Five BI predictions for 2019

The BI (business intelligence) industry is constantly adapting – driving new products and innovations that transform the way we work with analytics. As I scan the industry, I see five specific trends playing a big role in the analytics space over the next year. 

1. Expect to see more BI automation.

Gartner predicts that by 2020 more than 40 percent of data science tasks will be performed by machines. Amazingly, we’re already seeing this occur. Vendors are working to automate any part of the process from data preparation to delivery.

Part of this need for automation is being driven by a skills shortage in analytics: There’s a huge demand for analytics but not enough people equipped with the specific skillset. Organizations realize they need to do more with less, and automation is the key to shortening the time to value.

With this in mind, I predict we’ll see a lot of products coming to the market this year that involve automation. 

2. Watch for more products and jobs that involve data storytelling.

Business users are realizing that dashboards don’t deliver everything they need. A dashboard doesn’t provide narrative or context around the data it delivers. As a result, we’re seeing a new role arise in analytics that interprets and contextualizes data for businesses. I recently heard Claudia Imhoff refer to this new role as “data interpreters.” Others are calling the role “business data scientists.” These data interpreters will require a specific toolset, and we’re beginning to see what that will look like.

We know the need exists for a narrative-driven BI tool as some companies are building this capability internally. For example, one of the leading global advertising agencies built an internal data storytelling platform to tell stories with data and embed Power BI and Tableau reports. Likewise, we’re seeing new startup vendors enter the market to build storytelling tools that tell long-form narratives with data.

It’s evident that there’s a need for data storytelling, and I see this intersective need driving product in the space in 2019. 

3. Anticipate the return of mobile BI.

When mobile BI emerged, everyone wanted to rush to market with a mobile solution. However, the desktop experience was simply replicated on a mobile device, and we’ve found this just doesn’t work.

Vendors now have a different approach to mobile BI as their understanding of the mobile experience has become more sophisticated. Oracle and Domo are already thinking about better ways to deliver analytics on mobile, and it’s time for the rest of the industry to follow suit.

Most customers I talk with today use multiple devices and don’t want the same experience on each device. How we consume information is different on a laptop versus a mobile device. I believe this will redefine the whole delivery interface and drive mobile BI 2.0.

I predict we’ll see the return of mobile as the interface of choice in 2019, but with a very different look.

4. Look for voice to replace the text search interface.

Natural Language Querying (NLQ) has existed for a number of years. We’ve seen several vendors bring a search-type BI to the market, but I would argue that it hasn’t been very successful because there’s no real demand for text-based queries.

I think the real opportunity for NLQ is through voice. There’s a greater use case for voice, especially when combined with mobile BI. Consider how many people use Siri on their phone but not on their computer. We want the convenience of voice when we’re in the field – it’s more effective and efficient.

I predict that in the coming year we’ll see the text search interface disappear and be replaced by voice as vendors rethink mobile delivery. 

5. Expect to see analytics everywhere.

Traditionally, the dashboard has been the centralized point for people to consume analytics. However, I think those days are limited. There’s an overwhelming pressure on the industry to change the interface and the way we experience and access analytics.

Vendors are beginning to think more about how to disaggregate the product, and I predict we will see more of this in the coming year. Rather than people coming to a BI application, the content will be pushed out to where people want and need to consume their analytics, such as through email or on a mobile device – or embedded into any application that makes sense.

The pressure to change the way we experience analytics will drive changes in the BI space in 2019, and I see these five trends playing key roles.