Cognos Series 7, $300 to $500 per user depending on configuration and project parameters. Cognos, (800) 426-4667. http://www.cognos.com
Information Builders Webfocus 4.3.6
Through its partnership with Microsoft, Information Builders provides Web support for Excel that, well, excels. If you're running an all-Microsoft shop with Excel jockeys for business analysts, you'll derive benefits from this program that you can't get from the competition--even Microsoft Data Analyzer. Not only can you view and manipulate reports in Excel format within the WebFocus Web interface, you can drill through data while in an Excel spreadsheet--something unique among the products tested. We were pleased with Information Builders' extensive database and system support, which outpaced the competition. In addition to its exceptionally varied platform support (Linux, Sequent and Tru64 included), WebFocus supports any industry Web server that provides CGI, Servlet and ISAPI. Kudos!
Like Brio Intelligence and Cognos Series 7, Information Builders' WebFocus stores its metadata locally, so its performance was on par with the competition. With out-of-the box reporting functionality that provides KPI (key performance indicator) reports for the insurance, health-care and automotive industries, Information Builders makes getting running quickly a no-brainer.
WebFocus does a good job of notifying you of changes in your data. If a high-profile customer calls, inventory falls below a certain threshold, your profit margin falls below a given level, or you reach your monthly sales target and will be receiving that commission check you've been waiting for, these notification systems can alert you immediately to the event. WebFocus is not unique in this regard, however: Cognos provides "agents" that take the concept a step further by letting you perform actions based on events, such as running additional queries and taking into consideration values that arise from the analysis of additional data.
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