--- title: "Best Big Data Software - 2026 Reviews & Pricing" description: "Find the best Big Data Tools for your organization. Compare top Big Data Tools with customer reviews, pricing, and free demos." source_url: "https://www.softwareadvice.com/bi/big-data-comparison/" page_type: "subcategory" language: "en" --- [Home](https://www.softwareadvice.com/) / Big Data Software Software Advice offers objective insights based on verified user reviews and independent product and market research. When our advisors match you to a software provider, we may earn a referral fee. # Best Big Data Software of 2026 Updated November 9, 2026 Talk with us for a free 15-min consultation Expert advisors like Jacqueline, who have helped 1,000+ companies, can find the right software for your needs. On this page 1. FrontRunners 2. Popular Comparisons 3. Buyers Guide 4. Related Software Filter products 183 results ### Compare Products Showing 1 - 25 of 183 products #### Company Size - Self-Employed - 2-10 - 11-50 - 51-200 - 201-500 - 501-1000 - 1000+ #### Pricing Options - $$$$$ - $$$$$ - $$$$$ - $$$$$ - $$$$$ ### Compare Products Sort by **Recommendations**: Sorts listings by the number of recommendations our advisors have made over the past 30 days. Our advisors assess buyers’ needs for free and only recommend products that meet buyers’ needs. Vendors pay Software Advice for these referrals. **Reviews**: Sorts listings by the number of user reviews we have published, greatest to least. **Average Rating**: Sorts listings by overall star rating based on user reviews, highest to lowest. **Alphabetically (A-Z)**: Sorts listings by product name from A to Z. ### [SAS Viya](/data-catalog/sas-viya-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.4/5 - Reviews: 12 - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview SAS Viya is a cloud-native platform designed for data analytics, machine learning and data management. It supports organizations in industries such as banking, insurance, [Read more](/data-catalog/sas-viya-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Workflow Management: 5/5 - Self-service Analytics: 5/5 - Modeling & Simulation: 5/5 - Configurable Workflow: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Real-Time Analytics: 2/5 - Data Connectors: 2/5 - Visual Discovery: 2/5 - Data Extraction: 3/5 [See all features](/data-catalog/sas-viya-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request [See full pricing details](/data-catalog/sas-viya-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Alteryx](/bi/alteryx-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.8/5 - Reviews: 102 - Best for: Features - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Alteryx Designer is a desktop-based self-service data profiling, preparation, blending, and analytics product used to create visual workflows or analytic processes through an [Read more](/bi/alteryx-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Query Builder: 5/5 - Storytelling: 5/5 - Modeling & Simulation: 5/5 - Profitability Analysis: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Visual Analytics: 3/5 - Data Visualization: 3.5/5 - Collaboration Tools: 4/5 - Self-service Analytics: 4/5 [See all features](/bi/alteryx-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request [See full pricing details](/bi/alteryx-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Google Cloud](/compliance/google-cloud-platform-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.7/5 - Reviews: 2,342 - Best for: Mid-size businesses - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Google Cloud is a suite of cloud computing services that allows businesses to build, deploy, and scale applications. The platform caters to a wide range of industries, such as [Read more](/compliance/google-cloud-platform-profile/) ##### What users love - Scalable and reliable data storage - User-friendly interface and setup - Comprehensive security and permissions ##### To take in mind - Complex and unpredictable pricing - Steep learning curve for beginners - Limited and slow customer support #### Features ##### Best rated features - Pre-built Templates: 5/5 - Policy Management: 5/5 - Scheduling: 5/5 - Reminders: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Release Management: 3/5 - In-Database Processing: 3/5 - Testing/QA Management: 3/5 - Offline Access: 3/5 [See all features](/compliance/google-cloud-platform-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Free - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request - New customers get $300 in free credits to fully explore and conduct an assessment of Google Cloud. ##### Pay as You Go - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request [See full pricing details](/compliance/google-cloud-platform-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Peakboard](/bi/peakboard-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.7/5 - Reviews: 28 - Starting price: €49.00/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview With its low-code platform for creating industrial applications, Peakboard GmbH supports production and logistics companies in monitoring their internal processes and interactively [Read more](/bi/peakboard-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Real-Time