Analyst in Action

Are you looking for advancement in basic symbol maps and geographical maps? Then this blog is for you. Tilemaps are the best head away for basic maps because in the latter the shape and sizes of the location play a crucial role. The basic highlight feature of any tilemap is all the regions are represented by the same shape or size. Shapes can vary from circle to hexagon or squares. Such maps play a vital role when the size of the region is not so important for the visualization.  This blog is inspired by one of the Tableau Zen Master. Matt Chamber's work is an inspiration for me and in today's blog, I will highlight the steps to draw tilemaps in Tableau Public. Kindly check out Matt's blog. Our focus is solely on the different states in the US. Tilemaps are a great advantage in such scenarios because there are a lot of smaller states in the US that aren't easy to identify in a standard map. Tilemaps come to the rescue in such cases. Tilemaps cannot be used when we are

Does your data visualizations are getting mundane? Have you ever wondered why? It can be due to several reasons but the primary reason is using the same graphs and visualization every time. In today's blog, we will look at different options of visualizing bar graphs i.e. rounded bar graphs. If you want to replace bar graphs then a round bar chart is a better option. A round or curved bar chart is quite similar to a basic bar graph but the former uses curve area instead of rectangles. Most data visualization and infographics are using it instead of bar graphs but many experts suggested that curved or round bar graphs can be baffling and imprecise in nature. A curved bar chart has only one dimension i.e. height which is the sole reason for making it complex to read by users. In my opinion, such sort of visualization improves the dashboard and makes it more dynamic in nature. Let's see how to create a curved bar chart in Tableau Public. To create it I am taking the Global Sample S

Let's continue where we left in the last blog. As we are quite familiar with the concept of parameters in Tableau Public ( Creating Parameter in Tableau ). In today's blog, we are going to create parameters in Power BI. Parameter is one of the most used features in Power BI as it saves time and makes the dashboard more dynamic in nature. You can easily create parameters in Power BI just by selecting the transform data and on top of that window you can see "Manage Parameter".  In this blog, the main objective is to see how parameter works and how it can improve the reports. To start off I am taking the Global Sample Superstore data into account. Before using parameters if we select regions and sales together we get a simple bar graph. Along with it if I add states then you can see all the states and their sales in the bar graph. It looks great as a method of representation but if your focus is data visualization then it looks really primitive in nature and not easy to

Let's start today's blog with some questions. Are you greatly indulge in creating data visualization? Do you want to come up with scenarios that aren't available in the data? If yes then this is the blog you really want to read. Parameters allow you to create features or scenarios which help the user to control the data in a much better way. You must be wondering how the users get a better control so mainly parameters allow the user to test different what-if scenarios that aren't available in the dataset. It is like some value that helps you to tailor your visualization according to the dataset. Options where you can use parameters in tableau- use it with calculated field or you can use it by combining with sets. We will look at both aspects in this blog. We can make the parameters more interactive and intuitive in nature by using parameter actions that allow users to change the value just by a click As mentioned, we are considering two basic aspects for creating parame

Data visualization is a key element of every business. If your business widely depends on data-driven decision making then data visualization can be the real star of the show. In today's business world data is the key to move forward. But the real challenge for every business is to interpret the data in real-time that's where data visualization comes into play. In my experience, I always prefer to get more intuitive graphs and charts in my dashboard. It will help the higher authorities and stakeholders to connect the dots in datasets and that's why I love data visualization and business intelligence tools.  Basic examples of data visualizations are sunburst charts, heat maps, funnel charts, fever charts, scatter plot graphs, waterfall charts, dual-axis charts, and many more. All these charts look really simple and intuitive but it requires a great effort to create such charts which can be understood by everyone. To make the visualization more meaningful and effective you ne

