NBi review
A declarative Windows framework for database, ETL, and BI validation.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
NBi is an open-source testing framework for business intelligence and data-access systems. It is designed for teams that need repeatable validation across databases, ETL pipelines, reports, and BI models without writing C# test code for every case. Tests are defined declaratively in XML and executed through NUnit, with support for SQL, MDX, and DAX queries. The framework also covers stored procedure extraction from SSRS reports, result-set comparisons, equivalence assertions, and data-quality checks with JSON reporting.
Its strongest fit is a Windows-based Microsoft data stack that needs coverage across database and BI layers. NBi supports SQL Server, SSIS, SSAS, and SSRS, while connectivity extends through OleDb-, ODBC-, and ADOMD-compatible databases and providers or extensions for MySQL, PostgreSQL, Mondrian, Neo4j, Gremlin-compatible databases, and Azure Cosmos DB. Database setup and cleanup operations help structure repeatable test flows, and ETL and SSIS package testing make it broader than a query-only validation utility. Teams working across several supported database technologies can use the same declarative testing approach rather than maintaining separate test patterns for each system.
The tradeoff is deployment scope and operational ownership. NBi runs on Windows and uses self-hosted test execution, so teams must manage the execution environment and fit it into their existing delivery process. XML offers a structured way to express suites, but teams seeking a primarily code-first or cross-platform workflow may prefer another tool. Its open-source model has no commercial licence, while the published documentation includes dated material and placeholder release metadata. NBi suits Windows teams validating ETL, databases, and BI solutions in one framework; it is less suitable for teams requiring a cross-platform managed service or a purely code-centric test authoring experience.
NBi pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Declarative XML suites cover SQL, MDX, DAX, and result comparisons
- Supports data-quality rules, setup and cleanup, ETL, and SSIS testing
- Connects with SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SSAS, SSRS, and more
- Where it doesn't
- Windows-only platform limits cross-platform deployment options
- Self-hosted execution requires a team-managed test environment
- XML-centric workflows may require familiarity with its framework
NBi fact sheet, pricing and score →
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