If you're shortlisting BI and analytics tools, user survey scores can do a lot of the early filtering for you. They can also mislead you. A product that ranks well on one measure may be compared against very different competitors, or rated by organizations nothing like yours. Before a number from the BI & Analytics Survey 25 goes into your vendor shortlist or business case, you need to know what that number measures and where it came from.
That is the purpose of this companion document from BARC, the data and analytics analyst firm that runs the survey. It explains who answered, which products were assessed, how the scores are calculated and how to read the dashboards. With that context, you can use the survey's product comparisons with confidence instead of guesswork.
What sits behind every score in the BI & Analytics Survey 25
The survey is built on the real-world experience of BI users, consultants and vendor staff around the world, not on analyst opinion. This document shows you the shape of that sample: the mix of company sizes, the industries represented, and how the questionnaire reached users across regions in English, German and French. Once you know who responded, you can judge how closely the results reflect organizations like yours.
You'll also see how the featured products were selected, why some are grouped or relabeled, and what happens to tools that didn't attract enough responses for detailed analysis. BARC sets minimum sample sizes before it calculates a KPI. The document explains why a product sometimes appears with a gap where you might expect a score, and why that protects the comparison.
How BI software KPIs and peer groups keep comparisons fair
A spreadsheet tool and an enterprise-wide reporting platform shouldn't be judged side by side. BARC sorts products into five analytics software peer groups, based on their focus (governed reports and dashboards versus ad hoc analysis), the scale of deployment they typically serve, and the reach of the vendor. The document defines each group and shows where each product sits, so a ranking within a group actually means something.
It then lays out the KPI framework. Detailed scores roll up into six aggregated KPIs covering the areas buying teams usually debate:
- Business value delivered by BI projects, including the Business Benefits Index
- Customer satisfaction, from price to value through vendor and implementer support
- Functionality across reporting, analysis, data preparation and mobile use
- User experience, including self-service, ease of use and performance
- Innovation, based on features customers actually use rather than vendor promises
- Competitiveness in real purchase decisions
For each underlying KPI, you get a plain explanation of what is measured and why it matters to a BI project. BARC is clear that different readers will weigh these differently, and the framework is designed so you can focus on the KPIs that match your own requirements.
Using business intelligence survey data to build a stronger business case
The Business Benefits Index gets particular attention. Unlike core transaction systems, BI projects are optional spending, so they have to prove their worth. The document explains how BARC turns reported outcomes, from faster reporting to better decisions and cost effects, into a single measure that can be compared across products and segments. If you have to justify a BI investment to finance, that way of thinking about benefits is useful well beyond the survey.
There's practical help with interpretation, too. You'll learn how to read the Product Dashboards and KPI Dashboards, why medians and means can tell different stories, and how answers to multiple-choice questions are presented. You'll also see why some products' competitive win rates deserve a closer look before you treat them as proof of strength.
Download the full document to get the complete sample profile, the peer group definitions and product mapping, clear explanations of every KPI and the Business Benefits Index, and a guide to the dashboards used in The Results, the Vendor Performance Summaries and the online Survey Analyzer. Read it alongside the results and you'll know which numbers to rely on for your shortlist, and why.