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Despite substantial organisational investments, business leaders often seem to be dragging their feet while pushing widespread adoption of business intelligence (BI) and analytics within their teams. This reluctance to leverage data insights for informed decision-making stems from several factors.  

Traditional data analysis relied heavily on IT support and data analysts. This dependency causes delayed delivery of critical insights to functional teams, severely inhibiting their ability to respond quickly to changing business situations. Reliance on analysts for providing reports also limits data exploration capabilities to unearth deeper intelligence into the dynamics of business and market forces.  

Self-service analytics aims to change this. It democratises data access and empowers CXOs and their teams to analyze data independently without needing the constant assistance of IT or data analysts. With user-friendly interfaces and intuitive drag-and-drop functionalities, self-service analytics reduces the need for deep technical knowledge.  

Leaders can navigate and interpret data autonomously. This independence fosters data exploration, enabling decision-making with actionable insights derived from the real-time data. 

New-age dashboards  

Traditionally, dashboards have been the interface through which functional heads access, interpret and utilise data. Interactive and modern visualisations transform complex datasets into easily understandable insights. Pre-defined metrics provide CXOs with a quick snapshot of key indicators at a glance along with an overview of organisational health and performance. 

With dashboards, business leaders can track progress toward strategic goals and identify areas for improvement, enabling them to steer their team with informed choices. When dashboards integrate real-time data, they become even more powerful, having the most updated information on market conditions and customer behavior.  

Modern BI dashboards use artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and generative AI (GenAI) to power advanced data analytics and discern complex patterns and trends that may not be apparent with traditional methods. AI and ML add predictive capabilities to forecast future market behavior and anticipate customer actions with greater accuracy. These insights are useful for strategic planning and to capitalize on emerging opportunities.  

GenAI converts static reports to dynamic data visualizations with compelling narrations. Leaders can explore different market scenarios to gain richer insights and a better appreciation of the competitive forces at work. Storytelling with data develops clearer business sense and aligns stakeholder perceptions.  

Enhancements with self-service features 

Dashboards are pre-built by analysts to alleviate their workloads. They serve as a valuable interface streamlining data analysis, saving technicians time and effort. However, these dashboards are designed with a broad audience in mind, covering general metrics and KPIs relevant to the organization as a whole. No wonder they often fall short to meet the focused needs of individual business managers and teams. 

When self-service analytics is integrated within modern dashboards, these limitations are surmounted and additional benefits emerge, transitioning how organizations interact with data. Information can now be tailored to the specific needs of each business manager, team or staff. They can customise their dashboards according to their unique preferences and objectives.  

Personalised dashboards can display relevant KPIs and metrics for each team, and visualisations align with their specific roles and responsibilities. Insights are thus uniquely pertinent for their decision-making processes. Users can also experiment with different metrics, visualisations and analytical techniques, refining their understanding of the data. The continuous experimentation, iteration and customisation keep improving the data analysis capabilities and user trust in data insights.  

Designing self-service dashboards 

A meticulous approach is required to build high-performance and effective self-service dashboards, based on user needs, data quality, governance and security. 

Listing the key questions and metrics most relevant to each functional leader’s role should be the first step in design. Prioritising clarity and navigation allows CXOs to quickly locate and interpret the information they need. 

Drill-down functionalities are critical to enable deeper analysis when necessary, allowing exploration of underlying data to uncover valuable insights. A hierarchical exploration of information empowers users to extract hidden patterns that can underline strategic actions. Deeper data exploration not only helps understand complex datasets but also fosters an enterprise-wide data-driven culture.  

Regular data maintenance and integrity validation of data sources are vital to building and sustaining trust in the information presented by the dashboards. These processes keep the data up-to-date, consistent and free from manual errors to reinforce confidence in its integrity and enhance transparency in insights generated.  

Dashboards may contain sensitive information. Stringent security measures can help protect it from any probable risks or vulnerabilities. For example, users can have necessary access relevant to their job requirements and roles, safeguarding the data against unauthorized access or data breaches. Regular security audits help identify and address any system vulnerabilities.  

In the future 

The integration of advanced technologies along with self-service data analytics holds immense potential for modern enterprises. These tools work synergistically to provide CXOs with a comprehensive data analysis experience, enabling them to uncover multi-dimensional business insights.  

Advanced AI/ML features further enhance the interface with business-oriented, codeless data exploration. CXOs can interact with data using natural language queries, making the analysis process simpler, intuitive and efficient. They can anticipate and mitigate risks effectively with real-time scenario simulations with AI exploring multiple potential business outcomes. 

Mobile accessibility promises dashboard access on the go, anytime and anywhere. Business leaders can stay informed, monitor performance, make decisions and take action swiftly, responding to emerging situations. The increased agility and responsiveness can enhance the organisation’s competitiveness and adaptability in today’s highly dynamic marketplace. 

As new technical applications emerge, their integration with self-service analytics is making data work for everyone and with remarkable ease.  

Anurag Sanghai, Principal Solution Architect, Intellicus Technologies