Tabulate

Tabulate is an App within Pyramid that provides a spreadsheet interface to design and build business models and decision models. It provides a live connection to (multiple) data, enabling you to report and build models on data that can change dynamically. Existing Discoveries and spreadsheets can be added and then used to mesh and perform further manipulations on the data. Being a spreadsheet application, it provides you with the flexibility and functionality of similar applications (such as Excel).

Key Tabulate Scenarios

There are many use cases for spreadsheets in analysis and reporting. By bringing this familiar interface into the data factory, Pyramid is able to solve a variety of these common use cases and headaches that the classic spreadsheet alone does not always resolve.

Business Modeling

The ability to design logical and formulaic constructs in a spreadsheet has been around for decades - and it lets business users design the reality of business problems that they wish to solve. This "business modeling" capability is amp-ed up significantly when it is driven by real enterprise data, especially if the data is live and secured.

Query Blending

As it can obtain data from multiple queries, Tabulate provides Data Consolidation - blending data from these disparate queries. By careful choice of reporting strategies, it can also provide Data Governance - ensuring the right data is provided to the right people at the right time.

Customized Visualizations

Tabulate, like all spreadsheet tools, allows users to fully orchestrate and customize how data is presented: structurally, formulaically, and graphically. When powered by live data, from one or more data sources, this option allows users to visualize data with super-customized designs that go above and beyond the grid visuals in Discover. Likewise, the custom data constructs can be used to drive anyone of Pyramid's numerous visualizations using blended results.

Content Distribution

Tabulate artifacts can be embedded in Present dashboards and Publish publications so that consumers can access the content of the spreadsheet without needing to take custody of the spreadsheet itself. In effect, they are able to peer into the spreadsheet's business models, formatting and visualization artifacts, powered by live data, without needing to take a copy of it into their (ungoverned) personal domain. This effectively provides a strong antidote to the common "spreadsheet hell" problem that permeates many organizations and teams.

Decision Modeling

Tabulate is also the gateway to accessing the Solve Optimization engine that can drive advanced optimization models for what-if and prescriptive analyses. The spreadsheet tool provides a strong paradigm for business users to design their decision flow logic through cells and formulas combined with live data feeding those elements. This "graphical" approach is well established in the broader market. However, the Tabulate / Solve combination offers the ability to:

  • drive optimizations with live data that can be changed by end users in live interactive presentations, without accessing the Solve logic and spreadsheet directly
  • drive optimizations that will adjust based on new data feeds into the prescribed models and these in turn driving downstream capabilities (like data alerts, publications, API triggers etc)
  • drive optimizations that are customized to each user and their secured data sets

Tabulate Interfaces

Pyramid offers two ways (aka "modalities") to access Tabulate, with different degrees of functionality and sophistication. The choice is driven by either user seat type and/or user profile settings. These configurations and options are typically orchestrated by system administrators - who can ensure the right interface is presented to the right person at the right time.

  • Tabulate Pro - this is the complete Tabulate toolset for drag-and-drop, point-and-click business model building, query blending and decision modeling WITH ALL sophisticated features enabled
  • Tabulate lite - this is a simpler toolset for drag-and-drop, point-and-click business model building and query blending WITHOUT several sophisticated features, especially the Solve optimization suite.

Direct Access to Tabulate

Tabulate can be accessed and used by Pro and Analyst users:

  • Pro users can access Tabulate Pro and can be downgraded to Tabulate Lite through user profiles. Access to Tabulate can be blocked through profiles as well.
  • Analyst users can only access Tabulate Lite. Access to Tabulate can be blocked through profiles as well.

Indirect Access to Tabulate

Indirect access to Tabulate content is available to users through embedded content in Present dashboards or Publish publications. This extends to Pro and Analyst users that have had their access to Tabulate blocked (by profile) and to Viewer and Basic users that do not have access to Tabulate itself.

Embedded Tabulate content will reflect live (and secured) data values and can also expose Solve optimization results.

Tabulate topics

The following key topics will help users get a better sense of how to use and access Tabulate content.