Zoho Analytics

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Product Overview

Zoho Analytics is a self-service business intelligence platform that lets users quickly set up and analyze their data in dashboards and reports. Users can connect data from any source, prepare that data and then create an interactive visualization with a drag-and-drop interface. Zoho Analytics can be accessed from the cloud (Zoho’s own), deployed in the public cloud (e.g., AWS, Azure), or on premise. It can be accessed as a white label version from a standalone portal, or embedded within another app.

The software has many benefits, such as:

• Intuitive interface with minimal training needed
• Integration with over 500 third-party applications
• Extensible platform that allows businesses to build the software to their unique needs
• Scalable pricing plans that include a free plan for up to two users

Features

Zoho Analytics includes robust features. Here are some of its key ones.

Data connections – Users can connect their data from over 250 sources, such as files (e.g., Excel, HTML), online storage services (e.g., Zoho Docs, Box, Google Drive), relational databases (both SQL and NoSQL), websites and business applications (e.g., Salesforce, QuickBooks, Google Analytics). In addition, developers can connect Zoho Analytics with their company’s preferred application through the application programming interface (API).

Zoho DataPrep (data preparation) – With the Zoho DataPrep module, users can clean, transform and prepare data for analysis. It comes with over 250 built-in transformations for formatting data. It also has AI capabilities that automatically identify data types, provide suggestions on data joins, monitor sentiment analysis, detect language and more. Finally, users can manage their datasets with the catalog feature by categories, custom tags and other factors, and they can use the Zoho AI assistant, Zia, to search for any metadata.

Visualization –  Users can set up reports and dashboards with a drag-and-drop interface. Zoho Analytics provides users with several types of visualizations, such as charts, tables and widgets. They can also visualize location-based data with map charts, set up interactive dashboards for ad-hoc analysis (e.g., filters, drill downs) and add custom images within the visualization.

Augmented analytics – Zoho Analytics includes advanced analytics features, such as natural language processing (NLP), predictive analytics and what-if analysis. The Ask Zia feature lets users ask questions in their data and get answers via relevant visualizations. Finally, users can receive alerts if there’s a detected change in the data (e.g., goal achievements, negative trends).

Collaboration – Users can share their dashboards with their colleagues or clients by email, print or embedded within their blogs or intranet. They can give access to specific features (e.g., view, comment, data drilldowns) using access controls, and users can comment within an image and reply to specific threads.

Data storytelling – With the data storytelling feature, users can extend their dashboard sharing by creating slideshows with Zoho Show or building a web portal with Zoho Sites. In addition, developers can embed the Zia feature within their company’s workflows.

Mobile – Users can access their dashboards and reports on the go with the Zoho Analytics Mobile BI app, as well as get answers with Ask Zia and add comments to visualizations. There’s also a separate Immersive Dashboard app for users to explore their data further, including filtering, sorting and drilling down into the data.

Unified analytics – With this feature, companies can unite their business data to get a full picture of their organization, thanks to Zoho Analytics’ prebuilt integration with over 50 applications. Once data is synced, Zoho Analytics performs automatic data blending, and users can get 360-degree insight in real time with prebuilt role-based or industry-specific key performance indicators (KPIs).

Embedded analytics – Companies can offer embedded analytics to their clients via a white-label solution. Analytics can either be embedded within the company’s existing software or accessed as a stand-alone portal. Clients have access to features such as data prep, dashboards and AI capabilities.

Target Market

Zoho Analytics targets companies of all sizes and industries, such as health care, retail, education and manufacturing. It has over 16,000 clients worldwide. Here are 10 of its clients:

Implementation/Integration

New clients can sign up for a 15-day trial plan. Because Zoho Analytics is self-service software, they can import and analyze data themselves. If they want to continue using Zoho Analytics, they can sign up for a free plan or upgrade to any of the paid plans.

The implementation process usually takes anywhere between a week to a month, depending on the amount of data and the number of data sources involved. Zoho Analytics also has a wide partner network that assists with implementation for customers who need help setting things up.

The vendor offers a two-tiered training program. The Beginners course is free and is done via a four-hour hands-on session. The Advanced course is a paid one, and it takes over six hours.

Customer Service & Support

Users can browse the knowledge base, participate in community forums, submit a support ticket via Zoho Desk or contact support by email. The free plan includes a 48-hour response time, while the paid plans add on a 24-hour response time, remote assistance and toll-free support during regular business hours. In addition, live chat support is available to users under the Enterprise plan.

