Zoho BI & Analytics

Photo Daan van Beek
Author: Daan van Beek
Business Intelligence tools consultant
Table of Contents

In this piece, we are showcasing a concise overview of our recently updated, independent BI & Analytics research on the software vendor Zoho and its product portfolio (such as Zia, Zoho Databridge, and Zoho DataPrep). Zoho BI & Analytics scores better in our comprehensive research than Pyramid Analytics but quite worse than Alteryx. Of all the main criteria in our research, Zoho has the most developed features in self-service BI and has a poor performance in multidimensional models. We have been able to establish this objectively. Within the context of BI & Analytics, we have put together the main advantages and disadvantages of Zoho Analytics, and arranged them by topic (business intelligence, big data, Artificial Intelligence, and data science). We also point out the highlights of the main products such as Zia, Zoho Databridge, and Zoho DataPrep et cetera.

How does Zoho BI & Analytics score on certain components?

In our study, we also inspected the various software products of Zoho BI & Analytics software. More than 720 evaluation criteria were examined. The image below shows the scores (on a scale of 1-5) of Zoho Analytics, compared to the competition. Please note that Passionned Group is 100% independent of the suppliers in our guide. We do not sell licenses, we do not make deals or have any ties to the vendor. Among other things, we help and advise companies in the proper selection of BI tooling.

Score of Zoho Analytics software.Figure 1: Strength-weakness analysis of the supplier Zoho BI & Analytics. The best supplier on a particular topic gets a maximum of 100 percent. Source: The BI & Analytics Guide 2024. Do you need more clarification about the survey structure? Click here to download this guide.

The Zoho analysis has been established by collecting a lot of public big data and from there it was thoroughly analyzed. More than 5,283 documents were analyzed for this vendor. In this analysis process, both algorithms as the critical eye of an experienced and independent specialist played a decisive role in establishing the final results.The BI & Analytics Guide™ 2024 Image of The BI & Analytics Guide™ 2024In our 100% vendor-independent BI & Analytics Guide we have collected all the ins and outs of Zoho for you. You get access to hundreds of (shorter) trainings, tech talks, lectures, demos, tutorials, and so on and always have the latest BI & AI news. Our guide will also help you in reinforcing your knowledge about BI & Analytics.Zoho in our BI & Analytics Guide

Zoho and their complete BI & Analytics product portfolio

The vendor Zoho has (a minimum of) 6 products in the realm of BI & Analytics. Based on relevance we list the products below:

What is Zoho Analytics?

We do not display all the features here but, in this paragraph, we provide a description of Zoho Analytics, including some of its features and any related products. This product group consists of Zia, Zoho Databridge, Zoho DataPrep, Zoho Analytics Server, and Zoho Analytics Mobile BI app. This product/group of products can be best defined by the following features:

  • analysis
  • analytics
  • analytics platform
  • business intelligence
  • dashboards
  • embedded analytics
  • KPI
  • predictive analytics
  • reporting
  • self-service BI

Do you want to know the intricacies of all the functionalities (100+) of Zoho Analytics? Then order the BI & Analytics Guide™ 2024 here.

Do you want to hire an experienced Zoho Analytics specialist?

Do you want to hire an interim Zoho Analytics consultant who can do a mountain of work for you, and implement a working,professional,robust Zoho Analytics application? You can always call on the Zoho Analytics specialists of Passionned Group. Indeed, hiring Zoho Analytics developers is not always expedient. Leave a message here and we will be happy to come and support you.

Screen shot of Zoho Analytics software.
Picture of Zoho Analytics tools.
Zoho Analytics in action
Figures 2, 3, and 4: Several images show the operation Zoho Analytics functions. Click on an image to enlarge it. Credits: Zoho & partners.

What is Zia?

In this paragraph, we report the (main) characteristics of Zia, including some of its features and any related products. This product/group of products can be defined by the following functionalities:

  • analysis
  • analytics
  • artificial intelligence
  • conversational AI
  • CRM
  • machine learning
  • natural language
  • natural language processing
  • pivot tables
  • sentiment analysis

Are you curious about all the functionalities (100+) of Zia? Then download our BI & Analytics Guide™ 2024 here.

Screen shot of Zia software.
Picture of Zia tools.
Zia in action
Figures 5, 6, and 7: Various figures show how Zia functions. Click on an image to enlarge it. Credits: Zoho & partners.

What is Zoho Databridge?

