BI system or app analytics tool: which one suits your needs?
Spoiler: with AppMetrica, you can have both! Integrate AppMetrica to your BI system for comprehensive data analysis.
You might’ve heard companies use BI systems and app analytics tools to make their apps thrive. Here, we’ll help you choose which one you need by covering these topics:
- What’s a BI system?
- What’s an app metrics tool?
- Why you should be using both
- Selecting an app analytics tool
- How you can integrate AppMetrica into your BI system
What’s a BI system?
A Business Intelligence (BI) system is like a comprehensive library that houses all the knowledge about your business. It collects everything you may need for your app: data about your product, user acquisition, and things like finances. Then, it transforms all this data into colorful charts and graphs, helping you see the big picture.
Time to implement
BI systems take a lot of time and investment. You’d need to spend time helping your BI system learn everything about your business.
Price
Many companies hire analytics experts to ensure you can trust your data, which might bring additional costs.
Ease of use
While BI systems answer most questions about your business, you may need help determining what you should be looking for.
What’s an app analytics tool?
An app analytics tool is like a magnifying glass that allows you to examine specific chapters of your app. While BI systems provide a broader view of business operations, app analytics tools like AppMetrica are designed to analyze precisely what your users do in your app.
App analytics tools track metrics like the number of downloads, user engagement, and retention rates, to help your team make data-driven decisions.
Time to implement
You only need to connect your app to the app analytics tool, and you are ready to go. It usually takes less than a couple of hours.
Price
Compared to BI systems, app analytics tools are very budget-friendly. Read our article to choose an app analytics tool that won’t blow your budget→
Ease of use
Some app analytics tools, like AppMetrica, are very easy to use; others are a bit more challenging. But you’ll usually get used to your app analytics tools faster than to a BI system.
Why you should be using both
While BI systems need more investment, this is the only way to know what’s going on in every area of your business. Investing in a BI system allows you to make decisions based on a comprehensive view of data sources, data connections, and visualizations. It then leads to a better understanding of user behavior and overall app performance.
This will only work if you have an app analytics tool connected to your BI system. If it’s not connected, you won’t have real-time data uploaded to your BI.
See below how you can benefit from using both:
What if I can’t afford a BI system?
There’s no need to build a BI system early in your company lifecycle. You might not have enough data to store in your BI system, and it may simply be too risky of an investment.
What you’ll need is one app analytics tool covering most aspects of your app. While some companies use different app analytics tools, it may be too expensive and overwhelming.
Use the table below to see what solutions save most of your time and money while preparing you to build a comprehensive BI system:
Selecting an app analytics tool for your BI system
When choosing an app analytics tool for your BI system, keep two questions in mind:
Does it integrate into my BI system easily?
For this, all your app analytics solution will need is an API. Note that some solutions send data to your BI system quicker, and some may take longer. The best way to check this is to use app analytics tools with a free plan. This way, you’ll see how quickly the solution sends your data before paying for it.
Does it *really* track my app in real time?
You’ll need to ensure your app analytics tool feeds your BI system with the latest data possible. Here’s what real time data helps with:
- Preventing issues before they become significant problems. If an app is experiencing a sudden spike in traffic, real-time tracking can help app managers identify the traffic source and take the right action to ensure the app remains stable.
- Preventing fraud. If an app is experiencing a sudden surge in installs from a particular source, real-time tracking can help app managers identify whether the installs are legitimate or fraudulent.
- Saving more money. By monitoring user behavior in real time, UA managers can identify which channels drive the most installs and engagement and adjust their marketing strategy.
While many tools say they track apps in real time, in reality, many of them have some kind of delay, and in some cases, this can cause serious problems, including lost time and money. See how a GameDev company boosted their sales with AppMetrica’s quick real-time tracking →
How you can integrate AppMetrica into your BI system
There are two ways to integrate AppMetrica into your BI system: the Logs API and the Data Stream API. Both export raw data in CSV or JSON formats that you can upload to your BI system.
Here are some helpful links from our Documentation to help your IT team connect AppMetrica to your BI tool:
«I recommend connecting AppMetrica to BI only when you want to manipulate the data, not just transfer it. Otherwise, you’ll be creating the same graphs you already have on AppMetrica. But, if you want to combine your data with external sources, like sales information, integrating AppMetrica into your BI is very helpful.»
Evgeny Shumanov, Product Manager at AppMetrica
Export raw data with AppMetrica
Integrate AppMetrica into your BI system and don’t miss a single detail about your app.
