Tools for Analytics
BI-systems allow you to quickly monitor the current state of the company, providing an indispensable
tool for decision-making and forecasting. Implementation of BI systems allows you to:
- Monitor the key performance indicators of the company and its employees in real time
- Analyse and forecast the company's activity on the basis of information from different sources
- Generate reports on the company's activities in real time
- Improve the quality of decisions made through use of automation tools
- Use Big Data technology
Let's consider the most interesting from the solutions available.
MicroSoft Excel Power Query
Power Query is a tool for integrating data into Excel from external sources. It allows you to search and
open information from various sources available online and through corporate networks. It can load data
of different types, formats and structures, as well as from completely different sources:
- Network
- Files (Excel, XML, CSV, text or folder with metadata and links)
- Database files (SQL Server, IBM DB2, Access, Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL etc)
- Public sources and corporate repositories (ETL support is built in)
- A number of other sources, such as OData feed, Active Directory, SharePoint List, Facebook etc
Pros
PowerQuery is one of the most powerful tools, on the one hand having a broad functionality for
analysis and on the other being quite complex in development, and is used mainly by analysts. It
works both with both table models and multidimensional ones and can connect additional sources
Cons
Not suitable for "ordinary" users, complicated to use, fairly slow. There is no option to share
access and restrictions on the size of files / records etc.
MicroSoft Power of Business Intelligence
Power BI is a tool for creating interactive business reports with the ability to work together,
visualise and interact. Main features:
-
Rapid development of informative business reports and panels (on the network) - with the ability
to interact and research data.
- Automatic updating of BI-reports and visualisation when data is changed
-
Support for the query language, including PowerQuery; interoperability between participants at
the query level.
- Create a catalogue with indexes for searching.
-
The query language is close to the natural one (for the business analyst) and offers the
possibility of interactive work.
- Mobile Device Support
Pros
A new, modern product, an easy-to-learn online solution with a friendly interface. Innovative
and
progressive tool, new features will be added soon.
Cons
The solution is "raw" (some components may not work reliably), does not work with OLAP cubes,
and the
functionality is pared-down in comparison with competitors.
Pyramid Analytics
Pyramid Analytics is the most powerful tool we use from the off-the-shelf solutions.
Pyramid Analytics is a cloud-based business intelligence platform; it has three key components:
- Data Mining - Data Discovery
- Interactive work with data and visualisation - Dashboards
- Audience data presentation - Publisher
The platform has the ability to collaboratively analyse and
model data, as well as a number of other useful features:
- Trial version
- Cloud version (SaaS)
- Working with Big Data
- Interactive data visualisation
Pros
Easy to learn, works with a huge number of sources, very broad functionality.
Cons
Very expensive software.
Datazen
Datazen is a multi-platform solution that allows you to build reports regardless of platform (PC,
Android, iOS, Windows Phone). A distinctive feature of the product is wide integration and the option to
carry out fully-fledged work with the analytical platform via mobile devices.
Pros
Supports a wide range of platforms, supported and developed by MS, works with a large number of
sources.
Datazen can be deployed fully on-premises. To deploy Datazen in Azure: this can currently
be achieved in IaaS mode
Cons
Does not work directly with OLAP (must create MDX queries on its own), has a number of
limitations (starting from the interface capabilities and finishing with the business
intelligence functionality setting), is not sold separately, comes with MS SQL Enterprise
Edition.
Custom Business Intelligence Systems
Magora help customers find growth points for business. The introduction of Business Intelligence
class
tools can be a turning point in the development of your company. The introduction of any demanded
information system is an important step in this development. Therefore, it is especially important
to
choose a partner that will help to seamlessly integrate a new product into the current
organisational
structure. Experienced employees at Magora will help you at all stages of building a new tool and
organically integrate it into your current IT landscape.