Under this heading, we describe Zoho Databridge, including some of its features and any related products. This product can be best defined by the following features:

  • analytics
  • cloud services
  • CRM
  • Linux
  • MongoDB
  • ODBC
  • SQL
  • Teradata
  • Windows

Are you curious about all features (100+) of Zoho Databridge? Then download our BI & Analytics Guide™ 2024 here.

Screen shot of Zoho Databridge software.
Picture of Zoho Databridge tools.
Zoho Databridge in action
Figures 8, 9, and 10: Overlying figures display how Zoho Databridge operates. Click on the image to make it bigger. Credits: Zoho & partners.

What is Zoho DataPrep?

In this section, we provide a description of Zoho DataPrep, including some of its features and any related products. The tool Zoho DataPrep can be defined by the following features:

  • analytics
  • CRM
  • data management
  • data preparation
  • data quality
  • data warehousing
  • machine learning
  • machine learning models
  • REST APIs
  • self-service data preparation

Are you now curious about all the functionalities (100+) of Zoho DataPrep? Then download our BI & Analytics Guide™ 2024 here.

Screen shot of Zoho DataPrep software.
Picture of Zoho DataPrep tools.
Zoho DataPrep in action
Figures 11, 12, and 13: Overlying images illustrate how Zoho DataPrep runs. Click on an image to magnify. Credits: Zoho & partners.

What is Zoho Analytics Server?

In this paragraph, we describe the key elements of Zoho Analytics Server, including some of its features and any related products. This product can be characterized by the following features:

  • analysis
  • analytics
  • business intelligence
  • cloud services
  • connectivity
  • data science
  • Linux
  • pivot tables
  • SQL
  • SQL database

Do you want to know the intricacies of all the functionalities (100+) of Zoho Analytics Server? Then download our BI & Analytics Guide™ 2024 here.

Screen shot of Zoho Analytics Server software.
Picture of Zoho Analytics Server tools.
Zoho Analytics Server in action
Figures 14, 15, and 16: These three images give a first impression how Zoho Analytics Server works. Click on the image to magnify. Credits: Zoho & partners.

What is Zoho Analytics Mobile BI app?

We do not display all the features here but, in this paragraph, we provide a description of Zoho Analytics Mobile BI app, including some of its features and any related products. The tool Zoho Analytics Mobile BI app can be best defined by the following features:

  • analytics
  • Android
  • business intelligence
  • dashboards
  • data visualization
  • iPhone
  • mobile business intelligence
  • pivot tables
  • reporting
  • self-service BI

Do you want to know the intricacies of all the functionalities (100+) of Zoho Analytics Mobile BI app? In that case, order the BI & Analytics Guide™ 2024 here.

Screen shot of Zoho Analytics Mobile BI app software.
Picture of Zoho Analytics Mobile BI app tools.
Zoho Analytics Mobile BI app in action
Figures 17, 18, and 19: Several figures demonstrate how Zoho Analytics Mobile BI app runs. Click on the image to magnify. Credits: Zoho & partners.

Recent innovations of Zoho Analytics tools and the version history

Over time, Zoho has seen a positive trend in relation to BI & Analytics functionality and support for various platforms, and data sources. The latest innovations are in the areas of business intelligence > reporting > ad hoc reporting, data discovery > analysis > segmentation analysis, and data integration > data warehousing > star schema.

We reviewed Zoho’s most recent releases of its product portfolio. Below you can see the structure of the various releases of the various BI & Analytics products of Zoho:

  • Zia: 2.4.1
  • Zoho Analytics: Analytics 5.0
  • Zoho Databridge: 1.0
  • Zoho DataPrep: 2023

Behind each product, we show the version numbers, the older the version the more backward the version is in the list.

What are the licensing costs of Zia, Zoho Databridge, and Zoho DataPrep?

It is difficult to determine exactly what a license of Zia, Zoho Databridge, and Zoho DataPrep costs because it depends on the country, the number of users, the connectors to data sources, and at what point in the year you request a quote. If you do this a few weeks before the end of Zoho’s fiscal quarter, you may be in for a decent discount. In addition, nowadays it is recommended that you run the software in the cloud. You then only pay for what you use. The purchase cost of Zia, Zoho Databridge, and Zoho DataPrep may not be the single largest expense, but maintenance and support of course do limit your future investment scope.

