8lghLs 8eserved.
4. 1he feaLure ls supporLed ouL of Lhe box.
3. 1he producL ls besL of class and provldes addlLlonal, unexpecLed funcLlonallLy for Lhe
feaLure.
M%/?,* '*,?26$ @/(4I.#.
:#6*,.,0$ 7;< 7%*=%* >%),*$#/5 7%*=#6%.
MlcrosofL's SCL Server plaLform ls a leadlng daLa managemenL and lnfrasLrucLure producL. 8y
coupllng Lhls package wlLh SharepolnL and Cfflce, MlcrosofL LouLs a compleLe 8l experlence.
SCL server componenLs compare well wlLh slmllar producLs from oLher vendors. lnLegraLlng
Lhese componenLs provldes hollsLlc vlews of Lhe buslness and lLs key drlvers by lnLegraLlng daLa
from a varleLy of sources, provldlng lnLeracLlve vlews of enLerprlse-wlde daLa, and consolldaLlng
buslness dlmenslons for relaLlonal and predlcLlve analysls.

>%),*$#/59 SS8S offers fllLerlng, graphlng, drlll down, and easy reporL dellvery opLlons. 8eporLs
Lend Lo follow a Labular or maLrlx sLyle layouL wlLh parameLer drlven fllLerlng and drlll Lhrough
capablllLy. SS8S developmenL allows for llnklng parameLer and daLa seLs Lo daLa querles, elLher
from embedded SCL or sLored procedures, Lhus enabllng users Lo bulld complex buslness loglc
lnLo reporLlng ouLpuLs. SS8S can exporL reporLs Lo varlous formaLs lncludlng Lxcel, ul, P1ML,
xML, and 1lll, and dellver on demand or scheduled vla emall or flle share. 8eporLs can uLlllze
funcLlons and expresslons, rlch LexL formaLLlng, lnLeracLlve sorLlng, dynamlc fllLerlng, and
aggregaLlons. 1he vasL capablllLles for SS8S as a reporL Lool may noL be besL of breed ln speclflc
areas, buL lLs usablllLy and Lhe ease ln whlch reporLs can be generaLed and dellvered ls Lruly
besL of class.
76,*%9 QDL.

M#.2(4#R($#,/9 WlLh SCL Server 2008, SS8S adds advanced charLlng and graphlng wlLh
MlcrosofL's lnLegraLlon wlLh uundas. 1he mosL noLable llmlLaLlon of SS8S ls Lhe lack of bullL ln
feaLures for creaLlng dashboards and score-cards, whlch requlres ShareolnL lnLegraLlon.
MlcrosofL acqulred ro ClarlLy ln 2006, and has slnce lnLegraLed erformanceolnL wlLh
SharepolnL. uslng Lhese Lwo Lools coupled wlLh SS8S, users can achleve real Llme vlsuallzaLlons
and rlch daLa analysls from SS8S. Whlle ShareolnL ls useful ln lLself, oLher 8l sulLes offer such
capablllLles wlLhln Lhe maln reporLlng Lool. Many vlsuallzaLlons are ouL of Lhe box buL oLhers
wlll requlre cusLomlzaLlon Lo have Lhem run wlLhln LheSharepolnL envlronmenL. ln addlLlon,
SS8S lacks advanced feaLures such as dynamlc formaLLlng and user-cusLomlzed layouL. 8aslc
graphlng and gauges are ouL of Lhe box ln SS8S, buL more advanced vlsual analyLlcs wlll requlre
addlLlonal lnLegraLlon.
76,*%9 FDL.


age 8 of 16
roprleLary and ConfldenLlal
2010 Cap1ech venLures, lnc.
All 8lghLs 8eserved.

K($( @/(4I.#.9 8eporLlng ls clearly Lhe focus of Lhe plaLform buL Lhe predlcLlon and forecasLlng
naLure of such reporLs are llmlLed wlLhln Lhe SCL Server 8l sLack compared Lo oLhers.
lurLhermore, Lhe Analysls Servlces porLlon of SCL Server ls an excellenL CLA and daLa mlnlng
Lool, allowlng for slmpllfled cube creaLlon. lL offers all Lhe feaLures of a warehouse query Lool,
SCL Server's daLabase lnfrasLrucLure ls among Lhe Lop Ller ln Lhe warehouslng space
2
. As wlLh
vlsuallzaLlon, SCL Server provldes Lhe Lools Lo perform Lhese buslness funcLlons, buL
programmlng ls necessary Lo exLend Lhe lnformaLlon Lo accompllsh whaL lf" scenarlos or
dellver color-coded kl LhaL users can sllce and dlce.
76,*%9 JDL.

