Experience the speed and flexibility of data discovery
MicroStrategy Analytics Desktop delivers on its promise of fast, user-friendly self-service analytics. Designed for both PC and Mac users, the desktop tool makes accessing and exploring data intuitive, allowing you to create meaningful visualizations in minutes. It positions itself as an ideal solution for quick, flexible data discovery.
What truly distinguishes MicroStrategy Analytics Desktop is its ability to offer this speed and flexibility without sacrificing the core needs of a large organization. It explicitly promises the scalability and security found in an enterprise analytics environment, ensuring that while individual users gain powerful self-service capabilities.
Connectivity is a major strength of MicroStrategy Analytics Desktop. This provides a variety of native connectors, ensuring users can tap into virtually any data source, ranging from simple spreadsheets and Salesforce reports to large datasets found in Hadoop and other big data sources. The ability to easily blend data from multiple origins and define relationships with simple drag-and-drop controls simplifies complex data preparation for faster analysis.
Universal data access
The visualization library is extensive, featuring out-of-the-box grids, charts, and maps, all accessible via an intuitive drag-and-drop interface. Designing dashboards is quick due to context-sensitive formatting menus. A notable drawback, however, is that while core visualizations are included, extending the library to incorporate tools like D3 or building custom visuals still requires engaging with the Visualization Builder and SDK, which may present a learning curve.
While the product touts enterprise scalability and security, users should be aware that the primary focus of the tool is rapid, self-service data discovery. This specialization suggests that users highly dependent on advanced enterprise governance features or deep, complex data modeling might eventually need to transition or interact with the broader MicroStrategy suite, potentially limiting the completely self-contained experience desired by some advanced desktop-only users.
Final thoughts
Overall, MicroStrategy Analytics Desktop is a highly effective tool for rapid data exploration, successfully balancing user-friendly self-service features with the necessary enterprise foundation. Its broad data connectivity and flexible visualization engine make it an excellent choice for individuals needing fast insights from disparate data. While the reliance on additional tools for custom visuals is a minor friction point, its speed and intuitive design make it a trustworthy option for business.
Pros
- Fast, user-friendly self-service analytics
- Scalability and security of an enterprise environment
- Broad native connectivity to big data and reports
- Intuitive drag-and-drop interface for dashboard building
Cons
- Achieving custom visualizations requires SDK or builder tool
