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Demystifying Business Intelligence and Data Visualization: A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing the Right Tool for Your Business

In the contemporary landscape dominated by data, enterprises of every scale are acknowledging the significance of harnessing data to inform their decisions and secure a competitive advantage. Amidst the abundance of data accessible, the hurdle resides in proficiently scrutinizing and presenting this data to uncover actionable insights. Here is where the role of business intelligence (BI) and data visualization tools becomes paramount.


Business Intelligence and Data Visualization:

Choosing the right BI and data visualization tool can significantly impact your business's ability to interpret and act upon data effectively. However, with the multitude of options available in the market, selecting the best tool for your specific needs can be overwhelming. In this guide, we'll demystify the world of BI and data visualization tools, helping you navigate through the options and choose the one that aligns with your business objectives.


Understanding Business Intelligence and Data Visualization:

Before delving into the selection process, it's crucial to understand the fundamentals of business intelligence and data visualization. Business intelligence encompasses the processes, technologies, and strategies used to analyze and interpret data, enabling organizations to make data-driven decisions. On the other hand, data visualization involves presenting data in visual formats such as charts, graphs, and dashboards to facilitate easier comprehension and analysis.


Utilization of Business Intelligence and Data Visualization

Business Intelligence (BI) and Data Visualization tools have become indispensable assets for businesses across industries, offering a multitude of benefits and applications. Here are some key ways in which organizations can leverage BI and data visualization to drive success:


Utilization of Business Intelligence and Data Visualization:

  1. Informed Decision-Making: BI tools enable organizations to collect, analyze, and interpret vast amounts of data from various sources. By visualizing this data through charts, graphs, and dashboards, decision-makers gain valuable insights into business performance, customer behavior, market trends, and more. This allows them to make informed decisions quickly and effectively, leading to improved operational efficiency and strategic planning.
  2. Performance Monitoring: BI tools provide real-time monitoring of key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics, allowing organizations to track progress towards goals and objectives. Visualizing performance data enables stakeholders to identify areas of strength and weakness, pinpointing opportunities for optimization and growth. Whether it's monitoring sales figures, production output, or customer satisfaction scores, BI tools offer a comprehensive view of organizational performance.
  3. Predictive Analytics: Advanced BI tools leverage predictive analytics algorithms to forecast future trends and outcomes based on historical data. By analyzing patterns and correlations within the data, organizations can anticipate market shifts, identify potential risks, and seize opportunities before they arise. This proactive approach to decision-making enables businesses to stay ahead of the competition and adapt to changing market conditions effectively.
  4. Customer Insights: BI tools enable organizations to gain deep insights into customer behavior and preferences through data analysis and visualization. By segmenting customers based on demographic, geographic, and behavioral data, businesses can tailor marketing campaigns, product offerings, and customer experiences to better meet individual needs. This targeted approach not only enhances customer satisfaction but also drives customer retention and loyalty.
  5. Operational Efficiency: Data visualization tools streamline data analysis and reporting processes, saving time and resources for organizations. By automating repetitive tasks and generating interactive visualizations, BI tools empower users to focus on value-added activities such as data interpretation and strategic planning. This improves overall operational efficiency and productivity, allowing businesses to allocate resources more effectively and drive growth.
  6. Regulatory Compliance: BI tools help organizations ensure compliance with regulatory requirements by providing accurate and transparent reporting capabilities. By consolidating data from disparate sources and generating standardized reports, businesses can demonstrate compliance with regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and SOX. This minimizes the risk of non-compliance penalties and reputational damage, safeguarding the organization's integrity and credibility.

Key Considerations When Choosing a BI and Data Visualization Tool:

  1. Scalability: Consider the scalability of the tool to ensure it can accommodate your growing data needs as your business expands.
  2. Ease of Use: Look for a tool with an intuitive interface that enables users of all skill levels to easily create and interpret visualizations.
  3. Integration Capabilities: Choose a tool that seamlessly integrates with your existing data sources and systems to streamline data access and analysis.
  4. Advanced Analytics Features: Assess the tool's capabilities for advanced analytics such as predictive modeling, forecasting, and machine learning to unlock deeper insights from your data.
  5. Customization Options: Determine the level of customization offered by the tool to tailor visualizations and reports to your specific requirements and branding guidelines.
  6. Collaboration and Sharing Features: Evaluate the tool's collaboration and sharing capabilities to facilitate teamwork and knowledge sharing within your organization.

