Better Reports vs Qlik

This piece will provide a detailed comparison of Better Reports and Qlik, two pioneering products in data analysis and reporting. In this section, we'll discuss the main attributes and significant merits of each product. We'll also assess the strengths and limitations of using Better Reports and Qlik. Upon completing this comparison, readers will be equipped with a thorough insight into the strengths and flaws of Better Reports and Qlik.

What is Better Reports and Qlik?

BetterReports is a powerful analytics tool designed to provide comprehensive insights into a business's data. Launched on February 24, 2017, it primarily caters to Shopify users, allowing them to analyze sales, payments, inventory, customers, payouts, and more. The app offers over 100 built-in reports and metrics, designed for each connector, along with a visual report builder for creating custom reports using pivot tables or visual charts. BetterReports integrates with various platforms like Google Sheets, Sendgrid and Excel, making it a versatile tool for business analytics​​​​.

Qlik, originally known as Qliktech, is a business analytics platform provider founded in 1993 in Lund, Sweden. Now based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, USA, Qlik offers products like Qlik Replicate and Qlik Sense. Qlik's software specializes in business intelligence and data integration. The platform is notable for its Associative Engine, which allows users to perform big data analytics by combining multiple data sources, revealing associations and connections across data. Qlik Sense, the current cloud-based software, and QlikView, the legacy on-premise product, operate on this engine. Qlik Sense enables the concatenation of different data sources, allowing detailed drill-down on individual data records. Qlik's offerings extend beyond these main products, with tools for data catalog management, analytics development, and third-party developer extensions for enhanced visualization capabilities.

Core Values of the Two Products

The Core Values of Better Reports

1. Data Accessibility and Integration: At its core, BetterReports is designed to unlock the power of data. It provides instant access to data across various platforms, enabling businesses to get a full picture of their operations.

2. Customization and Flexibility: The product stands out for its flexibility in report creation. Users can choose from a vast array of built-in reports or create custom reports tailored to their specific needs.

3. Innovative Reporting Solutions: BetterReports is not just about presenting data; it's about innovating how data is understood and used. The software's ability to slice and dice data with custom fields, metrics, and formulas offers users a unique way to interpret and leverage their data for strategic decision-making​​.

The Core Values of Qlik

Qlik's product range is centered around several core values:

1. AI-Driven Analytics: At the heart of Qlik's offerings is the integration of AI to enhance the analytics experience. This AI-powered approach allows users of all skill levels to obtain insights and predictions, aiding in intelligent decision-making. The AI capabilities extend to no-code, automated machine learning for analytics teams, and tools for predictive analytics​​​​.

2. Comprehensive Data Integration and Movement: Qlik emphasizes seamless data integration. This includes data movement and streaming, warehouse automation, transformation, and application automation. By providing these tools, Qlik ensures users can manage and utilize their data effectively across various scenarios​​​​.

3. Cloud-Native Solutions: The company has embraced a cloud-native approach, particularly with Qlik Sense, to offer powerful solutions for modern business intelligence (BI). This strategy leverages the flexibility and scalability of cloud computing to enhance data analytics and business insights​​.

4. Flexible Data Analytics Products: Qlik's Associative Engine is a pivotal feature, allowing users to conduct extensive data analytics by linking various data sources to discover underlying connections. This engine powers both Qlik Sense and QlikView, catering to different user needs while maintaining a consistent analytical approach​​.

5. Extensibility and Customization: Qlik provides a platform that supports third-party developer add-ons, which extend Qlik Sense's visualization capabilities. This extensibility is a testament to the product’s flexibility, allowing users to tailor the platform to their specific requirements​​.

Pros and Cons

The Pros of Better Reports

The core values of Better Reports include:

1. Customization and Versatility: Better Reports offers extensive customization options. Users commend its ability to tailor reports for diverse needs, such as tracking marketing metrics, sales trends, and financial data.

2. User-Friendly Interface: Many find the software user-friendly and straightforward, enabling quick setup and easy access to advanced reporting features, which enhances the overall user experience.

3. Comprehensive Reporting Capabilities: The tool is well-appreciated for its wide range of pre-built and custom reports, catering to various business requirements and analytical needs.

4. Real-Time Data and Advanced Reporting: It stands out for providing real-time data and advanced reporting features, especially beneficial for Shopify users seeking more in-depth analytics.

5. Effective Shopify Integration: Better Reports is particularly noted for its seamless integration with Shopify, providing additional insights and analytics not readily available on the platform.

The Pros of Qlik

1. Adaptability and Customization: Qlik Sense is adaptable with certified and officially maintained extensions, providing robust customization options.
2. Efficiency and Self-Service Capabilities: The software is known for its efficiency gains, strong technology, and excellent self-service capabilities which enable easy use and significant time savings.
3. Community and Learning Resources: It offers extensive learning materials and has a supportive community, which is beneficial for users at all levels.
4. Data Integration and Analytics: Qlik Sense excels in integrating data from multiple sources, enabling users to easily relate and analyze data, which is particularly useful for business applications.
5. Performance and Ease of Use: Users appreciate the platform's speed in analyzing and associating large volumes of data, its intuitive UI, and the ease of developing dashboard reports.

The Cons of Better Reports

1. No GPT Functionality or Natural Language Data Exploration: BetterReports does not offer GPT functionality or the ability to use natural language for exploring data, which can be a limitation for users seeking advanced AI-driven data analysis capabilities.

2. Limited Customization for Less Tech-Savvy Users: Some reviews pointed out difficulties in editing reports and using custom filters, especially for users who are not as tech-savvy or familiar with the tool.

3. Filtering Options: Users find the filtering options in BetterReports to be a bit clunky and hard to use, suggesting a need for making them easier and more intuitive.

The Cons of Qlik

1. Customization Limitations: Advanced customization often requires integration with third-party applications, and the platform has limited options for formatting visualizations and text within tables and charts.
2. Technical Challenges: Users have reported issues with the software slowing down when compiling large datasets and difficulties in creating connections to uncommon databases.

Summary

BetterReports is a valuable tool for businesses, especially those using Shopify. It's great for understanding your business data and making custom reports. While it's easy to use, some parts can be hard to learn, and the cost might be high for some. Overall, BetterReports is a good choice for businesses looking to better understand their data.

Qlik stands as a robust and versatile business intelligence platform that has significantly contributed to the evolution of data analytics. Its core strengths lie in AI-driven analytics, comprehensive data integration, and cloud-native solutions, providing users with powerful tools for data analysis and decision-making. However, it faces challenges in customization limitations and technical complexities. Overall, Qlik represe