Discover the business intelligence of 2020 thanks to our BI survey results.

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BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
TRENDS 2020

2. Executive Summary
Introduction
1. Study Demographics
Roles
BI Technologies
Company Sizes
Industries
Locations
2. The Current Reality
BI Primary Objectives
BI Solutions and Data Access
BI Technologies by Department
BI Adoption Rate
BI Activities by Performance
Key Takeaways
3. The Changing Nature of the BI Landscape
The Cloud Trends in the BI Market
The Challenges of Multiple BI Technologies
Key Takeaways
4. The Future of BI
Evolution of the BI Portfolio
Implementation of a Business Intelligence Competency Center
BI COE by Company Size
Key Takeaways
Conclusion
TableofContents
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3. 3
Executive Summary
This report contains the results of 360Suite’s Business Intelligence (BI) Survey on
the current business intelligence trends. We conducted the survey with the goal
of gathering information on how Business Intelligence professionals manage
multiple BI solutions and the challenges they face in such a volatile and diverse
environment. With respect to content, the survey was designed to gather feedback
on an organization’s current BI situation, the challenges organizations face in a
changing landscape and the future of Business Intelligence. During an 8-week
period of promoting the survey, we received 815 responses from professionals across
the world from different-sized companies.
The following key business intelligence trends emerged from the survey:
On average, an organization uses 3.8 different BI solutions indicating that
multiple BI is a reality.
The 3 most popular applications are SAP BusinessObjects, Microsoft Power
BI, and Tableau, with the top four solutions representing 63.3% of market
share.
Improving the efficiency of existing BI solutions is organizations’ top priority.
The larger the company, the higher the BI adoption rate is.
Managing user adoption and data quality control are the most challenging
tasks for organizations.
Investment in the cloud is continually increasing, particularly among
companies with more than 5,000 employees.
The main challenges faced when managing multiple BI solutions are cost
control, data reliability, adoption, and security in BI solution management.
Organizations are not planning to add solutions to their portfolio but rather
reduce the number of them in the foreseeable future.
Creating a centrally-managed BI team is on the horizon for 48% of
participants’ organizations.

4. Introduction
In an ideal world, companies would use a single Business Intelligence solution to
transform raw data into meaningful and useful information. However, the current
BI environment is packed with competing BI solutions, and has seen an increase in
data thus data analytics, making it difficult to have a “one-size-fits-all solution” for
every business use case. In reality, companies rely on multiple BI technologies and
will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
We conducted a survey to learn how individuals and companies manage multiple
Business Intelligence solutions and to understand the challenges they face. We
received over 800 responses, which provided us with valuable insights into how
companies deal with BI technologies and the current business intelligence trends.
Survey results revealed that multiple BI solutions are here to stay, and that there
is a need for, as Forrester defines it, “BI Fabric Technologies” -- technologies that
integrate components from multiple BI solutions. This report highlights how the
industry manages and deals with multiple BI solutions and hints at the future of a
multi-vendor environment.
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5. 1.
Study
Demographics
For a better understanding of who participated in the
survey, we gathered information on each participant’s
background: profession, BI technologies used, industry
they work in, and location.

6. Roles
Our survey gathered responses from hundreds of BI professionals in different
roles, industries, and locations. More than 60% of participants are BI Managers, BI
Administrators, and BI Consultants — the roles that predominantly use and manage
BI solutions.
Line of Business Manager
Chief Data Officer or Affiliate
Other
28.0%
18.7%
14.9%
9.5%
9.2%
5.5%
1.4%
1.2%
1.2%
1.0%
9.5%
CIO
BICC or BICoE
Project Manager
BI Developer
BI Analyst
BI Consultant
BI Administrator
BI Manager
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1. Study Demographics

7. BI Technologies
Among survey respondents, SAP BusinessObjects is the most widely used Business
Intelligence solution. A lot of participants already have a relationship with us that
started with Business Objects solutions. Microsoft Power BI, Tableau, and Qlik are
the other most used BI applications among our respondents; with all four solutions
representing 63.3% of the market share. Oracle BI (OBIEE) makes it into the top 10,
and others include Domo, Dundas BI, YellowFin BI, and Sisense.
IBM Cognos
MicroStrategy (MSTR)
Oracle BI (OBIEE)
Others
SAP BusinessObjects (BOBJ)
Microsoft Power BI
Tableau
Qlik
SAP BW
SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC)
23.4%
14.0%
13.1%
12.8%
6.6%
5.7%
5.5%
4.7%
3.2%
3.2%
3.9%
SAS Business Intelligence (SAS)
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1. Study Demographics

8. Company Sizes
We received survey responses from companies ranging in size from fewer than 250
employees to more than 5,000 employees, providing us with highly varied data.
Fewer than 250
250-1,000
1,000-2,500
2,500-5,000
More than 5,000
I don’t know
31,5%
25,9%
12,6%
9,0%
17,6%
3,3%
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1. Study Demographics