Monitoring: 5/5 - Root Cause Analysis: 5/5 - Workflow Management: 5/5 - Real-Time Analytics: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Drag & Drop: 3/5 - Data Connectors: 4/5 [See all features](/bi/peakboard-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Peakboard Pro - Price: €49.00/month - Erhältlich in zwei Produktvarianten: Peakboard Box Pro und Peakboard BYOD Pro ##### Peakboard Enterprise - Price: €79.00/month - Erhältlich in zwei Produktvariationen: Peakboard Box Enterprise und Peakboard BYOD Enterprise [See full pricing details](/bi/peakboard-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Decile](/bi/decile-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.8/5 - Reviews: 9 - Starting price: $800.00/month - Free trial: Not available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Decile harnesses the power of customer data to deliver business intelligence and customer insights proven to drive profitability. Decile's extensive capabilities unlock the [Read more](/bi/decile-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Dashboard: 4.9/5 - Visual Analytics: 4.9/5 - Self Service Data Preparation: 4.6/5 [See all features](/bi/decile-profile/#key-features) --- ### [Mozart Data](/bi/mozart-data-profile/) - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviews: 3 - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Backed by award-winning data analyst support, Mozart Data is the fastest way to set up scalable, reliable data infrastructure that doesn’t need to be maintained by you. Mozart [Read more](/bi/mozart-data-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Query Builder: 5/5 - Alerts/Notifications: 5/5 - Ad hoc Reporting: 5/5 - Data Capture and Transfer: 5/5 [See all features](/bi/mozart-data-profile/#key-features) --- ### [MarkLogic](/master-data-management/marklogic-profile/) - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviews: 2 - Free trial: Not available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview MarkLogic is an on-premise and cloud-based solution that helps businesses store enterprise data in NonSQL databases to streamline operational and transactional processes. [Read more](/master-data-management/marklogic-profile/) --- ### [AtScale](/bi/atscale-profile/) - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviews: 1 - Starting price: $50,000.00 - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview AtScale is a data warehouse virtualization solution that creates a live connection between people and data without moving it, regardless of where it is stored or how it is [Read more](/bi/atscale-profile/) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: $50,000.00 [See full pricing details](/bi/atscale-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Conversionomics](/bi/conversionomics-profile/) - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviews: 1 - Starting price: $250.00/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Conversionomics is an efficient data aggregation tool that offers a simple user interface that makes it easy to quickly build data API sources. From those sources, users can create [Read more](/bi/conversionomics-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - OLAP: 5/5 - Scheduled/Automated Reports: 5/5 - Ad hoc Reporting: 5/5 - Data Mapping: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Forecasting: 3/5 - Activity Dashboard: 3/5 [See all features](/bi/conversionomics-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: $250.00/month [See full pricing details](/bi/conversionomics-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [OpenText Analytics Cloud](/bi/opentext-magellan-profile/) - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviews: 1 - Starting price: $0.01 - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview OpenText Magellan is a predictive analytics platform powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. The platform is designed to help businesses across various [Read more](/bi/opentext-magellan-profile/) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: $0.01 [See full pricing details](/bi/opentext-magellan-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Chaossearch](/bi/chaossearch-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.7/5 - Reviews: 3 - Free trial: Not available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview CHAOSSEARCH is a fully-managed Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform that helps organizations build log analytics on Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3). The solution transforms S3 [Read more](/bi/chaossearch-profile/) --- ### [AnswerDock](/bi/answerdock-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.5/5 - Reviews: 2 - Starting price: $10.00/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Answerdock is a cloud-based business intelligence solution for organizations of all sizes across industries such as retail, healthcare, finance, communication and media. Key [Read more](/bi/answerdock-profile/) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: $10.00/month [See full pricing details](/bi/answerdock-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Etleap](/bi/et-leap-profile/) - Overall rating: 4/5 - Reviews: 1 - Starting price: $1.00 - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Etleap is a cloud-based AWS database management tool that allows users to analyze data from disparate sources. Users can add or modify new data sources and apply custom [Read more](/bi/et-leap-profile/) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: $1.00 [See full pricing details](/bi/et-leap-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Lucidworks Fusion](/bi/lucidworks-fusion-profile/) - Overall rating: 4/5 - Reviews: 1 - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Lucidworks Fusion is an AI-powered search and product discovery platform built for B2B and B2C organizations of any size, including retail, financial services, and media [Read more](/bi/lucidworks-fusion-profile/) --- ### [Microsoft Power BI](/bi/microsoft-power-bi-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.6/5 - Reviews: 1,896 - Starting price: $10.00/month - Best for: Data Visualization - Free trial: Not available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Microsoft Power BI is a comprehensive data visualization tool that forms part of the Power Platform suite of products. Power BI enables users to connect to and visualize data from [Read more](/bi/microsoft-power-bi-profile/) ##### What users love - Comprehensive data analysis capabilities - Interactive and visual dashboards - Flexible and interactive reporting ##### To take in mind - Steep usability challenges for beginners - Complex and costly licensing - Significant learning curve for mastery #### Features ##### Best rated features - Ad hoc Analysis: 5/5 - Charting: 5/5 - Activity Dashboard: 4.8/5 - Data Visualization: 4.7/5 [See all features](/bi/microsoft-power-bi-profile/#key-features) --- ### [Centralpoint](/crm/centralpoint-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.6/5 - Reviews: 9 - Starting price: $500.00/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Centralpoint, by Oxcyon, featured in Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Digital Experience Platforms and by 451 Research, is a Microsoft-based platform that installs on-premise, in the [Read more](/crm/centralpoint-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Data Import/Export: 5/5 - Mobile Access: 4/5 - Electronic Signature: 4/5 - Web Forms: 3/5 [See all features](/crm/centralpoint-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: $500.00/month [See full pricing details](/crm/centralpoint-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [ClearStory Data](/bi/clearstory-data-profile/) - Overall rating: 3.5/5 - Reviews: 1 - Starting price: $8,000.00 - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview ClearStory Data is a scalable, cloud-based, business intelligence and analytics solution that can be utilized across a variety of industries, such as health care, manufacturing, [Read more](/bi/clearstory-data-profile/) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: $8,000.00 [See full pricing details](/bi/clearstory-data-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Tonic](/product/355935-Tonic/) - Overall rating: 4/5 - Reviews: 2 - Starting price: $500.00/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Tonic.ai helps empower developers while protecting customer privacy by enabling companies to create safe, synthetic versions of their data for use in software development and [Read more](/product/355935-Tonic/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Audit Trail: 5/5 - Customer Database: 4/5 - Policy Management: 4/5 - Monitoring: 4/5 ##### Worst rated features - Access Controls/Permissions: 4/5 - Data Security: 4/5 - Audit Management: 4/5 - Third-Party Integrations: 4/5 [See all features](/product/355935-Tonic/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: $500.00/month [See full pricing details](/product/355935-Tonic/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Tableau](/bi/tableau-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.6/5 - Reviews: 2,364 - Starting price: $15.00/month - Best for: Small businesses - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Tableau is a visual analytics platform that helps organizations of all sizes — from non-profits to global enterprises — across industries including healthcare, financial services, [Read more](/bi/tableau-profile/) ##### What users love - Powerful and flexible visualizations - Robust data integration capabilities - Customizable and interactive dashboards ##### To take in mind - Complex interface and navigation - Expensive licensing and scaling - Steep learning and training demands #### Features ##### Best rated features - Multivariate Analysis: 5/5 - Compliance Tracking: 5/5 - Data Migration: 5/5 - Customizable Fields: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Text Analysis: 1/5 - Generative AI: 2/5 - Multi-Channel Attribution: 3.5/5 [See all features](/bi/tableau-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Tableau Viewer - Price: $15.00/month ##### Tableau Explorer - Price: $42.00/month ##### Tableau Creator - Price: $75.00/month [See full pricing details](/bi/tableau-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Cluvio](/bi/cluvio-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.5/5 - Reviews: 76 - Starting price: $0.00/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Cluvio is a cloud-based business intelligence and analytics solution that enables businesses to analyze data through a dashboard. The solution helps in running queries, filtering [Read more](/bi/cluvio-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Search/Filter: 5/5 - Dashboard Creation: 5/5 - Reporting/Analytics: 5/5 - Data Connectors: 5/5 [See all features](/bi/cluvio-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Free - Price: $0.00/month - The plan is for single user and includes 3 dashboards and 1000 query executions/month. ##### Pro - Price: $279.00/month - The plan is for teams and to make startup data driven. For additional analyst/month it is $ 109. ##### Business - Price: $669.00/month - The plan has analytics for larger companies and external sharing or embedding. For additional [See full pricing details](/bi/cluvio-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Piwik PRO](/bi/piwik-pro-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.6/5 - Reviews: 21 - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Piwik PRO Analytics Suite allows for tracking users' online behavior and interactions with sites, digital products, and apps. With Piwik PRO, companies can make more informed [Read more](/bi/piwik-pro-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Activity Dashboard: 5/5 - Website Analytics: 5/5 - Behavior Tracking: 5/5 - Reporting/Analytics: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Referral Tracking: 3/5 - Data Visualization: 3.3/5 - Conversion Tracking: 3.6/5 - Real-Time Analytics: 4/5 [See all features](/bi/piwik-pro-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request [See full pricing details](/bi/piwik-pro-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [UniCourt Enterprise API](/bi/unicourt-profile/) - Overall rating: 3/5 - Reviews: 2 - Starting price: $2,250.00/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Available #### Overview UniCourt Enterprise API is LegalTech’s only API-first suite that is purpose-built to automate the discovery and delivery of structured state and federal court data and analytics [Read more](/bi/unicourt-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Scorecards: 1/5 - Key Performance Indicators: 1/5 - Performance Metrics: 1/5 - Collaboration Tools: 1/5 ##### Worst rated features - Dashboard: 1/5 - Self Service Data Preparation: 1/5 - Data Connectors: 1/5 - Collaboration Tools: 1/5 [See all features](/bi/unicourt-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: $2,250.00/month [See full pricing details](/bi/unicourt-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Aware](/policy-management/aware-profile/) - Overall rating: 3.5/5 - Reviews: 4 - Free trial: Not available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview The Aware platform enables organizations to proactively discover, classify, secure, and manage data It solves for governance, risk, compliance and insights from collaboration tools [Read more](/policy-management/aware-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Sentiment Analysis: 5/5 - Collaboration Tools: 4/5 - Incident Management: 4/5 - Reporting/Analytics: 4/5 ##### Worst rated features - Data Import/Export: 2/5 - Investigation Management: 2/5 - Access Controls/Permissions: 3/5 - Search/Filter: 3/5 [See all features](/policy-management/aware-profile/#key-features) --- ### [Vantage](/cloud-storage/teradata-database-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.3/5 - Reviews: 25 - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Teradata Database enables users to utilize wearables and personal medical devices to analyze patient heart rate or activity data to understand medication compliance, then alert [Read more](/cloud-storage/teradata-database-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Data Virtualization: 5/5 - Access Controls/Permissions: 5/5 - Multiple Programming Languages Supported: 4/5 - Data Dictionary Management: 4/5 [See all features](/cloud-storage/teradata-database-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request [See full pricing details](/cloud-storage/teradata-database-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Looker](/bi/looker-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.5/5 - Reviews: 287 - Best for: Value for money - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Looker is a cloud-based business intelligence (BI) platform designed to explore and analyze data. The solution helps businesses to capture and analyze data from multiple sources [Read more](/bi/looker-profile/) ##### What users love - Robust data integration capabilities - User-friendly and customizable interface - Flexible and intuitive visualizations ##### To take in mind - Slow loading and lag issues #### Features ##### Best rated features - Website Analytics: 5/5 - Integration into Third Party Applications: 5/5 - Real-Time Updates: 5/5 - Data Transformation: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Trend Analysis: 3/5 - Key Performance Indicators: 3/5 [See all features](/bi/looker-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Standard - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request - Requires Annual Commitment ##### Enterprise - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request - Requires Annual Commitment ##### Embed - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request - Requires Annual Commitment [See full pricing details](/bi/looker-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- 1 [2](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bi/big-data-comparison/?