What makes Zoho BI & Analytics distinctive

In our study, we see that Zoho in the field of BI & Analytics software has several specific features which emerged distinctively in our research. This makes Zoho Analytics more or less unique: advanced analytics integration, API management, behavioral analytics, quality analytics, and desktop analytics.

The advantages and disadvantages of Zoho Analytics

Tag cloud of the Zoho Analytics tools.Figure 20: Tag cloud of the pluses and minuses of Zoho BI & Analytics

In the following paragraphs, we name all the advantages and disadvantages of Zoho BI & Analytics, Zia, Zoho Databridge, and Zoho DataPrep. They are not cemented in place, i.e.: Zoho can currently work with partners to building on features that meet specific customer needs at this time (such as support for web services, streaming, Apache Hive, materialized views, data mart, Apache Spark, failover, fact tables, MDX, and linear regression). In addition, documentation may lag behind current events.

Share your experience

Leave a review about Zoho BI & Analytics here. Your observations may then possibly be taken into consideration in an even better assessment of the performance of Zoho Analytics.

1. Zoho Self-service BI

100%

Zoho has an excellent score in our objective BI & Analytics survey on the subject ‘Self-service BI’ (for this section Zoho comes out as the absolute market leader in our research). The company scores 100% on this topic, relative to other vendors. We considered the following factors: self-service analytics platform and self-service data platform. In doing so, we investigated the following two products: Zoho Analytics and Zoho Analytics Mobile BI app. In total, we examined 14 criteria within this section. Would you like to learn more about the topic ‘Self-service BI’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Study.

2. Zoho Mobile Business Intelligence

82%

The company has an excellent rating in our 100% vendor-independent BI & Analytics survey on the subject ‘Mobile Business Intelligence’, given that they score 82% on this, compared to other vendors. We used the following selection criteria: mobile server and mobile analytics. In doing so, we investigated the following products: Zoho Analytics Mobile BI app. In total, we examined 10 criteria in this category. Would you like to delve further into the topic ‘Mobile Business Intelligence’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Guide.

3. Zoho Business Intelligence

70%

The company has a good score in our 100% vendor-independent BI & Analytics survey on the section ‘Business Intelligence’. The company scores 70% on this topic, compared to other vendors. We considered the following factors: reporting, dashboards, business intelligence platform, and business process monitoring. In doing so, we looked at the following two products: Zoho Analytics Server and Zoho Analytics Mobile BI app. In total, we examined 73 selection criteria within this main theme. Are you planning to specialize further in the topic ‘Business Intelligence’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Guide 2024.

4. Zoho Analytics

60%

The vendor Zoho has a good rating in our objective BI & Analytics survey on the subject ‘Analytics’, given that they score 60% on this, relative to other vendors. We looked at the following criteria, among others: analytics platform, geoanalytics, cloud analytics, customer analytics, process analytics, and performance analytics. In doing so, we assessed the following five products: Zoho Analytics, Zoho Analytics Server, Zia, Zoho Databridge, and Zoho Analytics Mobile BI app. In total, we examined 130 aspects in this category. Would you like to go into more depth with the topic ‘Analytics’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Study 2024. Or take a deep dive in the following content:

5. Zoho Data Discovery

60%

Zoho has a good performance in our study of the theme ‘Data Discovery’ with a score of 60%, relative to other vendors. The following criteria were used: data visualization, notifications, standard deviation, and data storytelling. In total, we examined 398 features within this discipline. Would you like to learn more about the topic ‘Data Discovery’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Guide 2024.

6. Zoho BI Infrastructure

55%

The company has a good score in our independent BI & Analytics survey on the subject ‘BI Infrastructure’. The score amounts to 55%, relative to other vendors. We used the following selection criteria: embedded analytics and operating systems. In total, we examined 162 criteria in this category. Would you like to go into more depth with the topic ‘BI Infrastructure’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Study.

7. Zoho Decision Management

50%

Zoho has a good performance in our 100% vendor-independent BI & Analytics survey on the subject ‘Decision Management’. The company scores 50% on this topic, relative to other vendors. We considered the following factors: performance management, decision support, decision intelligence, decision-making platform, and decision optimization. In total, we examined 30 features within this discipline. Would you like to delve further into the topic ‘Decision Management’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Guide 2024.

