This list of the best embedded BI platforms is led by GoodData simply because it offers the most sophisticated embedding technologies and services, and has a very good appreciation of the power of embedded analytics in a production environment. The rest are listed in alphabetical order.
GoodData provides technologies and services to embedded a full range of analytics into production applications. This includes visualizations, predictive models, simulations and any other form of analytics that make business decisions faster and more efficient. It employs Open Source technologies for deployment and development.
Dundas provides a full BI suite, including visualization, reporting, data wrangling and preparation, and is well suited for embedded analytics. It scales well, provides a multi-tenant architecture, and scripting engine with open APIs.
icCube is a high performance, production oriented BI platform. In essence icCube is a single product with a Java server and JavaScript client. It comes with modest but adequate ETL capabilities, a sophisticated OLAP server and the standard language MDX (which is enhanced by over 250 additional functions), easy-to-use reporting, charting and dashboard tools, and the user interface is wholly web based.
Exago BI provides a reporting and visual analytics platform that is implemented as a .Net application, and runs on Windows and Linux (through Mono). The embedding of analytics into other applications is an important feature of Exago BI, and provides ISVs with the tools they need to create both stand-alone BI apps and embedded BI capability. The user interface is web based and all functionality is accessed through an API. This even includes administrative functions.
Izenda excels in embedded analytics and has done very well in the OEM marketplace. It offers a very productive environment for the creation of reports, dashboards and charts, while at the same time delivering visuals through the browser. While traditionally implemented in a Microsoft .Net environment, Izenda extends its reach to Linux through the .Net Core architecture.
Jaspersoft, now a TIBCO company, has open source roots and is widely used for embedded BI applications. The platform supports a wide variety of BI formats and activities including dashboards, data exploration, interactive reports, OLAP analysis, and good support for mobile devices. Jaspersoft is based on REST and SOAP web services, supports standard identity management systems, provides built-in multi-tenancy support, and has a HTML5/CSS driven user interface for easy re-branding.
JReport is a favorite with OEMs and systems integrators because of its powerful embedding features, easy to use Quick Start interface and very high levels of scalability. Developers use the JReport Designer to create production quality reports and JDashboard provides the familiar drag and drop dashboard creation environment with filters, drill down, trend analysis and other features that add considerably to the productivity of the environment.
Logi Analytics has been around for over a decade and is particularly well established as a production reporting environment. It also supports very sophisticated embedding, so that BI applications can be made to operate within operational systems. The scope of the product is broad with sophisticated self-service analytics and production reporting.
Looker is well regarded for its embedding capabilities. Powered by Looker can be deployed as an embedded iFrame or using Javascript. Users can use the full RESTful API or a powerful scheduler to deliver reports by email or webhook. Users can even deploy a fully OEMed solution.
Pentaho comes with an extensible architecture, which is well appreciated by many ISVs and other third party developers. Data access is a strong point with support for big data and many traditional data sources. Dashboards, interactive reports, and ad-hoc analysis can all be embedded in applications, and strong security options and multi-tenancy make it ideal for SaaS use. The platform is built on Java and uses RESTful web service interfaces. Four scenarios are supported – bundled, where Pentaho is a separate app; mashup where Pentaho is inside the existing UI; extended where custom data sources and visualisations are used; and unified with total integration with the app server.
Sisense is an integrated BI platform with an easy to use dashboard, reporting and charting capability. However the real power lies in its data engine, quite capable of combining data from many different sources with astonishing speed. This lends a level of flexibility that is quite rare, and adds considerably to the productivity of the platform. It all leads the way with presenting information through narratives and IOT type devices.