Have you wondered how to increase the speed while using big data? The basic answer is to bring automation to your workflow. But the question is whether data automation alone is sufficient to improve business performance? In my previous job experience, I have come across this question and my research suggests that both of them need to work together in order to speed up the process while avoiding human errors. If you have recurring data or repetitive datasets which need to fill over different duration then these options prove out to be hefty for any business. Let's get a basic idea of data automation and data optimization before starting the battle. Consider you receive quarterly data and every time you need to enter the data manually and along with it you need to create a visualization from it. This workflow sounds like it will take a couple of days at least to narrow down the time taken and to reduce errors we use data automation. Data optimization is always been a pillar for data

  Source SQL (Structured Query Language) plays a pivotal role in data analysis. The main purpose to create SQL is to help in managing data stored in Relational Database Management System (RDBMS). In elementary terms, it is the language that is used to interact with the database. You must be aware of the RDBMS which uses SQL extensively such as Microsoft SQL Server, Access, Oracle. SQL and SQL lite both follow the RDBMS model. Let's check out where these two differ. So let's understand what is SQLite ? SQLite act as a library for software. As compared to SQL it does not require any server to function. Generally, RDBMS requires a server to function. SQLite functions by combining the database to the application. The application help in interacting with the database. There is this term " self-contained " which is associated with SQLite which means it can operate on its own without the support of the operating system. This feature is the highlight of SQLite and makes it av

Do you want better control and flexibility in your business operations then this blog has a lot to offer you? All these can be achieved by a simple methodology called agile methodology. So what this uncanny term is? This methodology is used to define the development of software that is used in Business Intelligence and analytical tools. It is also called "Agile business intelligence methodology". Defining the development of software will allow any organization to work in a controlled and flexible manner. The umbrella of agile business has a lot of small sections but the main goal is to help businesses to adapt quickly to the market needs which is continuously evolving. The main advantage of such methodology is that in traditional methodology departments are focused on their tasks and goals and they won't inhibit the work of each other or there is no communication between the departments but this methodology allows that communication which makes the business more flexible

Source Does excel qualify as a Business Intelligence tool? Excel is a spreadsheet tool but it offers features such as graphs, charts, pivot tables, and a programming language called Visual Basics for Application (VBA). What kind of tools are considered BI tools? The primitive answer is the tools that help in collecting data and analyzing it to help in informed decision making. According to this excel qualify as a BI tool. But when you compare excel and other BI tools such as Microsoft Power BI it offers much more than excel. But professionals will argue that excel is always a go-to tool for analysis. If you compare a BI dashboard against the excel final reports you can easily gaze that the latter one is not that intuitive in nature which is a key feature that BI tools offer. Other than that excel reports can do the same work but in today's world, it looks obsolete in nature. BI dashboard is much more interactive in nature. Power BI sample dashboard Sample excel report As a user mys

Source Want to improve your business performance? You heard it right it can be achieved by implementing Business Intelligence tools in your business operations and utilize  big data  in effective decision making. Business Intelligence is a process that can help executives and managers to make informed decisions by analyzing data and by developing actionable insights out of it. It is one of the major concepts which can help your business grow.  There are several Business Intelligence tools available it all depends on your needs. Tableau, Microsoft Power BI, SQL, QlikView, and many more. All of them perform in a similar way but there are minute differences between them when it comes to their functionality. SAS ( SAS BI ): Business Intelligence: It is a great business intelligence platform that also offers advanced predictive analytics which can help to predict future business trends. There are several APIs offered by SAS to customize your analysis and reporting. QlikSense ( Qlik BI ): It

  Source Today, every electronic device is a source point to some sort of data. In the era of big data, you need certain tools to uncover the story behind those mere numbers. Business Intelligence and analytical tools make our life easier in devising actionable insights. When I started my analyst journey I was introduced to R Programming which comes under the umbrella of data analysis and later on I shifted to Tableau and SQL. I have worked more with BI but I won't let BA loose in this data battle. This blog mainly highlights the difference between Business Analytical tools and Business Intelligence tools. Both of them perform in a similar manner but they are different in functionality. Business Intelligence (BI) is a much wider category which includes Business Analytics (BA) and Data Analytics but overall all of them are data management systems. The very basic difference between them is BI focuses on descriptive analytics while BA focuses on predictive analytics. Descriptive analy