Introduction

Low-code platforms are transforming the way business intelligence (BI) solutions are developed and deployed. These platforms allow users to create powerful BI dashboards, reports, and analytics without needing deep coding expertise. Low-code tools enable fast prototyping, ease of customization, and quick iterations, making them an ideal choice for both IT and business professionals. This course is designed to provide participants with a strong understanding of low-code platforms for BI development, how to create interactive data visualizations, build automated workflows, and streamline data management processes, all using intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces and minimal code.

Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the core concepts of low-code platforms and how they accelerate BI development.
• Learn to design, develop, and deploy BI dashboards and reports using popular low-code platforms such as Power BI, Tableau, and Zoho Analytics.
• Leverage data connectors and APIs to integrate low-code platforms with various data sources (databases, cloud storage, and APIs).
• Automate BI workflows and processes by utilizing low-code workflow automation tools integrated with BI solutions.
• Customize BI solutions with advanced features (e.g., calculated fields, conditional formatting, drill-downs) without heavy programming.
• Build collaborative BI solutions that allow both business users and analysts to contribute and interact with BI content.
• Address challenges of scalability, data governance, and security in low-code BI development.
• Gain hands-on experience in creating interactive and self-service BI solutions that enhance business decision-making.

Who Should Attend?

This course is ideal for:

• Business analysts and BI developers looking to enhance their skills in building BI solutions quickly and efficiently.
• Non-technical users such as business managers or project managers who need to create and customize BI reports and dashboards for decision-making.
• Data professionals seeking to streamline their BI development processes and improve their ability to integrate data sources.
• IT professionals who want to learn how to support business users in developing BI solutions using low-code platforms.
• Entrepreneurs or small business owners who need to build cost-effective, scalable BI solutions for data analysis and reporting.

Course Outline

Day 1: Introduction to Low-Code Platforms and BI Development

• What is Low-Code Development?: Understanding the low-code development model, its benefits, and how it fits into the BI ecosystem.
• Low-Code vs. Traditional Development: Comparing low-code platforms with traditional BI development approaches (e.g., custom coding, ETL pipelines).
• Overview of Popular Low-Code BI Tools: Introduction to key low-code BI platforms like Power BI, Tableau, Zoho Analytics, and Qlik Sense.
• Low-Code BI Platform Features: Understanding the core features of low-code platforms including drag-and-drop interfaces, pre-built templates, and customizable widgets.
• Choosing the Right Low-Code Platform for Your Needs: Evaluating factors such as data integration, reporting capabilities, scalability, and cost when selecting a low-code platform.
• Hands-on Session: Creating Your First BI Dashboard with Power BI
• Case Study: Building a Simple Dashboard for Sales Performance Monitoring

Day 2: Data Integration and Automation with Low-Code Platforms

• Integrating Data Sources into Low-Code BI Tools: Connecting to various data sources, including databases, Excel, APIs, and cloud services.
• Data Transformation and Cleaning with Low-Code Tools: Using built-in tools to clean and transform data for BI purposes without writing complex SQL queries.
• Data Modeling and Relationships: Setting up data models, creating relationships between datasets, and ensuring data integrity within the low-code environment.
• Workflow Automation in BI: Automating data pipelines, report generation, and data refresh schedules with low-code workflow tools.
• Advanced Features for Automation: Using built-in tools for scheduling, conditional logic, and alerts in reports.
• Hands-on Session: Building an Automated BI Dashboard that Connects to Cloud-Based Data Sources (Google Analytics, Salesforce)
• Case Study: Automating Daily Sales Report Generation and Distribution

Day 3: Advanced Visualization Techniques with Low-Code BI Platforms

• Data Visualization Best Practices: Exploring best practices for data visualization, including choosing the right chart types, color schemes, and interactive elements.
• Creating Interactive Dashboards: Using low-code platforms to design interactive dashboards with filters, slicers, and drill-downs.
• Conditional Formatting and Customization: Applying conditional formatting, calculated fields, and custom calculations to enhance the interactivity and relevance of your reports.
• Using AI and ML Integrations in BI: Leveraging built-in AI and machine learning tools in low-code BI platforms to identify trends, make predictions, and enhance decision-making.
• Embedding BI Content into Applications: How to embed low-code BI reports and dashboards into internal or customer-facing applications (e.g., websites, mobile apps).
• Hands-on Session: Building a Real-Time Dashboard with Interactive Filters and Drill-Downs in Tableau
• Case Study: Creating a Customer Churn Prediction Dashboard with AI Features

Day 4: Collaborative BI and Self-Service Analytics

• Enabling Self-Service Analytics: Empowering business users to create, customize, and share their own reports and dashboards within a low-code environment.
• Collaboration and Sharing: Using low-code BI platforms to share dashboards, create alerts, and collaborate with team members in real time.
• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Implementing role-based permissions to control who can view, edit, or share reports and dashboards.
• Governance and Data Quality Management: Ensuring that business users adhere to data governance standards while using self-service BI tools.
• Embedding BI in Collaborative Workflows: How to integrate BI insights into team workflows, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and email to enhance collaborative decision-making.
• Hands-on Session: Creating Collaborative BI Reports and Setting Permissions in Zoho Analytics
• Case Study: Building a Self-Service Analytics Portal for Marketing Teams

Day 5: Scaling, Security, and Best Practices for Low-Code BI Development

• Scalability in Low-Code BI: Understanding the limitations of low-code platforms and best practices for scaling BI solutions across organizations.
• Security Best Practices: Implementing data security protocols, user authentication, and encryption to ensure data integrity and protection in low-code BI environments.
• Best Practices for Low-Code BI Development: Optimizing performance, improving user experience, and maintaining a high level of data quality.
• Governance and Compliance: Ensuring that BI solutions built with low-code platforms meet industry standards and regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and SOX.
• Monitoring and Auditing: Techniques for tracking usage, performance, and compliance of BI solutions created with low-code tools.
• Looking Forward: The Future of Low-Code BI Development: Exploring the future trends of low-code platforms in the world of BI, including integration with AI, predictive analytics, and data science tools.
• Final Project: Design and Deploy a Scalable, Secure, and Collaborative Low-Code BI Solution for a Business Use Case
• Hands-on Session: Setting Up Data Security and Role-Based Access in Power BI and Tableau