Being able to easily access your data, sort it in a manner that makes sense for your business, and know that it is protected in case of power disruptions or cyber attack are all business-critical considerations that must be addressed when determining the best data solutions. We’re looking at data warehouse services Vs databases – what they each do, what the pros and cons of the technologies are, and how they differ from one another, so you can make informed decisions to benefit your business.

What do you need to know about Data Warehouses?

A data warehouse is essentially a central repository for your information to be stored and accessed. Data warehousing services provide space and the tools to integrate data from various sources and create a searchable database. Depending on the service, the data warehouse may also have additional functions for data source integration, lifecycle management, data modelling, and other advanced organisational options.

The pros and cons of a Data Warehouse

As with many other technologies and platforms, there are both reasons for and against using a data warehouse, and these should be carefully considered before a structure is developed and put in place.

The benefits of a data warehouse include:

• Easier integration of data from multiple sources
• Error identification and suggested corrections
• Faster data retrieval

Some limitations to consider:

• Higher maintenance costs
• Increased time spent in preparing the data for the warehouse
• Issues with compatibility, especially at the initial set-up stages

Read about data warehouse Vs data lake and choosing the right data solution.

What do you need to know about Databases?

A database is a structured set of data, which is generally held in an individual location, that can generally be accessed in various ways.

There are different types of databases which are used depending on the project’s needs. The main types of databases are:

• Relational
• Object-Orientated
• Hierarchical
• Network

The Pros and Cons of a Database

Making use of an internal or ‘local’ database can have benefits and problems associated with it.

Some of the pros include:

• Minimised data inconsistency
• Stricter control over data redundancy
• Ease of sharing

But some of the cons to consider include:

• Additional costs involved with staff training
• Hardware and software updates and maintenance costs
• Data conversion may be costly
• Incompatibility with other software

Data Warehouse vs Database and the key differences

The key difference between using a local database and a data warehouse service is accessibility – with data warehouses offering wider access.

However, it’s also important to consider that many data warehouses have easy options to purchase more space when the database grows in size, an internal database is limited to the size restrictions of the local server, and it can be both costly and time-inefficient to upgrade the server when these limits are reached. Making the correct choice will rely on your specific business needs, the size of the team involved in working with the databases (or accessing them), and whether you have a growth and expansion plan to consider.

Ardent data warehousing service

Ardent has worked with a wide variety of clients to provide a data warehousing service to ensure data organisation and accessibility. If you are dealing with slow query performance, data coming from multiple sources and increasing load to data, get in touch to find out how Ardent can help you effectively store your data. Our engineers help our clients unlock their data potential every day and can do the same for you.

Explore our data engineering services

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There are a wide variety of market research organisations including agencies, client-facing insight teams, suppliers to the industry and much more. They all face unique challenges that may cause a hindrance, however, the market research industry challenges highlighted in this article are common for organisations across the industry. Find out if these challenges are relevant to your organisation and how technology can help you overcome them.

Rapidly changing landscape

Opinions are constantly evolving and changing and new products and services are released, therefore market research companies need to adapt quickly to the rapidly changing landscape. The end client cannot afford to wait for weeks or months to get insights in today’s instant access environment. For businesses to remain competitive they need to adapt and change their strategies in line with the opinions, feedback and reactions and market research companies need to deliver those quickly.

With the right software market researchers can quickly identify trends, reactions and responses. The software can scour the various websites and social channels as the reactions start coming in for a quick turnaround time on analysis in reporting.

At Ardent, we have collated near-real-time social media data for a market research client in a data lake which looks at the trending topics, brand presence and marketing reach. Read the full success story here.

Need for automation

A lot of market research companies have still not adopted process automation which can provide many benefits including improving efficiency, boosting productivity, higher employee satisfaction and saving time and resources.

Although the use of multiple apps to automate processes may save you some time, a comprehensive software platform solution can help fulfil your needs. Every market research company will have a unique way of carrying out their processes, therefore customised software platform could help significantly reduce costs and enhance productivity.

Ardent built an information security platform for a global market research company with automated processes. Read the full story here.