S2/6$#,/(4 +()(B#4#$#%.9 Whlle SS8S has Ad-Poc reporLlng capablllLles wlLh 8eporL8ullder, Lhe
componenL ls llmlLed. ln enLerprlse deploymenLs, users musL deflne Lhe requlremenLs up fronL
Lo allow u8A's Lo creaLe Lhe daLa vlews LhaL feed Lhe users' reporLs. users' reporLlng
expecLaLlons may be beyond Lhe capablllLles of 8eporL8ullder and Lhe reporL ls ulLlmaLely
generaLed by l1 ln SS8S. 1he lmporLance and lnLenLlons of Ad-Poc reporLlng should be clearly
deflned and consldered. ln mosL cases (across all 8l soluLlons) an l1 developer or Lechnlcal
buslness analysL wlll be requlred Lo develop and deploy reporLs. neverLheless, SS8S supplles an
ad-hoc Lool LhaL buslness users can use Lo creaLe Lhelr own reporLs, whlch have many of Lhe
maln feaLures (cusLom layouL, funcLlons, sorLlng eLc). SCL Server's 8l deploymenL ls llmlLed ln
Lhe MeLa uaLa ManagemenL arena.
76,*%9 J.

T.(B#4#$I UV%6"/#6#(/ S,62.W9 SCL Server reporLlng componenLs uLlllze Lhe 8uslness lnLelllgence
uevelopmenL SLudlo (8luS) plug-ln for vlsual SLudlo (vS), allowlng developers Lo bulld reporLs ln
a Cul famlllar Lo Lhose ln .nL1 envlronmenLs. 8y coupllng wlLh vS and vlsual Source Safe (vSS),
developers can manage a reporL's full llfe cycle (develop, malnLaln, deploy) ln a slngle lnLerface.
8eporLs are easlly deployed Lo a web server and accesslble Lo users over lnLernal neLworks.
76,*%9 L.

3/0*(.$*26$2*%X @*6"#$%6$2*%X 3/$%5*($#,/9 lLs securlLy model follows AcLlve ulrecLory and ls
role-based, buL daLa securlLy musL be bullL dlrecLly lnLo Lhe daLabase and querles. LvaluaLlng
SS8S from an enLerprlse plaLform perspecLlve, lL ls scalable Lo hlgh volumes vla web server
farms and exLenslble vla Als for oLher sofLware producLs. SS8S also beneflLs from SCL Server's
hlgh avallablllLy model wlLh fallover clusLerlng and mlrrorlng. 1he lncluslon of lnLegraLlon

2
Gartner: Magic Quadrant for Data Warehouse Database Management Systems December 2008, G00163473


age 9 of 16
roprleLary and ConfldenLlal
2010 Cap1ech venLures, lnc.
All 8lghLs 8eserved.
Servlces for L1L ls a nlce bonus, allowlng cusLomers Lo creaLe L1L packages Lo populaLe daLa
marLs for reporLs aL no addlLlonal cosL. 1he scalablllLy of SCL Server has greaLly lmproved
recenLly wlLh MlcrosofL's parLnershlp wlLh uaLAllegro. 1he mosL noLable llmlLaLlon of SCL
Server from an lnfrasLrucLure perspecLlve ls LhaL Lhe englne musL run ln a Wlndows
envlronmenL. CusLomers requlrlng a unlx/Llnux/oLher server lnsLance should look elsewhere.
Also lmporLanL Lo noLe ls LhaL an SS8S soluLlon ls noL a slngle lnsLallaLlon. 1hls requlres
lnsLallaLlon of mulLlple packages, and Lhen lnLegraLlon of Lhose packages (SCL Server, SSAS,
SS8S, SharepolnL, erformance olnL, owerlvoL, eLc).
76,*%9 JDL.
77>7 76,*#/5 72--(*I
@.)%6$ 76,*% >%(.,/#/5
8eporLlng 4.3 arameLerlzaLlon and drlll Lhrough
1abular, llnanclal, MaLrlx reporLs
8ullL ln funcLlons, sorLlng, fllLerlng
Crouplng capablllLles wlll meeL mosL
requlremenLs
vlsuallzaLlon 2.3 CuallLy graphlng capablllLles, buL lacks
lnLeracLlvlLy and A!Ax supporL
SupporLs mosL exporLable formaLs
8equlres SharepolnL/erformanceolnL for
some feaLures (real Llme dashboards)