9. Industries
Survey respondents work in a variety of industries with Healthcare Services, IT,
and Manufacturing coming out in the top three. A total of twenty-one industries
emerged from the results but the top twelve were found the most pertinent.
Wholesale Retail Trade
Services (excluding financial)
Transportation and Logistics
Energy, Gas and Utility
Telecom
Insurance, Health, Healthcare and Hospitals
IT
Manufacturing/Construction
Finance Banking
Consulting
Public Administration
12.8%
11.1%
9.5%
9.2%
8.1%
6.4%
6.2%
5.2%
5%
4.3%
4.0%
3.6%Consumer Food and Beverage
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1. Study Demographics

10. Locations
We also asked participants in what geographic region(s) is their BI team located,
and we learned that the majority are in Europe (56.54%), followed by North America
(34.36%). This can be explained by the widespread presence of 360Suite in both
continents.
Africa
1,9%
Middle
East
4,5%
Europe
56,6%
South
America
3,1% Oceania
2,4%
North
America
34,4%
Central
America
Caribbean
3,6%
Asia
8,8%
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1. Study Demographics

11. 2.
The Current
Reality
Understanding the current reality of BI is an essential
part of predicting the future.

12. BI Primary Objectives
Companies have different Business Intelligence priorities, and one of the aims of the survey was to uncover them. Among
survey respondents, the most important BI objective is to “Improve Efficiency of Existing BI Solutions” (49.7%). This aligns
with the challenges identified by participants, such as overlapping solutions, zero collaboration, and varying IT skills. It is
also consistent with the idea of not adding more BI solutions in the future but rather improving what organizations already
have. Other important objectives include “Keep Platforms Updated (Migrations or Upgrades)” and “Increase Self Service.”
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
IMPROVE EFFICIENCY OF EXISTING BI SOLUTIONS
INCREASE SELF SERVICE
INCREASE USER ADOPTION OF EXISTING BI SOLUTIONS
JUSTIFY BI INVESTMENTS
KEEP PLATFORMS UPDATED (MIGRATIONS OR UPGRADES)
MEASURE BI ROI FOR BUSINESS
REDUCE BI COSTS
ENSURE REGULATORY COMPLIANCE
ENABLE BETTER MOBILITY
ADOPT NEW BI SOLUTIONS
AUTOMATE THE BI LIFECYCLE / VERSIONING
CONTROL SHADOW IT
ENABLE CHARGEBACK AND/OR SHOWBACK
Very Important Important Unimportant Don’t Know
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2. The Current Reality

13. 13
Yes
55%
Don’t Know
15%
No
30%
BI Solutions and Data Access
It’s increasingly challenging to find one BI solution that
addresses all use cases, which is why most organizations
use more than one solution. In fact, our survey suggests
that on average, a company uses 3.8 BI solutions. This
supports Forrester’s research, which argues that, on
average, organizations use 5 solutions. Note that Forrester’s
number takes into account CRM/ERP and financial
planning tools with embedded BI functionality.
Furthermore, 55% of respondents say that their BI
solutions connect and query the same data sources. 30%
replied that each of their BI solutions are connected to
their independent data source. The balance (15%) weren’t
sure how to answer this question.
If your organization uses multiple BI solutions,
do they query the same data source(s)?
2. The Current Reality

14. In addition, 67% of respondents say they can take
advantage of multiple Business Intelligence solutions
within their organization, with 20% replying that they’re
limited to a single BI application.
What’s interesting to take away here is that users are
accessing multiple BI solutions themselves all while
querying the same data sources. This indicates that people
use different BI solutions depending on how they want to
work with this same source data.
Yes
67%
Don’t Know
13%
No
20%
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2. The Current Reality
If your organization uses multiple BI solutions,
can end users access multiple BI solutions?

15. BI Technologies by Department
Whether employees within the same organizations have access to the same BI technologies, survey results demonstrated that
different solutions suit different departments depending on the needs and requirements. Again, this highlights the fact that there is
not one perfect solution for all users.
SAPBusinessObjectscameoutthebestsuitedforFinance&Accounting(82%),SupplyChain&Purchasing(61%),andIT&BICompetency
(68%). Tableau is the favorite solution for the Marketing (61%) and Senior Management (60%) departments, with Qlik Sense being
the best suited for Sales & Customer Service (61%). It’s also interesting to note that Microsoft Power BI is globally suitable for every
department (on average 50%). Out of a total of seventeen solutions used, we focused on the top three tools for each department.
SENIOR MANAGEMENT
Tableau
Qlik Sense
Microsoft Power BI
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
Qlik Sense
SAP BusinessObjects
Tableau
Tableau
Qlik Sense
Sap Analytics Cloud
SAP BusinessObjects
SAP BW
IBM Cognos
SAP BusinessObjects
SAP BW
Sap Analytics Cloud
SAP BusinessObjects
SAP BW
Microsoft Power BI
SALES & CUSTOMER SERVICE
MARKETING
FINANCE & ACCOUNTING
SUPPLY CHAIN & PURCHASING
IT & BI COMPETENCY
60%
59%
58%
61%
60%
57%
61%
55%
55%
61%
58%
38%
68%
58%
54%
82%
77%
60%
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2. The Current Reality