Making big data manageable

Organisations across industries are drowning in big data, including those in market research. Making big data manageable is no easy feat which is why you will require expert assistance in managing your market research data. More than likely, as a market research company you will be collecting data from a variety of sources, processing, storing and gaining meaningful insights from these huge volumes of data is challenging.

Data engineering experts can help you effectively manage your big data to gain powerful insights to deliver to your end customers. At Ardent, our engineers have helped a leading broadcasting company easily search the huge mass of data they collect. Read the full story here.

Robust data security

Data security is essential for all market research companies, however, especially for those that are dealing with confidential consumer data. With hefty fines for negligence in line with regulations such as GDPR, companies simply can not afford to ignore data security. Following industry best practices can help you mitigate these risks, for example, Ardent is an ISO accredited company therefore, we follow through with data practices in order to keep our data and our client’s data safe.

Investing in technology that is built with security at its core can help you avoid data leaks and improve your data security. At Ardent, we implement multi-level data security measures to ensure all application data and any data that is being processed is safe.

Staying ahead of the competition

The market research industry is one of the most competitive, so companies need to look at ways to stay ahead of the competition. In order to stand out from the crowded market, market research companies should look to invest in platforms and technologies which can provide a quick turnaround time, that operate across devices and systems to collate data and have automated features to the reduced workload on your team.

At Ardent, we have delivered a fully integrated mobile app and web solution for a market research company to automate its footfall collection process. Read the full story here.

Investing in the right technologies

Software and data solutions built with your unique needs in mind can help you take your market research company to the next level. Technology can empower you to provide quick turnaround on analysis and insights, automate processes, enable you to effectively manage big data, ensure data security practices, and stay ahead of the competition.

Ardent Market Research solutions

We have delivered a wide variety of both software and data solutions to a range of market research organisations fit for their unique needs. We build secure, scalable and agile software and data solutions customised to your specific needs and requirements. Get in touch to find out more or explore our software development and data engineering services.

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Here we will look at some of the most popular data analytics and reporting tools on the market including Tableau, Microsoft Power BI, Periscope and Pentaho. Ardent engineers have worked with all these technologies for various client projects and have found many incredible benefits and some limitations.

Tableau

Tableau has been around for almost two decades, helping people see and understand their data. According to Slintel, Tableau is the market leader in data visualisation with a 16.66% market share. Tableau offers stunning, easy to understand visuals of large volumes of data, enabling users to gain an understanding of their data. Tableau presents complex raw data in an understandable format for any professional in an organisation, making it versatile and incredibly useful to an organisation that may not have in-house data scientists. However, Tableau can be considered costly compared to some platforms in the market.

Ardent’s data engineers have worked with Tableau on a number of occasions to implement and enhance data reporting, particularly for our clients in industries such as market research, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals.

We will look at some advantages on offer and some limitations that come with Tableau.

Advantages

• Stunning visuals – Tableau is known for its outstanding visuals of data making it a leader in its field.
• Easy to use – Expert skills are not required to create graphics and visuals of data within the software.
• High performing – Tableau is a robust tool that can handle larges volumes of data most organisations deal with.
• Extensive data connectors – You can collect a wide range of data sources from file systems such as Excel and CSV to relational systems such as SQL Server, and Oracle to cloud systems such as Azure.
• Robust mobile app – Tableau offers an efficient, user-friendly mobile experience allowing users to access their data and reports as and when needed.

Limitations

• Costly – Although it’s not the most expensive data reporting and analytics tool it can be costly when it comes to implementation and training. Additionally, license costs can be expensive for businesses on the smaller scale.
• Lack of importing – You are not able to import visuals that have been created compared to other competitors such as Power BI.
• Requiring data cleansing – Tableau is a visualisation tool therefore the data needs to be cleansed beforehand before it can go through the visualisation phase.

Microsoft Power BI

Microsoft Power BI come second only to Tableau with a market share of 14.56%, according to Slintel. Power BI has established itself as one of the leading technologies in data analytics and reporting with a presence in over 189 countries and 50,000 customers. It’s great for organisations that may already be using other Microsoft technologies such as Azure, Excel and SharePoint, enabling businesses to collate and visualise their data.

