What's the Difference?
By now, you’ve probably heard of Sage Intelligence. But lately, you may also be hearing about a newer Sage “Enterprise” Intelligence option. While both products provide business intelligence (BI) reporting tools that work hand-in-hand with Sage ERP, each differs a bit in the user interface and functionality they provide. In this article, we’ll explore those differences.
Getting the Names Straight
The product names are very similar and for some, it can be confusing. But here’s a snapshot.
Sage Intelligence pulls real-time financial and operational data from Sage ERP and delivers it in Excel templates which you can easily view and/or customize. The Excel-based interface let’s you slice, dice, and analyze your Sage ERP data in graphs and pivot tables that provide a much more hands-on and visual experience than standard reports can provide.
Similarly, Sage Enterprise Intelligence also provides a visual approach to reporting that allows non-technical users to perform advanced slice-and-dice analysis of Sage ERP data. While the product is owned by a third party and licensed to Sage customers through an OEM agreement, first level support is still provided by Sage with higher level support handled directly by the developer.
Sage Intelligence pulls real-time financial and operational data from Sage ERP and delivers it in Excel templates which you can easily view and/or customize. The Excel-based interface let’s you slice, dice, and analyze your Sage ERP data in graphs and pivot tables that provide a much more hands-on and visual experience than standard reports can provide.
Similarly, Sage Enterprise Intelligence also provides a visual approach to reporting that allows non-technical users to perform advanced slice-and-dice analysis of Sage ERP data. While the product is owned by a third party and licensed to Sage customers through an OEM agreement, first level support is still provided by Sage with higher level support handled directly by the developer.
How Are They Different?
In a nutshell, Sage Enterprise Intelligence offers more advanced features for businesses that really want to dig deep using a broader range of analytical tools for data mining and BI reporting.
In addition, Sage Intelligence is entirely Excel-based. While Sage Enterprise Intelligence offers an optional Excel add-on, it’s primarily web-based. For those unfamiliar with Excel spreadsheets and formulas, the drag-and-drop web-based interface of Sage Enterprise Intelligence may be easier to learn. And because it’s web-based, the application can be accessed from a variety of devices including your desktop, tablet, or mobile device.
It’s also worth noting that depending on your Sage business care plan and the version of Sage ERP (100, 300, 500, X3) you’re running, Sage Intelligence may already be installed on your system and ready to use. In fact, user licenses for Sage Intelligence may already be included (depending on your Sage Business Care plan) which potentially makes pricing a differentiator between the products.
In addition, Sage Intelligence is entirely Excel-based. While Sage Enterprise Intelligence offers an optional Excel add-on, it’s primarily web-based. For those unfamiliar with Excel spreadsheets and formulas, the drag-and-drop web-based interface of Sage Enterprise Intelligence may be easier to learn. And because it’s web-based, the application can be accessed from a variety of devices including your desktop, tablet, or mobile device.
It’s also worth noting that depending on your Sage business care plan and the version of Sage ERP (100, 300, 500, X3) you’re running, Sage Intelligence may already be installed on your system and ready to use. In fact, user licenses for Sage Intelligence may already be included (depending on your Sage Business Care plan) which potentially makes pricing a differentiator between the products.
Take a look at these short videos to get a quick look at the interface and a few benefits of both products.
Business Intelligence Videos
Sage Intelligence Overview
Sage Enterprise Intelligence Overview
Which Product is Better?
The short answer is neither one.
The reason that Sage offers two different BI solutions is to provide a variety of analytics and reporting options to customers across wide variety of industries and needs. It shouldn’t be assumed that Sage “Enterprise” Intelligence is better than Sage Intelligence because it’s not. They simply offer a different interface and set of features to accomplish a similar objective - better business insight through more flexible and intelligence reporting.
The reason that Sage offers two different BI solutions is to provide a variety of analytics and reporting options to customers across wide variety of industries and needs. It shouldn’t be assumed that Sage “Enterprise” Intelligence is better than Sage Intelligence because it’s not. They simply offer a different interface and set of features to accomplish a similar objective - better business insight through more flexible and intelligence reporting.
Want More Detail?
In this article, we've provided some of the most significant differences between Sage Intelligence and Sage Enterprise Intelligence. But if you want to dig in and get more detail, take a look at the document below that provides a deeper dive.
