In our first blog on how to choose the right business intelligence platform (and get the most out of it), we did an in-depth Crystal Reports and Sage Intelligence comparison. Today, we’re digging a bit deeper into Sage Intelligence and how it gains deeper insights into our client’s business, enabling informed decision-making and strategic planning. While the basic features of Sage Intelligence include Excel integration and data container usage, its advanced functionalities offer much more.
Data-driven organizations are now 23x more likely to acquire customers, 6x as likely to retain customers, and 19x more likely to be profitable. That’s why it’s important to look beyond basic reporting capabilities. Sage Intelligence’s advanced functionalities and applications emphasize its role as a comprehensive tool for sophisticated data analysis and a business intelligence platform. We realize that’s a lot of terminology, so let’s simplify things with some examples:
- Complex Data Analysis: Sage Intelligence can handle complex data sets, allowing for multi-dimensional analysis. This is particularly useful for businesses dealing with large volumes of data across various categories.
- Automated Data Blending: The tool can automatically blend data from different sources, offering a unified view for more comprehensive analysis.
- Scenario Analysis: Use what-if analysis and scenario planning features to forecast and plan for different business situations.
Practical Application: Going Beyond Standard Reporting
In today’s world, cookie-cutter reporting doesn’t cut it anymore. Businesses are looking for more flexibility and advanced features that provide clear, timely, and meaningful actions with complex data. Sage Intelligence shines when applied to scenarios that require more than just standard reporting:
- Custom Financial Reporting
Create tailored financial reports that go beyond the basic balance sheet and profit & loss statements. Make financial reporting fun again using features like cash flow analysis, budget vs. actuals, and more.
- Sales and Market Analysis
Numbers come alive to paint a nice pretty picture using Sage Intelligence to analyze sales trends, customer demographics, and market segmentation.
- Inventory and Operations Management
Unleash the power of details by developing reports for inventory tracking, operational efficiency, and supply chain management.
A real-world example of how Sage Intelligence goes beyond your typical standard reporting would be creating an advanced financial report using:
- Data Aggregation: Aggregate financial data from various sources within the business.
- Custom Calculations and Analysis: Use advanced Excel functions to perform custom calculations, like profitability ratios or liquidity analysis.
- Dynamic Dashboards: Create interactive dashboards within Excel, providing a real-time view of the business's financial health.
Maximizing Sage Intelligence with Excel's Power
As mentioned in our earlier blog comparing Sage Intelligence and Crystal Reports, when combined with Excel, Sage Intelligence opens up a whole new world of advanced data manipulation that isn’t usually possible with other business intelligence platforms, such as:
- Excel's Full Spectrum Utilization
You can use Excel’s full range of capabilities, from complex formulas and pivot tables to advanced charting, to enhance your Sage Intelligence reports. This can turn static data into dynamic and interactive insights so you’re not just reading the story, you’re interacting with it.
- Creating Interactive Reports
You can take advantage of Excel's interactive elements like slicers, conditional formatting, and interactive charts. These features not only make the report more engaging but also allow users to explore and interact with the data in ways that drive meaningful action.
A great example of using Sage Intelligence with Excel is creating a detailed customization of a General Ledger Transaction Report:
- Structured Data Assembly
Start with selecting the right data containers, and we’re not talking about the Tupperware kind, but the Excel kind (more info on this below). Organize this data using pivot tables in Excel, which allows for an organized and detailed view.
- Application of Advanced Excel Techniques
Who needs to shake a magic 8 ball (are we aging ourselves?) when you have insights right at your fingertips? Improve the report with Excel’s sophisticated features like data bars for visual comparison, or color scales in conditional formatting for quick data assessment.
- Interactive Dynamics
You can be the James Bond of data by integrating dynamic elements like dropdown lists for selecting different financial periods, or slicers, the 007 gadgets for segmenting data. Make your report more than just a document, but an interactive data exploration tool.
Sage Intelligence: Taking Data Analysis to the Next Level
The average company uses 3.8 business intelligence platforms. With Sage Intelligence, you only need one. If you’ve been following along, we now know that Sage Intelligence, a step up from traditional report writing, is an essential tool for in-depth data analysis. It extends beyond the capabilities of basic report writers by integrating seamlessly with Excel, enabling users to leverage all the familiar functionalities of Excel within the Sage environment. This integration empowers users to create more complex, insightful reports with ease. So, why how does that impact the day to day and/or overall business? Here are two key ways:
- Creating and Using Data Containers and Templates
Sage Intelligence employs data containers, which are pre-groupings of data from various tables or queries, offering a streamlined approach to data compilation. These containers simplify the process of creating reports by providing commonly requested data in an easily accessible format. It’s data organization but make it cool.
- Scheduling and Distribution Features
Your team can say goodbye to data delays and hello to real-time insights. One of the standout features of Sage Intelligence is its scheduling and distribution capabilities. This business intelligence platform allows reports to be scheduled to run at specific times and automatically emailed to designated recipients. This feature ensures the timely delivery of critical data insights, aiding in prompt decision-making and strategy formulation.
By combining these features, Sage Intelligence elevates data analysis, offering businesses a powerful tool to harness their data effectively. It's not just about creating reports; it's about creating insights that tell a story and drive action. All that said, we’re confident enough to admit that not everything is perfect. There are a couple of some common issues along with our handy solutions:
- Understanding Data Containers: It can be challenging to understand how data containers work, so we recommend exploring the preset groupings or reach out to our Sage support team – we’re happy to help.
- Managing Report Scheduling: If scheduled reports are not being delivered as expected, check the email settings, and ensure that the scheduling configurations are correct.
Elevating Your Reporting Game: A Final Takeaway
As we wrap up our exploration of Sage Intelligence’s advanced functionalities, it's clear that these tools offer more than just report generation; they provide a world of possibilities for business reporting. By optimizing and customizing reports, businesses can not only streamline their data analysis processes but also reflect their unique brand identity in every piece of data they present.
Sage Intelligence can be a great ally in not just reporting data, but in telling the story of your business through numbers and insights. Feel free to contact our team if you have any questions or would like to talk about employing Sage Intelligence with your Sage 300 system.