Ardent has worked with Power BI on a number of projects including a performance management system built with the Power Platform.

Here are some advantages and limitations to consider if you are looking to invest in Microsoft Power BI.

Advantages

• Attractive visualisations – You can create a range of visualisation as simple or as complex as you require for your dataset. Visualisation types include scatter charts, pie charts, filled maps, funnel charts and more.
• Microsoft technology – Backed by one of the leading technology providers in the world, Power BI will likely have continuous investment and improvement.
• Data connectors – Currently 116 data sources are listed as connectors, this include the likes of AWS (Redshift, Athena), Azure (Databricks, SQL Database), Dynamics 365, Excel, Hadoop, MySQL, Power Platforms and many more. Find the complete list of Power BI data connectors here.
• Try before you buy – Power BI offers a free version, which can give organisations of all sizes a trial run before they invest in the platform.
•  Natural language – A unique feature of Power BI is the natural language Q&A box which allows users to carry out searches in natural language to search for data, visualisations or reports.

Limitations

• Inflexibility in visuals – Power BI does not allow you to configure your visuals as per your requirements, although the standard may be enough for you.
• Busy User Interface (UI)– A number of users have found the UI to be quite busy and cluttered.
• Manual work – Developers are not able to automate repetitive processes with code.
• Complexity of use – Some consider the tool to be quite complex, with several components on offer such as Power BI Desktop, Power BI Gateway and Power BI services, it can be difficult to understand what is on offer.

Get the expert insights on the new Power BI

Periscope

Periscope is a much smaller technology platform compared to the like of Tableau and Microsoft Power BI with a market share of 0.05%, according to Slintel. However, we have used Periscope both internally for our client services as operation monitoring and support and for client projects to provide end to end data reporting solutions. Periscope enabled you to pull in data from a wide range of sources so you can combine all your data into one single platform to acquire compelling insights.

Advantages

• Pricing – Periscope offers a free trial, which enables businesses to buy before they try. You are also provided with a quote directly from the vendor which may be more cost-efficient.
• Access – Organisations can maximise the use of the platform as all teams can access it without having to pay for each user.
• Coding – You are not limited to one coding language as opposed to some other big players in data reporting. Developers can use the coding language of choice from SQL, Python or R or a combination of all three.
• Custom visuals – Periscope comes with a wide range of visualisations, however, what makes it stand out is you can create your own to suit your requirements.

Limitations

• Smaller platform – if you are looking to work with Periscope and don’t have the skills in house, you may find it difficult to find developers that are familiar with the technology as compared to Tableau and Power BI.
• Only web-based – The technology is not offered on mobile which restricts the user’s access.
• Data integrations – Only a limited number of data integrations are available compared to other technologies.

Pentaho

Pentaho, formerly known as Kettle is an open-source business intelligence technology platform with a market share of 1.71% in data visualisation, according to Slintel. Although it has a small market share, Pentaho has many features which make it a winner for many organisations including one of our market research clients. There are several benefits it offers to organisations including simplicity and ease of use.

Ardent engineers have utilised Pentaho for a data integration project for a leading data science consulting client based in Bath, UK.  

Here we will explore the advantages on offer and the limitations Pentaho presents.

Advantages

• Interactive, graphical user interface – easy to use UI allows a variety of users to effectively use the technology without any technical expertise.
• ETL Capabilities – One of the key benefits of Pentaho is the powerful extraction, transformation and ETL capabilities
• Mobile friendly – Pentaho supports both iOS and Android devices enabling users to access their data and reports on the go.
• Free trial – Pentaho offers a free trial enabling businesses to get a feel of the technology before investing.
• Real-time reporting – Users can access reports in real-time due to the in-memory caching.

Limitations

• The products offered as part of the Pentaho suite an inconsistent in the way they work, which can be complicated for users, especially when getting started.
• Analytics and corresponding data visualisations – the advanced analytics and visualisation could be improved when compared to the likes of Tableau.
• Pricing – The pricing is set at an annual fee where the subscription has to be renewed, there is not an option for perpetual licencing.

