The IT Nerd

Zoho Corporation, a leading global technology company, today launched a new version of Zoho Analytics-Zoho’s self-service BI and analytics platform. Among more than 100 other enhancements, Zoho Analytics has developed powerful new AI and ML capabilities, enabling diagnostic insights, predictive analysis, and automated report and dashboard generation.

Additional advancements to Zoho Analytics include a custom ML model-building studio, seamless integration with Open AI, 25+ new data connectors, and third-party BI platform extensions. The new version of Zoho Analytics has added power, intelligence, and flexibility to serve a broader range of businesses and users than competitors in the market.

The latest version of Zoho Analytics has advanced across four key areas: Data Management, AI, Data Science & Machine Learning, and Extensibility. Below are notable highlights of the platform across these four categories. 

Data Management Hub 

Zoho Analytics has expanded its data management capabilities, adding Stream Analytics, ETL data pipelines, and metrics-layer enhancements to ensure broader access to more accurate data for businesses. Key data management additions to Zoho Analytics are as follows: 

• Zoho Analytics has expanded its 500+ data connector portfolio by adding Stream Analytics, along with 25 other new data connectors.
• Business users can now create and manage complex ETL data pipelines within the platform, specifically through the following actions:
  • Create end-to-end data pipelines using Zoho Analytics’ visual builder
  • Build Custom Transforms and ML models using the platform’s Python Code Studio
  • Transform data using natural language with Zoho’s AI assistant, Ask Zia
  • Access robust data management with an automatic versioning system and a new Sandbox environment
  • Orchestrate data pipelines using Zoho Flow
• New Unified Metrics Layer enables users to define, standardize, monitor, access control, and catalog all business metrics in a single pane. The platform also extends to serve in a Headless BI mode, allowing data apps to consume the same metrics in real time for consistent and dependable insights.

BI Infused with Generative AI

Zoho Analytics has introduced Generative AI capabilities across the BI platform to accelerate the adoption of insights for a broad spectrum of user personas. The following AI-powered enhancements deliver more efficient, contextual, accessible, and intelligent insights and actions to the platform:

• Diagnostic Analysis: Zoho’s AI-powered, automated insights engine, Zia Insights, now provides diagnostic analytics contextually, bringing decision intelligence into the platform.
• Ask Zia, Zoho’s multi-lingual Natural Language Querying AI copilot, has been enhanced, allowing users to trigger actions and build custom data models. Users can now converse with Ask Zia within IM channels, including Microsoft Teams, to generate deeper, faster, and more contextual insights and actions.
• Zoho Analytics has added Auto Analysis, enabling AI-powered automated metrics, report, and dashboard generation.
• Zoho Analytics’ seamless Open AI integration-enabled by Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)-drives more relevant and accurate query responses. Using Open AI APIs with BYOK, users can more easily find public datasets and create formula & SQL queries. 

Data Science and Machine Learning Studio

Zoho Analytics now features the Data Science and Machine Learning (DSML) Studio, supporting users to build custom machine learning models for specific business requirements. DSML Studio offers the following capabilities: 

• DSML Studio offers AutoML, a no-code assistant, to build custom ML models easily. With feature engineering, hyperparameter tuning, and comprehensive model analysis, it enables users to train, test, compare, deploy, and manage models. 
• Zoho Analytics also features Code Studio, the platform’s new integrated Python code environment where users can create custom ML models, as well as import Python models or externally built libraries, which can be executed within the platform. 

Platform Extensibility 

Zoho Analytics is more deeply extendable, adding new capabilities such as its no-code

builder for data connectors, actions framework, BI fabric, and client SDKs. Zoho Analytics is a composable platform on which any analytical solution can be built. The following are additional key extendability developments: 

• Zoho Analytics’ new BI fabric enables businesses to consolidate insights from multiple BI platforms, such as Power BI and Tableau, onto one, easily accessible and searchable analytics portal. Access to the portal can be controlled with fine- grained access permissions.
• Within Zoho Analytics, users can trigger actionable workflows, including URL and Webhook actions. The platform integrates seamlessly with Zoho Flow, enabling 500+ app triggers.
• Zoho Analytics features a no-code data connector builder, allowing users to create custom connectors, to bring data from any custom application. sPartners can also build data connectors that can be published and sold on Zoho Marketplace. 

The new Zoho Analytics release features over 100+ updates, including new visualizations, enhanced dashboard building, audit and admin controls, revamped mobile apps, Right-to-Left (RTL) support, and more.

Pricing and Availability 

The New Version of Zoho Analytics is available immediately. For information on pricing, please visit: http://www.zoho.com/analytics/pricing.html