8. Zoho Data Connectivity

49%

The company has a moderate performance in our study on the subject ‘Data Connectivity’, given that they score 49% on this, relative to other vendors. We looked at the following criteria, among others: XML, MongoDB, and Amazon Redshift. In total, we examined 91 selection criteria within this main theme. Would you like to learn more about the topic ‘Data Connectivity’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Guide 2024.

9. Zoho Data Governance

47%

The vendor Zoho has a moderate score in our 100% vendor-independent BI & Analytics survey on the subject ‘Data Governance’ with a score of 47%, compared to other vendors. We considered the following factors: data management, data quality, data catalog, data encryption, data lineage, and data acquisition layer. In total, we examined 91 criteria in this category. Would you like to go into more depth with the topic ‘Data Governance’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Guide.

10. Zoho Real-time Analytics

45%

Zoho has a moderate rating in our 100% vendor-independent BI & Analytics survey of the theme ‘Real-time Analytics’, given that they score 45% on this, relative to other vendors. The following criteria were used: data ingestion, live connection, real-time data warehousing, real-time IoT, and real time dashboard. In total, we examined 19 features within this discipline. Would you like to delve further into the topic ‘Real-time Analytics’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Guide 2024.

11. Zoho Data Integration

42%

The vendor Zoho has a moderate score in our independent BI & Analytics survey of the theme ‘Data Integration’. The score amounts to 42%, compared to other vendors. We looked at the following criteria, among others: data warehousing, data virtualization, data integration platform, cross-database joins, data integration jobs, and Extract-Transform-Load. In total, we examined 76 selection criteria within this main theme. Would you like to go into more depth with the topic ‘Data Integration’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Guide 2024.

12. Zoho Big Data

38%

The vendor Zoho has a moderate score in our recently updated, independent BI & Analytics study on the section ‘Big Data’ with a score of 38%, relative to other vendors. We considered the following factors: IoT, complex data, sensors, Blob storage, sensor data, IoT analytics, and massive volumes. In total, we examined 59 features within this discipline. Would you like to go into more depth with the topic ‘Big Data’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Study 2024. Or take a deep dive in the following content:

13. Zoho Artificial Intelligence

38%

Zoho has a moderate score in our objective BI & Analytics survey on the subject ‘Artificial Intelligence’, given that they score 38% on this, relative to other vendors. The following criteria were used: machine learning and data mining. In doing so, we analyzed the following products: Zia. In total, we examined 181 features within this discipline. Would you like to go into more depth with the topic ‘Artificial Intelligence’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Guide.

14. Zoho Performance Optimization

33%

The company has a moderate score in our study on the subject ‘Performance Optimization’. The score amounts to 33%, compared to other vendors. We considered the following factors: in-memory and MPP. In total, we examined 29 features within this discipline. Are you planning to specialize further in the topic ‘Performance Optimization’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Guide 2024.

15. Zoho Multidimensional Models

14%

Zoho has a poor score in our study on the subject ‘Multidimensional Models’, given that they score 14% on this, relative to other vendors. We considered the following factors: MDX and MOLAP. In total, we examined 14 criteria within this section. Would you like to go into more depth with the topic ‘Multidimensional Models’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Guide.

Want to know more? Then order the BI & Analytics Guide™ 2024 here

In which sectors is Zoho BI & Analytics most active?

In our independent BI & Analytics survey, we also found out at which industries a supplier moves around. These are the industries where Zoho is on the road: aviation, energy, fashion, health care, hospitality, insurance, manufacturing, retail, and utilities.

Zoho software is most used by…

The BI & Analytics software from Zoho is most often mentioned in combination with the following function: analytics manager.

Hire an experienced Zoho specialist

Training and incompany training Zoho BI & Analytics

We provide various courses in the field of BI & Analytics but can also provide specific Zoho training, for example as in-company. During the sessions, we examine diverse software solutions and their uses including Zia, Zoho Databridge, and Zoho DataPrep. Of course, we color such a training with the ideas of the intelligent, data-driven organization.

Final Verdict: Zoho Analytics scores high

Zoho has a minimal product portfolio with which it scores high in our BI & Analytics survey. Zoho BI & Analytics innovates (approximately) at an average rate of more than 15 features per year, is active (for now) in many different sectors, and specializing in self-service BI.

About Passionned Group

logo of Passionned Group, the Zoho BI & Analytics specialistPassionned Group helps organizations with data-driven working and the implementation of BI & Analytics solutions. Our driven and passionate consultants help large & small organizations to advance as intelligent, data-driven organizations.

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