Ardent and data visualisation

At Ardent, our engineers have worked with all the technologies listed and have delivered exceptional data reporting and visualisation solutions to a wide variety of clients. One size does not fit all when it comes to technologies and business, therefore each technology offers unique benefits which make it a winner for our client solutions.

Ardent data reporting tool services

We understand that every business has unique needs, especially when it comes to thier data. Therefore, we offer a data reporting tool service where our team of expert engineers can build a data reporting tool tailored completely to your business and unique requirements.

If you are looking to leverage one of these popular data reporting and analytics technologies for your data visualization and reporting needs, then get in touch and Ardent engineers can come on board and provide seamless, implementation, integration and customisation.

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Most organisations will not have the expertise in-house to build and develop their software. It can be difficult to find a partner that can provide you with the right people, the right experience and the right skills and expertise. However, taking into consideration key factors and asking the right questions will help you choose the right software development provider.

Technical skills

You need to make sure that you work with a software development provider that has the right technical skills to bring your vision to life. You need to get a good understanding of the technical expertise the company has to offer. For example, you may require technical skills in a specific programming language such as C# or Python, or a combination of other technologies. Does the company you may potentially partner with have a variety of skills and expertise on offer? For example, at Ardent, our team of software development engineers are trained and experienced in using world-leading, innovative technologies such as AWS, Microsoft and more.  

More on our technology partners.

Communication

Communication is vital for the success of a project. You need to work with a software development provider that has set up communication channels that will enable you to get in touch as and when needed and get a quick response. It’s also important to have various contact points, for example, at Ardent we have two contact points for all projects, a dedicated business manager and a technical account manager. The business manager ensures that client requirements are been fulfilled and the technical account manager makes sure that the day to day functionalities and delivery of services are in line with agreed terms. Another thing to take into consideration is language barriers, are the contact points fluent in your language? Some questions to ask potential software development providers if you are looking to work with them are: 

• What is the best mode of communication?
• Who are the contact points throughout the project?
• How quick is the response time?
• Is there any time differences that we need to take into consideration? 
• What are the escalation points if things go wrong

You may also want to consider if you require local contact points when working with a technology partner. For example, Ardent have offices based in the UK, US and India, offering clients local contact points to give them peace of mind.

Business culture

The business culture of the company you are looking to work with is also key. Do they have a culture and teams that match yours, are your views and ethos along the same lines? If a company inhabits a similar sort of culture, it will enable and facilitate a collaborative environment between your team and the software developers. As technology is always evolving and new technologies emerge all the time, you may want to find out how the software development company is keeping up with the changes. Do they ensure regular training for their developers? Do they invest in accreditations? At Ardent, ongoing training and development are at the core of our company culture, we provide a learning environment that enables our developers to improve and increase their skills.

Get to know Ardent.

Experience in successful projects

If you are working with a new partner, it’s important to note the experience they have and how many successful projects they have delivered. If a software development provider has experience dealing with a wide variety of clients, then they will likely be able to cater to your needs. Experience in projects and years in the industry will provide peace of mind and reassurance when it comes to choosing the right software development provider. For example, you may want to ask about client success stories to find out about the type of clients the company has worked with.

Read our client success stories.

Certifications and accreditations

A company will invest with a software development provider so they should validate any claims made on skills and experience. You may want to ask the software development company for any certifications and accreditation they have acquired. For example, Ardent has certifications in Microsoft and AWS. This solidifies any claims made by software development companies and developers because to acquire industry level certifications and accreditations the developers have to pass rigorous exams to earn their certifications.  

Security

Security is a concern for organisations across the globe and you will need to work with an organisation that places security as a priority. Your software needs to be built with robust security measures in place to prevent any data leaks that could occur. It is worth asking the software company about any experience working with sensitive data or the type of technologies they used to build secure software. Also, ask about any security certifications, for example at Ardent is an ISO 27001 certified company as well as acquiring and certification in Cyber Essentials.

