Experts in Market Analysis and Software Selection
BARC research reports are focused on helping companies find the right software solutions to align with their business goals. Our reports provide insights into market developments and dispense proven best practice advice for businesses embarking on a software evaluation project. We evaluate the leading vendors and products in detail using methodologies which enable our clients to easily make comparisons and reach a software selection decision with confidence.
BARC+ Subscription
The BARC+ package gives you access to all BARC’s premium research content listed below. This includes our leading-edge market research reports, the full catalog of detailed product reviews and The Analyzer, our online evaluation tool for BI & analytics, planning and data management tools.
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The BI & Analytics Survey 24
The BI & Analytics Survey (formerly The BI Survey) is the world’s largest annual survey of business intelligence and analytics users. Based on a sample of 1,480 survey responses, it offers an unsurpassed level of user feedback on issues ranging from the purchase cycle right through to deployment, including critical information on performance levels, scalability and problems encountered. Use The BI & Analytics Survey to find out what end-users really think about the BI and analytics products they use.
Business Intelligence Software Reviews
BARC’s BI software reviews blend expert analyst opinion and scores with vendor and product ratings based on findings from The BI & Analytics Survey.
Our reviews begin with a detailed product assessment from a neutral analyst viewpoint, followed by product scores across a wide range of important criteria and an overview of the product’s strengths and weaknesses. The second section reveals the key findings on both product and vendor from The BI & Analytics Survey, BARC’s major annual survey of BI end-user sentiment.
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BARC Score
The assessment and classification of business software and its suppliers can often be a complicated task for companies. BARC Score is designed to demystify this process, providing a quick and clear overview of a unique market based on a combination of detailed end-user feedback and thorough analysis of products and vendors by our analysts. Current BARC Score editions cover the BI, planning and financial performance management software markets.
The Data Management Survey 24
The Data Management Survey 24 – the 5th edition of BARC’s worldwide survey-based study – examines challenges and approaches to selecting and using data warehousing software. 21 leading data management software products are compared in detail. Access to The Data Management Survey Analyzer is also included.
The Financial Consolidation Survey 24
The inauguaral edition of BARC’s worldwide, annual, survey-based study explores the flourishing market for financial consolidation software. Feedback from users of 9 of today’s leading products is analyzed in detail. Access to The Financial Consolidation Survey Analyzer is also included.
The Planning Survey 23
The market for planning products is highly competitive. The Planning Survey 23 reveals the strengths and challenges of many of the leading vendors in the space as well as a number of smaller vendors — some regional and some relatively new to the market — many of which offer outstanding value to their customers. Based on a worldwide survey of 1,321 planning software users and consultants.
The Advanced Analytics Survey 19
The Advanced Analytics Survey 19 – a major new survey-based study – gauges satisfaction among advanced analytics, data discovery and data preparation software users worldwide. Ten leading software products are compared in detail.
Data, BI & Analytics Trend Monitor
The market for BI, analytics and data management is constantly changing. Trends come and go, and one of our tasks as an industry analyst is to highlight and predict important topics and growth areas. BARC’s Data, BI & Analytics Trend Monitor study gives practitioners a platform to have their say on the trends currently shaping the BI, analytics and data management market, supplemented by additional commentary and analysis from BARC analysts.
Project Management Software Systems
The eighth edition of BARC’s successful “Project Management Software Systems” report is a comprehensive guide for companies undertaking a project management software selection program.
If you are planning to purchase project management software for your organization, this report from BARC puts the facts at your fingertips to help you select the best tool to match your requirements. As well as containing detailed reviews of 28 leading products on the market, this report will give you all the background information you need to conduct a swift and successful evaluation and selection project.
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Boost Finance Productivity with Unified Performance Management
What paths are companies taking to unify performance management, and how far have they come? What are their goals and what challenges do they face in implementing them? And what sets apart the most successful companies in this endeavor?
Data Mesh: Game Changer or Just Hot Air?
Based on a worldwide survey of 345 practitioners and leaders, this Topical Survey reveals the extent to which data mesh is being applied in practice, as well looking at the functional, technical and organizational measures being taken to introduce data mesh.
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Data Warehouse and Data Vault Adoption Trends – Modeling, Modernization, and Automation
This global survey published in collaboration with Eckerson Group examines data warehouse and data vault adoption trends in modern analytics environments, including architecture types, priorities, and automation.
The State of ESG & Sustainability Reporting – Challenges Tools & Outlook
This BARC study examines the major hurdles on the road to smooth and trusted ESG reporting and how leading organizations tackle these challenges, their motivation, approaches and the tools they use to ensure the flow of trusted data.
Data Culture Survey 23
Due to steadily growing interest in this area and its relevance in the transformation to becoming a data-driven enterprise, we conducted a survey of 384 companies to better understand the flavors of data culture within organizations today.
Predictive Planning and Forecasting on the Rise – Hype or Reality?
This BARC study examines the nature and current level of use of predictive planning and forecasting and draws comparisons with the results of past BARC studies. Core aspects of the study include an investigation into the potential benefits, use cases, challenges and opportunities of predictive models in planning and forecasting.
The Future of Data Architecture
‘The Future of Data Architecture – Has the Data Warehouse Had Its Day?’ is a 2022 survey-based report offering insights into today’s most promising data architecture and data modeling approaches.
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New Value for the CFO
‘New Value for the CFO: The Evolution From Consolidation to Group Accounting’ describes the transition from consolidation solutions to group accounting suites – including the current level of progress along this road, as well as the priorities and demands of real-world users.
