Information Builders WebFocus Review - Review 2022

Information Builders, Inc. (IBI) almost single-handedly created the end-user data admission revolution back in the mid-1980s with its Focus query language. Focus began its life on IBM mainframes before taking hold on PCs, becoming synonymous with user-oriented data queries. But trying to brand it Web-friendly at this point requires more than slapping a browser-based user interface (UI) on top of the product. Even so, while Focus is showing some signs of age, the WebFocus tool, which begins at $30,000 per 20 users per year, is a capable entry in the cocky-service business concern intelligence (BI) tool space. However, it did non garner our Editors' Option award in this review roundup, a designation that instead went to competitors Microsoft Power BI (Visit Site at Microsoft Power BI) and Tableau Desktop (Visit Store at Tableau) .

In that location is no costless trial available for Information Builders WebFocus, although IBI is promising one for 2022. What you get with Information Builders WebFocus is a Web-based front end end to a large drove of desktop tools, including a Windows-based server and various visualization tools. There are also mobile apps for viewing your visualizations, which compare favorably with what Zoho Reports and Tibco Spotfire Desktop offering for their mobile apps.

When yous first bring up Information Builders WebFocus, as with many of the BI tools reviewed in this roundup, at that place are two master command paths. I path is chosen Connect, where y'all upload information from various sources, and the other is called Create, where you launch its InfoAssist workbench to create new content such every bit reports, private charts, dashboards, or documents. The workbench has menus on the far left showing your data schema, dissever into measures and dimensions. An example of a measure would exist calculations such as profit margins or sales figures. Dimensions would exist various metrics such as regional offices or date ranges.

In InfoAssist, data elements can be dragged and dropped to the second left-hand column, which contains various query tools with which you build the visualizations presented in the correct-manus pane. Across the top are a series of toolbars that let you bring together tables, create calculated fields, change the nautical chart type, pivot your tables, or format your information brandish. Virtually operations tin be done by using your mouse or right-clicking a data element to go more information about it or to dispense it. While this also describes near of the general layout of other BI tools, the interface in Information Builders WebFocus isn't as bonny equally some of its competitors; it has a tired look and experience, with a lot of gray and not much color to it. Y'all can use the workbench to shop videos or documents that you desire to include every bit role of your overall data collection to share with your squad.

WebFocus Properties Sheet lets you schedule reports.

Data Builders WebFocus comes with iv different user access roles: Basic (view only), Advanced (able to create some new content), Authors (the merely ones who accept admission rights, and can upload data files and more complete creator rights) and Administrator (create groups and modify individual security). While not equally granular as Tableau Desktop, this is notwithstanding better than most of its competitors.

Information Builders WebFocus is primarily used for basic file analysis such every bit Microsoft Excel ($85.32 at Amazon) spreadsheets and CSV files and, fortunately, there aren't any file size limitations for imports. If y'all want to await at more complex data structures, you will need to use one of the many data connectors or adapters. This is one of the app's advantages: Given IBI's longevity in the data space, it isn't surprising that Data Builders WebFocus offers more than than 300 different connectors, including DB2, Greenplum, Teradata, and numerous others. This rivals the connectivity in Domo (2,000.00 Per User Per Year at Software Communication) .

Information Builders WebFocus can export a variety of reports and visualizations. While information technology tin can format a Microsoft PowerPoint slide deck, it is a static view. At that place are other exports that are interactive and can be sent equally e-mail attachments. It would be dainty if IBI could take the next pace and brand them more than available for online collaboration directly. You can publish reports to anyone in your workgroup.

WebFocus Information Visualization
If y'all're looking for a tool that's specific to edifice cut-edge data visualizations, then WebFocus has yous covered via several split tools in the WebFocus business analytics suite. WebFocus InfoAssist+ is the intended go-to product to manage data discovery and build interactive visualizations. It provides self-service capabilities for data discovery so users can locate and access the data they need without Information technology or database administrator (DBA) intervention. Information technology then allows users to view that data in relatively advanced graphical formats, including things like data constellations, histograms, and multiscapes. When users settle on an appropriate representation, they can export their visualizations directly to HTML5 or app-specific formats such every bit Microsoft Excel ($85.32 at Amazon) , Microsoft PowerPoint , or Adobe Acrobat'due south PDF.

Alternatively, users tin apply the WebFocus BI Portal, which is essentially a mix of content and information management which provides an finish-to-end dashboard builder that is too capable of information visualization work. But where WebFocus InfoAssist+ allows users to employ highly avant-garde visualizations, WebFocus BI Portal tends to focus on more standard dashboard and reporting designs that users can build, publish, and maintain automatically (and with little or no IT intervention post-setup).

Finally, and similar to the emphasis on mapping functionality in Looker (Visit Site at Looker) , WebFocus InfoAssist+ also offers visualization features specific to what it calls "Location Analytics." This is a feature inherent to some WebFocus tools, notably InfoAssist+, that Information Builders created through tight integration with mapping technologies from Esri and Google Maps also as spider web app framework Adobe Flex. The combination lets users visually merge location/mapping information with several other layers of business information, which can make for wonderful visualizations when you're concerned with things such as demographics, regional sales, or geo-politics.

Learning WebFocus

The good news is that IBI has a long listing of Web-based tutorials that embrace a wide range of topics. The bad news is, these classes cost $650 or more apiece. At that place are a few gratis webinars that are oft offered on beginning topics as well. However, most of the other BI vendors have a more than robust free collection of resource.

Online help is also less than consummate. At that place is a large and very active online word forum, however, and the number of people who know 1 version of Data Builders WebFocus or another (given how long it is has been in existence) is astounding, and then there is a lot of help if you demand it.

You can drag and drop from a display of data schemas.

Pricing and Versions

Information Builders WebFocus is one of the more expensive BI tools available, with the starting time yr costing $28,000 for 20 users. Additional user packs are bachelor for a former cost of $700 per user. There are besides almanac subscription fees that are based on user book. This probably puts it out of the range of about small business organisation budgets. There is a divide "Mobile Faves" app for iOS and Android that tin can bring up bookmarked visualizations that were saved in the main Information Builders WebFocus cloud app. IBI has on-premises versions of WebFocus, besides.

There are advantages to choosing a venerable query platform such every bit Information Builders WebFocus—from its plethora of information connectors to its array of help resources. But Information Builders WebFocus isn't as friendly or flexible equally some newer BI tools, and its price volition largely restrict it to the enterprise. If you're in the market for one-time-school BI, we're tempted to advise SQL rather than Information Builders WebFocus and recommend Looker (Visit Site at Looker) .

Additional reporting on this review past David Strom .

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