uaLa Analysls 3.3 CLA bullL ln
May requlre advanced developers Lo bulld
all predlcLlve modellng capablllLles
rovldes daLa mlnlng LoolseLs buL noL end
user ready use ouL of box
luncLlonal CapablllLles 3 Weak Ad-Poc capablllLy, buL exlsLs and ls
usable wlLh Lechnlcal undersLandlng
lnsufflclenL MuM
no moblle supporL ouL of Lhe box
usablllLy (1echnlclan locus) 3 llexlble laLform
.nL1 llke exLenslblllLy
SupporLs complex SCL vla sLored procedures
Lasy deploymenL process
vSS provldes llfecycle conLrol


age 10 of 16
roprleLary and ConfldenLlal
2010 Cap1ech venLures, lnc.
All 8lghLs 8eserved.
lnfrasLrucLure, ArchlLecLure,
lnLegraLlon
3.3 Cnllne Lralnlng maLerlals, exLenslve forums
24x7 global supporL
Well coupled vendor sLack
LlmlLed securlLy model
Plgh quallLy MS Cfflce lnLegraLlon

77>7 76,*#/5 >(?(* Y*()"

M%/?,* '*,?26$ @/(4I.#.
7@' 12.#/%.. ABC%6$.
SA 8uslness Cb[ecLs xl laLform provldes a full specLrum of 8l capablllLles ranglng from
reporLlng, query and analysls, and dashboards and vlsuallzaLlon Lo lnLulLlve dlscovery and
advanced predlcLlve analyLlcs. lLs plaLform comblnes daLa lnLegraLlon and daLa quallLy ln a
slngle offerlng. WlLh soluLlons provldlng lnLegraLlon wlLh MlcrosofL 1echnologles/MlcrosofL
Cfflce and Cracle LnLerprlse appllcaLlons, along wlLh porLal lnLegraLlon and Suk klLs for
cusLomlzed soluLlons, 8C8! provldes slgnlflcanL flexlblllLy ln Lerms of 8l deploymenLs, especlally
ln heLerogeneous envlronmenLs.

0
1
2
3
4
3
8eporung
vlsuallzauon
uaLa Analysls
luncuonal Capablllues
usablllLy (1echnlclan
locus)
lnfrasLrucLure,
ArchlLecLure, lnLegrauon
77>7


age 11 of 16
roprleLary and ConfldenLlal
2010 Cap1ech venLures, lnc.
All 8lghLs 8eserved.
>%),*$#/59 8C8! uLlllzes Web lnLelllgence, xcelslus, and CrysLal 8eporLs, a long-sLandlng
reporLlng producL, for lLs lnformaLlon dlsplay. Larller verslons of CrysLal reporLs had
weaknesses, such as a large lnsLallaLlon fooLprlnL, user flexlblllLy resLrlcLlons and llmlLed
parameLerlzaLlon opLlons. 1hlngs have slgnlflcanLly lmproved wlLh CrysLal 2008. 1he currenL
verslon noL only addresses Lhese lssues, buL also has many enhancemenLs, lncludlng a hlgher
level of lnLeracLlvlLy wlLh new parameLer panels and conLrols. 1he currenL verslon provldes
many advanced reporLlng feaLures: lnLeracLlve reporL vlewlng , on-reporL sorLlng and
formaLLlng, powerful cross Lab funcLlons, flexlble paglnaLlon, parameLer panel for fllLerlng,
Adobe/llash lnLegraLlon for creaLlng sLunnlng vlsuallzaLlon wlLh charLs, graphlcs and vldeo flles
Lo your reporLs, bullL- ln bar code supporL , hyperllnklng wlzard, xML reporLlng, advanced
reporL publlshlng. Whlle CrysLal 2008 ls rlch ln feaLures, some ln-reporL analysls ls sLlll llmlLed
compared Lo oLher producLs. Web lnLelllgence, a powerful and easy Lo use ad hoc query and
reporLlng Lool (avallable on and off-llne), ls besL sulLed for Lhls Lype of analysls. lL provldes
query, reporLlng, and daLa analysls feaLures comparable Lo leadlng 8l Lools. xcelslus ls a
dashboard developmenL Lool LhaL allows for auLomaLlon ln Lhe presenLaLlon. lL ls lnLended for
smaller daLa seLs buL has a powerful vlsual lnLerface.
76,*%9 L.

