No-Code vs. Low-Code Business Intelligence Tools

By

The Grow Team

52% of respondents in an OutSystems Survey believe that low-code and no-code platforms will be the future of application development.

What are No-Code BI Tools? 

No-Code Business Intelligence allows users to create reports and dashboards without writing any code. These tools are designed to be user-friendly and accessible to people without technical expertise. They typically provide pre-built templates and drag-and-drop interfaces that make creating visualizations and analyzing data accessible.

Benefits of using No-Code Business Intelligence software like Grow: 

  • Easy to use 
  • Requires minimal training 
  • Greater adaptability
  • Offer fast deployment
  • Increased agility
  • Improved data accessibility
  • Lower costs
  • Reduced errors
  • Increased collaboration
  • Customization

What is Low-Code BI Tools? 

According to a report by Forrester, the low-code development platform market is expected to reach $21.2 billion by 2022, up from $3.8 billion in 2017.

Low-code BI tools provide greater customization options than no-code solutions, allowing users to create more sophisticated reports and dashboards. They still require minimal coding knowledge, but they offer more flexibility than No-Code Business Intelligence tools. Low-code BI solutions often include pre-built templates and various customization options, such as adding custom code, integrating with external data sources, and creating complex data models.

Benefits of Low-Code BI

  • Faster development
  • Improved agility
  • Greater control
  • Increased collaboration
  • More comprehensive functionality
  • Reduced technical debt

No-Code Vs. Low-Code Business Intelligence Tools- A Comparison

Gartner found that 41% of organizations currently use low-code platforms, while 10% use no-code platforms.

Difference No #1:Technical expertise: 

No-code BI tools are designed for users with little to no technical expertise. For example, The Feel Good Lab employs a website performance dashboard to track consumer purchasing patterns and guide marketing decisions. 

A No-Code BI Solution would allow them to quickly assemble this dashboard without needing help from IT or data scientists. In contrast, low-code BI tools may require technical expertise to set up and customize, such as an IT team creating a custom data integration or a developer using code to create a complex visualization. 

Difference No #2: Complexity: 

No-code BI tools are generally simpler and more user-friendly, as they have pre-built templates and configurations. For example, a small business may use a no-code BI tool to track sales data from an e-commerce website. The tool would have pre-built visualizations and data connectors, making it easy to create a sales report. In contrast, a large corporation with complex data requirements may need a low-code BI tool to customize its data integrations and visualizations.

Difference No #3: Speed of implementation: 

No-code BI tools are designed to be implemented quickly and easily. For example, a startup may use a no-code BI tool to create a basic dashboard to track user engagement metrics. The tool would have pre-built connectors to common data sources like Google Analytics or Salesforce, allowing them to make the dashboard quickly. In contrast, a more established company with complex data requirements may take longer to integrate a low-code BI tool and integrate it with its existing systems.

Difference No #4: Flexibility: 

No-Code Business Intelligence tools are generally less flexible than low-code BI tools. For example, a small business may be satisfied with a no-code BI tool's pre-built visualizations and reports. However, a larger enterprise with complex data requirements may need the flexibility of a low-code BI tool to customize its data integrations and visualizations to meet its unique needs.

Difference No #5: Cost: 

No-code BI tools are generally more affordable than low-code BI tools. For example, a small business may use a no-code BI tool with a free or low-cost subscription plan to track sales data and create basic reports. In contrast, a large corporation with complex data requirements may need to invest in a more expensive low-code BI tool with advanced customization and integration capabilities.

Difference No #6: User Base: 

No-Code Business Intelligence tools are designed for non-technical users, while low-code BI tools are intended for users with some technical expertise. For example, a marketing team with little technical expertise may use a no-code BI tool to create reports and visualizations. In contrast, a data science team with more technical expertise may use a low-code BI tool to create custom data integrations and visualizations.

Difference No #7: Integration capabilities: 

Low-code BI tools are generally more flexible when it comes to integrating with other systems and data sources. For example, a large corporation with multiple data sources may need to use a low-code BI tool to combine all its data sources into one dashboard. A no-code BI tool may not have the necessary integrations or customization capabilities to handle this level of complexity.

Key Takeaways-

No-Code vs. Low-Code BI Tools: Which is Better? 

Choosing between no-code and low-code BI tools depends on the specific needs of a business. For companies that require quick deployment and ease of use, no-code BI tools may be the better choice. On the other hand, low-code BI tools may be the better option for businesses with more complex data requirements and needing customization.

Factors to consider when choosing between these two solutions include:

  • Technical expertise level within the organization.
  • Data complexity that needs to be analyzed.
  • The budget.

It's also important to consider the long-term goals of the business, as the scalability and customization options of low-code BI tools may provide a better ROI over time.

Grow dashboard successfully wins over in all the above areas with affordable pricing and seamless drag-and-drop dashboard functionalities. To know more, access Grow Reviews from Verified Users Capterra and see for yourself. 

Ready to unlock the power of your data without breaking a sweat? Get started with the No-Code BI solution today and say goodbye to complicated code and hello to insightful data analysis!

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