Data visualization is a key component of any business intelligence platform. Visualizations depict data in formats such as tables, grid charts and maps. This helps business users understand what the data says, so they can use it to make informed day-to-day decisions and guide long-term strategy.
That’s the dictionary definition. Well, sort of. The fact is, every business intelligence platform includes some form of data visualization. Some like Tableau live or die on their ability to visualize data. But bipp’s founders felt historical approaches to visualization were lacking. Tableau, for instance, isn’t in-database. This means it needs to pull data into its internal data engine which limits the amount of data that can be pulled. Tableau is also not real-time, meaning users aren’t seeing the data as it is in the database. They’re viewing data as it’s stored in an intermediate layer.
Modern approaches to data visualization go beyond simple bars and charts. They introduce innovative new ways to simplify business intelligence and reduce time to insight. Let’s look at a few examples and see how bipp approaches them.
Modern Data Visualization Allows Slicing and Dicing with Updates in Real-Time
When business users have to rely on data analysts to manipulate data visualizations, it takes longer to get insights. And speed to insight is the new black. A better approach is to have analysts working in the background, preparing data, then letting business users have ad hoc access to data models. They can create complex SQL queries with a few clicks, and quickly build and share reports without technical support.
An analyst using bipp works behind the scenes, defining, editing and refining the data model for business users to explore. Business users can then create reports. A report in bipp is a visualization format for data that can be saved and used in dashboards. Business users can change how data is presented by adding filters or changing visualization settings. For example, they can add dates, a map to cover two states instead of one, simply by clicking a button in bipp’s powerful application. This all happens in real time, so business users see the data that is stored in their database as-is, without the intermediate layer that stores the data as done in other platforms like Power BI, Tableau, Domo and Thoughtspot.
Real-Time Dashboards Act Like Data Applications
bipp is built on the premise that organizations rely on real-time visualizations to make quick and accurate decisions. But for many companies, this is easier said than done. First, they need a way for SQL analysts to create and manage multiple dashboards to group and present multiple reports. Then business users need a way to filter data across reports and embedded dashboards and drill down into the specific data points to view details (without calling their analyst team).
This allows users to monitor and measure organizational or team KPI’s in real-time. Its modern what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) editor allows business users to customize their dashboards. The interactive nature means business users can create their own, unique dashboard views, with each acting almost like a custom application. This makes it easier and faster for them to uncover relevant insights.
Data Visualization Charts Allow Users to Uncover Patterns
Sometimes charts have a lot of data points. And the default visualizations can become cluttered and hard to use. Recognizing this, bipp has built-in grid chart (or small multiples) visualizations. These make it easy to compare different slices of the data set by displaying similar graphs or charts in a grid. Business users can compare data across variables and uncover a range of potential patterns in charts.
While traditional client-server architectures require an extra step of publishing to generate grid charts, bipp can create grid charts with millions of data points in the browser.
We’re all about making it easier for businesses to make better-informed, faster decisions. Our modern approach to visualizations, with an emphasis on ad-hoc reporting, customization, pattern-analysis and real-time updating is helping businesses make the most of their datasets.
If you want to learn more, visit https://bipp.io/request-demo/ to see bipp in action.
