Databox is an online BI tool that helps users pull their data into one centralized repository, so they can track performance and discover insights in real-time. It also allows users to mix and match their data in one place using data boards to help cut downtime checking data and creating reports from multiple KPIs in order to allow more time for making data-driven decisions. These data boards are real-time visualizations of your data, and they can be monitored anywhere, while also being optimized to be viewable on a desktop, mobile app, Apple Watch, and even a TV.
Databox has 70+ integrations, 200+ one-click report templates, and thousands of pre-built metric visualizations. Some template dashboards do require a paid subscription, however, but a majority of them are available with a free account. It also offers a Custom Query Builder; however, that does require a free trial or paid subscription. Databox offers 18 different types of visualizations to allow users flexibility in the way they need data displayed. Some examples of prebuilt dashboards can be seen below and more here.
A great feature of Databox is that it allows users to create their own dashboards with their DIY Dashboard Designer with no required coding or design knowledge. Using the Datablock Library, users can drag and drop visualizations from their data sources right into the dashboard.
With Databox, setting goals and tracking progress is made easy. Users can set goals on specific metrics and track them all on one screen. Goals can also be assigned to individuals or teams, which can be tracked in real-time.
Alerts can be created and sent to users through mobile push notifications, email, insights stream, and even to slack for notifications regarding when specific metrics have increased or decreased or when they’re greater or less than a specific threshold, so decisions can be made in real-time.
Data calculations allow for calculations across any data source for metrics such as conversion rates and ROI, in order to get a complete picture of sales, marketing, and overall business performance.
Databox also offers scorecards, which are updates regarding up to 10 KPIs from any data source and can be sent to users at the time and frequency that they prefer. They can be sent via email, push notification, and/or Slack.
Overall, Databox may seem daunting to a non-technical user given all the capabilities, but after playing around with it, it can be a powerful tool utilized to help individuals, agencies, and companies to make data-driven decisions, set goals and track progress, make data calculations, and get performance alerts and recommendations, all in a readily presentable manner. There can be some issues with the custom query builder and its inability to always get exactly what the user needs; however, that may be due to the data source’s API not being able to provide that information.
Another useful feature that Databox provides is viewing data for multiple ranges of time. Trends and data can be summarized and viewed in multiple periods including today, yesterday, last 24 hours, last 7 days, week to date, this week, last week, last 14 days, last 28 days, last 30 days, month to date, this month, last month, last 90 days, quarter to date, this quarter, last quarter, last 180 days, year to date, this year, last 12 month, and all time. However, there are some restrictions in terms of the number of periods usable as the user can only select up to 6 date ranges out of that list, which can be cumbersome if the user needs more than 6, or even if they need custom date ranges as they are not currently supported in Databox.
Also, certain features that users may need may be locked behind the paywall such as data calculations, push data via API, query builder, SQL and database integrations, company branding, and additional security. Additionally, the number of data sources, users, and data boards increases as the subscription plan increase, so users should look at the pricing and see what features and rate of data retrieval they would need. Pricing can be evaluated here.
Another highly rated BI tool is Klipfolio and pricing can be evaluated here. Klipfolio has 100+ services that can be connected, so if a user is unable to find an integration on Databox, Klipfolio may be an alternate option. Klipfolio does offer a 14-day free trial; however, there is no free account like Databox. Thus, depending on the functionality a user needs, Databox may be a more feasible option in terms of an available free tier account. However, Klipfolio does offer more integrations, so again, it would depend on a user’s specific needs.
With Klipfolio, users can connect multiple data sources and can drag-and-drop visualizations in a similar way to Databox. A capability Klipfolio has that Databox doesn’t is that custom HTML can be injected into the dashboard for additional customization. Users can also use context menus to apply common reporting actions like grouping, filtering, aggregating, and sorting that requires no technical experience. Klipfolio also provides tools for executing complex formulas such as below. These kinds of formulas may require a more technical background as opposed to Databox.
Like Databox, Klipfolio also has a TV dashboard display capabilities as seen below:
Users can share reports and dashboards via slack, manual or recurring email snapshots, and even live links in a similar fashion to Databox. Both tools also allow control access so clients can be given direct access to client-specific dashboards with live data tracking and progress of the engagement. Like Databox, Klipfolio also offers prebuilt content, custom queries, pre-built Klips (individual metrics), and pre-built dashboards. Example live dashboards can be seen here.
When determining which KPI and BI tool is best for a user, a good starting point may be to look at the pricing options and included features. When comparing Databox and Klipfolio, there are some differences between the two, but one of the biggest may be that Databox offers a free tier account and Klipfolio does not. Also, another key difference is that Klipfolio offers more integrations versus Databox (100+ vs 70+). Depending on the use case for a specific user, Databox may not necessarily hold a significant advantage over Klipfolio other than the free tier account option. So in the end, it’s up to the user to see which tool would be a feasible option for them.
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