What is Data Visualisation Software? (External Blog x 1000)

The ability to translate metrics and data into graphs and charts is an incredibly powerful business tool, and Data Visualisation Software makes it happen.

Fundamentally, humans respond far better to data that’s visually represented, meaning that the people in organisations can make smarter decisions by better understanding key performance indicators (KPIs) to better understand current performance levels and future goals. The demand for Data Visualisation tools has grown an entire industry of software houses to provide dedicated platforms over the past ten years, building upon an ever growing flow of new data touch points and volumes.

The vast majority of businesses now appreciate how crucial data visualisation is, as well as the platforms on which they’re built and run.

When navigating huge volumes of data, Data Visualisation Software helps translate insights into something more tangible, understandable and human.

The majority of data visualisation tools allow user-friendly features, like the ability to drag & drop so a typical business user can build the required dashboards relating to their role in the business. However, for more advanced features some offer the ability to create dashboards using code.

Data visualisation solutions can interpret data from a variety of different sources, including file uploads, structured databases, as well as unstructured open source data.

Data visualisation tools that work in real-time (as well as other advanced analytics functions) are becoming more accessible than ever before, thanks to advances in the latest data visualisation software. Fresh innovation in data representation is now taking over with the ability to tell automated, interactive storytelling for different types of data that’s moving far beyond many established methods.

GPU-powered systems have the ability to take entire datasets in, thus enabling users to interactively visualise, query and power data workflows over billions of lines of data – in an instant.

Improvements in Data Processing Makes This Happen

High performance data loading is the bedrock for quicker and more efficient data visualisation and data analytics. It’s the quintessential step that must be taken in order to deliver the very best user journey for all accelerated data analytics processes.

The Data Bottleneck

Looking into the ever-increasing power of AI analytics tools to represent and overlay the growing number of sources and volumes of data, such as with the wide-scale adoption of IoT, the ever-increasing omnipresence of social media, as well as the legacy-based data sources held within businesses, there’s now a growing need to access and unlock the potential of this data like never before. By taking advantage of these tools, your business will be able to stay ahead of the competition throughout this ever more data-driven world. 

Up until recently, large datasets have had to be pre-defined, pre-aggregated and preloaded for the given data you are looking to query and represent visually. This is restrictive by nature, as in itself, only specific questions can be asked and performed on the pre-loaded data available. Furthermore, an inherently time-consuming process that requires specialist knowledge and resource dedicated to the data set builds, the flexibility of which is limited by the quality and availability of resources. This also incurs costs to the company – in terms of both utilisation of the specialist resource and by the lack of agility that a company will have, relative to its competition.

Advanced Data Visualisation Software is now used across virtually all industries to aid and enhance critical business decisions across financial services, telecoms, defence, logistics, pharmaceuticals and beyond.

GPU-accelerated systems revolutionise the whole process of data loading. Instead of using archaic (and much slower) CPU-based architecture, GPU-powered systems have the ability to take entire datasets in, thus enabling users to interactively visualise, query and power data workflows over billions of lines of data – in an instant.

Over the next coming years, the vast majority of businesses are expected to have systems that are cloud based, to meet all their infrastructure, software & data requirements.

Increased Data Alignment & Load Accuracy

The ability to load data seamlessly from a database into an analytics platform is a common pinch point for analytics users. All too often, inaccuracies in data rise – such as mismatching tables, which causes uploads to fail. Frustratingly, this often forces users to (practically) start again from the beginning – wasting precious time in repairing their data.

Speed

As the first process you undertake, data loading has to be quick. Not only for a better overall experience, but the faster data can be uploaded, the faster errors can be found & fixed. However, achieving this great speed in data loading can be a challenge; especially when dealing with huge datasets.

Over the next coming years, the vast majority of businesses are expected to have systems that are cloud based, to meet all their infrastructure, software & data requirements.

The Future of Data Visualisation & Data Storytelling

Over the next coming years, we can expect to see AI (Artificial intelligence) and BI (Business Intelligence) working together to create ‘Augmented Data’ and ‘Augmented Analytics’. This looks to deliver Automated Insights (also known as ‘data-based storytelling)which will help to illustrate key findings in a more autonomous way, relieving the need for busy work in preparing the compelling visualisations required for stakeholders.

Self-service BI aims to give end users the facility to generate dynamic reports that will give actionable insights with AI-enhancements, to include augmented data preparation, automated search engine reporting and more.

In addition to this, Cloud-based & Mobile BI is expected to grow exponentially, as working from home (and remotely) continues to be part of the new normal for a significant number of businesses in the post-pandemic world.

Summary

Data Visualisation Software will continue to play an important part of the business strategy and decision making process of companies and organisations worldwide, across virtually all sectors.

Author details :

Technology & finance blogger and experienced Head of Digital –  Dave has worked in digital for 10 years, in client-side, agency-side, and freelance capacities. He now writes engaging content and creates innovative digital strategies for tech and finance organisations of all sizes.He is the creator of Enviroute – A new travel app that is currently seeking investment. Dave spends more time than he cares to admit watching skateboarding videos and likes to express himself through the medium of internet memes!