Zoho Analytics
If you’re looking for a self — service business intelligence (BI) tool that proves itself capable of producing data visualizations without busting your wallet, then take a look at Zoho Analytics. With its intuitive user interface (UI), users of all skill levels should be able to easily navigate the product’s functionality. By the end of this blog, You will get a deep understanding of Zoho Analytics.
Introduction
In this blog we are going to see about the zoho analytics features by segregating as data collection, data preparation, data visualization, connectivity and collaboration. Let us dive deep into the ocean of Analytics by simply using Zoho Analytics as a tool.
Business Function
Get in — depth, actionable overviews of operations, ranging from sales, finance and marketing to resource management and geographical activity through geo visualization that facilitates comparison across and between regions.
Business people can perform deep analytical queries that increase their business intelligence through powerful features like pre-built formulas and functions that identify business metrics and smart forecasting to project future outcomes.
Technical Function
Contents:
- What is Zoho Analytics?
- Features of Zoho Analytics on Data Collection
- Features of Zoho Analytics on Data Preparation
- Features of Zoho Analytics on Data Visualization
- Features of Zoho Analytics on Integration
What is Zoho Analytics?
Zoho Analytics is a BI and Analytics platform, available both on the cloud and on-premises, that helps small to large organisations get valuable insights from their business data. It allows user to easily create and share powerful reports in minute with no IT help.
Zoho Analytics has become even more stronger with features like Zoho DataPrep, Unified data management, Analytics, Deep Augmented categories like Zia Insights, Conversational BI, Storytelling features.
Features of Zoho Analytics on Data Collection
Zoho Analytics allows you to import data from a wide range of data sources such as local files, Web URLs, Google Drive, Local/Cloud databases, popular business applications and from your custom applications for in-depth reporting and analysis. Import Data
- From Files
- From Feeds
- From Cloud Storage/Drive
- From Cloud Databases
- From Local Databases
- From Zoho Apps
- From Business Apps
- Enter Data Right Away
- From Zoho Analytics Workspace
- Zoho Analytics API
Features of Zoho Analytics on Data Preparation
Data preparation acts as a foundation in the creation of reports and dashboards. Zoho Analytics paved the way for the preparation of data by providing us some of the interesting features. Let us explore it one by one.
Data Merging:
Zoho Analytics allows you to link one or more tables using a feature called lookup column. This feature enables you to combine datasets while creating reports.
1. Lookup Column:
There are four ways to create a lookup table
- Auto — lookup while importing data
- Using edit design option
- From the table
- From the report builder
Auto — lookup:
Step -1 : While importing the data, you will be able to see the join tables option at the bottom right corner to lookup
Step -2 :Zoho Analytics automatically identifies the relationship and creates lookup between both the tables.
Using Edit Design Option:
Step 1: Click on the edit design option to define a lookup.
Step 2 : Define a lookup by mapping the column_name from the A table with the column_name from the B table.
From the table:
Step 1: Right click on the required column and select the change to lookup column option
Step 2 : Then define the lookup between the tables.
From the Report Builder:
Step 1:To go the report creation space
Step 2: Click on the “Include Tables” option from the left panel
Step 3 : Select the required table and define a lookup.
Step 4 : Columns from the selected tables will be displayed.
Then you can build a report and dashboard for deeper analysis.
Query Tables For Data Preparation:
Query table is a feature that enables you to prepare for easy reporting and analysis. You can combine data from one or more tables in a workspace and create specific data views using the standard SQL SELECT queries. These data views are similar to tables and you can perform operations such as report creation, sharing, and even create another Query Table over an existing Query Table.
You can create Query Tables for filtering datasets, batching datasets together(union), transforming data, applying SQL query functions, joining datasets and more.
Joining the Tables
Zoho Analytics supports the following joins:
- Left Join
- Right Join
- Inner Join
Using PIVOT Clause: We can split the distinct values from a column and transform them into multiple columns using the PIVOT clause. The PIVOT keyword rotates rows into columns. It transforms the input table in a query in such a way that each unique value in a chosen column is converted into a separate column in the output table.
Example: In this case, the employee data across department is in a single column.
Using the below query you can split the unique value of the column department into multiple columns as Sales, Project, Logistics, Business Management.
Output Table:
UNPIVOT Clause: The UNPIVOT keyword rotates columns into rows. It transforms the chosen columns in the input table into single column’s row values in the output table.
Imputation Of Null Values: For imputing the missing values, It doesn’t require any kind coding in Zoho Analytics. By selecting the options, We will make our dataset as a non null value dataset.
Set of options are provided by Zoho Analytics to fill the empty cell
- Previous cell value
- Next cell value
- Most frequent value
- Average value of the column
- Custom values like filling the empty cells by 0
- By using formulas, We can fill the empty cells
Splitting the Column
This can be very easy to understand with an example , If a column is named as consumer name and it comprises both first name and last name. In order to split the consumer name, we don’t require any delimiter functions as we do in excel. Only thing we want to do is just select some of the options to do it.
