Investigation of Application Development Tools
Just as earlier humanity witnessed the transition to self-developed data collection platforms, it is now possible to observe the development of a whole new class of tools for self-learning and data visualization. This is not necessarily a replacement for traditional analytical software suites – the latter are enterprise-level systems and are often still needed for more sophisticated and advanced statistical analysis. However, the new tools have quite a few advantages over existing tools: they are less expensive, more flexible, easier to use, and built to meet the needs of different users. Today, you can find many tools that can help you get started with complex types of analysis, creating visualizations based on different databases. It is necessary to analyze which tools are the most effective to achieve this goal.
Facilitating the Data Analysis Process
There has always been a wide range of different programs available to analysts and researchers, so the expansion of their arsenal is not in itself a revolutionary development. For example, if we talk only about the market research industry, over the years survey-based data collection platforms have integrated quite advanced data analysis tools into their offerings, but they are mostly limited to collecting data within the respective system and are not particularly well suited for synthesizing external data sets (Pendyala, 2019). Even though they are often capable of much more, their use is usually limited to field study management and some client access to data in the early stages of the study and does not include a fully integrated data reporting process.
Previously, the standard data processing and database output workflow consisted mainly of the following: export the data, clean it up with a third-party application, export to merge the data into tables, and then create cross-tabular data arrays. This was eventually converted into Excel documents based on the resulting tables. Software like e-Tabs and MarketSight simplified some of these processes, and a number of organizations took advantage of more data capture systems or developed their own solutions using macros (Pendyala, 2019). However, most representatives of this industry were limited to standardized process operations.
It should be noted that in most cases, market analysts were only required to analyze discrete data sets and prepare a variety of graphical illustrations of the main results obtained. However, this situation began to change with the emergence of dashboards such as Xcelsius, Crystal Reports, Dundas Charts and many others, as there was a need for new ways to work with the resulting data. This way of working was cumbersome and often resulted in failures (Pendyala, 2019). Few marketing analytics service providers started working with such dashboard systems and were happy with the situation, which allowed IT and business intelligence professionals to lead the data visualization revolution in its early stages using these and similar tools.
Because the need for such tools was not going away, technicians created new, more effective models that shattered the existing paradigm. In all areas, from synthesis to visualization, and for all possible data types, tools have emerged that have simplified the process of using data for effective analysis (Pendyala, 2019). Most of these tools don’t require programming skills or serious training-all processes are point-and-click, and most of the most complex work goes on without developer input. It is necessary to consider the most effective of them, identifying their advantages.
Office Reports
OfficeReports helps solve a long-standing problem for many data scientists by simplifying the process of transferring data from statistical processing programs directly into the main reporting application, Microsoft Office. Almost all organizations have developed a certain dependence on PowerPoint and Excel, since they are the standard commercial software all over the world (Pendyala, 2019). The Office Reports team is well aware of this, and has therefore developed a program which looks, feels and functions like an extension of Office (Pendyala, 2019). OfficeReports allows you to turn Microsoft Office into a full-fledged application for full data analysis and reporting for research (Pendyala, 2019). Through the menu OfficeReports professionals have the ability to analyze an array of data in a document or presentation and then easily work with these data, create tables and charts. So one of the main advantages of this tool is the ability to process large amounts of information without using a lot of equipment and time. Hence the first necessary tool for creating databases, namely the information array manager.
Second Prism
Second Prism is a lightweight version of the Mobile Adapter database that allows you to quickly and securely publish dynamically changing reports on mobile devices. Its graphical representation is clear and intuitive, and the whole system is designed to allow sharing the information with other members of the work team or third parties on social services (Pendyala, 2019). If providing access to interactive charts and graphs from mobile devices is a priority, Second Prism is a robust platform that enables this capability in a user-friendly way. From the analyzed toolkit comes the second method necessary for the database, namely the graphical visualizer of all the received and important information.