Custom development of a business intelligence tool can save you from many problems inherent in the
ready-made solutions available from vendors - lack of system scalability, the need for additional
integration bus purchases, annual licence fees. When designing your own intelligence tools, you have
the
option of providing such useful extras as automatic generation of reports for specified time
periods,
development of unique desktops for executives and the possibility of remote access, including via
mobile
devices.
Analytical Systems Development
Competent specialists from Magora allow you to implement information systems of any complexity. When
designing such solutions, our intelligence experts and business consultants always immerse themselves in
the specifics of the client's ideas and will jointly explore the processes to create a product that fits
perfectly into your organisational structure.
Information Presentation
Reporting - the ability to create formatted and interactive reports with well-developed
mechanisms for their distribution and updating. The BI-system must support different report
styles (for example, financial or operational control panels).
Dashboards
Dashboards are one type of reporting, but are highlighted in a separate line due to their
distinctive and important ability to present data in a clear, intuitive way using various
scales, indicators etc. Through such control panels, users can monitor the current state of
key indicators and processes and compare them with the intended, target values. Such panels
allow you to extract operational information from business applications and make it
available in real time.
Ad hoc Queries
Ad hoc queries are an opportunity for users to create and execute unique, non-standard
queries independently (without the involvement of IT professionals). To implement such
capabilities in the BI platform, there should be a developed semantic layer which allows you
to find and extract the necessary information from available sources. In addition, the
system should have tools for auditing these requests to ensure that they are correctly
executed.
Integration with Microsoft Office Applications
In some cases, the business intelligence platform is used as an intermediate tool for
performing analytical tasks in compliance with best practice and data security rules. At the
same time, the products of the Microsoft Office family (in particular Excel) can act as the
client portion of the BI system. For these cases, the business intelligence vendor needs to
provide full integration with Microsoft Office systems, including support for document
formats, formulas, summary tables and data update mechanisms, and in the expanded version
also mechanisms for blocking individual cells and for "backing up" to the database data.
Search Capabilities
You can add search indexes to both structured and unstructured data sources and combining
them into a classified structure with certain dimensions (often using the BI semantic layer)
so that users can easily navigate and explore data through the interface’s search function
(like Google).
Mobile Features
This functional unit combines tools that allow for the delivery of reports and analysis
panel content to mobile devices (such as smartphones and tablets), as well as using
interactive features of the device and other options not usually available on desktops and
laptops (e.g. geolocation).
Our activities in this area are wide-ranging and include implemented and successfully functioning
systems for corporate management reporting, key performance indicators, budget management, accounting
and tax reporting, investment management, risk management, etc.
Clients
Integration Options
BI-infrastructure - all BI platform tools must be implemented "in a single key", including common
metadata, a single object model, an end-to-end security model, administration, portal integration
and a common query engine.
Metadata management is perhaps the most important of the criteria. All tools within a single
platform must not only consolidate the metadata model, but also a single tool for searching,
retrieving, storing, reusing and publishing metadata objects such as arrays, hierarchies, sets,
metrics and reporting elements.
Development
The BI platform should provide both users and developers with a set of specific tools for creating BI
applications that can be integrated into each other and build into end-to-end business processes,
including those introduced into third-party (external) business apps. At the same time, at least some of
the tools should be available at the intuitive level where programming skills are not required,
preferably with a graphical interface. In addition, the development environment must support Web
services for tasks such as management and administration, information delivery, compliance with
schedules and work procedures.
Interaction
The BI platform should contain the means for exchanging both information itself and opinions about the
results obtained. These tools can be implemented in the form of discussion forums and conferences. In
addition, BI apps must be able to assign tasks to specific users based on certain business rules and
track their execution. Sometimes, in order to implement these tasks, you have to use separate standalone
applications.
We Can Help Automate Your Data
If you feel the need to automate the processes of receiving and processing large data streams, contact
us. Our team can offer you unique business intelligence tool development to implement your dreams of
routine operation automation and efficiency growth!
