Was coding a business intelligence report ever a piece of cake for you? Probably not, and with good reason. Coding is no easy task. Coding for analytics reports is a whole other level of difficult. Moreover, it’s extremely time-consuming and, most of the time, the development costs skyrocket.
There are exceptions to every rule, though, and in this case, best embedded business intelligence software is the exception.
What is business intelligence?

If you’re a software developer who’s coded reports before, you’ve probably heard of a few of the best embedded business intelligence software. If not, don’t fret. Let’s first understand what business intelligence is.
Business intelligence (BI) sounds fancy, but it really is a simple concept. BI is where raw data is represented in the form of statistical insights in a system or platform that are both valuable and actionable.
A growing number of businesses rely on BI reporting to make evidence-based decisions every day. There are countless types of BI reports that businesses need on a daily basis. However, at this pace, it’s not humanly possible for .net developers to code every single report for, let’s say, fifty different systems or even fifty different reports for one system. Here’s where embedded business intelligence software comes in.
What is embedded business intelligence software?
You might have guessed it but we’ll tell you anyway. Embedded software is software that’s fixed into and purpose-built for the system it runs on. Think of it as a white-labeled t-shirt for an apparel brand – it looks like the brand manufactured and designed it when the garment was actually outsourced.
On the other hand, there’s application software. It doesn’t have any fixed system requirements which makes it compatible with various systems. Common examples are Microsoft Word, Adobe Reader and other programs.
Embedded business intelligence software involves integrating reports, dashboards and visual data representations with a system for users to draw system-generated insights. Because embedded business intelligence is fixed into a system instead of being installed, the user can very easily believe that it’s a part of the system.
Moving on, we’re here to tell you something big – you no longer have to pull weeks of all-nighters just to get a few reports up and running. So, how does that work? You’ll need the best embedded business intelligence software. We did some research and came up with a few recommendations..
Make time for Netflix with the embedded business intelligence software that every software developer must try out in 2022. And the best part? They’re free for a while if not forever.
5 Best Embedded Business Intelligence Software For 2022 [the only ones you need to know]
There are dozens of embedded business intelligence software out there, making it mind-boggling to choose one. Don’t worry, though. We’ve done the heavy lifting for you so that you can choose the best embedded business intelligence software for your projects. Let’s jump right in.
DotNet Report

Pricing: Free to try
DotNet Report is a simple, embeddable ad hoc reporting engine. It’s the new kid on the block who impresses everyone with his dynamic personality. Unlike its counterparts, DotNet Report comes with many useful features that every .net software developer needs to create powerful BI reports.
While there’s a whole lot we can talk about, we’ll narrow the features down to several stand-out ones.
Low-cost
You’re getting some big bang for your buck here. A free trial gives you access to 15 saved reports per month for one platform. That’s enough for you to get BI reporting up and running for a business.
Easy installation
It takes only a few minutes to install DotNet Report on your device, configure it for a system and start running test reports. You’ll be saving plenty of valuable time and energy.
Open source frontend
No more writing report codes from scratch. With DotNet Report, code for BI reports is freely available for anyone to use for any system.
Customized visualization
With DotNet Report, generating statistical data representations has never been easier. Software developers can easily create custom dashboards and reports for different systems.
Flexible integrations
DotNet Report is easily integratable with any platform that needs a BI reporting tool. The API integration process is quick with no rocket science to it.
Fast report builder
Building reports the conventional way takes ages. Not to mention, it costs an arm and a leg, but not with DotNet Report. It lets users build their own reports, that too, within minutes.
Flexibility
DotNet Report easily morphs with the environments it’s embedded in. It’s also flexible in that it enables you to save reports both on-prem and in a cloud storage.
Actionable insights
DotNet Report drives smart business decisions for its users by enabling them to draw deep, auto-generated insights at any time. What’s more, they can sort and filter data to view dozens of different drill-down options.
Responsive customer support
DotNet Report users can reach out to a robust Support team through email, the website’s Contact Us page and online forums at any time of day or night. A response within 24 hours is guaranteed.
Need embedded business intelligence software? Schedule a demo today.
Sisense
Pricing: Free to try
Sisense is the runner up. With this embedded BI software, you get to try a basic set of features that’ll do the job.
Integratable analytics
API integration with Sisense is quick and easy to do on many platforms.
White-labeled reports
Sisense can take on the look and feel of your own platform without having to do all the work that goes into writing code.
Visualization
Sisense offers an array of visual data representations. The design is simple, making it a decent option for no-fuss users.
Custom pricing
Sisense offers customized rates upon a form-submitted request. Although getting a custom quote may work favorably for some systems, it’s an extra step and a hassle which most potential customers would want to avoid. Additionally, the fact that there’s no public visibility on pricing can drive away prospects that need a fast BI reporting solution.
Looker
Next on the list is Looker, a no-frills embedded business intelligence software.
White-labeled reports
Placing a brand logo on the Looker-embedded BI reporting section of a system is a great idea if you don’t want end users to know who’s behind the analytics. However, that’s not a major concern for many platform providers. That said, you’ll find white-labeling capabilities in other ad hoc reporting software, too.
Fast outcomes
Like any embedded BI software, Looker allows software developers to generate ad hoc BI reports within a matter of minutes. The time-saving factor isn’t unique to Looker but it’s valuable.
Flexible integration
Looker offers pre-developed integrations for .net developers to plug and play with. Alternatively, Looker users can build their own BI reports thanks to solid APIs.
Qlik Sense
Pricing: Free to try
A sub-product of Qlik, Qlik Sense is a cloud-based embedded BI software. It may be useful for system providers who don’t want to save reports on-prem.
Visualization
Like Sisense and Looker, Qlik Sense allows users to search for and drill down analytics in various visual representations. It’s a handy feature if you have the time to search for analytics.
Mobility
Because Qlik Sense is a cloud analytics software, it goes wherever you go. Like DotNet Report, you can access Qlik Sense on any device to create and use BI reports.
Real-time analytics
Qlik Sense gives you access to analytics that are updated as and when activities take place on systems. That’s how any embedded BI software works. Nonetheless, it is a major time-saver..
Zoho Analytics
Pricing: Free
Last on the list is Zoho Analytics. It comes in both cloud and on-premises versions.
Visualization
Users can view reports with charts, graphs, tables and dashboards to pull detailed business analytics.
Mobility
The cloud version of Zoho Analytics gives users the flexibility to build reports from anywhere. This is a good option if you like working on your computer and mobile phone interchangeably.
Flexible Integration
Zoho Analytics can be integrated with systems just like the other four alternatives mentioned in this article. You’ll probably have to try out at least one other embedded BI software before you choose one.
Choosing The Best Embedded Business Intelligence Software For Your Business
By all means, let color schemes be the deciding factor for you to choose an embedded BI software, but is it the best way forward? No.
Think about which BI reporting software will offer you the greatest value for time and (should you upgrade to a paid plan) money.
Conclusion
Of the five top embedded business intelligence software we’ve talked about, DotNet Report offers you all the features you need to build powerful ad hoc reports. Start your free trial today.