Databoard
Databoard is the latest in Google’s easy-to-use data tools. It’s a simple, intuitive and free application that serves as a clear illustration of the new open data paradigm. The new program from Google Databoard isn’t so good because of the statistical data the company has gathered from various studies in the mobile device industry. It’s free and easy to get started. In other words, Google has done a lot of research on how people use mobile devices, and now it’s created a service that allows people to access key findings from that research. Then there is an opportunity to share them with other people, or to convert them into an infographic (Pendyala, 2019). At this point, it’s a resource to explore secondary data and create some basic infographics from that, and it’s also a pretty clear signpost of possible future change. In addition, a third critical tool for database development is clearly evident from this analysis, namely, the ease of accessibility and convertibility of the data.
DataMarket
DataMarket is a hybrid solution that performs several functions at once:
- It is an open data portal that provides the ability to view and analyze thousands of publicly available data sets. What makes it unusual is that you can independently select variables from many individual arrays (Pendyala, 2019). For example, you can use this toolkit to establish the relationship between the Irish unemployment rate and the Dow Jones Index on any given day and analyze it in terms of standard demographic indicators.
- The data can be systematized and searched for. DataMarket’s search service allows you to organize your data in many different ways to suit your needs (Pendyala, 2019). It is a very flexible classification system that creates your library right in the process of working with your data.
From this walkthrough, a fourth important tool for developing quality databases follows, and that is systematizing and distributing large flows of information.
Q Research Software
This company has become a leader in data processing and delivery in the last few stages of the GRIT research project due to the reliability of its platform. Unlike the other solutions mentioned, it is a complete alternative to other systems. Developed by Numbers, Inc. of Australia, Q offers a robust, easy-to-understand interface that meets the needs of novices and advanced users alike (Pendyala, 2019). It includes features such as choice analysis, multivariate analysis, predictive modeling and an interactive charting and data manipulation toolbar that can be used to visualize and report on results. One of its characteristics is the possibility to select and combine variables from any data set loaded for additional analysis. There is also a function that makes it easy to merge or recode data right in the process.
Summarizing All Instruments
Finally, it is necessary to recreate the image of such tools, which will be widely used by many companies involved in data analytics, research and database development. Thanks to efficient tools and reporting functions, companies should be able to integrate an infographic creation engine and a design studio, which would allow for quick and easy creation of databases. To this end, the envisioned toolkit should create web portals for uploading dynamic online presentations and reports, providing clear, actionable insights into research data and other business information in a timely manner. In addition to the ability to create excellent dashboards for infographics, the system must be able to fully integrate modules for data processing, statistical accounting and analysis, cross-referencing tables, and charting and automatic data updates.
In fact, such programs already exist, with certain weaknesses and strengths. Such tools are increasingly replacing traditional statistical programs used by researchers. Some of them are far from simple, but many have been designed to make the task of analyzing data from many different sources seriously easier. The era in which statisticians and analysts were highly specialized experts is rapidly coming to an end. This is because the tools allow anyone to do the same job with ease. Still, the skills of data professionals will remain in demand, but more so in the development of information technology than in analytics.
Systematization Using Oracle Apex as an Example
The main competitive advantage of Apex over other systems is its initial (since the first versions) focus on “cloud” use. One physical server can host an unlimited number of worxpaces – actually separate databases with their own applications and users (Pendyala, 2019). For full development and administration need only a browser, it is a disadvantage for the developer (the need to constantly drag the mouse) and a huge plus in real life tasks, when in an emergency the configuration is corrected from a tablet. Oracle Apex is a complete solution for fast creation of web-oriented applications. The platform is fairly new, but has acclimated well to our conditions. Solution from Oracle can be called fairly simple and very reliable. This software has all of the above tools, it has the ability to build databases. One of the brightest examples are electronic stores and accounts for sale on Amazon, which are autonomous thanks to the databases created by the program.
References
Pendyala, V. (Ed.). (2019). Tools and Techniques for Software Development in Large Organizations. Emerging Research and Opportunities. IGI Global.