Cognos vs. Microstrategy

Wow, there is really a lot more to this topic than simply which is the better tool - each has its strengths and weaknesses. Be wary, of course, of generalizations but, that said, In general :) MicroStrategy is extremely strong in the analysis of very large sets of data stored in relational databases. Cognos, on the other hand, has traditionally been stronger in analysis of smaller sets of data stored in multidimensional structures called cubes or hypercubes. Cognos, also, has been stronger in creating pretty, end-user reports that are generated from relational databases and aren't going to require a lot of end-user analysis (although Business Objects is probably the best in that space).

Among the things to consider when choosing a BI tool are:
- Fit for your application
- Fit for your user base
- Fit with the rest of your technology stack
- Price
- Vendor 'compatibility' (A number of BI vendors have a reputation for being hard to work with.

One last point, we see a lot of situations where folks push for cutting edge technology that is overkill for the situation at hand. A lot of times, the technologically 'best' solution is not the best from a usability or ROI sense.

 

I am aware of more people using Cognos than Microstrategy (but this with my limited experience).

 

Neither. Go with MicroStrategy. BO requires lots of maintenance. Cognos requires lots of effort to build the cubes. MicroStrategy is easy to maintain, uses cached ROLAP, and has the least number of interfaces.

 

BO is a ROLAP Tool
Cognos is a MLAP Tool and
MicroStrategy is a HLAP Tool