In this case, I splitted the consumer name by using a single tab as a column separator.
Features of Zoho Analytics on Data Visualization:
As we told earlier Zoho Analytics is a reporting software. It results in the creation of various reports and dashboards.
Creation Of Reports:
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Zoho Analytics helps us to create various reports. A drag and drop based designer of zoho analytics allows you to easily construct meaningful insights reports.
- Chart
- Pivot Table
- Summary view
- Tabular view
Chart:
Zoho Analytics supports wide range of charts such as Area, Line, Bar, Bubble, Packed Bubble, Pie, Scatter, Combination, Funnel, Web, Geo Map, Heat Map etc.
Pivot Table:
A PivotTable is an interactive way to quickly summarize large amounts of data. You can use a PivotTable to analyze numerical data in detail, and answer unanticipated questions about your data.
A PivotTable is especially designed for: Querying large amounts of data in many user-friendly ways.
Summary View:
Summary view enables you to view your summarized data in tabular formats. This report is extremely useful when you need to analyze a huge amount of data with logical grouping and appropriate summarizations in a visually intuitive manners.
You should drag and drop the required columns listed in the column list pane into the respective shelves in order to create a summary view. You can also select the check box adjacent to each column listed to auto place the columns into the appropriate shelves.
Group by shelf: The columns dropped in this shelf are grouped based on the unique values present in the column
The Summarize shelf: The data in the columns dropped in this shelf will be summarized based on the summary functions selected
Example:
Let us see how to create a simple summary view to summarize the Department details by Employment Status, Total Salary, Type of Contract, Status. Within this one summary table we will be able to know all the details of each department. We created this below summary view on the HR Management Table
Tabular View:
The list of features in the Tabular View are provided Zoho Analytics below:
About Shelves:
The following is a brief description of each shelf in the design of the tabular view.
Columns: Data from the columns dropped in this will be added as columns in the tabular view.
Group by section: Columns dropped in the group by section shelf will be used to group the tabular view into sections. Only one sectional group is allowed.
Group by block: Columns dropped in this shelf will group your tabular view data rows into blocks
Difference between Tabular view and summarizing view:
Both tabular view and summarizing view are visualized in tabular format. Then you may think what is the difference between tabular view and summarize view. We will explore the difference in the following lines.
Difference in the design:
Based on the design, we will differentiate the Tabular View and Summarizing View.
Tabular View : It contains three features
- Columns
- Group by section
- Group by blocks
Summarizing View : It contains two features
- Group by shelf
- Summarize shelf
Example:
Let us see an example for better understanding. In this example, we used the HR Management Table. We created two table (Table View, Summarizing View) to know more about the department details based on gender differentiation. Same concept viewed in two different methods below.
Tabular View:
Summarizing View:
Creation Of Dashboard:
In Zoho Analytics, the dashboards are created very easily. We can drag and drop the reports in the dashboard, add KPI widgets to the dashboard in a minute, and add a user filter to the dashboard.
How to create KPI widgets in Zoho Analytics dashboard?
Step 1 : Click on the widget option in the dashboard, It will navigate to the KPI widget editor page.
Step 2 : In KPI Widget Editor, we will select the widget, select the columns to be calculated.
Step 3: If you wish to use a filter, you can apply it as shown in the below picture.
After applying the filter, The created KPI Widget is shown to us in the dashboard as I attached below. The below KPI depicts us the total amount of salary concerning only the Business Management category in the Department field.
Zoho Analytics Integrations
Zoho Analytics can be integrated to the following platforms,
- Zoho Creator
- Zoho CRM
- Google Analytics
- Google Analytics 360 (formerly Google Analytics Premium)
- Google Drive
- Dropbox
- Dropbox Business
- Box
- Xero
- QuickBooks Online
- Zoho Projects
- Zoho Books
- Zoho Recruit
- Zoho Campaigns
- Zoho Survey
- SurveyMonkey
- Mailchimp
- HubSpot CRM
- Teamwork
- Zendesk Support Suite
- Stripe
- Zoho Desk
- Teamwork Desk
- Microsoft Advertising (formerly Bing Ads)
- Zoho People
- ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 (formerly Microsoft Dynamics CRM)
- Google Ads (formerly AdWords)
- Alchemer
- formerly SurveyGizmo
- Microsoft OneDrive
- Salesforce CRM
- Zoho Docs
- Zoho BugTracker
- ManageEngine SupportCenter Plus
Bonus
Recommendations
Click here to know more about Zoho Analytics features.
https://www.zoho.com/analytics/help/overview.html
Conclusion
Zoho Analytics being a self service BI tool, we will get more interesting insights. Though If you want more advanced intuitive insights, A for Analytics will help you to get the work done.
A for Analytics provides a comprehensive solution to business needs using open source, modern business intelligence tools in the market with the combination of revolutionary business model to give low risk to customers.
