29 June 2023
Exciting news! Vizlib joins the insightsoftware family. Learn More >
, Dashboards are usually the first port of call when making important business decisions. They allow organisations to easily track, analyse and display data points in a format that enables them to gain vital insights.
However, updating dashboards has for too long been a complex and error-prone process, requiring individuals to export data to a spreadsheet or a business tool like Excel before editing it and exporting it back to the dashboard. This manual process takes time and affects productivity.
Writeback capabilities are changing that, enabling businesses to make and track changes directly in their dashboards for insight sharing and collaborative analytics.
In this article, we’ll explore how data writeback is revolutionising data analytics and explain the key benefits of the Vizlib Writeback Table.
What does it mean to writeback data?
Put simply, data writeback is the process of updating or storing modified data from a temporary storage location (e.g. a cache) to a permanent location (e.g. a disk or main memory). Essentially – it’s been used as a method to prevent data loss, particularly in critical industries like banking and healthcare.
In the modern world, data writeback provides businesses with the ability to update databases or other single-source systems within a Business Intelligence (BI) application.
Using data analytics and visualization techniques, writing back data enables you to collate data from multiple spreadsheets or sources and present it in an easy-to-understand way so users can analyse new data points and gain insights. This allows teams or business units to adjust dashboards accordingly and better predict future trends.
A study by MIT found that companies using digital dashboards and visualization tools make faster progress with digital transformation projects and generate more profit than companies with less dashboarding experience.
A writeback tool, like Vizlib Writeback, gives users the power to input and update data within a dashboard independently and accurately.
How does Vizlib support writeback?
Vizlib provides software extensions for Qlik Sense that empower users to make dashboards and data visualisations in a simple, user-friendly way. AndVizlib enhances Qlik dashboards and spreadsheets by supporting writeback capabilities through its ‘Vizlib Writeback Table’.
Vizlib Writeback Table enables users to turn read-only spreadsheets into fully customisable dashboards where they can easily edit, update and comment on data points.
Gone are the days of exporting data to Excel and making amendments to messy spreadsheets. With Vizlib Writeback, users can simply edit directly in the dashboards and input new data while remaining in the analysis flow.
This capability makes it easier for users of all skill levels to freely explore data, share insights in real time, and enhance data storytelling.
How does Vizlib Writeback work?
Vizlib Writeback Table is part of the Vizlib Collaboration suite – a collection of data visualization tools that empower employees to share data insights in real time.
It’s similar to a version of spreadsheets in Qlik Sense, but provides extra functionalities such as the ability to correct information, add new data points, and create new data segmentations.
Vizlib Writeback Table, like all Vizlib products, acts as a ready-made extension to Qlik Sense and allows for user input to edit Qlik dimensions, measures, and fields.
Vizlib Writeback Table supports many different data output types including all REST-compliant APIs, CSV (e.g. excel), QVD, Microsoft SQL, Google BigQuery, Snowflake, and more. You can learn more by watching Vizlib Writeback’s product demonstrations on YouTube or downloading the product catalogue.
Top 4 benefits of Vizlib Writeback Table
1. It works directly in Qlik Sense
Qlik is a world-leading data analytics and discovery tool for building interactive charts and graphs for enhanced data literacy. It’s the only Cloud platform built for ‘Active Intelligence’ providing actionable data insights in real time. Qlik specialises in self-service business tools to encourage independent data exploration.
At Vizlib, we love Qlik – and are incredibly Vizlib loves Qlik and is incredibly proud to be a trusted partner. All of Vizlib’s data visualisation products act as ready-made extensions for Qlik Sense and provide added value to Qlik Sense users, enabling them to enhance their data visualisation capabilities.
2. A single source of truth
With Vizlib Writeback Table, a value-adding Qlik Sense extension, businesses no longer need to switch between different business systems or use multiple spreadsheets to update and analyse data.
Instead, users can consolidate all data into one location – providing a single source of truth that provides added convenience, saves time, and ensures insights are clearer to understand.
Let’s say a retail store wanted to discover how they’re progressing against KPIs. They could use the user input form to pull all relevant data such as sales figures and performance indicators quickly and seamlessly in one business tool. They could then amend and adjust as necessary, see a clear visualisation of data points to gather entire insights and measure and improve performance.
Vizlib Writeback seamlessly integrates with Qlik Sense functionalities for ultimate convenience, allowing Qlik users to take their data analytics to the next level and uncover meaningful insights faster
3. Reduce the risk of errors
When making important business decisions, the last thing you want is inaccurate data that will lead to ineffective and potentially expensive outcomes.
Additionally, updating data across multiple systems and manually bringing it together for analysis is a seriously error-prone process – meaning your data quality will be lower and information is likely unreliable.
The error rate for manual data processing is approximately 1%, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but in an age where businesses generate an increasingly large amount of data, this adds up.
Vizlib Writeback Table removes these manual steps and reduces spreadsheet risk, minimising inaccuracies within your dashboards and reports. This provides peace of mind that you have the right information to make the right decisions.
Also, the tool provides users with audit trails so you can easily track where and when changes are made and detect unauthorised access or errors. Audit trails are also handy from a compliance point of view – so businesses can close security gaps and adhere to regulatory requirements.
4. Streamline workflows
The ability to update and track changes directly within your dashboards saves time and streamlines workflows – providing your team with more time to focus on critical tasks and thus enhancing productivity.
With Vizlib Writeback, users can adjust numbers and insert new information in no time using drop-downs, date calendars, checkboxes, and more. These functionalities make it easier and quicker for teams to come to data-informed decisions.
This can simplify day-to-day business activities such as financial reporting, clustering, onboarding, and enriching CRM data or updating and managing projects.
Vizlib’s Writeback Table also enhances the process of sharing data insights with other users by enabling comments and tags to be left in real time. These comments could be used to dictate actions based on insights, voice an opinion on data discovery, and more.
Get started with Vizlib and sign up for free today!
Level up your data analytics capabilities with Vizlib’s suite of easy-to-use and value-adding extension products for Qlik.
Vizlib’s innovative data visualization solutions empower businesses to unlock the true potential of their data – making complex information accessible, understandable, and actionable for decision-making processes.
With Vizlib for Qlik Sense, you can gain access to a comprehensive suite of tools and visualizations that allow you to extract valuable insights from your data, identify trends, and communicate findings effectively.
You can create a free account for up to five users in just a few simple steps, or you can book a demo today.
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Easy-to-use (including drag and drop functionality)
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