What is the Difference between Wave Analytics, Salesforce Reports and Dashboards?

Hi Prachi,

Go through the following link to understand the difference between reports and dashboard.

https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=lex_gaps_limitations_analytics.htm&type=5

Wave Analytics

Wave Analytics (formerly Salesforce Analytics Cloud) is a business intelligence tool, which has taken the complexities of data analysis and turned them into simple, mobile-friendly solutions that any Salesforce user can understand.

Wave Analytics vs. Standard Salesforce Reporting

One of the most noticeable differences between the two is the user interface. Wave Analytics has a clean, modern look that tends to encourage the end-user to explore data much more thoroughly. Pre-defined filters that you don’t have to recreate with each report, dynamic dashboards with customizable widgets, heat maps, forecasting, and strong data security are just a few differences between the two.

Wave Analytics is also designed to analyze data from external sources, whereas standard Salesforce reporting would require you to import all data before analyzing. This means there is no need to litter your Salesforce instance with unnecessary customizations and complex development tasks. Open API access for Wave Analytics allows you to quickly import external data source into a single, data analysis platform.

Another major differentiator between Wave Analytics and standard Salesforce Report is mobile capabilities. Wave Analytics was built “mobile-first” and is optimized for tablets, phones, and even smartwatches. Whereas data analysis and report building are limited on the Salesforce1 mobile platform. Wave Analytics allows your team to efficiently slice and dice reports from the comfort of their mobile device without losing crucial functionality.

A few smaller, but notable differences include the security model, licensing, and the learning curve. Security in Wave Analytics is separate from standard Salesforce, so a new security model must be scoped and defined. It’s not required to license all your current Salesforce users on Wave Analytics, so you can select a handful of users to begin utilizing the platform, helping protect your wallet. There’s also a shallow learning curve for newly exposed users, meaning there’s not an extensive need for professional services after the initial configuration.

Thank you,

Nikita Gupta