Support and maintenance

You got a great piece of software, now what? Does the company offer post-project support? Will they be able to add any features or expand the software in the future if you require it? Companies that value your relationship and offer long term partnership opportunities are more likely to be able to provide you with any additional support required.

Ardent software development services

At Ardent we have worked with a wide variety of organisations across the globe, from local start-ups to internationally established companies. We have been providing bespoke, tailored solutions to help business face their challenges and achieve their objectives for over a decade. If you are looking for a trusted, credible and reliable software development provider, then get in touch to set up a discovery call. 

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If your company works with big data and you are looking to outsource your data management, whether you lack the expertise and infrastructure in house, are dealing with high management costs or need around the clock support, here are the key factors you should consider when outsourcing data management.

Data management expertise

One of the key reasons organisations will look to outsource is because they do not have the resources in-house and it can be incredibly time-consuming and costly to hire a team of data engineers. When looking to outsource you need to ensure that your data management service provider has the right talent with the right skillset and expertise to effectively manage your data. At Ardent, our engineers have skills in various leading data technologies and have a proven track record of successful data projects, from moving different data sets from databases to the cloud to building robust data pipelines.

Data platform technologies

One of the greatest benefits of outsourcing data management will be the access you will have to experienced data engineers that have worked with a variety of data platform technologies. Therefore, the key consideration points should be whether the data management provider has worked with and has access to major data platform technologies such as AWS Redshift or Microsoft Azure. If you are data is stored on AWS, then you will require platform-specific skill sets. At Ardent, we use technologies best suited to the client, their business and data and ensure that our clients are not limited to just one technology.

Data Storage

Where your data is stored will impact your decision on the type of data management provider you work with. Whether your data is stored on-premise, on the cloud, in a hybrid environment, or in a multi-cloud environment, you will have to find the right type of provider with data engineers that have the experience to manage your data effectively. For example, at Ardent our data engineers have managed data on behalf of clients that is stored on various storage solutions, from hybrid private and public cloud solutions to those stored in a multi-cloud environment.

Data security

Data security is key when handling any type of data. You will need to find a data management partner that takes data security seriously. What measures do they have in place to deal with data risks? Have they invested in acquiring any data security certifications? For example, Ardent is an ISO 27001 certified company and follows industry best practices when handling data whether that is in house or client data.

Benefits of outsourcing data management

There are a great number of benefits of outsourcing data management, and they include:

• Industry knowledge – if a company has a significant amount of experience working with similar scale and types of data, they can make recommendations and provide industry knowledge to help you improve and streamline your data further.
• Cost-effective – organisations will save both time and resources in recruitment when outsourcing data management.
• Visibility and accessibility – a good data management company will ensure that the end-user has visibility and accessibility to data quickly and efficiently. For example, Ardent has worked with a client to optimise data queries with Amazon Athena on large sets of data and has reduced the search time by a considerable amount. 
• Scalability – Ensure that you work with a company that can manage your data with scalability in mind. With data continuously growing, scalability needs to be the top priority. At Ardent, we work with leading data technologies that enable scalability for our clients. 
• Organised data – The majority of data you deal with will be unstructured, making it complex and unhelpful. A good data management partner can ensure that your data is structured and organised for ease of access and to gain useful insights.

Mitigating risks of outsourcing data management 

There are some risks to take into consideration when it comes to outsourcing:

• Loss of control – this is the biggest factor to consider. Some organisations may be hesitant to give up the control they have over their data. However, the key solution to this is to find a credible, trusted and reliable partner. For example, at Ardent we pride ourselves on being the partner that clients can rely on and have trust in. This is through experience in the industry, providing client testimonials, acquiring industry accreditations and much more.
• Data security risks – There can be huge repercussions for organisations that do not do their utmost to ensure data safety. Therefore, when it comes to outsourcing your data management partner will need to have robust data security measures in place to mitigate the risks.

Ardent data management services

Ardent’s highly skilled and experienced data engineers have worked with a wide variety of clients to deliver secure, scalable and streamlined data services. We invest in our people and world-leading data technologies to deliver excellence. If you are looking to outsource your data management, then get in touch to find out how we can help.

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