EazyBI vs Report Builder for Jira: manual camera or phone?

Let’s play a game of Would You Rather.

Would you rather take a photo with a sophisticated DSLR camera with manual buttons, wheels, and dials for controlling focus, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO?

Or would you rather take a photo on your phone? Point and shoot—job done?

Using EazyBI for custom Jira reporting is like using a DSLR. Using Report Builder for Jira is like using a phone.

There’s a time and a place for each. The question is, what’s the right time and place for you? Let’s take a look at each of these apps so you can decide.

What is EazyBI?

EazyBI is a comprehensive business intelligence (BI) and data analysis tool that integrates with Jira, Confluence, and other sources. It provides advanced multidimensional analytical capabilities and rich visualization options for complex custom reporting on all your data.

What is Report Builder for Jira?

Report Builder is a powerful reporting add-on for Jira and Jira Service Management (JSM). You can use it to build complex multidimensional BI-like reports directly in Jira. You can also incorporate data from external sources using JavaScript and build charts and visuals using any data visualization libraries available for JavaScript.

EazyBI / Report Builder for Jira comparison table

Now let’s look at how the two apps perform in a bunch of categories.

Category	Report Builder for Jira	EazyBI
Ease of use	Minimal learning curve if you already know JavaScript, HTML, and CSS	Steep learning curve because you need to understand online analytic processing (OLAP) cubes and Multidimensional Expressions (MDX) query language, which most regular programmers don’t
Data analysis features	Reporting templates; flexible non-technical report editor; and advanced reporting for admins and programmers	If you understand MDX and data analysis concepts, EazyBI offers many advanced analytical functions suitable for data analysts
Real-time reporting	Data lives in Jira, so is always live	Data lives in an external database and is always slightly out of date due to extract-transform-load (ETL) processes
Data sources	Built-in: Jira only With coding: any	Multiple built-in sources, including Jira, SQL databases, Excel files, and REST APIs
Data preparation	None	A full ETL process needs to be implemented. Data needs to be processed into OLAP cubes, then visualization techniques must be applied via EazyBI’s framework, and rules must be scheduled for data storage to be updated once an hour/day/month etc.
Data capacity	No limitations because Report Builder doesn’t store data; your data is stored in Jira	For cloud you get 100MB, 1GB, or 2GB of data storage depending on your EazyBI license
Customization	Fully scripted reports or reporting templates, which can be customized in part by selecting from dropdowns or in full using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS	Extensive customization from a data analysis perspective using custom MDX calculations
Visualization	Built in: several charts, graphs, and pivot tables With coding: any	Many built-in charts, graphs, and tables and the ability to create completely custom reports and visuals using MDX
Integration scope	Tightly integrated with Jira, suitable for focusing solely on Jira data, while also allowing developers to build their own connectors	Supports multiple data sources by default, including Jira, making it ideal for cross-platform analytics
Export options	CSV, PDF, PNG, and embedding options	CSV, PDF, PNG, and embedding options
Management	Easy to manage and very little maintenance required because the app and its data live in Jira	Data has to be carefully configured for import to an external database, which requires maintenance

The same reports generated in two (very) different ways

The general gist of the table above is this: you can build the same complex, multidimensional, custom Jira reports with both Report Builder and EazyBI. However, the way you’d go about it is very different.

EazyBI is targeted at data analysts and business intelligence experts who are already trained in data analysis concepts, understand things like OLAP cubes and MDX, and are willing to use data analysis frameworks to build complex custom reports.

Report Builder is targeted at the average technical user—developers, programmers, and IT experts. People who know how to code but haven’t learned/aren’t interested in all the subtle ins and outs of data analysis and business intelligence systems. They want to create the same complex custom reports but without all the rigmarole and training required by BI tools.

Why EazyBI is like taking a photo with a DSLR camera

For regular technical experts, using EazyBI to build complex custom reports in Jira is taking a photo with a DSLR camera.

You can take great, high-quality photos but you need to become a photographer. And photography is complicated. You need to understand the different modes, the exposure triangle, depth of field, metering, exposure compensation… Oh, and you need to know what the ISO button does. And the control wheel. And the focal length ring. And you need to master the rules of composition. And learn how to hold the damn thing properly.

Exhausted yet?

Likewise, you can make complex custom reports with EazyBI but you need to become a data analyst. You need to learn data analysis concepts, frameworks, and languages. And then you need to build data gathering pipelines, schedule how often you update your data sources, decide how data will be processed, organized, and stored, and more.

Why Report Builder is like taking a photo with a phone

Unless you’re a budding photographer, you probably don’t want or need a DSLR camera for day-to-day snaps. Not when you can take great, high-quality photos on a phone as well. And all you have to do is open your camera app and push a single button on your screen. No need to know what on earth the exposure triangle is.

For a technical user who knows JavaScript and HTML, Report Builder for Jira is like taking a photo on your phone. You already have the skills and know-how necessary to get started with Report Builder right away, and you don’t have to extract, organize, and process any data before you do. Simply select the Jira project/s you want to report on, and away you go.

If you want to make complex custom reports quickly, without all the learning and preparation that goes with BI tools, try Report Builder free for a month or book a personal demo.