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Tag: Augmented Analytics
Business Users Can and Will Use Embedded BI to Improve Performance!
If your organization is considering BI tools or augmented analytics but your management or IT team believes it will be too difficult to engender user adoption, it is important to understand your options. With the right tools and strategy, your enterprise can implement analytics, democratize data and improve data literacy, assuring user adoption and a significant return on investment (ROI) and low total cost of ownership (TCO).
‘With the right solution and features, and an Embedded BI solution with integration APIs, the organization can offer its business users the tools they need, and make user adoption as easy as possible.’
In the Gartner Analytics and BI Magic Quadrant customer reference survey, the average modern analytics and BI Adoption rate is 35%. But that doesn’t have to be you! There are numerous reasons for poor user adoption. In this article, we discuss the factors for success and how your business can ensure user adoption and improved performance.
Provide augmented analytics that leverage Integration APIs to support embedded BI tools within enterprise applications and public websites. Intuitive, self-serve tools put the power of facts, data and business insight in the hands of business users. With access to self-serve analytics from within familiar enterprise apps, BI adoption and use increases exponentially. Business users can access augmented analytics and BI tools from within their enterprise applications or mobile apps and enjoy deep dive capabilities, engender collaboration, data sharing and fact-based decisions. Because these tools are accessible and easy to use, your business users will WANT to use analytics.
Provide Single Sign-On Access (SSO). SSO means your users can log in to their favorite, familiar app using existing login credentials. Your IT team will have the confidence of leveraging existing security protocols including OAuth2, OpenID and other custom SSO authentications and enterprise developers can implement custom SSO authentication using AD or Open LDAP to link analytics with existing portals or applications. Business users do not need to understand or consider any of those security issues. All they need to know is that they can login to their enterprise app and have access to embedded BI and augmented analytics within that application. Again…it’s easy so they are more likely to adopt and use the tools.
Provide Embedded BI Objects from within your application(s) with easy to use, scalable Integration API so business users can leverage Dashboards, Crosstab, Tabular, KPIs, Graphs, Reports, Clickless Analytics for simple, intuitive searches using natural language processing (NLP). These new features and tools will allow your users to enjoy sophisticated analytics without extensive training and will provide them with valuable insight and support for fact-based decisions.
Businesses that report poor user adoption of analytics typically fall short on planning and do not provide the right tools or the right environment to support user adoption. With the right solution and features, and an Embedded BI solution with integration APIs, the organization can offer its business users the tools they need, and make user adoption as easy as possible. If a business user has easy access, great new features and obvious value to support their role and their responsibilities, the enterprise can ensure user adoption and great return on investment (ROI).
‘Provide augmented analytics that leverage Integration APIs to support embedded BI tools within enterprise applications and public websites’
Leverage the Smarten approach to Embedded BI And Integration APIs to add powerful functionality and provide access to existing ERP, SCM, HRMS, CRM or any other products and to provide analytics capabilities within existing products without major Investment. Reduce time to market and stay ahead of the competition!
Original Post : Embedded BI & Integration APIs Ensure User Adoption!
Listen to the Experts: Citizen Data Scientist Results are Real!
Gartner has predicted that, ‘a scarcity of data scientists will no longer hinder the adoption of data science and machine learning in organizations.’ As businesses embrace the concept of transforming business users to Citizen Data Scientists, the Gartner prediction takes on a very practical application and enterprises try to sort through the roles of data scientists, business analysts and Citizen Data Scientists.
‘You can be a subject matter expert, or a professional trained in a very specific business function or industry and you can combine this expertise with augmented analytics to achieve your goals.’
Those at the top of major corporations, with experience in managing the reality of the data science landscape, are now realizing that they can create a collaborative environment that includes those who have data science and statistical experience, as well as those who have professional experience that is brought to bear for operational and strategy decisions by combining industry and domain knowledge with intuitive data tools and solutions.
In a recent CDOTrends Article, experts describe a data analytical environment that includes economists, engineers, data scientists and others from varied disciplines. In another publication in Fortune Magazine, experts talk about the very real evolution of data science and the fact that professionals at all levels will need to use, and WILL be using, data and analytics.
