Cognos vs. Microsoft

[lwallander]

Looking for feedback from Cognos users who also considered Microsoft but ultimately chose Cognos.  What was the deciding factor for you?  What can Cognos do that Microsoft can't?  Would like to hear from the business side how Cognos is working for your business and pros and cons.

[blom0344]

I'm not too familiar with MS BI, but MS will probably expect you to 'develop' your solution just a bit more than Cognos. In other words a non-technical user will have more opportunities with Cognos with it's Studio's than the MS equivalent.

Modelling-wise, the Cognos 8 Framework tool is lightyears ahead (also compared to other BI vendors) compared to what MS has to offer. MS lacks a central repository relying on storing components on the file-system.

Apart from some aspects (like the too complex security model) Cognos offers a 'sophisticated' package at a steep price, whereas MS's solution feels like a loose collection of components (at least to me)