16. BI Adoption Rate
The global BI adoption rate across all organizations is 26%. At a more granular level, based on the company size, survey results showed
that those with an adoption rate of more than 80% is higher in organizations with more than 5,000 employees. What is interesting to
take away here is that the overall business intelligence trend is that the larger the company, the higher their BI adoption rate is. 22%
of companies with less than 250 employees have an adoption rate of 20% or less, when it’s only 2% for organizations with more than
5,000 employees.
Less than 20% 20-40% 40-60% 60-80% More than 80% Don’t Know
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
FEWER THAN 250
250-1,000
1,000-2,500
2,500-5,000
MORE THAN 5,000
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2. The Current Reality

17. BI Activities by Performance
Managing multiple Business Intelligence solutions is a challenge for organizations but survey results demonstrated that they perform
very well in certain areas.
Among survey responses, organizations are best at managing user permissions along with complying with regulatory requirements.
However, monitoring user adoption is currently managed poorly across organizations on the whole. As 15.4% of participants didn’t
know their organization’s BI adoption rate, this could be one reason behind this poorly-managed objective. Performing regression
testing (that is running a report before and after a modification and comparing the results) is also a challenge for most companies
with 35% of participants responding that they poorly carry this out.
Very Well Adequately Poorly Don’t Know
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
MANAGE USER PERMISSIONS
COMPLY WITH REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS
MONITOR USER ACTIVITY
CONTROL BI COSTS
MONITOR USER ADOPTION
PERFORM REGRESSION TESTING
ALLOCATE BI COSTS TO DIFFERENT BUSINESS UNITS
CONTROL/AVOID SHADOW IT
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2. The Current Reality

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KEY TAKEAWAYS
Improving the efficiency of existing BI solutions is the top priority among respondents.
On average, an organization uses 3.8 BI solutions.
55% of respondents say that their BI solutions query the same data sources.
The larger the company, the higher the BI adoption rate is.
Organizations are best at managing user permissions but struggle at monitoring user adoption.
2. The Current Reality

19. 3.
The Changing Nature
of the BI Landscape
The BI environment is constantly evolving, as evidenced by the recent acquisitions
of Tableau by Salesforce.com Inc, and Looker by Alphabet Inc. The BI survey
was designed to explore how the evolving landscape impacts organizational
approaches to Business Intelligence.

20. The Cloud Trends in the BI
Market
Dresner Advisory Services market study
indicates that “on average 72% of organizations
valued the cloud as an important element of
their broader analytics strategies in 2018, as
opposed to 55% in the prior year”. As this study
indicates, business intelligence trends include
organizations increasingly investing in the
cloud with regard to BI solutions.
In general, organizations have a choice between
native-cloud BI solutions and on-premise BI
solutions hosted in the cloud.
The survey showed us that there is a difference
between exploring the cloud and actually
investing in it, as 50% of our respondents still
have not invested in the cloud.
Yes, native-cloud
BI solutions
Yes, on-premise
BI solutions hosted
in the cloud
26%
16%
No
50%
Don’t Know
8%
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3. The Changing Nature of the BI Landscape
Has your organization invested in the cloud with regard to BI solutions?

21. Survey results also suggest that bigger
companies are more likely to invest in the
cloud. Almost 58% of companies with more
than 5,000 employees have invested in the
cloud compared to 35% of companies with
250-1,000 employees.
Nearly half of participants (49%) have upcoming
or ongoing BI projects related to the cloud. This
explains the continuous interest in cloud BI
investment and proof that the BI environment
is ever-evolving. In fact, 57% of participants are
concerned by the cloud for their BI (this takes
into account those already invested and those
who plan to in the future), which emphasizes
the importance of cloud BI investment for
organizations.
Yes
49%
No
34%
Don’t Know
17%
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3. The Changing Nature of the BI Landscape
Does your organization have upcoming
or ongoing BI projects related to the cloud?