M#.2(4#R($#,/9 uellverlng lnformaLlon ln hlgh quallLy vlsuals ls 8C8!'s sLrong sulLe. 8C8! allows
users Lo make use of cusLomlzed dashboards, whlch can have kls updaLe ln real Llme allowlng
lnsLanL access Lo buslness meLrlcs ln a color-coded and presenLaLlon frlendly formaL. 1he
xcelslus producL, also an addlLlon Lo Lhe 8C8! sLack, allows user Lo creaLe whaL lf" scenarlos.
1he workflow and collaboraLlon aspecL of 8C8! ls less reflned. Whlle Lhe core vlsuallzaLlon
feaLures of 8C8! are well developed and user frlendly, Lhey requlre addlLlonal componenLs,
whlch llmlLs Lhe scope of lLs ouL of Lhe box" capablllLy.
76,*%9 Q.

K($( @/(4I.#.9 Cver and beyond Lhe baslc 8uslness Cb[ecLs reporLlng package, 8C8! offers Lwo
advanced daLa analysls producLs, voyager CLA and redlcLlve Workbench, whlch can be
lnLegraLed lnLo Lhe 8C8! LnLerprlse sulLe. voyager provldes a full range of funcLlons for Lhe
analysls of mulLldlmenslonal daLa seLs. redlcLlve Workbench provldes capablllLles for Lrend
analysls, predlcLlve analysls, and forecasLlng. 1he resulLs of redlcLlve Workbench are easlly
accesslble from Web lnLelllgence reporLs or xcelslus dashboards. Lvldence and commenLary of
cusLomers lnLegraLlng 8C8!'s reporLlng and CLA componenLs ls llmlLed due Lo Lhe changlng
landscape. asL SA componenLs have showed sLrong capablllLles ln Lhls area. 1he score ln Lhls
aspecL reflecLs Lhe need Lo lnLegraLe, as Lhey are noL ouL of Lhe box" ready, buL meeL Lhe


age 12 of 16
roprleLary and ConfldenLlal
2010 Cap1ech venLures, lnc.
All 8lghLs 8eserved.
crlLerla of quallLy componenLs.
76,*%9 JDL.

S2/6$#,/(4 +()(B#4#$#%.9 8C8! ls a robusL, compleLe and scalable 8l plaLform wlLh daLa focused
componenLs lncludlng daLa lnLegraLor, daLa federaLor, LexL analysls, daLa quallLy-managemenL
(wlLh lnslghL and cleanslng feaLures), and meLadaLa managemenL. 1he 8C8! LoolseL provldes
leadlng edge 8l capablllLles ln collaboraLlon and declslon supporL, ln-memory analyLlcs, on
demand 8l (sofLware as a servlce), search coupled wlLh 8l, daLa llneage, lmpacL analysls, and
meLadaLa managemenL. Companles are fasL adapLlng Lhese Lechnologles ln Lhelr 8l soluLlons.
CrganlzaLlons can avold heLerogeneous 8l plaLforms flndlng a soluLlon wlLhln Lhe 8C8! producL
famlly. 1he ad-hoc capablllLles of 8C8! wlll are more capable, lnLulLlve and buslness user
focused Lhan oLher 8l sulLes.
76,*%9 L.

T.(B#4#$I9 1he easy-Lo-use lnLerface makes lL an end-user 8l Lool for buslness analysLs.
uevelopers wlLh experlence creaLlng reporLs ln CrysLal 8eporLs wlll be able Lo adapL Lo 8C8!
more qulckly. uslng 8C8!'s semanLlc layer vla a drag-and-drop lnLerface, Lhe user does noL
need any knowledge of SCL Lo creaLe a reporL. CrysLal's supporL of advanced 1-SCL ls a noL as
robusL as oLher 8l Lools and general developmenL/malnLenance of reporLs requlres more work
from Lhan ln SS8S.
76,*%9 Q.

