Reporting software can help users discover insights in raw data, while analytics tools take that one step further by transforming data into useful information. For business users, they transform information into organized tables or charts that help communicate valuable insights and motivate action toward goals.
These applications are generally user-friendly and allow self-service, making them available to a wide range of users, even those who do not have a lot of technical knowledge. Advanced analysis and predictive modelling might require more advanced knowledge and skills.
These solutions are typically equipped with a variety of functions including transforms of data, which alter and clean up raw data with filters and calculations, as well as other transformative processes. They also provide automated reporting, which delivers reports to decision makers on a regular basis. This makes sure that they always have access to the most recent information.
Additionally, these tools can typically contain visualization tools that can help users create and explore a variety of data-driven visual representations such as graphs and charts. This makes it easy to communicate valuable insights, and also to recognize patterns or trend in data.
When selecting a solution for reporting and analytics it is crucial to think about the needs of the different stakeholders within your company. For instance, a task team will have different requirements for the type of information they require to track and monitor, whereas executive and management teams will require more in-depth information about overall strategy performance. Also, you need to consider how these requirements can be aligned with specific goals and targets for your business.