These articles point out the fact that Gartner predictions are now a reality, and that data science is proliferating across organizations of all sizes in all industries. Foundational data science skills are important but, as Gartner has predicted, the sophisticated, professional data scientist training is not required for business users to participate in, and benefit from, data analytics. Augmented analytics, designed for use by business users, provide tools that are easy enough for all users, and allow for natural language processing (NLP) and search analytics in an environment where users only have to ask a question, and can then allow a system to provide the context-oriented response they need to gain insight into an issue.
You can be a subject matter expert, or a professional trained in a very specific business function or industry, and you can combine this expertise with augmented analytics to achieve your goals. Data Scientists can then focus on strategic initiatives where analytics must be 100% accurate. When a business provides support for business users to transition into Citizen Data Scientists, the tools allow business users to leverage sophisticated techniques and to become more data literate and comfortable with analytics as part of their day-to-day workflow and business processes.
All of this is a long way of saying that Citizen Data Scientists are a reality today, and that the evidence of efficacy and effectiveness exists in many organizations today.
‘Combining professional experience to make operational and strategy decisions, and a user’s industry and domain knowledge with intuitive data tools and solutions is a powerful benefit to the enterprise.’
As we gain experience with the new reality of distributed data science, we hear from senior executives and experts who have seen the good and the bad of the evolution. And, the experts tell us that the most important trait of successful data analysis is curiosity. Citizen Data Scientists can use their experience in their role to ask the right questions and allow the new generation of augmented analytics solutions to provide the answers, without coding or sophisticated data science skills. Business users can easily understand what the data is saying in layman’s terms and translate complex issues into insight that is easy to understand.
Transforming business users into Citizen Data Scientists, provides advantages to the organization, to the business users and to data scientists. Today, businesses can explore a FREE Online Citizen Data Scientist Course, and the right augmented analytics solution, and organizational planning, to build a solid foundation and business user confidence. The business should also consider engaging an IT consulting partner with knowledge of the augmented analytics market, and a solution and support services to provide the guidance and Products And Services your business will need to succeed.
Original Post : The Efficacy of Citizen Data Scientists is Proven!
Ensure Business Users Will Adopt BI Tools with Self-Serve BI and Cross-Tab Analytics!
Gartner has predicted that, ‘90% of corporate strategies will explicitly mention information as a critical enterprise asset and analytics as an essential competency.’ Establishing the strategy is one thing, but getting business users to adopt an analytics and information-based business workflow is quite another.
‘Modern business intelligence tools that are designed with self-serve features makes it easy enough for every user (no matter their technical skill) to leverage analytics to report, share and collaborate.’
When it comes to teams, there are two things that are always true: 1) they learn a process and workflow and rarely want to change that familiar process and 2) they are always suspicious of ‘new’ initiatives and nearly always believe that these new initiatives will result in more work for them. There is a reason your team resists new processes and initiatives and that reason is simple. Usually, their fears are warranted!
So, if you want to engender support for new analytics initiatives and engage a business community in fact-based, action-oriented initiatives, you need to plan this new initiative with your users in mind.
In this article, we focus on two of the primary components of a new business user analytics initiative.
Self-Serve BI Tools
Modern business intelligence tools that are designed with self-serve features like smart data visualization, self-serve data preparation and assisted predictive modeling make it easy enough for every user (no matter their technical skill) to leverage analytics to report, share and collaborate. By adding value to the user’s everyday tasks and reducing the rework and issues they will confront, you can encourage your users to adopt analytics initiatives.
- Any promotion of analytics strategy must clearly illustrate business use cases and benefits of these tools.
- Support a more productive, streamlined environment that will allow them to do more with less and get the job done quickly.
- Ensure that business users can collaborate and share and grow their own expertise and visibility.
- Provide measurable results and information to make recommendations and support those recommendations.
