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The average business user does not have a full grasp of advanced data discovery or data preparation methods, and most organizations would not want business users to waste precious time trying to navigate the complexities of a manual data preparation process. If a business provides a solid foundation for self-serve business intelligence with augmented data preparation features, business users can quickly and easily prepare data for analysis and get the results they need to move forward and make decisions.
What Is Augmented Data Preparation?
Augmented preparation makes advanced data discovery accessible to team members and business users no matter their skills or technical knowledge, with step-by-step guides and recommendations to allow for easy integration and preparation of data. With augmented data preparation, business users do not have to wait for the IT team to access, extract, and prepare data. Instead, the average business user can gather and prepare data on their own with clear insight into the sources and methods so that the outcome meets requirements.
The previously complex process of data extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL), and restricted access to data warehouses and data marts resulted in the delay of data delivery to the business community and required complicated massaging and manipulation of data across data sources, so this type of activity was restricted to the IT community.
But, businesses do not have the time or budget to provide unlimited IT resources, and the fast pace of business and market changes has made it difficult to satisfy the day-to-day data requirements of business users.
Self-serve augmented data preparation provides a set of sophisticated tools that are specifically designed for business users with ease-of-use and intuitive tools that allow access by business users to explore, manipulate, and merge data sources, without the skill or training of an IT professional and without the assistance of IT.
Augmented data preparation provides access to data that is integrated from multiple sources. Users can prepare data using drag and drop features and a simple, intuitive interface or dashboard. Userscan perform data preparation, test theories and hypotheses, and prototype to test price points, analyze changes in consumer buying behavior, anticipate changes in the competitive landscape, and satisfy all manner of analytical requirements, without the assistance of IT or analysts.
Self-serve data preparation solutions provide tools that are flexible, so the user is not restricted to dashboards or interfaces that are designed by someone else. The user can use the power of self-serve data preparation to compile and prepare data, test hypotheses, visualize and share data, and drill-down and drill-through data using selected data elements to prepare for and execute analysis.
Why Is Augmented Data Preparation Important?
Business users need tools that are flexible enough and can be personalized to their needs to address what is happening today. There is no way to anticipate every business need in a market and time when things change every day. What the business needs is a tool that allows users to prepare and analyze data and satisfy the needs of today.
Gartner published a report entitled “Embrace Self-Service Data Preparation Tools for Agility, but Govern to Avoid Data Chaos.” It offers the prediction that “Most business users and analysts in organizations will have access to self-service tools to prepare data for analysis.”
The future of self-serve, augmented data preparation is one in which users will drive change and set expectations. As business users redefine their roles and create new ways in which to see and share data, vendors will respond with new, scalable, flexible tools that support the need for rapid, accurate data preparation and analysis.
Businesses will use augmented data preparation to gain insight into buying behavior, analyze warehousing and distribution, plan for new locations, and strategize for competitive advantage.
Augmented data preparation tools provide critical tools for business users to discover opportunities and navigate complex data and data sources with ease and speed.