How Dashboard Builder Simplifies Business Intelligence and Data Visualization:

Dashboard Builder stands out as a versatile and powerful tool in the realm of business intelligence and data visualization, offering a range of features that simplify the process of extracting insights from data. Here's how Dashboard Builder can aid in demystifying the complexities of BI and data visualization:


  • Intuitive Interface: Dashboard Builder boasts an intuitive drag-and-drop interface that enables users to effortlessly create visually appealing dashboards without the need for extensive technical expertise. This simplicity ensures that users of all skill levels can easily navigate the platform and create insightful visualizations.
  • Seamless Integration: Dashboard Builder seamlessly integrates with a variety of data sources, including databases, file formats, and online platforms. This integration simplifies the process of accessing and analyzing data from disparate sources, allowing users to gain a comprehensive understanding of their business operations.
  • Advanced Analytics: With Dashboard Builder, users can leverage advanced analytics features such as predictive modeling and forecasting to uncover hidden patterns and trends within their data. By harnessing the power of machine learning algorithms, Dashboard Builder empowers users to make data-driven decisions with confidence.
  • Customization Options: Dashboard Builder offers a range of customization options, allowing users to tailor dashboards and visualizations to their specific requirements and branding guidelines. Whether it's adjusting colors, fonts, or layout, Dashboard Builder provides the flexibility needed to create personalized and impactful visualizations.
  • Collaboration and Sharing: Dashboard Builder facilitates collaboration and knowledge sharing within organizations by enabling users to easily share dashboards and insights with team members. This promotes transparency and teamwork, ensuring that everyone has access to the same data-driven insights.

Conclusion

In summary, Dashboard Builder plays a crucial role in demystifying business intelligence and data visualization by providing an intuitive platform that simplifies the process of analyzing and visualizing data. With its seamless integration, advanced analytics capabilities, and customization options, Dashboard Builder empowers businesses to unlock the full potential of their data and make informed decisions that drive success.

At the heart of this discussion lies the pivotal role of Dashboard Builder in simplifying the complexities of BI and data visualization. By offering an intuitive platform that seamlessly integrates with various data sources, Dashboard Builder enables users to unlock the full potential of their data and derive actionable insights with ease.


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Online Dashboard Builder Overview

Online Dashboard Builder is a web-based tool that provides users to a user interface to organize and present information in a graphical user interface (GUIs) using their login credential using a web-browser on the web, without having the software installed on their PC or Laptop.


Online dashboard


A cloud-based tool by Dashboard Builder

Online dashboard is a cloud-based FREE online dashboard version of our Dashboard Builder's on-premises tool. The online version of web dashboard gives you the freedom to access your web dashboard from anywhere internet-connected computer and also enable you to embed the universal HTML code to display your charts or dashboard with the rapid development of web technologies (like APIs) to any website or web application to boast impressive functionality and feature-depth in a lightweight package.


Save money with a SaaS application

The online version of Dashboard Builder is a subscription-based Software as a service (SaaS) application which means no license fees are required. Additionally, it gives you the freedom to decide when to upgrade or downgrade your subscription plan. Our affordable plans are designed in such a way to adapt your needs.


Data security

The online dashboard takes the security of your data and information very seriously. We have taken many different steps to help ensure the safety of your data. This includes physical security practices, network security, standard processes, redundancy and business continuity.


Getting Started

In our online dashboard example, we are going to build a simple dashboard and then will generate Universal HTML code for our web application. For this, we will be demonstrating with our freely available online drag and drop Dashboard This is an online tool and no installation is required to run this tool.


Requirements

Online dashboard runs on all SVG-compatible browsers.

Online dashboard - browser support


Online dashboard examples

Before we really going into connecting the database and fetching the data, make sure that you have already had a user credential to launch the online dashboard builder. The dashboard online provides both paid and free 14 days trail services. Our FREE trial signup requires no credit card and allows you to log in and signup with one click, using your social networking users like Facebook, Google+ and Linkedin accounts.

If you haven't already signup please Signup with online dashboard.

Online dashboard - signup


Step-1: Enter your domain information.


You need to tell the online dashboard where you are going to embed the universal code. If you don't intend to use embed code then you may skip this step.