Cross-Tab Analytics Capabilities
Those self-serve tools should include reporting and graphical tools that are clear and concise. Business users don’t want tools that produce complex reports filled with columns and mind-numbing numbers that do not help them reach a decision or illustrate an issue. Cross-tab analytics have been around for some time but the new, improved versions of this capability provides real insight into data in a way that is clear for every user. Sophisticated functionality is underpinned with easy-to-use tools so users can analyze the relationship between or among two or more variables and summarize data in rows and columns making it easy to understand the relationships and intersection of the various types of data. Understanding relationships in data is crucial to identifying the root cause of a problem or to targeting an issue or identifying a business opportunity. Your team members can work with multi-dimensional data and perform ad-hoc queries to gain a clear view of performance, dive into your data, and find and understand the data they need quickly and intuitively. Cross-tab analysis simplifies complex data operations, summary operations, time series functions, filters and custom column expressions and enables business users with simple tools they can really use.
‘If you want to engender support for new analytics initiatives and engage a business community in fact-based, action-oriented initiatives, you need to plan this new initiative with your users in mind.’
Business Intelligence tools can improve your business results. If your business understands the challenges of implementing a business intelligence solution and adequately plans for implementation and user adoption, it can leverage the benefits of these tools and solutions and ensure success. Let us help you achieve your vision and improve productivity and insight across the organization.
Original Post : Enable User Adoption with Self-Serve BI and Cross-Tab Analytics!
How Do I Know if I Need to Integrate Analytics with My Tally ERP Solution?
You made sure you gave your business users the software they need to support their business function. Tally® ERP is popular among your team members. Accountants are using the appropriate module to enter data and print reports. Inventory managers are managing stock, and purchasing managers are coordinating suppliers, supplies and expenses. But you’ve been hearing about analytics at all the conferences and in the industry trade papers and you wonder whether you need to take your Tally ERP solution to the next level with integrated analytics.
‘Your users can still enjoy the familiar features and functionality of Tally ERP while adding the capabilities of integrated augmented analytics and out-of-the-box reporting to enable data-driven decisions,’
Gartner predicts that, ‘By 2023, overall analytics adoption will increase from 35% to 50%, driven by vertical- and domain-specific augmented analytics solutions.’ While your business may not be in a narrow vertical industry or a market with limited competitive dimensions, the concept of vertical and domain specific analytics can be applied to financial service practices or to a business unit within any enterprise that is dedicated to accounting, managing finances, controlling expenses etc. The reason is simple. No matter the type of company or industry in which is participates, the needs, regulatory specifications and requirements for reporting are specific to accounting, finance, and other departments that control investment, expenses and revenue.
If your business is considering adding integrated analytics to your existing Tally ERP solution, here are some things to consider that may help you answer the question, ‘how do I know if I need to integrate analytics with my Tally ERP solution.’
You Need Clear, Concise Information
When your business users are confined to the data and reports for their particular function, e.g., accounting or inventory, there is no flexibility and no way (short of expensive customization or IT report requests) to create a clear picture of a particular issue or question. Business user access to reports and data is restrictive and limited to columns and simple graphs that do not tell a story or reveal the root cause of a problem or the hidden opportunities within the data to improve products, pricing, purchasing agreements, tax strategies, investment opportunities, etc.
You Need Reporting and Analytics that Cross Business Functions
Users do not have access to comprehensive reporting for sales, tax, receivables, payables, cash, banking, accounting statements or other needs but rather must depend on simple templates and reports. Reporting is limited to a particular business function and data cannot be gathered across modules and analyzed to highlight issues that cross business function boundaries or opportunities for collaboration or process improvement.
You Need Mobile Access to Workflow and Reporting
Users are limited to desktop or, in some cases, browser access. No true, flexible mobile access is available to accommodate native operating systems (OS) and provide simple, user-friendly analytics for team members who must perform tasks, analyze data and report and share information while on the road.
You Need Measurable Results
Your business has the data in Tally ERP but needs to establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and provide metrics for measurable results against objectives and goals.
If some or all of these issues sound familiar to you, your business may wish to consider simple, integrated, mobile augmented analytics for Tally ERP.
‘You’ve been hearing about analytics at all the conferences and in the industry trade papers and you wonder whether you need to take your Tally ERP solution to the next level with integrated analytics.’
