Everyone loves a one-stop shop. It offers convenience and efficiency. And in an age when time is of the essence—i.e., there’s no time to wait for answers or to make decisions—a one-stop shop can be a business’s best friend.
In the world of technology, a Unified Data Analytics Platform (UDAP) is the equivalent of a one-stop shop. That’s because it’s built to consolidate the analytics stack and the data stack, which means the entire data lifecycle—from connection to the final visualization and sharing of reports—is managed under “one roof.”
In a recent webinar with Joe Hilleary, a research analyst for Eckerson Group and author of a 2021 report on UDAPs, we talked about how UDAPs evolved, what the key features of a UDAP are, what such a platform is good for, and how one of the most unusual capabilities of a cloud-based UDAP—cascading analytics—can be a game-changer for organizations.
So, what are the key features of a UDAP?
In addition to being one-stop shops, UDAPs offer a host of benefits. For instance, they support all types of users, provide fast time to insight, are open and extensible, generate fast ROI, and are designed with built-in governance.
“It’s all enabled by the unique architecture of a UDAP, which is equal parts data platform and analytics platform,” Joe said. “You have data sources that can be connected to these two platforms, where it’s refined and managed, and anyone can access.”
What’s a UDAP good for?
There are two key use cases for UDAPs. The first is the organization that is new to analytics but wants to get an analytics strategy off the ground fast.
Instead of having to find, purchase, and integrate a variety of tools, this organization can simply implement a UDAP, which is the do-everything tool, in that it provides a functional, end-to-end workflow.
The other key use case is the organization that is at the enterprise level, and has maybe even gone through a merger and acquisition (M&A). That type of organization needs a way to bring a lot of information together, and simplify complexity.
“Human knowledge of data continues to be incredibly valuable, and having a UDAP is a great way to tap into that,” Joe said. “People can understand other parts of the business because they’re interacting with each other, and the social layer (the UDAP brings) helps facilitate some of that.”
What’s cascading analytics all about?
Cascading analytics goes beyond what people have been doing forever, which is sharing data. With cascading analytics—which cloud-based UDAPs like Domo provide—organizations can share the entire environment with their customers.
“For companies that provide data as a service, this is huge,” Joe said. “There’s value in data itself, of course, but how much is there when you also get the means to do something with it?
“Maybe your customer isn’t as sophisticated as you are in terms of their data infrastructure, but all the sudden they now have access to this same, full set of tools and capabilities, so they can blend the data you give them with data from their Excel spreadsheets and build something, which can be pretty powerful.”
To learn more about UDAPs including how data governance fits into the equation and how such a platform manages the tension between low-/no-code and high-code personas, watch the webinar.