What to use.
WHAT MOST SMALL BUSINESSES NEED
A spreadsheet, and the reporting built into systems they already use.
WHEN TO CONSIDER MORE
Data volumes a spreadsheet handles poorly Several sources needing regular combination Dashboards several people use Analysis repeated identically each period
WHAT TO ASSESS IN ANY TOOL
Whether it connects to your actual data sources Whether anyone will operate it What it costs annually How you export your work
WHAT TO BE CAREFUL WITH
Tools requiring skills you do not have Tools that produce dashboards nobody reads Long commitments before you know you will use it
WHAT TO TRIAL WITH
Your own data, answering a real question.
Not a demonstration dataset.
WHAT MOST TOOL PURCHASES ACTUALLY SOLVE
Nothing, when the underlying problem is data quality.
THAT POINT
A tool applied to inconsistent records produces inconsistent answers, faster.
WHAT TO FIX FIRST
Collection and consistency.
WHAT TO ADOPT
The simplest thing that answers your questions.
