Embedded Data Visualization: The What, Why, and Best Tools

Data visualization is no longer an optional feature to add to your product. With users being more data-driven than ever, it has become a necessity. Every user wants to know how your product is helping them and measure that help in terms of data.

Instead of your users moving to a third-party data visualization solution to analyze and visualize data, how about having a data visualization feature within your product?

We know what you are thinking! It can cost you a lot of time, resources, and money to build data visualization from scratch.

But there is a more economical and smarter option to enable data visualization functionality within your product for your users.

Embedded Data Visualization!

All you need to do is embed a snippet of code, connect your database, and design your data visualization elements. 

If you are intrigued, then continue reading.

In this blog post, we’ll discuss embedded data visualization functionality in detail - The What, Why, and the best embedded data visualization tools that work for you. 
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What Are Data Visualization Tools?

Can you make a wild guess about the amount of data generated every day?

    ~ 329 exabytes!

That is 329 followed by 18 zeros, in case you were wondering!

A part of this data is generated from your product as well. So, why not help your users to make sense of this data and improve their user experience?

Data visualization tools serve this exact purpose. 

They transform raw data into various graphical forms like bar graphs, charts, or line graphs, making it easier to understand and interpret. These tools have come a long way since the early days of Microsoft Excel, one of the first platforms to offer rudimentary data visualization capabilities. Modern tools like Tableau and Power BI offer real-time updates, interactive features, and a broader range of visualization formats.

But the main challenge with these data visualization tools is they are all standalone tools where users need to import their data from other applications into Tableau/ Power BI to create a report or dashboard.

Embedded data visualization tools solve this by integrating these visualization capabilities directly into your product or application. Your users can access real-time insights without leaving your application, streamlining their workflow and enhancing their overall experience. 

In the next section, we'll explore why using embedded data visualization tools in your app is not just convenient but could also be a game-changer for your users. Keep reading to find out more.

Related Read:

‍How Embedded Dashboards Enhance Data Visualization

What is Embedded BI? Benefits, Requirements & Tools
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Why Should You Integrate Embedded Data Visualization Tools into Your App?

If you're still on the fence about embedded data visualization, sit tight! In this section, we'll discuss compelling reasons to consider integrating these tools directly into your application.

• User Engagement: Users today expect quick and accessible insights. Embedded data visualization keeps users engaged because they don't need to switch between applications to get the data insights they're after. They stay longer in your app, increasing the opportunities for them to engage with other features, therefore boosting overall app usage and customer retention rates.

• Streamlined Workflow: Users love efficiency. By offering embedded data visualization, you're effectively removing the cumbersome process of exporting data to a separate analytics tool. This translates to a more streamlined workflow for users, who can now make data-driven decisions within your app. The ease of having all they need in one place can significantly impact user satisfaction and productivity.

• Cost-Effectiveness: While there may be an initial outlay for embedding data visualization tools, consider it a long-term investment. Users are more likely to continue using a comprehensive, all-in-one solution, reducing the risk of churn and potentially increasing your ROI. Also, it could cut down on the cost of customer support, as users find it easier to navigate an integrated system.

• Customization and Flexibility: One of the beauties of embedded data visualization tools is the high level of customization they offer. You can align the data visualization perfectly with your app's existing user interface and branding, making the whole experience feel cohesive and more intuitive for the user. The options for customization are almost endless, allowing you to cater to the unique needs of your user base.

• Real-time Data Updates: In our fast-paced world, real-time data is often essential for making timely business decisions. Unlike some standalone tools, embedded data visualization tools can offer real-time updates and analytics as a standard feature. This ensures that your users have the most up-to-date information at their fingertips without leaving your app.
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Why Embedded Data Visualization Tools are Better Than Traditional Analytics

Are you about to make a costly mistake or a wise investment in your product development strategy? 

Hold that thought.

This section will guide you through the pros and cons of embedded vs. traditional analytics. After this, you'll be making decisions like a pro.

What Do the Best Data Visualization Tools Have in Common?

You've heard the phrase, "The devil is in the details," right? Well, when it comes to embedded data visualization tools, the magic is in the features. But not all features are created equal. So, what do the best data visualization tools have in common?

• Rapid Dashboard Creation: The best tools speed up your go-to-market strategy by enabling the creation of dashboards up to 10 times faster. It’s like having your analytics on the fast track.

• Unearthing Deep Insights & Visual Analysis: The key to better decision-making lies in the depth of the insights. The right embedded analytics tools make it easy to dig deeper into your data, revealing hidden patterns and outliers that inform and drive crucial decisions for your users.

• Streamlined Reporting: Real-time data changes deserve real-time alerts. With automated and scheduled reporting features, top-notch tools ensure you're always updated, cutting down the time it takes to gather actionable insights.

• Airtight Security: Because, let’s face it, data is gold. The best embedded data visualization tool should offer secure role-based access controls. This ensures that only authorized users can see specific metrics, keeping your data safe.

• Ease of Integration: Click and you're connected! The best data visualization tools integrate seamlessly with your existing databases and data warehouses. Whether you’re into Elasticsearch or Snowflake, top-tier tools make sure your data source does not limit you. 

• Time & Resource Efficiency: Who doesn’t like to save? The right data visualization tools boast features that enable faster deployment and save resources. Imagine cutting your deployment time and saving resources—that’s efficiency.

