Software Alternatives & Startups

Looker VS Spreadsheet Server

Compare Looker VS Spreadsheet Server and see what are their differences

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Looker logo Looker

Looker makes it easy for analysts to create and curate custom data experiences—so everyone in the business can explore the data that matters to them, in the context that makes it truly meaningful.

Spreadsheet Server logo Spreadsheet Server

Spreadsheet Server have the power to build financial and operational reports with drill-down capability right in Excel from the ERP.
  • Looker Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-11

Looker is a business intelligence platform with an analytics-oriented application server that sits on top of relational data stores. The Looker platform includes an end-user interface for exploring data, a reusable development paradigm for creating data discovery experiences, and an extensible API set so the data can exist in other systems. Looker enables anyone to search and explore data, build dashboards and reports, and share everything easily and quickly.

  • Spreadsheet Server Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-16

Looker features and specs

  • Powerful Data Modeling
    Looker uses LookML, a proprietary modeling language, making it possible to transform raw data into meaningful metrics and dimensions, providing deep insights without needing SQL expertise.
  • Ease of Use
    Its intuitive user interface enables non-technical users to create visualizations and reports with relative ease, reducing the workload on data teams.
  • Customization
    Looker offers extensive customization options for data exploration and visualization, allowing dashboards and reports to be tailored to specific user needs.
  • Embedded Analytics
    Provides robust capabilities for embedding analytics into applications or portals, broadening the scope of data-driven decision-making throughout the organization.
  • Real-time Data
    Supports real-time data analytics by querying live data, which ensures up-to-date insights and helps in making timely decisions.
  • Integrations
    Looker integrates seamlessly with a wide range of databases and cloud data warehouses, including Google BigQuery, Amazon Redshift, and Snowflake.

Possible disadvantages of Looker

  • Learning Curve
    LookML, while powerful, can be complex for beginners who are not already familiar with data modeling or SQL, resulting in a steep learning curve.
  • Cost
    Looker can be expensive, especially for small businesses, as pricing is typically based on the number of users and the data volume processed.
  • Performance
    Query performance can sometimes be slow, especially with complex data models and large data sets, which may impact the user experience.
  • Customization Constraints
    While Looker offers great customization, certain advanced customizations may require significant expertise and time, posing a potential barrier.
  • Limited Offline Capabilities
    Looker is primarily designed for online use, so it lacks robust offline capabilities, which can be a limitation for users who need access to data in situations without internet connectivity.

Spreadsheet Server features and specs

  • Real-Time Data Access
    Spreadsheet Server provides real-time access to data from ERP systems, ensuring that users always work with the most up-to-date information.
  • Ease of Use
    It integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Excel, making it easy for users familiar with Excel to adapt without extensive training.
  • Custom Reporting
    Users can create customized reports tailored to their specific business needs, providing more meaningful insights and analysis.
  • Integration Capabilities
    The tool supports integration with various ERP systems, such as SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft Dynamics, offering flexibility and broad compatibility.
  • Improved Data Accuracy
    The real-time connection to ERP systems reduces the likelihood of errors associated with manual data entry, enhancing overall data accuracy.

Possible disadvantages of Spreadsheet Server

  • Cost
    Spreadsheet Server can be expensive for small and medium-sized businesses, especially when considering licensing and implementation costs.
  • Complexity
    While it is user-friendly, the initial setup and integration with ERP systems can be complex and may require technical expertise.
  • Performance Dependent on Excel
    Since it operates as an Excel add-on, its performance is dependent on the capabilities and limitations of Excel, which may affect large datasets.
  • Limited Customization Outside Excel
    Customization options outside of Excel are limited, which may be a drawback for users needing more advanced or specialized reporting features.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite its Excel integration, there is a learning curve associated with mastering Spreadsheet Server's advanced features and functionalities.

Analysis of Looker

Overall verdict

  • Looker is generally considered a robust solution for organizations looking to enhance their data-driven decision-making capabilities. Its flexibility, extensibility, and ease of use make it a strong contender in the BI space, though it may require some learning and setup effort to fully utilize its features.

Why this product is good

  • Looker is a data analytics platform that provides powerful tools for data exploration, visualization, and business intelligence. It offers a user-friendly interface and is known for its ability to connect to a wide variety of data sources. Looker's LookML, a modeling language, allows users to define data relationships and calculations, making it easier to create custom reports and dashboards. Additionally, it integrates well with other tools and supports collaboration with data teams.

Recommended for

  • Companies seeking scalable and flexible business intelligence solutions.
  • Organizations that need to integrate multiple data sources.
  • Teams looking for a collaborative platform with custom reporting capabilities.
  • Users who prefer a code-based approach to data modeling and analysis.

Analysis of Spreadsheet Server

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Spreadsheet Server is considered a strong tool for businesses that rely heavily on accurate and timely reporting. It effectively bridges the gap between data stored in ERP systems and the familiarity of Excel, making it a valuable asset for finance and accounting teams.

Why this product is good

  • Spreadsheet Server by insightsoftware is often praised for its ability to integrate seamlessly with ERP systems, providing users with real-time access to data directly within Excel. It appeals to users who are familiar with Excel, allowing them to leverage their existing skills to perform complex data analysis and reporting without the need for IT assistance. This can improve efficiency and provide more timely insights into business operations.

