Data analytics tools help organizations collect and analyze data in order to improve processes, help uncover insights, and help  make better informed data-driven decisions. When purchasing a data analytics tool, it’s important to consider your specific use cases, how well the tool integrates with existing systems, scalability, user-friendliness, data security, ease of collaboration, and cost. In this post we’ll discuss the top 10 things you should consider when evaluating data analytics solutions. 

Purpose: Identify the specific use cases you have for the data analytics tool. Will it be used for data visualization?  Reporting? Advanced analytics? Different tools are better at different things so it’s important to understand your primary use for the tool so you can get a solution that best fits your needs.

Integration: Consider how well the tool integrates with your existing systems and data sources. You want a tool that makes data integration easy.

Scalability: Ensure the tool can scale to meet your growing data needs. You want to make sure the tool can accommodate rapid changes to your data, such as traffic or volume growth.

User-friendly interface: Look for a tool with a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to navigate and understand the data. This is especially important depending on who the primary user of the tool will be.

Data security: Make sure the tool has built-in security features to protect sensitive data. This is important for all organizations, but it’s critically important if you’re in a highly regulated industry or dealing with personal information.

Reporting capabilities: Evaluate the tool’s ability to create detailed and customizable reports.

Data visualization: Consider the tool’s capabilities for data visualization, including charts, graphs, and dashboards.

Collaboration: Look for a tool that allows for easy collaboration and sharing of data and insights. You want to make sure that multiple people who work on different teams or at different companies are able to easily work together with the same data on the same analysis.

Technical support: Investigate the level of technical support offered by the vendor, including training and documentation. Again, this can be really important depending on how complex the tool is, who from your organization is the primary user, and how much hand holding and support they will need.

Cost: This is always one of the most critical factors when making a decision about purchasing a tool. Compare the cost of the tool to its features and benefits to determine if it is a cost-effective solution for your organization. Make sure to look at the cost per user, how the price increases based on usage or data volume, and other critical factors and hidden costs that may impact the price.

Read more about the Top things to consider when implementing advanced analytics in your organization. 

By taking these above factors into account, you will be better able to choose a tool that best meets the needs of your organization.