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The Challenges of Multiple BI Technologies
As a result of varying preferences and requirements, most organizations now use more than one Business Intelligence technology.
Different business units have different BI needs, and not all solutions will tie in with their requirements making it a very complex
environment. This makes sense given that survey results suggest that people think different solutions are best for different company
departments and use cases.
Using multiple BI technology across one organization adds challenges and increases complexity, thus compromising control
over system management. We asked participants to identify in their own words the main challenges associated with handling
multiple BI solutions, and four main themes emerged:
Using multiple solutions results in overlaps
between solutions and adds to license costs,
maintaining skills costs, and infrastructure
costs due to the lack of consistency across
an organization. This is why organizations
want to improve the efficiency of existing BI
solutions in order to reduce the TCO (total
cost of ownership).
Survey participants raised concerns about
data consistency and the fact that there is
no single version of the truth when using
multiple BI solutions. It also opens up the
possibility of working on ungoverned data in
analytics solutions.
Organizations find it difficult to get
employees to change solutions in favor of a
specific BI solution because it requires more
training and users become lost in where to
start. Being able to monitor adoption also
requires tracking user-activity which can be
difficult for BI teams, especially if they have
multiple BI solutions to maintain.
The greater the number of Business
Intelligence solutions, the greater the risk in
inconsistencies and differences of security
across different technologies, and an increase
in shadow IT.
1. COSTS
2. DATA
3. ADOPTION
4. SECURITY
3. The Changing Nature of the BI Landscape

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KEY TAKEAWAYS
BI Cloud investment is continually increasing.
Native-cloud BI solutions are preferred to on-premise BI solutions hosted in the cloud.
Companies with more than 5,000 employees are more likely to invest in the cloud.
The main challenges of multiple solutions are cost, data reliability, adoption and security.
3. The Changing Nature of the BI Landscape

24. 4.
The Future
of BI
No one can predict the exact future of
BI but we certainly can look at what
organizations are planning to change
within their BI portfolio and how they’ll
manage it in the future.

25. Evolution of the BI
Portfolio
With the BI environment forever-changing,
we asked respondents if they were planning
on making changes to their BI portfolio in
the next five years. Survey results indicate that
most organizations are either keeping their BI
portfolio as it is (29%) or reducing the number
of BI solutions (28%). This aligns with the fact
that organizations’ highest priority this year is to
improve the efficiency of existing BI solutions,
and Forrester’s recommendation of integrating
and scaling down the number of technologies
based on use cases and persona.
Only 15% are planning to add more BI
solutions, and surprisingly there are still 29% of
respondents who are unsure at this time.
Reducing the Number
of BI Platforms
Keeping Portfolio
As It Is
27%
29%Adding More
BI Platforms
15%
Don’t Know
29%
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4. The Future of BI
In the next five years, does your organization plan to make
changes to the BI solutions in its portfolio?

26. Implementation of a
Business Intelligence
Competency Center
As the results have shown, respondents face
various challenges such as higher security
risks when managing multiple BI solutions.
However, implementing a centrally-managed
BI team could reduce these risks. Survey results
demonstrated that 48% already have or plan
to establish a centralized BI team, 28% haven’t
or have no plans, and 24% don’t know if their
organization is planning to put this in place.
Among participants that definitely know, 63%
already have or plan to create a central BI team,
and 37% will not have a BI team in place.Only
15% are planning to add more BI solutions, and
surprisingly there are still 29% of respondents
who are unsure at this time.
Yes
48%
No
28%
Don’t Know
24%
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4. The Future of BI
Does your organization have or plan to establish
a centrally-managed BI team (e.g., BICC, BICOE, ACC)?

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BI COE by Company Size
We wanted to go beyond this and look at the size of the organization that have or plan to establish a BI COE. According
to results, companies with 2,500-5,000 employees are more likely to have or plan to put in place a central BI team (74%).
Nevertheless, organizations of different sizes are on average 45% likely to have or establish a centrally-managed team. This
shows that it’s not just the reality for large organizations but for all sizes.
Yes No Don’t Know
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
FEWER THAN 250
250-1,000
1,000-2,500
2,500-5,000
MORE THAN 5,000
4. The Future of BI

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KEY TAKEAWAYS
The current business intelligence trend among respondents is to keep their BI portfolio as
it is or reduce the number of solutions.
Nearly half of participants have or plan to establish a centrally-managed BI team.
4. The Future of BI

29. Conclusion
Content Writer: Ailsa Cartledge
360Suite surveyed industry professionals to learn more about how
organizations manage multiple Business Intelligence solutions and
the challenges they face in an ever-changing environment. Survey
results demonstrated that multiple BI is here to stay as there is no
single solution capable of meeting every need and requirement.
With the cloud becoming a reality for most organizations, who knows
what the BI landscape will look like tomorrow. This unstable situation
creates challenges for businesses, some of them being more of a
struggle than others. To prepare for this “tomorrow”, organizations are
establishing centrally-managed BI teams and maximizing efforts in
improving the efficiency of existing solutions, while also reducing the
number of them.
The key question to think about here is: how can BI professionals reap
the benefits of the multiple BI landscape, measure the importance of
each initiative, and thus take smarter decisions around BI investments?
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