Your users can still enjoy the familiar features and functionality of Tally ERP while adding the capabilities of integrated augmented analytics and out-of-the-box reporting to enable data-driven decisions, gain insight into issues, and identify opportunities with intuitive dashboards, KPIs and reporting. Users can analyze data using a myriad of value-added tools and features.
Find out how the addition of SmartenApps For Tally will support your accounting-related analytical initiative and bring your team and your business to the next level. Users can Download And Register for SmartenApps for Tally and use Tally data to analyze, explore and clarify.
Original Post : Should I Add Integrated, Mobile Analytics to Tally ERP?
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Original Post : Smarten Support Portal Updates – September – 2022!
What Should My Business Consider When Selecting a Mobile BI Solution?
As a business considers the implementation of a BI Tool and access to augmented analytics for its business users, it must define its requirements carefully in order to satisfy its corporate goals and its user needs. In today’s on-the-go work environment, mobile BI and the concept of an augmented analytics app are necessary components of the analytics strategy.
‘Ensure that the Mobile BI solution does not require expensive, extensive customization of dashboards or of the app in order to satisfy your business and user requirements.’
Gartner predicts that, ‘data literacy will become an explicit and necessary driver of business value, demonstrated by its formal inclusion in over 80% of data and analytics strategies and change management programs.’
If the business wishes to encourage data literacy and increase business value, it must carefully select its analytical tools and solutions. In this article, we provide a short list of factors your business should consider when selecting a business intelligence and augmented analytics tool with mobile capabilities.
Support for Devices
Be sure your solution provides mobile support for iOS and Android, with a seamless user experience that accommodates all screen sizes and resolutions.
Out-of-the Box Functionality
Ensure that the Mobile BI solution does not require expensive, extensive customization of dashboards or of the app in order to satisfy your business and user requirements. Features and functionality should be out-of-the-box so you can get started right away.
Access to Crucial Features
Some mobile analytics solutions provide restrictive access and provide read-only limitations, or only display pieces of the information from the data sources. Be sure your Mobile BI App provides intuitive dashboards, graphs, key performance indicators (KPIs), PDF reports and natural language processing (NLP) searching all within the mobile app. Users should be able to login, browse and search objects and perform interactive analytics, with access to ‘favorites’ and recently used objects.
Integration with File Formats
Your Augmented Analytics App should allow users to access objects via PDF and XLS and share data via WhatsApp, email or other sharing apps on their device.
Appropriate Security and Access
The Mobile BI solution should provide access rights and security, defined on a server to ensure security and privacy and access at the correct level, given the user credentials.
Mobile Hosting
Your Augmented Analytics App should be flexible and agile enough to host from anywhere within the IT infrastructure – on premises, or via public or private cloud.
Licensing
Be sure the augmented analytics provider is not charging expensive add-ons for the mobile app. If you currently have a license for augmented analytics, the mobile BI app should be an easy add-on, without expensive fees, and should be easy to download and implement and easy for users to adopt and use right away.
‘In today’s on-the-go work environment, mobile BI and the concept of an augmented analytics app are necessary components of the analytics strategy.’
Explore Smarten Mobile Augmented Analytics And Mobile BI and add powerful functionality and access for your business users with out-of-the-box Mobile BI and advanced analytics for every team member in your enterprise. For more information on Mobile BI and Augmented Analytics, read our articles, ‘Considering A Mobile BI App? Understand The WHAT Of Mobile Augmented Analytics Before You Choose’, and ‘The Importance Of Adding A Mobile BI App To An Augmented Analytics Strategy.’
Original Post : What to Know to Choose the Right Mobile BI Solution!
How Can I Improve ROI for Tally ERP? It’s Simple! Add Analytics!
Surveys reveal that the top three vertical industries currently using Tally ERP include Manufacturing, Retail and Real Estate. No matter what your business industry is, if you are using Tally ERP, you want to get the most out of your investment. As with any software solution, IT teams and executives constantly look for the tools that will give them the most benefit and value for the least investment. So, Return on Investment (ROI) is paramount!
