The most powerful and versatile BI system I have ever used

Pros

As a complete BI solution, BOARD allows a developer to easily create the structures required to build extremely powerful and fast data models by using 'sparsity' - the method of calculating the actual space required for cube objects. A great strength in modelling is the ability to rename and change relationships on the fly. With a logical and very visual interface, BOARD is a pleasant environment to work in,which enhances productivity. BOARD is able to provide end users the ability write back to cubes and create and amend entities. This ability makes the creation of workflows and security processes possible; a manager can add users and determine their level of access without returning to the developers. real time dynamic geo-charts allow for contextual maps to be created. BOARD have now opened the BOARD Community where users can ask questions in forums as well as help other users. Example data models can be uploaded as well as associated documentation and videos. The community site is one of the best forums I have ever used and the community members are clearly passionate about the software, as well as very knowledgeable. There are a number of unique concepts which, once understood, really open up the power of BOARD and through the community, all users can gain this knowledge quickly and in a fun way as well as discuss ideas with their peers and consultants alike. The forum is in addition to the formal support portal. I have used several enterprise BI systems and BOARD is by far the most exciting, fun and logical system I have ever used. It makes work truly enjoyable and provides a great sense of satisfaction when the developer discovers something new all the time.

Cons

Without the community forum, learning the unique skills to leverage BOARD over other apps was a slow process, even after attending the full training package in London. However, with the latest release and with direct access to BOARD experts and peers, BOARD has become a very exciting and enjoyable app to work on everyday and I cannot, at this point, state any cons. That is not to say that there are'nt any, just that what issues I did have have all been addressed in the latest release and with access to the community

Reporting & Allocation tool

Overall a good product with a lot of flexibility.

Pros

We had very specific requirements in how we wanted to build allocations that we needed. This software was extremely flexible and allowed us to build our allocations exactly how we wanted to.

Cons

You are basically starting from scratch to build things, so without someone with some expertise, its not overly intuitive to build things from scratch. We had the help of a fantastic consultant that was very well versed in Board, so that made all the difference to us. We would not have been able to build what she did ourselves.

Outstanding Product that has become a critical tool for managing, monitoring and operating our biz.

Numerous... can better manage our biz to ensure optimal decisions are made for both tactical and strategic problems and opportunities.

Pros

-- Extremely easy to set up and use. It's easy to train new users and integrate with new data sources. -- Powerful capabilities to "slice and dice" data, analyze different datasets, create KPIs and broadcast reports to others. We utilize Board beyond the financials... use for operational, sales, logistics, customer service and environmental applications. -- Excellent support from Board on both "how-to" questions and any internal IT issues that may arise. They take recommendations and act on them. They connect customers to share best practices. -- Frequent new releases that extend capabilities. Board stays ahead of the curve and provides new features to address their customers' potential needs in the future. -- Good price point with several license types for different user profiles.

Budgetversions

now we have good tool for our Budget and forecast process because we can save several Versions, have a workflow control and always acurate data

Pros

clear data structure

Cons

Export function

Terumo Sales & Operations Planning

Pros

Multi user capability. Integrated capabilities: schedule, reader, procedures all provide a good level of flexibility. Support organisation is always willing to help.

Cons

Cube limitations on number of entities. Dataview limitations on number of rows. Lack of time out on infinite sessions. Unable to run procedures on the same database when an infinite session is running. Datareaders have no variable parameter filtering capability. Performing grouping and max/min functions on cubes is difficult.