Key Features That Make An Ideal Data Visualization Platform

Gone are the days when stakeholders were spending hours analyzing numerical data and scanning through hundreds of excel sheets to identify patterns and derive insights. Today, Data Analytics and Visualization platform have enabled users to efficiently collate data from different sources to produce interactive visual reports beyond bar graphs and charts. Data Visualization is an effective form of analytics that uses graphical representation such as charts, heat maps, graphs to highlight trends and analyze patterns from the available data.

Understanding how to manipulate data to bring forward some hidden insights has a significant impact at the enterprise level. Capturing data and “crunching” numbers to derive business strategy has been around for decades, but the process of analyzing and extracting insights from the data has become more interactive. Adding Data Visualization capabilities to the existing Business Intelligence or simply leveraging a stand-alone data visualization software is a great way to empower the organization’s stakeholders. However, understanding the main capabilities, restrictions, and features of the platform is a necessity too.

1. Integrations

Seamless integration is an essential aspect that one must consider when choosing the data visualization platform. For example, if the data is stored in a data warehouse, NoSQL, or another cloud-based system, you should check the ease of connectivity of the platform with the data sources.

2. Data Drill-down

The best visualization platforms enable the users to drill down the data to gain deeper insights to produce high-quality charting and reports. In addition, a robust data visualization allows the users to compare data points from one aspect to another, allowing non-technical users to generate actionable insights.

3. Pre-designed Templates

Many organizations prefer to use a data visualization platform with pre-designed templates that make it easier for them to create interactive visualizations. Some widely used types such as Scatterplot, Sparkline, Gauge, Heat Map, Histogram, Box Plot, Tables, Indicators, TreeMap along with different charts such as Radar, Spider, Bar, Line, Area, Waterfall, Funnel, & Pie Chart should come pre-designed in any platform that you want are considering deploying.

4. Configurable Dashboard

One of the most underrated aspects of any data analytics tool is getting an overview of the insights in the form of a landing-page dashboard. Of course, most users expect to be greeted by the various charts and visualizations on the dashboard. Still, not many realize how important it is to have a dynamic, configurable dashboard that highlights hidden insights the users are looking for.

5. Easy Shareability

Another critical feature of a robust data visualization platform is broadcasting the insights and charts directly from the solution. Integrations with email, intranet, and 3rd-party applications such as slack and discussion boards help stakeholders access insights without hassle.

6. Interactive KPI-based Reporting

The more interactive the visual reports are, the better users can analyze them and implement strategies based on the insights. Some of the best data visualization tools can go beyond standard charts and trends and produce interactive reports based on the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that the users have predefined. One of the essential features of interactive reporting is that the tool allows users to view the insights in different formats and highlight specific aspects of the visualization that are key to their business strategy.

7. Mobile Access

Easy accessibility is a significant advantage during a time when many people are working from different locations. In addition, having a responsive web or mobile application that any user can access from their mobile phone enables any user to analyze data and extract actionable insights on the go, further empowering the business stakeholders to get real-time insights.

Choosing the most suited data visualization platform is a big decision for any business to become a data-driven organization. Not only is it a long-term investment, but it is also a critical success factor and will likely push the company ahead of its competition in the market. The features listed above are some of the key aspects that any suitable data visualization tool has. To ensure that the users are empowered, you must choose a platform with all of the features listed above.