__ai_markdown=true&page=2)[3](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bi/big-data-comparison/?__ai_markdown=true&page=3)[4](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bi/big-data-comparison/?__ai_markdown=true&page=4)[5](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bi/big-data-comparison/?__ai_markdown=true&page=5) ... [8](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bi/big-data-comparison/?__ai_markdown=true&page=8) ## Popular Comparisons [ Microsoft Power BI vs Tableau ](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bi/microsoft-power-bi-profile/vs/tableau/)[ MongoDB vs Google Cloud ](https://www.softwareadvice.com/compliance/google-cloud-platform-profile/vs/mongodb/)[ Wolfram Mathematica vs MATLAB ](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bi/matlab-profile/vs/wolfram-mathematica/)[ Looker vs IBM SPSS Statistics ](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bi/ibm-spss-statistics-profile/vs/looker/)[ Amazon EC2 vs vSphere ](https://www.softwareadvice.com/virtualization/amazon-ec2-profile/vs/vmware-vsphere/)[ Splunk Enterprise vs Datadog ](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bi/datadog-profile/vs/splunk-enterprise/)[ Qlik Sense vs Zoho Analytics ](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bi/qlik-sense-profile/vs/zoho-analytics/) ## Your Guide to Top Big Data Software, November 2020 Software Advice uses reviews from real software users to highlight the top-rated Big Data products in North America. [Learn how products are chosen](https://www.softwareadvice.com/legal-page/frontrunners-methodology/) #### Explore FrontRunners - [Redis Enterprise](https://www.softwareadvice.com/devops/redis-enterprise-profile/) “Usability” includes user ratings for Functionality and Ease of Use. “Customer Satisfaction” includes user ratings for Customer Support, Likelihood to Recommend and Value for Money. Reviews analysis period: The reviews analysis period spans two years and ends the 15th of the month prior to publication. It's safe to say that “big data" is no longer just a buzzword. Today it's a [$200 billion](https://www.forbes.com/sites/gilpress/2017/01/20/6-predictions-for-the-203-billion-big-data-analytics-market/#f8b7eda20838) industry addressing one of the most significant challenges facing organizations: analyzing vast amounts of disparate data to find patterns or trends that can potentially improve their business. With the advent of social media and the internet, businesses from small startups to large enterprises are contending with more data than they know what to do with. Approximately [2.5](https://www.ibm.com/blogs/insights-on-business/consumer-products/2-5-quintillion-bytes-of-data-created-every-day-how-does-cpg-retail-manage-it/) of new data are created every single day, meaning the need for big data tools to do the heavy lifting on this analysis will only continue to grow. According to [Gartner](https://www.gartner.com/document/3446724), almost half of all businesses are investing in big data now, and a quarter plan to invest in big data soon. (Full content available to Gartner clients.) That's where we come in. In this Buyer's Guide, we'll explain everything you need to know about the big data landscape so you can choose the right tool that will best suit your needs and budget. Here's what we'll cover: [What Are Big Data Tools?](#WhatAreBigDataTools) [Common Big Data Tool Functionality](#CommonBigDataToolFunctionality) [What Type of Big Data Tool Buyer Are You?](#WhatTypeofBigDataToolBuyerAreYou) [Key Considerations When Purchasing Big Data Tools](#KeyConsiderationsWhenPurchasingBigDataTools) [Other Big Data Tool Resources](#OtherBigDataToolResources) ## What Are Big Data Tools? Gartner [defines](https://research.gartner.com/definition-whatis-big-data) big data as “high-volume, high-velocity and/or high-variety information assets that demand cost-effective, innovative forms of information processing." Big data tools include any [business intelligence (BI) tool](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bi/) that does this all-important processing. More specifically known as big data analytics tools, these software platforms are designed to parse through large, disparate datasets—be they product data, customer data, employee data etc.