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Driving Innovation With AI – Getting ahead with DataOps and MLOps
This survey-based study looks at the challenges companies face when developing and deploying ML models, as well as the improvements they expect from the introduction of DataOps/MLOps.
Strategies for Driving Adoption and Usage with BI and Analytics
Based on a global survey of 214 data & analytics leaders conducted by BARC and Eckerson Group, Strategies for Driving Adoption and Usage with BI and Analytics identifies the technical and organizational drivers of BI and analytics adoption as well as the barriers preventing more widespread use.
BARC COVID Survey 21 – The Changing Data & Analytics Priorities in the COVID-19 Era
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused companies to rethink their priorities, and increase their focus on initiatives that were previously less important. BARC’s second survey on the the impact of the coronavirus crisis on the development of data and analytics attracted feedback from 950 companies between March and May 2021.
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The Future of Planning
Based on a user survey of 401 companies, this study examines the biggest challenges in forecasting and planning today as well as improvements and modernizations that can help organizations to deal with increasing complexity and dynamics.
Data Black Holes
This 2021 BARC study assesses the implications of data silos for today’s data-driven enterprise. Based on a survey of 318 decision-makers worldwide, it reveals the main challenges companies are facing due to data silos as well as the approaches being adopted to break down the barriers of these data and knowledge silos.
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Analytics Unchained: Unleash the Power of Analytics With Integrated Software
BARC’s “Analytics Unchained” study examines current use and the benefits achieved from the use of tightly integrated software that supports the complete analytics cycle. Based on a global survey of 319 companies.
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The Future of Analytics
The Future of Analytics provides insights into the current state of advanced analytics and seeks to shed light on its potential future development to inform your decisions. The study is based on a worldwide online survey of 317 companies of varying sizes across a range of industries.
The Future of Reporting
A survey-based BARC study into current and planned approaches to enterprise reporting. 600 decision-makers contributed to this worldwide research project.
Account Reconciliation and Closing – The Journey from Excel to Artificial Intelligence
Timely but also high-quality financial data is becoming a competitive factor in a world with an increasing number of transactions, data and information needs. This requires an efficient group accounting process. This DACH-based study looks at current practices around account reconciliation and the closing process.
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Sound Decisions in Dynamic Times
Satisfying customer needs and securing solvency in volatile markets both require quick decisions and decisive action. In order to meet these challenges, corporate planning and forecasting needs to be carried out efficiently, in shorter cycles and must be updated quickly for well-founded decision-making. This study is based on a worldwide online survey of 275 companies of varying sizes across a range of industries.
Leverage Your Data: A Data Strategy Checklist for the Journey to the Data-Driven Enterprise
What are the main data challenges in terms of content, organization and technology in companies? Which approaches are used to improve the handling and use of data? What benefits have already been achieved by implementing these approaches? Which conceptual, architectural and technological measures have been implemented/are planned? All these questions and more are answered in this survey-based report.
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Integrated and Predictive – The Future of Corporate Planning
In today’s dynamic business environment, many companies are facing new challenges, not least in the area of corporate planning and forecasting. This report identifies the biggest challenges in corporate planning right now, and reveals real-world sentiment on the importance of integrated corporate planning and predictive algorithms.
Modernizing the Data Warehouse: Challenges and Benefits
A study based on a worldwide survey examining companies’ approaches to get their data warehouse to the next level. In particular, it provides insights regarding technologies used, benefits achieved and lessons learned by companies that are in the process of modernizing their data warehouse.
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How To Rule Your Data World
Data and data processes are everywhere in the organization so there is a growing need for a comprehensive view of business objects and data. It is therefore vital that data is subject to some form of overarching control, which should be guided by a data strategy. This is where data governance comes in.
Data Monetization – Use Cases, Implementation and Added Value
This global BARC survey examines how far data monetization initiatives have already flourished, what approaches have proven to be successful, and the challenges that need to be considered. The results should inspire readers to purposefully and efficiently generate value from data.
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Data Preparation – Refining Raw Data into Value
The goal of data preparation is to support business analysts and data scientists by preparing different kinds of data for their analytical purposes. This study is based on an empirical survey on the use of technologies for data preparation. 695 people worldwide completed the online survey in March and April 2017, answering questions on the drivers, use cases, benefits and challenges of data preparation.
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BI and Data Management In The Cloud
This study examines current attitudes, issues and trends relating to the use of business intelligence and data management technologies in the cloud. We look at the drivers, benefits and challenges companies face when implementing cloud BI, as well as some of the common components, use cases and tasks seen in cloud BI deployments. The report also reveals the role vendors are playing in cloud BI, and the types of infrastructures organizations are choosing.
Hadoop and Data Lakes
“Hadoop and Data Lakes: Use Cases, Benefits and Limitations” provides answers and insights into the questions surrounding these trending technologies. Based on a 2016 survey of over 380 decision-makers, it explores the current status of Hadoop and data lakes in general and real experiences from Hadoop use cases across the globe.
Big Data and Information Security
Based on a 2016 survey of over 330 people, this study assesses the importance, status quo, developments, benefits and challenges of big data security analytics initiatives. In particular, it examines the burgeoning security analytics solutions market, current deployment levels of big data security analytics solutions and the potential benefits of big data security analytics.
Big Data Use Cases 2015
Awareness of big data continues to grow strong – especially with regard to digitalization initiatives. The wave of big data has reached every corner of businesses today. In other words, big data is revolutionizing the way companies identify new business models and define their advantages over competitors.
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