Zoho Analytics offers optional premium support for Premium and Enterprise plan users. It costs 20% of the license fee and includes all of the free support features, plus 24/5 live chat and toll-free support, an escalation contact number, quarterly features update calls and a first response time within eight hours.

Pricing

Cloud

Zoho Analytics has a free plan that accommodates up to two users and 10,000 data rows. It includes unlimited dashboards; over 75 visualization options; up to five workspaces; the ability to connect with data sources; up to three data imports; daily refresh rates; up to three query tables; a formula engine; basic augmented analytics; basic collaboration (e.g., public reports, commenting); mobile apps; up to 1,000 API calls per day; REST APIs; and the ability to export views as templates.

Then, there are four paid plans (billed annually):

Basic – The Basic plan costs $24 per month and accommodates up to 500,000 data rows. It includes all of the features of the free plan, plus:

• Unlimited workspaces
• Prebuilt reports
• The ability to connect with any two business applications
• Unlimited data import and query tables
• Up to four active email schedules
• Basic data storytelling features
• Up to 4,000 API calls per day

Standard – The Standard plan costs $48 per month and accommodates up to five users and 1 million data rows. It includes all of the features of the Basic plan, plus:

• The ability to connect with over 50 business applications
• Hourly data refreshes
• Data snapshots (recording historical data at a specific point in time)
• Conversational analytics
• Up to 10 active data alerts
• Up to 10 active email schedules
• Advanced data storytelling features
• Data governance and administration (e.g., encryption, data backups, access logs)
• Up to 10,000 API calls per day

Premium – The Premium plan costs $115 per month and accommodates up to 15 users and 5 million data rows. It includes all of the features of the Standard plan, plus:

• The Zoho DataPrep module
• Zia Insights
• Up to 30 active data alerts
• Optional analytics portal
• Up to 15 private links
• Up to 30 active email schedules
• Activity logs
• Up to 30,000 API calls per day
• Logo rebranding

Enterprise – The Enterprise plan costs $455 per month and accommodates up to 50 users and 50 million data rows. It includes all of the features of the other three plans, plus:

• Up to 100 active data alerts
• Standard analytics portal
• Unlimited private links
• Up to 100 active email schedules
• Up to 100,000 API calls per day
• The ability to load reports and dashboards up to five times faster

If a company wants to add on additional users to their plan, there’s a fee of $6.40 per user, per month (billed annually). For viewer-only roles, there’s a cost of $80 per month for a minimum of 25 viewers.

On-premise

For an on-premise version of Zoho Analytics deployed on a local server, the vendor has a free Personal plan intended for a single user. It includes features such as 10 data tables, 10,000 rows, five workspaces, over 250 data connectors, Ask Zia, unlimited reports and dashboards, data blending, predictive analytics and data security.

Then, there’s the Professional plan that starts at $30 per user, per month for a minimum of five users. It adds on unlimited data tables, rows and workspaces; logo rebranding; high performance; data alerts; commenting; slideshows; access controls; user roles; public and embedded views; optional premium support; and live chat support.

Companies can add on viewers ($10 per viewer, per month for minimum of 10 viewers), concurrent guests ($8 per concurrent guest, per month for minimum of 25 concurrent guests) and email schedules ($8 per email schedule, per month for minimum of 25 schedules).

Pricing for the Professional plan via private cloud deployment varies. Costs for AWS, Azure and Docker start at 25 cents per hour plus AWS usage fee, 4 cents per hour plus Azure infrastructure fee and $30 per user, per month, respectively.

Companies that require a custom plan or embedded analytics can contact Zoho Analytics for a quote.

Shortcomings

Zoho Analytics sources feedback or suggestions from its customers. Based on that feedback, they add on new features or upgrade its current ones. Some users have mentioned they’d like new types of charts and widgets, and that Zoho Analytics could offer additional business app connectors (e.g., SAP).

Screenshots

About

Zoho began in 1996 as a network management company called AdventNet. In 2009, it rebranded itself as Zoho Corporation. In addition to Zoho apps, the company has two divisions: IT management and network management.

Over the years, it has added more solutions, such as Zoho CRM (2005), Zoho People (2008) and Zoho Connect (2013). Zoho One, an all-in-one suite of more than 35 integrated applications, was introduced in 2017. The company reached the 50 million mark in number of users and rolled out Zoho MarketingHub, a marketing automation software, in 2019.

Zoho Analytics has received numerous awards, such as the Niche Player in 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Analytics and Business Intelligence Platforms and Dresner Advisory Services 2022 Overall Leader in Customer Experience and Vendor Credibility.

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