—to discover meaningful patterns that connect them and visualize the results in an easily interpretable way for stakeholders to make decisions. _Big data analytics in_ [Tableau](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bi/tableau-profile/) ## Common Big Data Tool Functionality Because big data is such a broad term, the functionality of big data tools can vary greatly. Some tools represent robust BI suites that can handle data collection, extraction, cleaning, visualization and more, while others are more stripped down, focusing solely on one aspect of big data analysis. In general though, here is some of the most common functionality you can expect to find in big data tools: | Feature | Description | | --- | --- | | Data extraction | Pulls raw data from various integrated sources and reformats it all into a similar schema or format for easier analysis. | | Data mining | Uses statistics and data modeling to analyze vast amounts of disparate data and identify trends or patterns that connect them. Learn more about data mining here. | | Data visualization | Visualizes trends in an easy-to-understand graphical form. These visualizations are usually customizable and interactive, allowing users to change various scales and data sources to analyze trends. | | Predictive analytics | Applies discovered trends from historical data sets to create models predicting what's likely to happen with that data moving forward. | | Reporting | Allows users to create and distribute a preloaded set of customized reports or customize their own. | --- ## What Type of Big Data Tool Buyer Are You? Big data tool buyers generally fall into two categories, each with vastly different needs and priorities: - **Leadership buyers.** These buyers represent your department managers, your vice presidents, even your CEO. Because they often lack in-depth tech knowledge, these buyers tend to prioritize the ease of use and fast deployment of [self-service BI tools](#selfserviceBItools) over in-depth functionality and customization found in more robust systems. Dashboards are key for these buyers, who want to see meaningful big data trends at a glance. - **IT buyers.** IT department buyers are more common, and have the technological know-how to dive into complex functions. Ease of use is still a concern, but these buyers prioritize smooth integration with their existing data warehouses and other business applications first and foremost. ## Key Considerations When Purchasing Big Data Tools Simply picking a tool based on good reviews and signing on the bottom line is a surefire way to end up with buyer's remorse. When evaluating different big data tools and talking to software vendors, here are a few things you should keep in mind: - **What is your goal with big data?** Ultimately, big data tools can't find meaningful patterns if you don't know where to look. That's why it's important for you to define a purpose for your big data tools before investing. According to Gartner, common reasons your company might invest in these tools [include](https://www.gartner.com/document/3446724) enhancing the customer experience, deploying more targeted marketing and increasing process efficiency. (Full content available to Gartner clients.) - **BoB or integrated suite?** Best-of-breed (BoB) or stand-alone big data tools are robust but require integration with other systems to become useful. In some cases, a [customer relationship management](https://www.softwareadvice.com/crm/) or [enterprise resource planning](https://www.softwareadvice.com/erp/) suite with built-in analytics may be a better option, especially if you're only looking to gain insights from the data in that one system. - **Do you have all the parts in place first?** Big data tools can't do it all. You need a secure, organized [data warehouse](https://www.softwareadvice.com/resources/data-warehouse-problems/) to store your vast amounts of data. You also need skilled staff who are able to manage your systems and interpret the data. Don't put the cart before the horse, so to speak, by buying a big data tool without the right systems and employees to support it. ## Other Big Data Tool Resources If you're ready to find the right big data tool for your needs, call us at **(844) 680-2046** for a no-obligation consultation. Our BI tool advisors will ask you a few questions about your business and your software needs and send you a shortlist of best fit products for free. If you're not ready to take the plunge yet though, that's OK. This is a complicated software market for beginners. Here are a few more resources where you can learn more about big data: - **"How Big Data and Healthcare Analytics Boost Value-Based Care."** If you're a hospital, this free e-book is for you. In it, we talk to experts to explain how big data can help you reduce costs, increase efficiency and make care more patient-centric. - **"A Beginner's Guide to Big Data Recruiting and Hiring."** Big data is taking over recruiting in a big way. In this article, we cover everything you need to know about big data recruiting and hiring. - **"**[ETL vs. ELT: How to Choose the Best Approach for Your Data Warehouse.](https://www.softwareadvice.com/resources/etl-vs-elt-for-your-data-warehouse/)**"** Just as big data looks to overwhelm current data storage capabilities, extract, load and transform (ELT) promises to keep things in check. Learn more about this new data integration approach in our [buyer's guide](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bi/data-integration-tools-comparison/#buyers-guide). ### Related Big Data Software - [Business Intelligence Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bi/) - [Dashboard Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bi/dashboard-comparison/) - [Data Visualization Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bi/data-visualization-comparison/)