• User-Centric Design: Last but not least, a superior user experience is non-negotiable. The best tools are tailored to your customers, from visual aesthetics to interactive analytics, ensuring the user journey is exceptional. 

• Quick Configuration and Publishing: The best tools make it a breeze to adjust layouts, control access, and publish dashboards to either specific or all customers at once.
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5 examples of embedded data visualization tools

If you're reading this, you're already convinced that embedded data visualization tools are the way to go. But which tool should you choose? Below, we've handpicked 5 top-notch embedded data visualization tools that seamlessly integrate with your app and deliver powerful insights. Let's dive in.

1. Databrain

DataBrain is a cutting-edge embedded data visualization tool designed to expedite deployment and enrich data-driven decision-making for your users. While there are several data visualization tools, DataBrain is the best tool in the embedded data visualization space. 

Here's why:

• White-Label Customization: Databrain allows you to add your brand's logo and color scheme onto the analytics and data visualization dashboard. 

• Faster Deployment: DataBrain offers 10x faster deployment compared to other solutions. This rapid deployment gives you a competitive edge as you can bring your product to market swiftly.

• Resources Saved: It helps you save up to 40% of your resources, letting you focus on your core functionalities.

• Uncover Deeper Insights: The tool allows users to explore data effortlessly at multiple levels, revealing hidden patterns and outliers. This kind of deep dive is essential for data-driven decision-making[3].

• Visual Analysis: DataBrain is committed to empowering users with self-serve analytics for interactive decision-making.

• Secure Access Control: With role-based access, you can be sure that only authorized users can access specific metrics, thus maintaining data integrity and compliance.

• Seamless Integration: The tool can easily integrate with your existing databases and data warehouses, avoiding the hassle of data duplication or new model design.

• Variety of Data Sources: It supports all relational databases and warehouses. You can connect any data source with just a few clicks.

2. Looker embedded analytics

Looker is a powerful enterprise-level business intelligence (BI) platform in Google Cloud. It specializes in real-time analytics and also offers an embedded analytics feature, enabling businesses to integrate analytics seamlessly into their existing web interfaces.

The key features of Looker embedded analytics are

• Display Looks and Explores: With Looker embedded analytics, developers can showcase "Looks" and "Explores" directly on HTML-formatted web pages.

• Query Visualizations: Easily add visual representations of queries to improve data interpretation.

• Custom Dashboards: Turn your data into informative, easy-to-read, and fully customizable dashboards and reports.

• HTML and iFrame Embedding: Embed your dashboards via HTML iframes for a more personalized user experience.

3. Power BI embedded

Power BI Embedded is a Microsoft service that allows for the seamless integration of powerful analytics right within your web applications. Think of it as a way to supercharge your apps with rich, interactive dashboards and reports.

The key features of Power BI embedded are

• Interactive Reports, Dashboards, and Tiles: Power BI Embedded allows you to integrate visualizations such as reports, dashboards, and individual tiles into your web applications.

• Visualization Types: Power BI supports a wide range of visualization types, including decomposition trees, pie charts, and heat maps, allowing you to better customize the visual aspect of your data.

• Data Drilling: One of the standout features is the ability to drill down into data visualizations. Users can explore multiple dimensions of data with ease, thanks to the automatically aggregating and drill-down capabilities.

• Customer-Facing Analytics: Make your customer interactions more insightful by providing customer-facing dashboards and analytics directly in your applications.

• Data Transformation Tools: While not directly a visualization feature, the query tools in Power BI Desktop enable you to shape and transform data to meet your specific visualization needs.

4. Good data

GoodData is an embedded data visualization platform specializing in business intelligence and analytics. It allows you to create custom data features within your applications and provides advanced tools for it.

The key features of Good data are

• Real-Time Analytics: It provides up-to-the-second insights, so you're always in the loop. 

• Granular Security: GoodData's robust security features ensure that your data is only accessible to those who should see it.

• Interactive Dashboards: The visual dashboards are interactive, offering deeper layers of data with just a click.

5. Cumul.io

Cumul.io is a specialized platform for embedded analytics and data visualization in SaaS applications. It facilitates data-driven decision-making by offering various features that can be integrated into web apps, software platforms, or employee portals.

The key features of Cumul.io are

• Interactive White-label Dashboards: Cumul.io lets you quickly add personalized, interactive dashboards to any web application or SaaS platform. These dashboards are white-label, meaning you can brand them as your own.

• Drag-and-Drop Feature: The platform offers a simple drag-and-drop feature that enables users to create advanced personalized dashboards without building components from scratch. This saves time and effort, letting you focus on analytics rather than coding.

• Easy Integration: Cumul.io dashboards can seamlessly integrate into existing applications, web pages, and portals. It only takes copying and pasting a short code snippet, which requires less than 100 lines of code.

After looking at the examples of embedded data visualization tools, you might be considering your options. If robust features with a user-friendly interface are what you are looking for in an embedded data visualization tool, DataBrain is worth a try. 

Conclusion 

We've navigated the ins and outs of embedded data visualization tools, starting with what they are and why they're crucial for your application’s success. Traditional analytics can't hold a candle to what these specialized tools bring to the table. 

And the best part? They have features that set them apart, like white labelling, ease of use, and real-time data tracking. We've also discussed the five best examples of embedded data visualization tools, putting DataBrain in the spotlight as our top pick.

If you want to elevate your user experience with data visualization and analytics features, DataBrain is a strong candidate to consider. It combines robust features with a user-friendly experience.

Sign up for DataBrain today!