IBM Cognos vs. Google Data Studio

Businesses receive great help from Business Intelligence (BI) software solutions that enable them to retrieve and analyze business data. Huge amounts of data are collected and interpreted to help users determine customer purchasing patterns and market trends through data visualization and warehousing, reporting, and dashboards. Quarterly and yearly reports are now a thing of the past as reports can now be made and accessed at light speed. Businesses can make better decisions within minutes based on evidence. Because of BI software products, businesses can turn data from internal sources into useful insights.

Let’s compare two popular BI software products: IBM Cognos vs. Google Data Studio. We’ll look at their features, integrations, and pricing to determine which product suits your business needs. You can use our easy to use Product Selection Tool to receive five recommendations of BI software solutions suitable to your business from our Technology Advisors. It is free and can be done in five minutes.

IBM Cognos vs. Google Data Studio: An overview

IBM Cognos Analytics is a BI software product designed for medium to large-sized businesses that can be deployed in the cloud or on-premise. As the upgraded version of IBM Cognos Business Intelligence, it provides users with cognitive guidance, self-service analytics, and new data visualization features, as well as data governance and management and security features. IBM Cognos features its own mobile integration, which allows users to make reports and share data from any device. Users can find specific information, process data from various sources, and make reports that can be shared throughout the organization.

Google Data Studio is an app that provides users with tools that turn analytics data into easy-to-understand and informative reports using data visualization. It is customizable to suit the demands of clients and easy to read and share. Users can choose from the graphs and charts for data presentation. The reports can bear the company’s logo for branding. Google Data Studio lets users import Google Analytics and Facebook data, as long as it’s placed in a Google sheet. All data in Google sheets appear in the user’s report.

IBM Cognos vs. Google Data Studio: A comparison of features

IBM Cognos comes with the following features:

• Scorecarding: IBM Cognos lets users take corporate strategy and communicate it to the organization at the operational level. Executives can create quantifiable goals and targets for employees using this software and track business performance across subsidiaries, geographic regions, and units.
• Analysis: IBM Cognos makes exploring business information easier where both general business users and financial analysts can find information they need. It generates simple information for regular users and advanced analyses for financial analysts.
• Query and reporting: Users can use an easy-to-manage system to access information necessary for making sound business decisions. IBM Cognos offers reports from professional authors who design reports and lets users create ad hoc queries and customize existing reports. The software ensures users have the information they need readily available to create fact-based decisions.
• Collaborative BI: Groups and teams using IBM Cognos can take advantage of the software’s collaborative capabilities.  A searchable and centralized corporate memory allows users to learn history and build stronger relationships with colleagues.

IBM Cognos has additional features such as dashboarding, statistics, and real-time monitoring.

Google Data Studio is equipped with its own set of features that allow users to create detailed reports and high-level dashboards:

• Data connectors: This BI software has data sources that act as pipes that connect reports to underlying data collections. There is a unique pre-built connector for every source to ensure ease of access to data. Users can create a real-time Google Ads dashboard to maximize advertising efforts and create better marketing decisions.
• Data transformation: Raw data is easily transformed into meaningful information that can be used to make business decisions. Google Data Studio utilizes data metrics as powerful building blocks for graphs and charts.
• Data visualization: The software enables users to create compelling presentations through visualization and customization solutions. It can be used for both tweaking a presentation and creating a new one. Users can add logos and icons, fill lines, add text colors, and change backgrounds.

Additional features of Google Data Studio include sharing and collaboration and usability.

IBM Cognos vs. Google Data Studio: A comparison of prices

IBM Cognos sets specific pricing models for administrators and users. Administrators can choose from its 4-tier pricing plan, which includes Information Distribution, Analytics User Authorized, Analytics Explorer, and Analytics Administrator. Users can choose from three licenses: workgroup license, standard license, and enterprise license. Interested parties can try the free trial, which can be accessed through Bluemix, IBM open cloud platform, and IBM AnalyticsZone.

Google Data Studio is a free app for all Google Analytics users. 

IBM Cognos vs. Google Data Studio: A comparison of integrations

IBM Cognos focuses on its own set of studios that offer efficient data access and insights. These include Cognos Data Manager, Cognos Framework Manager, Cognos Connection, Cognos Metrics Studio, Cognos Query Studio, Cognos Analysis Studio, and Cognos Report Studio.

Google Data Studio integrates with several apps such as Integromat, CallRail, Google Analytics, Fulcrum, SE Ranking, Toky, Pitchbox, CallTrackingMetrics, Adverity, INVOX, and Attribution.

Read also: 16 Tableau Alternatives For Visualizing And Analyzing Data

Boost your business’s data analysis capabilities with the right BI software

Make sure your business is able to make sense of huge amounts of data that can be turned into useful insights. Consider a BI software product that lets you access information with ease and create insightful reports through graphs and charts. Data visualization is an important feature that should allow users to create compelling reports. Go for IBM Cognos if you want a product that lets you collaborate. If you need to control the visuals more, go for Google Data Studio.

Want more BI software options? Use our Product Selection Tool. 

Get the Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Data Insider for top news, trends & analysis

This email address is invalid.

Email Subscribe

Get the Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Data Insider for top news, trends & analysis

This email address is invalid.

Email Subscribe