‘Using the existing data and data structure within Tally ERP, analytical tools can provide additional insight and value to the organization, to business users, to clients and to the bottom line.’
If you are using Tally ERP, your team members probably depend on it for accounting, inventory, purchasing, sales, and other finance-related and data management activities. Why not add more value to the organization and to the clients and colleagues it serves?
Provide Value to the Organization, Users and Clients
Today, Tally ERP provides an integrated data analytics solution with out-of-the-box reporting and tools that are easy enough for every team member, no matter their technical skills. By enabling business users to sign in to Tally ERP and gather and analyze data across modules with clear, concise reporting, the enterprise can make decisions more quickly, add value in making recommendations to business units and, in a practice management environment, to clients, and thereby improve return on investment (ROI) and customer/client and user satisfaction.
Ensure Mobile and In-Office Access for Users
Cloud-based access through the web or a native mobile app provides access from anywhere and allows users to perform tasks, check on transactions in near real-time, and keep workflow going whether they are working remotely, on the road to a client meeting or in the office. Business users can leverage the familiar Tally ERP app without having to learn difficult, complex analytical techniques or new solutions.
Expand Insight and Reporting Capabilities
The key to improving ROI and the value your team delivers lies in combining team member knowledge of their domain and area of expertise with clear, concise data. By going beyond standard, restrictive reporting and enabling analytics, business users can see trends and patterns, problems and opportunities.
Serve All Business Users with Meaningful, Easy-to-Interpret Data
Sales Managers can monitor and manage sales for monthly, quarterly and yearly results and identify trends, top customers etc. Customer service, supplier and other management teams can manage payables and receivables and stay on top of creditors and debtors and can easily analyze the success and trends of products, services and components. Inventory managers can analyze shortages and overages, suppliers, products, shipping and distribution. Tax professionals can manage and anticipate taxes for future periods. Business users can monitor and manage cost center balances. The list is endless and the tools provided allow users to drill down to the ledger and transaction level to better understand what is happening. Reports are interactive and allow team members to slice and dice data across modules by vendor, product, service, cost, sales person, location, customer, inventory, costs, etc. Using the existing data and data structure within Tally ERP, these analytical tools can provide additional insight and value to the organization, to business users, to clients and to the bottom line.
‘The key to improving ROI and the value your team delivers lies in combining team member knowledge of their domain and area of expertise with clear, concise data.’
Find out how the addition of SmartenApps For Tally will support analytical initiatives, improve Return on Investment (ROI) for Tally ERP, and provide benefits to your users and your enterprise. Users can Download And Register for SmartenApps for Tally and use Tally data to analyze, explore and clarify and to provide insight to clients, colleagues, management and team members.
Original Post : Combine Tally ERP with Analytics and Improve ROI!
Imagining the Impact of Citizen Data Scientists!
Technology research and analysis firm, Gartner, coined the term, ‘analytic process automation.’ This process ‘converges data science, analytic and process automation into a single platform—which helps companies automate and integrate the way data and business processes come together. Companies can also make data more actionable across the organization.’
‘By providing augmented analytics tools to all business users, with appropriate access and security, each team member has seamless, clear insight into data and can apply analytics to support their roles and responsibilities.’
When an enterprise undertakes a Citizen Data Scientist initiative, it is striving to do just that. In other words, the business wants to make data more actionable across the organization.
In this article, we review the possibilities of the Citizen Data Scientist environment in an effort to help your organization imagine the new business landscape.
Power Users and Champions
With the right augmented analytics tools, designed specifically for business users, team members can leverage analytics, smart data visualization, self-serve data prep and predictive analytics and all of the sophisticated analytical techniques they will need to make fact-based decisions and recommendations. Those team members who are curious about analytics and comfortable sharing knowledge of these technology tools will become power users and champion the democratization of data and data literacy throughout the organization. This cultural shift will take team members out of the ‘wait and see’ environment and avoid guesswork and opinion, and the delays and data gaps that occur when a business user must depend on IT or on data scientists to get detailed, concise reports.
