Embedded Analytics

Chapter 8. Beyond the Spreadsheet

Spreadsheets have an uneasy coexistence with visual analytics solutions. Most visual analytics professionals have plentiful stories about how difficult it can be to drive adoption in environments where spreadsheets are considered the default option for working with data. No matter how sophisticated and interactive a visual experience is, the cry from users in the real world is often “Can I get this in Excel?”

However, over the last few years spreadsheet tools have developed at a pace comparable to visual analytics, with new paradigms and features that enable users to use spreadsheet tools as the heart of accessible, collaborative, and programmable platforms centered around their data. Some of these tools are driving the development of entirely new analytics approaches, some eschew the entire concept of visual analytics in favor of grids and tables, and some are purely designed to democratize the process of collecting and managing a single source of truth (SSOT) for data within an organization.

So, how should we consider spreadsheets in relation to embedded analytics? In this chapter we’ll explore some of the history behind spreadsheets, see how the product landscape has evolved over the last few years, and bring to life ways in which modern spreadsheet tools can add real value to an embedded analytics solution.

To help support conversations about tools you may have within your own organization, we’ll also attempt to answer the question of whether ...