The Best Data Management Tools For Your Small Business

Data is the foundation of every small business. It allows you to build strategies, make decisions and gain insights to help you grow your business. Yet while data analysis is an important part of running a business — it can take time to know where to start. 

After all, knowing how to manage your data comes with a learning curve. Still, with the right data management tools, you can easily figure out how to manage those numbers and figures yourself.

Here are the top data management tools to use in your small business.

1. Informatica Cloud

Informatica Cloud is a data integration and data quality tool. It’s an enterprise-grade cloud solution that you can use to integrate large data sets. The platform uses a combination of connectors and algorithms to merge data from multiple sources into one place for analysis.

With this feature in mind, you can unlock the power of your data in one place and use it to:

• Solve complex problems.

• Accelerate innovation.

• Create opportunities.

• Safeguard your business against disruptions.

To start using Informatica Cloud, you must install it on your own server. Once the installation is complete, you can use its web console to configure connections between your local database or file system with one or more cloud databases.

2. Tableau Online

Tableau Online is a cloud-based data visualization tool that allows you to create interactive, beautifully visualized dashboards in minutes. It’s the best data management tool for small businesses because it’s easy to use. It also has a low monthly cost compared to other options available.

Tableau Online offers a free trial, so you can try it out before committing. That way, you have time to decide whether or not this program fits your business needs. Tableau’s pricing varies but starts at $15 per month, which is highly reasonable.

3. Sisense

Sisense is a cloud-based business intelligence platform that allows users to analyze, visualize and interact with data in real time. The platform works in single-user and multi-user modes, so it’s perfect for small businesses that need to collaborate on projects.

Sisense has over 2,000 companies using its platform, including GitLab, Skullcandy, Nasdaq and Rolls Royce. 

You can use Sisense for data analysis and visualization, data integration, discovery, interactive reporting and much more.

4. QlikView

QlikView is a cloud-based business intelligence system that allows users to explore data visually. Organizations of all sizes and industries use it, including health care, manufacturing and retailing. You can use it for data analytics, business intelligence, predictive analytics, collaborative planning and more.

QlikView offers many features that help you understand your data and death to make better decisions.

For example, you can explore your data with QlikView’s visualizations and multi-dimensional analysis tools. These allow easy access to information previously difficult to uncover without regular access to expensive software packages.

With QlikView, you can get the most out of your data and analyze information in a way that makes sense.

5. Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform that allows you to store and process data. It’s a collection of cloud services to help you manage your data.

Microsoft Azure offers many different services for data management, including:

•  Data storage

• Data processing

• Data analysis

Microsoft Azure also offers cloud computing to store and process information remotely and securely.

6. Dataform

Dataform is a cloud-based data integration and extract, transform, load (ETL) tool that integrates with multiple databases. It’s also easy to use, has a simple user interface and is built for small and medium-sized businesses. 

However, Dataform does have some limitations compared to other tools. for example:

• You can only import data from one database simultaneously, but you can export to several.

• It doesn’t enable you to schedule recurring jobs like you can with other tools.

Data Forum has a free plan and a paid one. The free program lets you connect up to three databases and import up to one million rows per month. It also includes unlimited exports.

7. MarkeStudio

MarketStudio is a cloud-based data visualization and reporting tool for business and marketing purposes. The tool allows you to create dashboards, reports and visualizations like line charts, histograms and pie charts.

 It’s easy to use — no coding or programming experience is required, so that you can get started immediately. The best part about this product is that MarketStudio is affordable. You can pay per month or purchase an annual subscription at a discount.

Analyzing Your Small Business’s Data Effectively

Data analytics is an important part of any organization’s business strategy. The insights you can gain from your data will help you make better decisions, improve operational efficiency and reduce costs. Yet if you’re like most businesses, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of data available.

Still, there are several ways that small businesses can get started with data management and analysis:

• Use a dashboard tool that provides a centralized view of all your company’s data in one place. Dashboards allow you to track key performance indicators across all departments and monitor sales figures and other metrics related to growth and profitability.

• Another option is building a custom dashboard using tools that allow you to create one without extensive programming knowledge.

With Great Data Management Tools Comes Great Potential

Data is the lifeblood of your business — and you must have a good strategy for managing it. Otherwise, you could be missing out on major opportunities.

Small businesses are often too busy running their operations to stop and consider how they can optimize their data management practices. If this sounds familiar, here are a few tips on how you can get started with data management:

• Start by asking yourself what kind of information would be useful for your business right now. Is there anything specific that could help you make better decisions?

• Next, decide where in your organization this information should live. Then, determine who should have access to it.

• Lastly, consider whether there’s any way these tools could also benefit other departments within your company.

Once you’ve determined the scope of your data management needs, you can start looking for solutions like the ones listed above. To know which is right for you, start by thinking about the type of information you need to manage.

For instance, do you need to organize your customer profiles easily or track sales pipeline progress in real-time? Once you know what information you need to monitor, consider the time and effort it will take for your team to manage this data once established.

After all, if too many manual steps are involved in a solution, no one will be able to use it.

Manage Your Data Effortlessly With the Right Tools

As you can see, there are many different data management tools for small businesses to use. However, it’s important to find one that works for your business’s needs and understand how each one will improve your data analysis. 

Consider researching each option before choosing one — and ensure it will help you reach your goal. That way, you can be more efficient in this area when the time comes to use it.