The Quiet Success of AI in Analytics

2023 was the year of AI in almost every industry. However, when it comes to analytics solutions, AI for the most part is just a buzzword, remaining in its early stages. Pyramid Analytics is one of the exceptions. Introducing AI into its platform as far back as 2018, Pyramid has steadily been embedding AI into every aspect of the platform. The reliability and usability of Pyramid’s AI capabilities have matured, and consequently there have been higher adoption rates by both data professionals and business users, who have gained more value.

So what’s the secret?

Pyramid regards AI as something that should be an integral part of every aspect of the platform and not a separate component. The fact that Pyramid took this approach from day one has played a big part in its success. AI is now augmented in every stage of the data lifecycle, from data prep and analytics, to insight distribution and consumption.

Here are a few examples of the available AI functionalities:

• At the data preparation stage, AI can be used to scan tables in all connected data sources and automatically creates a virtual semantic layer over them.

• At the analysis stage, Pyramid offers auto discovery and visualization capabilities. A user can type in a question about the given data in plain language – for example “average deal sizes by region” – and the result will automatically be shown. Additionally, a user can ask the system to analyze a specific data model and to create a dashboard with the relevant data, KPIs, and charts.

• Smart insights – Some users don’t want to examine reports, they just want to see the bottom line. Pyramid provides these users with automated insights generated by AI. A click on any existing report or chart will initiate analysis and present results describing the data and the relevant insights in plain language.

Listen to the users

Customers play a large part in making AI a valuable part of Pyramid’s capabilities. Many AI functionalities added to the platform over the years have come directly from user feedback. By listening to its customers, Pyramid has been able to incorporate reliable and useful AI into everyday analytics.

This is how they developed one of the most used and well-liked AI functionalities of the platform – the ability to interact with data visualizations for further exploration. Beyond having AI creating data charts or reports, and delivering insights, Pyramid enables users to delve into the data and analytics presented to them using plain language. For example, a user can ask AI to apply a filter, or for data layers to be added or removed, or to use a certain visualization type.

Generative AI and Analytics

The new generative AI era opened the door to new capabilities. Many of these are already embedded into Pyramid’s platform such the ability for AI to design dashboards, or generate Python, R or SQL code, just to name a few. To address any security concerns that come with exposing data to external APIs, Pyramid offers users the option to decide between using an external LLM or using the built-in NLP engine.

The AI revolution is just beginning

AI is already changing the way data departments and business users interact with as well as understand data and is set to open the door for further innovations. We at Pyramid are excited about what AI has to offer and believe it is going to bring analytics into more aspects of our professional and personal lives.