Many organizations are replacing SAP BusinessObjects with modern, cloud-based analytics solutions as they transition their data infrastructure to cloud data warehouses like Snowflake and Databricks. These data warehouses are increasingly moving up the stack and offering many of the key features that made SAP BusinessObjects popular.
The modern replacement stack can be as simple as a cloud data warehouse and a connected spreadsheet like Row Zero, which is built for the big data and security needs of large enterprises. It may also include BI tools like Tableau or Power BI for pixel-perfect reporting and dashboards or dbt for data transformation.
In this guide, we'll review good alternatives to SAP BusinessObjects and what a modern replacement stack could look like.
- Modern alternatives to SAP Business Objects
- Decline of SAP BusinessObjects
- Why companies replace SAP BusinessObjects
- Why companies still use SAP BusinessObjects
- Common transition path
Modern alternatives to SAP Business Objects
The best alternatives to SAP BusinessObjects will depend on your use case and broader data strategy. A modern replacement for SAP BusinessObjects can be as simple as a cloud data warehouse backend with a connected spreadsheet front-end for business users. Or it can be as complicated as a multi-component stack that replaces key features of SAP BO.
Cloud data warehouse - Cloud data warehouses like Snowflake, Databricks, and BigQuery can replace much of the backend work SAP BusinessObjects has traditionally supported including a centralized reporting database, backend query engine, data integrations, data access controls, and calculated metrics and views. These data warehouses tend to be faster and more scalable, enabling real-time big data analytics applications. The primary things they don't yet replace are the front-end, business user applications.
Connected spreadsheets - Row Zero is an enterprise-grade spreadsheet that securely connects directly to the data warehouse and supports 1000x bigger datasets than legacy spreadsheets, so it is well suited for the big datasets in the data warehouse. You can easily build connected spreadsheets that automatically update and give business users dynamic data sources backed by data warehouse queries.
Row Zero provides a modern alternative to a primary use case of SAP BusinessObjects, which is Connect to Data > Create Reports > Export to Excel.
If you don't need the performance and security features of Row Zero, you can also use Excel add-ins to connect to your data sources and replace the core BOBJ use case.Pixel-perfect reports, dashboards, bursting - Pixel-perfect reporting and bursting (personalized scheduled reports) are two areas where SAP Business Objects excel and modern alternatives may underwhelm some power users. BI tools like Tableau, Looker, and Power BI excel at interactive dashboards. Both Tableau and Power BI export to Excel with formatting, which is a key use case for BOBJ. Bursting is possible with Tableau subscriptions and Power BI Paginated Reports, but typically modern BI tools prioritize bringing users to a dashboard with interactive filters, rather than pushing out customized PDF reports. The data warehouses are also starting to enter this space, with Snowflake, Databricks, and BigQuery increasing their dashboarding and business intelligence features.
Semantic layer - dbt, LookML(Looker), and AtScale are modern alternatives to BO universes providing governed semantic modeling in the modern data stack. The data warehouses, particularly Databricks with Unity Catalog are increasingly offering solutions here as well.
Data catalog and governance - Alation, Collibra, and DataHub are modern alternatives to SAP BO for data catalog and governance. Here again, the data warehouses are maturing their offerings with Snowflake Governance and Databricks Unity Catalog. It's increasingly common for data governance to be set at the data warehouse level and then for BI tools to inherit user and role-specific access controls from the data warehouse. For example, Row Zero inherits access controls and row level security from the data warehouse.
Decline of SAP BusinessObjects
SAP BusinessObjects was an early market leader in business intelligence tools, offering an on-premise BI platform for reporting, dashboards, and data visualization. It is still heavily used and now offers more modern, cloud-based solutions. However, as more companies transition their data infrastructure to cloud data warehouses like Snowflake and Databricks, many are exploring modern alternatives to Business Objects that seamlessly integrate and scale with their modern data stack. According to Google Trends, interest in the term "SAP BusinessObjects" peaked in 2012 and appears to be on a steady decline since. 
Why companies replace SAP Business Objects
There are a number of reasons why companies may transition from SAP BusinessObjects:
Shift to the cloud: As enterprises move their data infrastructure to cloud data warehouses like Snowflake, Databricks, and BigQuery, many are re-evaluating their data and analytics stack for more modern solutions that integrate seamlessly and scale efficiently.
Self-service & agility: To cultivate an efficient, data-driven culture, many organizations seek self-serve analytics tools like connected spreadsheets (Row Zero) and cloud BI tools (Tableau, Power BI, Looker) that let business users access data and build analysis with less reliance on IT teams for support.
Integration and ecosystem: Cloud BI tools integrate seamlessly with modern data warehouses and cloud storage and many companies want to operate on a leaner tech stack with a few key tools that seamlessly integrate with their data warehouse.
Cost and maintenance: BusinessObjects often requires expensive licenses, infrastructure, and a dedicated support team, whereas cloud-native tools can be more cost efficient and easier to maintain, especially in a modern data stack.
Visualization and interactivity - While pixel perfect reporting and scheduling is a key use case of Business Objects, modern BI tools like Tableau and Power BI have closed the gap and offer rich, interactive, real-time visualizations and options for bursting and report scheduling.
Why companies still use SAP BusinessObjects
Despite the rise of competitors to SAP BusinessObjects and the broader transition to the cloud, many companies still use BOBJ. SAP is actively modernizing the Business Objects suite with features like Private Cloud Edition, Web Intelligence enhancements, live data connectivity, and new AI capabilities. Beyond these new features, here are some reasons why companies continue using SAP BO:
Switching costs: Perhaps the biggest reason many companies still use SAP BO is switching costs. BusinessObjects power a lot of legacy reports and processes. As companies modernize their data stack, these legacy systems may be the last to transition. Companies with thousands of legacy reports, complex scheduling logic, and established data governance processes may view rebuilding reports, replicating data models, and training teams on new tools as too complicated and costly to attempt and/or may transition over a long period.
Pixel-perfect reporting: The SAP Business Intelligence platform excels at static, burstable, scheduled reports delivered in exact formats (e.g. compliance reports, financial statements, etc.) and many modern tools simply can't replicate this easily.
SAP ecosystem integration: Companies deeply invested in SAP ERP may stay with BusinessObjects because it works well with other SAP products.
Common transition path
A common transition path to replace SAP BusinessObjects looks like:
- Keep BusinessObjects for critical legacy reports and processes
- Migrate new use cases to cloud-native BI tools
- Gradually phase out BusinessObjects or limit its use to legacy reporting that requires little maintenance
The decision to replace SAP BusinessObjects and transition timing will ultimately depend on your data strategy, team capabilities, and switching costs.
Conclusion
As part of a broader shift to cloud data infrastructure and big data analytics, many companies replace SAP BusinessObjects with modern, cloud-based alternatives. The best replacement for SAP BusinessObjects for your company will depend on your use case, team, and broader data strategy. Many companies use the transition to dramatically simplify their data stack, lower costs, and bring efficiencies and scale. A modern replacement for SAP BusinessObjects can be as lean as a cloud data warehouse like Snowflake or Databricks for the backend infrastructure and a connected spreadsheet like Row Zero for frontend business users. Row Zero is a modern, big data alternative to Excel that makes it easy to give business users secure access to the data warehouse in a spreadsheet tool they already know how to use.