Extend the preferences menu and click on Domain Information after signing up with your online dashboard. Enter your website domain only, you don't need to enter any folder or sub-folder if you intend to execute your dashboard script from there. If you are using a sub-domain, then enter domain along with your sub-domain name, for example, http://subdomain.example.com

You may also need to enter your business name, business type, language (currently the online dashboard supports English language only) and your business email address along with your domain information. Click update to save your information.

Online dashboard - domain information screen


Step-2: Launch online dashboard


On the left navigation menu, click the Launch dashboard button to launch the online dashboard

Launch online dashboard


STEP-3: Connect with your Database


  • Access the web folder in your browser. e.g. http://localhost/dashboardbuilder following welcome screen will appear.
  • Online Dashboard welcome screen

  • This is the main panel of the online dashboard. This is a HTML5 based fully responsive interface built in PHP, HTML, JavaScript and CSS. The interface has a minimal design with a drag-and-drop feature that allows you to add multiple chart panel to customize the dashboard on according to the way you want.
  • Now Click the Database icon
  • Following screen will appear. In our online dashboard example, we will use the sample SQLite database called Northwind.db to connect and fetch the data. Now, Select Database from data source tab. Select SQLite from the drop down list of Database, Enter your "../data/Northwind.db" in the DB name field and Save changes as mentioned in the screen.
  • Online Dashboard - Select your Database

  • When you click the save changes, a green tick mark with Database will appear that shows that your database is successfully connected.

Online Dashboard - Preference screen


If you see a red cross sign that means the connection with database is unsuccessful. Make sure that your database is accessible remotely to %.dashboardbuilder.net


Go to your Cpanel and click the Remote MySQL link under the Databases tab

Online dashboard online cpanel


Enter %dashboardbuilder.net in the host field and click Add Host button

Online dashboard remotely

STEP-4: Chart settings


  • In our next step, we will fetch data from the database we have just connected. Select the gear icon for your Chart preference.

Online Dashboard - Database Connection

  • The following screen will appear. List of the tables from Northwind.db will appear on the table list as shown in the picture below.

Online Dashboard - Chart Preference


STEP-5: SQL statements


  • In our example, we will be creating a simple application using the universal HTML code for our sales management. This online dashboard will contain a chart where users can find the sales stats and maintain the data about the products.
  • Now, enter the following SQL statement in text box in a following manner

SELECT strftime('%Y-%m',o.shippeddate) as xaxis, sum(d.quantity) as yaxis from `order details` d, orders o where o.orderid = d.orderid group by strftime('%Y-%m',o.orderdate) limit 50


  • Now, we want to execute our query and fetch the data from the tables. Click the Run Query button

  • Query Result will appear. Now, we have to assign x-axis data to the x-axis column and y-axis data to the y-axis column. Select your x-axis data from the drop down list of X and y-axis data from the drop down list of Y .
  • Click Save Changes

Online Dashboard - SQL Query Result

  • Charts will be appeared on the screen as shown below.

Online Dashboard - Chart Preference

STEP-6: Adjust the position


  • You may adjust the size and the position of the Chart Panel by dragging its corner. The size and position are fully responsive according to the Bootstrap framework


STEP-7: Universal code generation


  • So far we have successfully build our dashboard. In this step we are going to generate the universal HTML code for dashboard we have just created. Click the Generate   button to auto-generate HTML code for our dashboard. This universal HTML code can be embed to anywhere in any platform. Click here for Online Dashboard Examples


Online Dashboard - Chart Preference



Auto-generated universal HTML code

Following is an example of auto-generated universal HTML code. You may copy & paste the following code in your web application.


<!--
 * DashboardBuilder
 *
 * @author Diginix Technologies www.diginixtech.com
 * Support  - http://www.dashboardbuilder.net
 * @copyright (C) 2018 Dashboardbuilder.net
 * @version 3.0
 * @license: This code is under MIT licence, you can find the complete information about the license here: https://dashboardbuilder.net/code-license

 * for auto layout use autolayout=true
 -->

<object type="text/html" data="https://api.dashboardbuilder.net?filename=mychart&autolayout=false" style="width:70%; height:100%;"></object>
 



This auto-generated HTML code is under MIT license, which you may customize as per your desire needs and can be used an anywhere you want. You can find the complete information about the license here

 


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