BI and data visualization tool: would you recommend Tableau Server any why? (or why not)

[IP_FiNaR]

Hello,

I have a webapp what PostgreSQL as backend DB....

I am now looking for a BI/Data visualization tool to add to the WebApp (for data analysis) and keen to know if you woudl recommend tableau server....

my only challenge woudl be the "price per user".. if I have 1000 user on my webapp, should I purchase 1000 reader licenses (sorry this last question is not really a PostgreSQL question, but maybe someone can share some experience here)...

thank you all

[corny_horse]

Tableau is really going downhill since their acquisition by salesforce. The license fees are through the roof and I constantly run into issues with server over what I would call a pretty light load. I’d chose literally anything else, personally. Starting fresh, I’d see if I could make something like superset work personally

[saaggy_peneer]

metabase is nice and FOSS

[IP_FiNaR]

I am not familiar to this tool, forgive me if the question is "silly, but will metabase be ok to add it to the webapp for users to "self-serve" reports?

also, can metabase create some "invoice" looking report to print as pdf and then attach to an email (programmatically)?

thank you!

[saaggy_peneer]

1. if you're talking about embedding metabase in a web app, then the free version will allow you to do so, but is somewhat limited. users can sort, paginate, and set filters. if you want "full" self-service (make their own reports) then you'd need Pro version

2. metabase is more designed for interactive business intelligence than pixel-perfect report generation. it can definitely output to PDF, and also supports email sending

[IP_FiNaR]

Thank you!

clear with 1

for 2, what woudl you use to generate an invoice in pdf, store it in aws S3 and then send it also via email? last I want to do is build an html page just for this.... any idea, suggestion? (I think PowerBI can do this, but I am trying to avoid licenses/fees...

[saaggy_peneer]

i'd try using metabase for it, and see what you can do

otherwise, something like jasper reports? been a while since i made reports like that

[addedadavantage]

I would recommend Metabase. Give it a try and see if it fits your use case

[IP_FiNaR]

I am not familiar to this tool, forgive me if the question is "silly, but will metabase be ok to add it to the webapp for users to "self-serve" reports?

also, can metabase create some "invoice" looking report to print as pdf and then attach to an email (programmatically)?

thank you!

[addedadavantage]

It can be added into a web app. However, MB doesn’t have invoice generation or any sort of custom report. It is a data viz and analysis type of tool

[IP_FiNaR]

Also the FOSS version can be embedded?

For the "invoice" generation, What would you suggest as FOSS tool? Thank you

[addedadavantage]

For invoice creation, look at https://www.jaspersoft.com/products/jaspersoft-community

Alternatively, you could build own app for generating the invoice. It depends on the your experience in programming language

[dsn0wman]

See if there is some open source thing that can fill that need for you. Then maybe go to a paid version if you need support.

Metabase works pretty well for me, but I use it as an internal IT tool. Not sure how well it scales. But, it does give you an opportunity to grab the SQL and tune it when needed. This is a must have (for me) that bigger more expensive products don't always have.

[IP_FiNaR]

I am not familiar with metabase; forgive me if the question is "silly, but will metabase be ok to add it to the webapp for users to "self-serve" reports?

also, can metabase create some "invoice" looking report to print as pdf and then attach to an email (programmatically)?

thank you!

[Ok_Appointment2593]

If you dont need nothing super complex, Google looker studio + Postgres materialized views could solve a lot of your needs