Business Process Streamlining
By enabling personalized dashboards and pushing alerts and reports, businesses processes can be streamlined and users can create dependable processes and actionable data without wading through restrictive reports, or trying to interpret information coming from disparate sources and staff members. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) provide streamlined, data-based metrics and measurements and keep the team on track.
Collaboration
Augmented Analytics solutions that support business users encourage collaboration and data sharing and allow users to test theories and hypothesize, sharing the results of their research and creating business use cases that can be applied to real-world issues, challenges and opportunities.
Goals and Objectives
By providing augmented analytics tools to all business users, with appropriate access and security, each team member has seamless, clear insight into data and can apply analytics to support their roles and responsibilities. Actions and tasks can be tied to appropriate metrics and to specific goals and objectives to ensure that every team member is working to achieve business goals in a timely, accurate fashion.
‘When an enterprise undertakes a Citizen Data Scientist initiative, it is striving to make data more actionable across the organization.’
Transforming business users into Citizen Data Scientists, provides advantages to the organization, to the business users and to data scientists. With appropriate Citizen Data Scientist Training, the right augmented analytics solution, and organizational planning, the business can provide a solid foundation and build business user confidence by providing an introduction and fundamental information on Predictive Analytics and other tools these users will employ. The business should also consider engaging an IT consulting partner with knowledge of the augmented analytics market, and a solution and support services to provide the guidance and Products And Services your business will need to succeed.
Original Post : Imagine How Citizen Data Scientists Can Help Your Business!
Why is Business Intelligence Democratization Important for My Business?
Gartner research reveals that, ‘80% of organizations seeking to scale digital business will fail because they do not take a modern approach to data and analytics governance.’
If you are considering democratizing business intelligence gathering and analytics, you are not alone! Businesses today face more competition from local and global markets and every team member must work quickly and accurately in support of goals and objectives if the enterprise is to achieve its goals.
‘When senior executives and managers have reliable information and dependable recommendations and suggestions, they can improve performance and accuracy in forecasting, planning and demand.’
In this article, we discuss a few of the reasons a business should consider democratizing business intelligence and analytics within its team and how this type of initiative can be implemented to help your enterprise succeed.
Working Smarter
When you provide BI tools to your business users, you democratize data and begin to build a better understanding of the root cause of problems, the opportunities the business can leverage and the way forward to solving problems and creating business success. Team members can work smarter, with quick, concise access, and insight into data via self-serve solutions that streamline and simplify the typically complex analytical process and allow every team member to perform the analysis and, more importantly, to understand what the results are telling them.
Focusing on Core Responsibilities
When you democratize business intelligence and analytics with augmented analytics tools, IT team members, data scientists and business analysts can focus on strategic goals and on initiatives where data must be 100% accurate. Team members can use BI tools on a daily basis to test theories and gather and analyze information to support activities and tasks, collaborate with others and move forward, so EVERYONE can focus on their own roles and core responsibilities.
Supporting the Greater Good
When senior executives and managers have reliable information and dependable recommendations and suggestions, they can improve performance and accuracy in forecasting, planning and demand. Team leaders, business unit managers and others can realize long-term benefits and count on the fact that all team members are working with the right information, that information and analysis is based on current, integrated data and on measurable results. The organization can shift to a results-based environment where problems are analyzed and resolved and opportunities are leveraged to the greatest extent possible, so the enterprise can create an environment of continuous improvement.
Creating a Common Language
When all team members are using business intelligence to test theories and hypothesize, to solve problems and get to the root of a problem, to identify those all-important ‘nuggets’ of information that make a competitive difference, managers and executives can feel confident that the team is speaking a common language and that every team members knows how to find a problem, how to explain that problem and how to dependable recommendations to solve that problem.
‘Businesses should consider democratizing business intelligence and analytics within teams to help the enterprise succeed.’
Business Intelligence tools can support data democratization and improve your business results. If your business understands the challenges of implementing a business intelligence solution and adequately plans for implementation and user adoption, it can leverage the benefits of these tools and solutions and ensure success. Let us help you achieve your vision and improve productivity and insight across the organization.
Original Post : Should I Democratize Business Intelligence in My Business?
