Zoho enhances analytics platform with AI & ML features
Zoho has launched a new version of its self-service business intelligence (BI) and analytics platform, Zoho Analytics.
The updated platform boasts over 100 enhancements, including significant advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) capabilities.
These new features enable diagnostic insights, predictive analysis, and automated report and dashboard generation, aiming to improve operational efficiencies, profitability, and the overall user experience for businesses, particularly within the tech sector.
The new version also introduces a custom ML model-building studio, seamless integration with Open AI, and third-party BI platform extensions. These updates are designed to make Zoho Analytics more powerful, intelligent, and flexible, serving a wider range of businesses and users compared to competitors.
Emma Elcombe, Senior Research Officer at Western Sydney University, shared her experience using Zoho Analytics.
"I use Zoho Analytics for secure online reporting to multiple customers - nurses and midwives - in multiple countries. Through it, I upload live data into one place, which our customers can filter to get unique, specific and - critically - real-time insights into the impact of visits on families and family satisfaction. With that data, we’re able to improve the quality of services for families," she said.
"Without Zoho and its live, dynamic and accessible reports, we’d still be relying on static PDF reports, which are limited in what they show and it's a major burden to collect, share and update the data. What’s more, Zoho Analytics is secure from a data perspective, which is absolutely paramount in the healthcare sector.
"For healthcare providers, time and insight are critical, and with the new features in Zoho Analytics, we’ll be able to enjoy even more of both.”
Raju Vegesna, Chief Evangelist for Zoho, said: "Zoho Analytics launched in 2009 as Zoho Reports, long before technology had caught up to Zoho's vision for business intelligence."
"Since then, Zoho has made considerable investments around automation, no-code/low-code development, third-party integration, machine learning, and Zia, Zoho's in-house AI engine."
"The latest version of Zoho Analytics is one of the first solutions from the company that takes advantage of every one of these decades-long investments. The result is a democratised platform that is powerful, intelligent, flexible, and simple to use."
The new version of Zoho Analytics advances across four key areas: Data Management, AI, Data Science & Machine Learning, and Extensibility.
Additions include:
Data Management: The platform has added Stream Analytics and 25 new data connectors to its portfolio, which now includes over 500 connectors. It also allows users to create and manage complex ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) pipelines and provides features such as a visual builder, Python Code Studio, and natural language data transformation via Ask Zia. A Unified Metrics Layer and Headless BI mode further enhance the platform's data management capabilities.
AI and Generative AI: New AI-powered enhancements include Zia Insights for diagnostic analysis, multi-language (Spanish and French) support for Ask Zia, and Auto Analysis for automated metrics, reports, and dashboard generation. The platform's integration with Open AI through Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) aims to provide more accurate query responses and simplifies the use of public datasets and creation of formula & SQL queries.
Data Science and Machine Learning (DSML) Studio: Zoho Analytics now includes DSML Studio, facilitating the building of custom ML models to analyse or predict factors such as customer churn. Key features are AutoML, a no-code assistant for model building, and Code Studio, which integrates Python to allow for custom ML model development and importing of external libraries.
Platform Extensibility: Zoho Analytics offers enhanced extensibility, enabling businesses to sync data across various tools for a comprehensive analysis. This includes a new BI fabric for consolidating insights from multiple BI platforms and a no-code data connector builder for creating custom connectors.
This release also introduces over 100 updates, including new visualisations, improved dashboard building, enhanced audit and administration controls, revamped mobile apps, and support for Right-to-Left (RTL) languages.
