In the modern tech era, data is coming to us from every direction, like databases, websites, enterprise applications, and social media. Everyone is spending countless hours finding the right tools to analyze large volumes of data to stay competitive in their business.
Bold BI and Bold Reports are business intelligence tools precisely developed to visualize and present data to stakeholders in a more user-friendly format to make insightful business decisions.
These tools are equipped for different audiences and to be useful in unique scenarios. In this blog, we will dive deep into the comparison between Bold BI and Bold Reports to understand their differences clearly so you can choose the right tool for your business requirement.
Bold BI
Bold BI is a powerful tool for creating and sharing interactive analytical dashboards. Transform huge amounts of complex, unshaped data into simple and user-friendly dashboards to analyze it and make better, data-based business decisions.
Bold Reports
Bold Reports is an excellent choice for authoring and sharing detailed, printable reports. Visualize all of your data with pixel-perfect paginated reports to help you make intelligent business decisions and build action plans to meet your goals.
Key characteristics
The following table provides the key characteristics of Bold BI and Bold Reports.
| Bold BI | Bold Reports | |
| File format | Uses a custom file format for storing the dashboards. | Uses the Microsoft SSRS RDL schema format (XML) to store the reports as RDL or RDLC. |
| File structure
| Produces interactive, scrollable, single-page dashboards. Displays all the data in a table with scrollable options. Data loads on demand. | Produces paginated reports, ideal for fixed-layout documents optimized for printing. Display all the data in a table, even if it spans multiple pages. |
| Data | Handles all types of structured and unstructured data. | Able to handle structured and semi-structured data. Through extensions, you can convert unstructured data (geo-spatial data, invoices, records, machine learning, artificial intelligence) to semi-structured or structured data to render in Bold Reports. |
| Data sources
| Connect to huge numbers of data sources like relational databases, NoSQL databases, cloud data stores, REST API sources, and many more. Custom connectors can be added on request. Explore the full list of supported data sources here. | Connects to the most-used SQL and NoSQL data sources. You can connect to any custom data connectors through extensions. Explore the full list of supported data sources here. |
| Design interface | Grid-based layout to design, resize, and place items in dashboards. | Canvas-based layout to design and place items with pixel-perfect positioning. |
| Create dashboard/report
| WYSIWYG drag-and-drop UI for creating powerful, interactive visuals, allowing any user to find useful insights on their own. | Canvas-based WYSIWYG drag-and-drop UI that allows any individual to make detailed, paginated reports. |
| Benefits | Enriched graphical and interactive widgets. | Printable format provides complete data drill-down capability. |
| Sharing and collaboration | Securely share dashboards and data sources with specific users or groups. They are accessible through web apps, mobile apps, and desktop versions. Exported documents can be automatically shared via email using schedules. | You can share reports and data sources with specific users or groups. They are accessible through web and desktop apps. Reports can be scheduled and shared automatically via email distribution. |
| IT knowledge | Best-in-class drag-and-drop interface allows any user to work easily without IT knowledge. | Best-in-class drag-and-drop interface allows any user to work easily without IT knowledge. |
| Designed purpose
| Created with the business user in mind. It allows any employee in an organization to build interactive, analytical dashboards to help them make better, data-based decisions. | Created for both the IT and business user. Best fit for any organization that is already using SSRS or requires a printable, paginated document format or when they have clear picture of exactly what they want the result to look like. |
| Ideal use-case
| Organizations that wish to empower all users to create and share interactive analytical dashboards. Embed the analytical dashboard creation and viewing experience inside your apps. | Organizations that are already using SSRS or require detailed, printable, paginated documents. Embed the paginated report creation, viewing, printing, and exporting experience inside your apps. |
| Accessibility | Users can consume the dashboards via a web browser, desktop, mobile device, or email. | Users can consume the reports via a web browser, desktop, mobile device, or email. |
| Extensibility | Create new widgets and data sources based on your requirement. | Designed for extensibility, it lets you extend the existing or create new features, report items, and data sources as per the RDL, RDLC standard. |
| Learning curve | WYSIWYG, use- friendly interface with drag-and-drop options to create dashboards without IT team assistance. | No additional learning required if you are familiar with SSRS. Also, it comes with a user-centric interface that allows any user to create reports without IT team assistance. |
| Reusability/migration | The rich user interface lets you build any dashboard in minutes. But you can’t load dashboards created in third-party apps in Bold BI or vice versa. | SSRS RDL, RDLC reports created with third-party apps can be loaded in Bold Reports or vice versa without additional effort. |
| Applicability | Produces on-premises and cloud-based interactive dashboards. | Produces on-premise and cloud-based paginated RDL or RDLC reports. |
| Products included | Contains the below packages: | Contains the below packages: |
| Component | Built using HTML5 elements and web technology: | Built using HTML5 and web technology. Also provides native UWP and WPF platform components: |
| Embedding | Embed Bold BI directly into your web and mobile applications and control every aspect of embedding to fit your application’s look and feel. | Use web and desktop native components to embed Bold Reports directly into any application and control every aspect of embedding to fit your application’s look and feel. |
| Rebrand | Rebrand Bold BI for your organization’s needs and redistribute your way. | Allows to rebrand Bold Reports for your organization’s needs and redistribute your way. |
| License | Pay-per-application licensing. | Pay-per-application licensing. |
What are the benefits of Bold BI and Bold Reports?
The following provides the benefits of Bold BI and Bold Reports.
| Bold BI |
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| Bold Reports |
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When should you use Bold BI and Bold Reports?
Both business intelligence tools flexibly deliver the right information to the right users. The following gives the best-fitting scenarios for them.
| Bold BI |
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| Bold Reports |
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Conclusion
In this blog, we have done a complete analysis of both the tools. You can’t choose the tool based just on what the tool can do, you must also consider whether it is a good fit for your organization. The choice between Bold BI and Bold Reports depends on your requirements.
If your organization already has SSRS reports or plans to use paginated reports, you will find that Bold Reports is the best option. On the other hand, if you need to build interactive or analytical dashboards, Bold BI would be your preferred choice. There are circumstances when both may be appropriate in your application, and it’s possible to have both Bold BI and Bold Reports with affordable pricing to suit your need.
Feel free to check out the Bold Reports and Bold BI demos to explore useful samples of the tools and the various customization features. If you have any questions, please let us know in the comments section below. You can also contact us through our website. We are happy to assist you!
If you still have questions, schedule a 30-minute free demo with our experts to choose the right tool that fit your requirement.
1 Comment
I like what you guys are up also. Such intelligent work and reporting! Lilly Francklyn Allis