What are the top business intelligence software tools for SMBs?

What are the top business intelligence software tools for SMBs?

What do you currently consider to be the top business intelligence (BI) software out there for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs)?


I have a small suspicion that when one asks about the “top” software for anything, the question is a prelude to buying a software package, even before understanding what the actual business needs are for the software or how it can be used most effectively. When it comes to analytics software, I suggest that instead of immediately looking for an analytics tool, first get an understanding of what your organization seeks to accomplish through BI and analytics, and then assess your organizational capabilities to execute against the desired results. Doing that should provide some insight into what the business needs are for BI tools and techniques and give you a baseline set of evaluation criteria to help determine which software package can best meet those needs.

This was first published in August 2010