“This Will Replace Excel, Power BI, and All Analytics Courses!”
Or How We Are Deceived
In an era where digital business transformation promises unprecedented horizons of simplification and efficiency, we are constantly searching for solutions that can once and for all solve all our data analytics problems.
Here is a selection of services that promise unimaginable simplicity and superiority over everything we are accustomed to. But let’s face the truth and compare their promising slogans with the harsh (or not?) reality.
Basedash
- Promise: Dashboard assembly is 100 times faster than manual. The AI assistant will help find insights!
- Result: The interface is decent, but still not user-friendly. Data from Excel cannot be pulled, but there is an extensive list of SQL databases. The dashboard does not assemble itself, and there aren’t that many charts there. The tool is not for dashboards, but rather for consolidating data in one place. Is it useful? Who knows…
Plugin GPT — VizCritique Pro
- Promise: Provides feedback on charts by evaluating them according to various criteria and assigning scores. Provides specific recommendations.
- Result: We tested it on the most complex 3D histogram with lots of errors, and it gave it a 7/10, didn’t find any significant errors. Seems too generous, bro!
Rows
- Promise: Replace traditional spreadsheets, streamline data analysis, automate dashboard and report creation, and simplify collaboration on projects. + AI assistant.
- Result: The pros include easy data integration and several templates. But honestly, it’s still easier and more convenient in good old Excel.
Julius
- Promise: Provide users with powerful AI data analytics, allowing them to analyze and visualize data through a convenient interface.
- Result: It delivers the promised feature. If you need to analyze something quickly, it’s a good tool. The workflow is: load data -> ask to find insights -> ask to build charts (or choose from the suggested list). It’s not a dashboard, just charts.
- One cool feature is that you can edit the chart textually, telling it what to remove and what color to use.
Polymer Search
- Promise: Simplify the process of creating dashboards and visualizing data by automating their creation and offering intuitive templates and AI functions.
- Result: Wow! So far, this is the most interesting from the entire list. Give it the data, and it BUILDS the dashboard itself. I wouldn’t say it’s super cool, but it’s already a huge step. You can remove unnecessary things, and add what you need. Not many charts and the settings are not flexible. But overall, it’s a good start.
- One cool feature is that you can click on a question mark next to any chart/card, and the program will write about what the chart is, what insights it offers, and even suggest forecasts!
You can view an example dashboard here (but you can only view these hints in edit mode).
Moral
Despite all progress and innovations, the value of human experience and knowledge in data analytics remains unchanged. The capabilities of modern technologies are truly impressive, but they are merely tools in the hands of a master. No matter how advanced they may be, without the deep knowledge and skills of analysts, they can’t unleash their full potential.
So, my dear ones, let’s not relax, grab the flag, and hurry to move forward, toward new challenges and heights! 😘
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