How does data visualization facilitate data analysis?
What is data visualization / dataviz?
Data visualization is the visual representation of data. Often referred to as "dataviz", this practice involves questioning the meaning of data, in order to translate it into a readable form.
This practice is all the more important when information is plentiful, as in the case of Big Data!
Different ways of representing data, especially Big Data
How do you represent a dataset? Which formal expression is most appropriate: a histogram, a scatter plot, a graph? A vast array of possibilities is open to you.
In terms of spreadsheets, charts and graphs alone, there are :
- curves ;
- in areas ;
- surfaces ;
- radar (looks like a spider's web) ;
- bubbles ;
- in rings ;
- or in sectors (also known as pie charts).
Data design: giving meaning above all
Shape is not an accessory here. It's about making it the direct translation of your analysis. It's by asking yourself the question of meaning that you'll find the right form, the one that will make your data crystal-clear to read.
Data visualization is all about matching form to content: it's called data design.
How can data visualization help your business?
The power of the visual
Whether you're presenting an idea, arguing a point, detailing a reasoning or convincing, we all know how important visuals are - "a picture is worth a thousand words".
The same goes for your figures. Presented in raw format, they're hard to decipher. But when presented visually, they deliver a more immediate message.
A cross-functional tool
Datavisualization is useful for every department in your company, whether it's tracking inventory, assessing the state of finances, evaluating the development curve, or gauging the progress of a project.
Each division has its own KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), and having a visual representation of them helps to analyze them.
In-house or specialized dashboards?
Using a tool like Excel, you can build your own dashboards. However, although certain frames exist, you'll have to set up everything manually.
The ability to transform your data into a visual representation is a feature offered by many publishers in a variety of fields.
Genius Project, for example, offers dashboards for project management.
Publishers such as Eurelian Technologies, on the other hand, focus their solutions more specifically on e-marketing management.
On the other hand, dashboards such as those from Vizzboard are perfectly suited to all aspects of sales performance management.
- Genius Project: project management, progress slider, task allocation, interdependency chart with staggered deadlines.
- Eurelian Technologies: e-marketing, data and impact analysis, ROI (Return On Investment), scope of actions deployed, acquisition results.
- Vizzboard: sales management, sales performance analysis, sales developed versus objectives, geographic coverage, pipeline.
How to deploy datavisualization in your company?
Open source data visualization software
Open source software solutions are also available. Their advantage is that they offer a wide range of customization options.
Depending on your business and the KPIs that are important to you, you can configure all your analysis tables without restriction.
However, this functional advantage is reserved for the initiated. It requires both time and expert profiles.
SaaS solutions
For the less experienced, specialized solutions in SaaS (Software as a Service) mode are more advisable.
These turnkey solutions offer you an easy-to-use control kit with cutting-edge analysis capabilities.
All you have to do is install the solution, it connects to your data, and the dashboards feed in spontaneously, providing you with an analytical vision in visual form.
Big Data for Business Intelligence: Qlik and Microsoft Bi
Depending on your analysis needs and the tools you use in your business, it's worth opting for one solution or the other:
- Microsoft BI, for example, is perfectly suited to companies that use this operating system for their entire IT estate.
- Alternatives such as Qlikview may be of interest, or Bime analytics if your datasets are similar to Big Data.
Datavisualization is a key feature for better data analysis. It's a way of presenting the essentials in a clear and relevant way.
A tool that includes dashboards with this functionality saves you time and makes it easier for your company's various departments to manage your data.
Article translated from French