Recommended for

    Spreadsheet Server is particularly recommended for finance and accounting professionals, analysts, and business users who require flexible, real-time reporting capabilities. It's ideal for organizations already using ERPs like SAP, Oracle, or Microsoft Dynamics that want to enhance their reporting processes without a steep learning curve.

Looker videos

Looker Review

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How To Use Looker as a Business User
  • Review - Looker Review - Off The Shelf Reviews

Spreadsheet Server videos

Spreadsheet Server Overview

More videos:

  • Demo - Get to Know Live ERP Reporting with a Spreadsheet Server Demo
  • Review - Spreadsheet Server for use with Viewpoint Vista for an Efficient Excel Reporting Process

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Looker and Spreadsheet Server)
Data Dashboard
94 94%
6% 6
Finance
0 0%
100% 100
Business Intelligence
100 100%
0% 0
ERP
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Looker and Spreadsheet Server

Looker Reviews

Top 10 BI Tools in 2026 (with Pricing, AI Features & Enterprise Fit)
Looker like business intelligence platforms include tools that offer governed data models, embedded analytics, real-time dashboards, and scalable cloud performance. These platforms are ideal for organizations that need consistent metrics, strong data governance, and customizable analytics similar to what Looker provides.
Source: supaboard.ai
Explore 7 Tableau Alternatives for Data Visualization and Analysis
Looker Studio, formerly Google Data Studio, is a user-friendly business intelligence tool that transforms raw data into interactive, customizable dashboards and reports. It integrates seamlessly with Google's ecosystem and supports various data sources, including Google Analytics and BigQuery. Looker Studio offers robust visualization capabilities and real-time collaborative...
Source: www.draxlr.com
Explore 6 Metabase Alternatives for Data Visualization and Analysis
To find the best Metabase alternative for your business, start by listing your specific requirements, such as customer support, data integrations, visualization options, user access controls, and budget. Compare these needs with the features of other BI tools like Draxlr, Tableau, Power BI, Looker, or Holistics. Once you've identified a few suitable options, take advantage...
Source: www.draxlr.com
5 best Looker alternatives
In this blog, we’ll dive into the best 5 Looker alternatives currently dominating the market. Whether you're seeking a Looker alternative with enhanced features, better pricing, or a more tailored fit for your analytics needs, this guide will help you discover BI tool that could be a perfect match for your business.
Source: www.draxlr.com
10 Best Alternatives to Looker in 2024
Exploring alternatives to Looker isn't just about finding a different tool; it's about uncovering solutions that better address your specific business challenges and operational workflows. Here, we highlight five areas where Looker's limitations might lead you to consider other options.

Spreadsheet Server Reviews

We have no reviews of Spreadsheet Server yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Looker seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 14 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Looker mentions (14)

  • edit home page to add folder section
    Then in the "foldername" you can have 5 folders, each one for each of the groups. This means that when group1 enters looker.com, his default page will be the "foldername", which contains group1folder (he cannot see the rest of the folders if you have set the permissions correctly for each folder). Source: over 3 years ago
  • Stars, tables, and activities: How do we model the real world?
    Even if you want to make Wide Tables, combining fact and dimensions is often the easiest way to create them, so why not make them available? Looker, for example, is well suited to dimensional models because it takes care of the joins that can make Kimball warehouses hard to navigate for business users. - Source: dev.to / almost 4 years ago
  • dbt for Data Quality Testing & Alerting at FINN
    We take daily snapshots of test results, aggregate them, and send Looker dashboards to the appropriate teams. - Source: dev.to / over 4 years ago
  • I'm a dev ID 10 T please help me
    Dashboard: I like to use Datastudio because it's easy (just like using google sheets), but you can also try out Looker. Source: over 4 years ago
  • The Data Stack Journey: Lessons from Architecting Stacks at Heroku and Mattermost
    For Growth and larger, I would recommend Looker. The only reason I wouldn't recommend it for the smaller company stages is that the cost is much higher than alternatives such as Metabase. With Looker, you define your data model in LookML, which Looker then uses to provide a drag-and-drop interface for end-users that enables them to build their own visualizations without needing to write SQL. This lets your... - Source: dev.to / almost 5 years ago
View more

Spreadsheet Server mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Spreadsheet Server yet. Tracking of Spreadsheet Server recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Looker and Spreadsheet Server, you can also consider the following products

Tableau - Tableau can help anyone see and understand their data. Connect to almost any database, drag and drop to create visualizations, and share with a click.

RF-SMART - Improve accuracy with RF-SMART's WMS - Inventory management barcoding solutions for NetSuite, Oracle Cloud SCM, Microsoft Dynamics AX, JD Edwards EnterpriseOne, and JD Edwards World.

Microsoft Power BI - BI visualization and reporting for desktop, web or mobile

eMoney - eMoney is software that provides shippers an innovative source for their end-to-end encrypted transactions.

Sisense - The BI & Dashboard Software to handle multiple, large data sets.

Winshuttle - Winshuttle simplifies SAP business processes by providing automated solutions for data movement, workflow applications and data governance.