Business Analytics - Basic or Advanced

triona*

Hi Folks,

I need advice on choosing a Business Analytics option to suit our company. We are on a customised Nav 3.7 system. I have the Business Analytics Fact sheet, which makes the Advance sound far superior.
We've been quoted $1300 for the Base option and almost $8000 for the Advanced. Just wondering if the advanced really is worth the extra cost....
Also, will we be hit with a big fee for implementation, or is it something one of out I.T. guys could install? Any advice/info on Base vs Advanced would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Triona

Miklos_Hollender

Neither. BA is crap and it will be discontinued in future versions, because MS knows too it's crap. Look out for other solutions - get a Navision Add-on Book from MS, there are at least 5 working bus. int. add-ons.

Maci

Miklos Hollender wrote:

Neither. BA is crap and it will be discontinued in future versions, because MS knows too it's crap.

...discontinued ?!?! ](*,) Is there any official information from MS about it?

Miklos_Hollender

No. But it only takes some common sense.

BA is a completey f**ked up product which tries to enable you to configure cubes in Navi directly, then export it in XML to an external application that tries to set up DTS packages that can read the transactional/relational data from your Navision database by ODBC and transfer it to a multidimensional MSSQL database and create cubes on top of that... now, think: this ridiculously complicated, therefore bug-ridden crap you only need if you use a native database. For an MS SQL database you just create the cubes yourself in MS SQL Analysis Services and you are done. (OK you gotta create a Date table and so on but every experienced OLAP designer knows this stuff.) Now, MS slowly wants to get rid of the native database. Even Navi 3.7 installed an MSDE SQL Server, although didn't use it. So what do you think? Will they support this horrible infrastructure when they can just integrate the MS SQL version of Navi into MS SQL Analysis Services, Reporting Services etc. ?

DenSter

I can't say much as far as what I know is going to happen, but I would agree that if you do not have a BI solution now, that it would be a smart thing to go with more SQL Server native solution and hire a BI specialist that also knows NAV. That last part is crucial, they HAVE to have EXPERIENCE with NAV, otherwise you will waste your money.

girish.joshi

I agree with Denster, that the best idea is to go with the SQL route and get a BI expert using those tools. That's mostly because the SQL BI tools are so good in SQL 2005. And yes, the BI consultant must know Navision.

However, the Business Analytics module for Navision is not crap. Its fairly difficult to setup, so it turns off a lot of users early on. But it does a really good job of simplyifing how you create cubes. The whole point of BI is to get users with key knowledge (like FDs, CFOs), to be able create cubes. Its much easier to train them to use Navision's tool than it is to train them to use SQL Server 2000.


Like you said, its not a product for the future. Its really only good for a 4.0/SQL Server 2000 install. hmmm..... I guess its not a product for the past either...

Miklos_Hollender

Girish,

the big problem is not with the setup. It is with the fact that it's too susceptible to wrong, missing or simply "immature" data. F.e if you have a dimension - in the BI sense, like f.e G/L Account value - where no transaction contains that value - f.e. an account that was never posted on - it throws an error. And so on.