3/0*(.$*26$2*%X @*6"#$%6$2*%X 3/$%5*($#,/9 1he pre-bullL porLal lnLegraLlon klL lncorporaLes 8l
conLenLs lnLo lndusLry-leadlng enLerprlse porLals, such as 8LA Webloglc orLal, l8M WebSphere
orLal Server, MS ShareolnL Server, SA LnLerprlse Server and Cracle orLal Server. lnLegraLlon
wlLh MS Cfflce provldes Lhe ablllLy Lo sLore and manage Word, owerolnL, and Lxcel
uocumenLs ln Lhe sysLem reposlLory. WlLh 8uslness Cb[ecLs Llve Cfflce, end users can embed
updaLable daLa ln Lhe documenLs, spreadsheeLs, and presenLaLlons whlle allowlng l1 Lo
malnLaln conLrol of underlylng lnformaLlon. CusLomer supporL ls a key shorLcomlng of SA
8C8! offerlng. CusLomer supporL raLlngs for SA ln Lhe areas of cusLomer supporL, sales
experlence, and sofLware quallLy have decllned conslderably afLer Lhe SA acqulslLlon of
8uslness Cb[ecLs.
3
SA has puL programs ln place Lo address Lhese lssues and hope cusLomers
wlll have much beLLer experlence ln fuLure. Also needlng lmprovemenL are Lhe lnLegraLlon
beLween SA and 8C8! producL offerlngs and Lhe publlcaLlon of a clear road map Lo Lhe

3
Gartner Magic Quadrant for Business Intelligence Platforms Publication Date: January 2009/ID Number:
G00163529


age 13 of 16
roprleLary and ConfldenLlal
2010 Cap1ech venLures, lnc.
All 8lghLs 8eserved.
cusLomers for producL selecLlon and offerlngs. CusLomers have Lhus had uncerLalnLy as Lo how
exlsLlng 8C8! and SA sLacks wlll work LogeLher ln fuLure releases whlle new cusLomers
conslder Lhls lack of clarlLy a barrler Lo enLry. 8C8! can be deployed lnLo any enLerprlse server
envlronmenL lncludlng Wlndows, Llnux, and unlx.
76,*%9 QDL.

1A1Z 76,*#/5 72--(*I
@.)%6$ 76,*% >%(.,/#/5
8eporLlng 3 Capable of handllng mulLlple formaLs
LxporLablllLy and schedullng avallable
Web and deskLop envlronmenLs
CrysLal envlronmenL ls more speclflc Lo
program ln Lhan oLher 8l Lools
vlsuallzaLlon 4 uashboards and score cards capablllLles are
besL of breed
locus ls on dellverlng lnformaLlon Lo end
user
Moblle supporL ls avallable
Commonly used kl gauges/colored
lndlcaLors are ouL of Lhe box ready
uaLa Analysls 3.3 Sllclng and dlclng CLA requlres addlLlonal
componenL
CLA adopLlon raLe currenLly lower
WhaL-lf scenarlo generaLlon posslble
uaLa mlnlng and predlcLlve analyLlc feaLures
consldered promlslng
luncLlonal CapablllLles 3 Plgh quallLy Ad-Poc feaLure
Many producLs avallable for any needs
8eporLs feaLure mulLl-level cachlng and hlgh
performance
ConLenL search feaLure
Workflow and collaboraLlon area could be
lmproved
usablllLy (1echnlclan locus) 4 CrysLal has a sLeeper learnlng curve Lhan
oLher Lools


age 14 of 16
roprleLary and ConfldenLlal
2010 Cap1ech venLures, lnc.
All 8lghLs 8eserved.
CuallLy lnLerface bullL for managlng daLa
access and lnLerface layers
8ullL ln supporL of many funcLlons
lnLegraLlng beLween reporLlng componenL
layers may be dlfflculL
Cnllne Lralnlng maLerlals and useful onllne
forums
lnfrasLrucLure, ArchlLecLure,
lnLegraLlon
4.3 Scalable, 8ellable ln farmed envlronmenL
Lase of lnLegraLlon w/ many plaLforms
LxLenslve Suks avallable
Some unknowns abouL SA lnLegraLlon
roadmap and producL caLalog offerlngs
8obusL securlLy model

1A1Z 76,*#/5 >(?(* Y*()"


0
1
2
3
4
3
8eporung
vlsuallzauon
uaLa Analysls
luncuonal Capablllues
usablllLy (1echnlclan
locus)
lnfrasLrucLure,
ArchlLecLure, lnLegrauon
1A1Z


age 13 of 16
roprleLary and ConfldenLlal
2010 Cap1ech venLures, lnc.
All 8lghLs 8eserved.
+,-)(*#.,/
A=%*4())#/5 76,*#/5 >(?(* Y*()"

7#?% BI 7#?% 1(* +"(*$

0
1
2
3
4
3
8eporung
vlsuallzauon
uaLa Analysls
luncuonal Capablllues
usablllLy (1echnlclan
locus)
lnfrasLrucLure,
ArchlLecLure, lnLegrauon
@44 M%/?,*.
8C8! SCL
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"SS8S"
"8C8!"


age 16 of 16
roprleLary and ConfldenLlal
2010 Cap1ech venLures, lnc.
All 8lghLs 8eserved.
+,/642.#,/.

1hls paper ls focused on a feaLure dlscusslon Lo help exhlblL Lhe maln dlfferences beLween Lhe
MlcrosofL and SA/8uslness Cb[ecLs 8l sLacks. CosL ls cerLalnly a conslderaLlon ln any
enLerprlse deploymenL. Cenerally speaklng, llcenslng from MlcrosofL ls deLermlned on a server
lnsLance model. SA/8C8! llcenslng can be elLher a named user model or llcensed by number
of Cus. Speclflc cosLs and reLurn on lnvesLmenLs are hlghly dependenL on company's speclflc
slLuaLlons and deploymenL cholces. lrom our speclflc cllenL exposure, mld-markeL companles
do noL opL for 8C8!, and we flnd LhaL SCL Server ls more prevalenL. An SS8S soluLlon wlll ofLen
be lower cosL as all componenLs are lncluded wlLh a llcense. Powever, 8C8! has a wlde producL
caLalog so many more capablllLles can be had ala carLe.

When conslderlng Lhe LoLal cosL of ownershlp, a company musL conslder Lhe lndlvldual
componenLs LhaL make up Lhls expense. 1oLal CosL of Cwnershlp (1CC) comes from Lhe Plgh
Level 8uslness 8equlremenLs, SofLware SelecLlon rocess, SofLware lnsLallaLlon, ueLalled
8equlremenLs, ueslgn, uevelopmenL, SysLem and user AccepLance 1esLlng, roducLlon
SofLware Llcenses, Lhe ongolng MalnLenance of Lhe soluLlon. Whlle many of Lhese cosLs would
be slmllar across Lhe dlfferenL plaLforms, a company needs Lo assess Lhe dlfferences ln
developmenL Llme, and ongolng malnLenance and undersLand whlch Lool Lhelr personnel and l1
lnfrasLrucLure can supporL.
SCL Server and SharepolnL offer a quallLy 8l soluLlon, whlch meeLs baslc archlLecLural prlnclples
and buslness requlremenLs. 8ecause of MlcrosofL's deslre Lo esLabllsh lLself ln Lhe 8l space, lL
offers Lhe 8l componenLs wlLh a llcense Lo SCL Server. 1he lack of flashy, A!Ax sLyle reporLlng
feaLures (whlch are ofLen shown ln demos of 8C8!) may llmlL Lhe buslness's lnLeresL ln SCL
Server. AddlLlonally, 8C8!'s reporLlng, ad hoc querles, dashboard, daLa vlsuallzaLlon capablllLles
are key sLrengLhs of Lhe SA 8C8! producL sulLe and are among Lop raLed 8l Lools.
8ecause many companles already own SCL Server llcenses wlLhln Lhelr lnfrasLrucLure, Lhe ease
and low cosL beneflLs of lmplemenLaLlon may be Loo good Lo pass up. Powever, companles
elLher wlLhouL SCL Server ln house or requlrlng heavlly vlsual reporLs accesslble Lo buslness
users or self-servlce access Lo lnformaLlon wlLh mlnlmal l1 supporL may wanL Lo lmplemenL
8C8! as Lhelr 8l sLack.