The Biggest Data Analytics News Items During the First Half of 2021

Our editors curated this list of the biggest data analytics news items during the first half of 2021, as highlighted on Solutions Review.

Data analytics is a data science. The purpose of data analytics is to generate insights from data by connecting patterns and trends with organizational goals. Comparing data assets against organizational hypotheses is a common use case of data analytics, and the practice tends to be focused on business and strategy. Data analytics deals less in AI, machine learning, and predictive modeling, and more with viewing historical data in context.

Part of Solutions Review’s ongoing analysis of the big data marketplace includes covering the biggest data analytics news stories which have the greatest impact on enterprise technologists. This is a curated list of the most important data analytics news stories from the first half of 2021. For more on the space, including the newest product releases, funding rounds, and mergers and acquisitions, follow our popular news section.

Starburst Data Nabs $100 Million Funding at $1.2 Billion-Dollar Valuation (January)

Starburst Data recently secured a Series C funding round worth $100 million, according to a press release on the company’s website. The venture capital brings Starburst’s total raised to $164 million since its founding in 2017. It also gives the data analytics solution provider a valuation of $1.2 billion. The new Starburst funding was led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Salesforce Ventures, as well as existing investors.

In a media statement about the news, Starburst co-founder and CEO Justin Borgman said: “Today, the only constant is change, and organizations need to make faster and better decisions in order to adapt. Starburst is changing the game by allowing you to query the data wherever it lives. We provide high-performance data warehousing analytics across data you never had access to before.”

TIBCO Software Closes on Acquisition of Information Builders (January)

TIBCO Software recently announced that it has closed on its acquisition of Information Builders, according to a press release on the company’s website. Announced in October, the merger marks the addition of Information Builders’ data management and analytics capabilities to the TIBCO Connected Intelligence Platform. The news came just a few short months after Information Builders announced its re-branding to ibi in June.

In a media statement about the news, TIBCO Software CEO Dan Streetman said: “We’re excited to recognize the exceptional technology and great reputation built by ibi, and we look forward to providing our existing and future customers with an even broader range of innovative, data-driven solutions to support faster, smarter digital transformations.”

Jedox Raises $100M for Cloud-Based Extended Planning and Analytics (January)

Jedox raised $100 million in new venture capital funding, according to a press release on the company’s website. The round was led by Insight Partners with participation from existing investors Iris Capital, eCAPITAL, and Wecken & Cie. The funding will enable Jedox to expand its global footprint while enhancing its cloud-based financial planning and analysis platform for cross-departmental integrated business planning and reporting. Jedox will use the cash to scale its product innovation team, increase investment in customer success, and support clients across geographies.

In a media statement about the news, Jedox CEO Florian Winterstein said: “In an ever faster moving world, disruption and uncertainty represent both challenges and opportunities in enterprise. Jedox’s modern cloud-based tools for scenario planning, forecasting, and managing future value creation enable our customers to move even faster and outperform the competition. Insight Partners’ investment will further enhance our unique EPM platform and momentum in the marketplace, as well as allow us to benefit from the expertise of a leading global investment partner.”

Sisense Announces AI-Driven Analytics Platform Called Sisense Fusion (February)

Sisense recently announced the release of a new AI-driven analytics platform called Sisense Fusion, according to a press release on the company’s website. The product features actionable intelligence to help organizations make improved decisions, as well as the ability to embed analytics into customer-facing applications. Users of all skill levels can analyze data and then infuse customized experiences into different workflows and processes. Sisense updated security features across its cloud platform last October.

In a media statement about the release, Sisense’s Ashley Kramer said: “Sisense empowers businesses, their partners and customers to infuse analytics everywhere, and act on their data at the right time, every time. For too long, users have been drowning in the complexity of data and don’t know what actions to take. We are removing these hurdles and delivering actionable intelligence where people work, in their applications, workflows and business process so they can focus on innovation and disrupt markets.”

GoodData Unveils New Data Storytelling and Data Literacy Features (February)

GoodData recently announced the release of new platform capabilities designed to improve data storytelling and data literacy, according to a press release. New features are headlined by enhanced dashboard interactivity that lets end-users utilize drilling capabilities to drill to both insights and dashboards, as well as leverage advanced dashboard exporting, sharing, and scheduling. The news comes on the heels of GoodData’s October 2020 release of new data integration and modeling tools.

In a media statement about the news, GoodData CEO Roman Stanek said: “To scale data literacy and drive data-driven decision-making, the expectation must be on the data provider to deliver a customer-centric, designed experience. That’s easier said than done for a lot of companies today, which is why GoodData’s platform and new capabilities are built to help organizations succeed in delivering consumable data via cohesive, accessible data storytelling.”

Atlassian Acquires Data Discovery and Analytics Startup Chartio (March)

Atlassian Corporation acquired data discovery and analytics startup Chartio for an undisclosed amount, according to Yahoo! News. According to Atlassian, the addition of Chartio will provide a data visualization features across its line of products. Since its founding in 2010, Chartio raised nearly $7 million in venture capital funding and touts more than 280,000 users. Chartio claims customers have created 10.5 million charts on its business intelligence platform to date.

In a media statement about the news, Chartio Founder and CEO Dave Flower said: “Chartio was created to make working with data accessible to anyone. We are thrilled to be joining Atlassian and amplify our missions with such an incredible platform, company, and customer base.”

Phocas Software Unveils New Mid-Market Budgeting and Forecasting Tool (March)

Phocas Software recently announced the release of Phocas Budgeting and Forecasting, a new solution for mid-market organizations. Phocas Budgeting and Forecasting features built-in forecasting which lets finance teams view past financial, sales and purchasing information at a granular level. The product also enables users to combine disparate data and budgets from one source of information. The release comes on the heels of the company’s January funding round worth $45 million.

In a media statement about the news, President of Phocas America Jay Deubler said: “Phocas cloud-based Budgeting and Forecasting makes critical financial planning processes easier. Our goal is to make budgeting more dynamic and live on a monthly basis, rather than as an annualized event. Executives and business leaders can use Phocas to quickly pivot and drive on-the-fly micro-adjustments throughout the year as social, economic and business environments change.”

Domo Unveils Multi-Cloud Data Offering, 100 New Modern BI Features (March)

Domo recently announced the release of a new multi-cloud data offering for modern BI that lets business users leverage data across multiple cloud data platforms. Domo made the announcement at Domopalooza, its annual (and this year virtual) user conference. The release is highlighted by Domo’s “ability to take all of the cloud data warehouse investments that customers have made, including data models, permissions and tuning – and use the core power of Adrenaline, Domo’s query engine, data store and transformation engine, to put that data to work.”

In a media statement about the news, Domo Founder and CEO Josh James said: “Just like Amazon changed the shopping experience by giving consumers the ability to access any product from any vendor through one portal, Domo is giving business decision makers one single interface from which they can seamlessly access and leverage data from any of their cloud data platforms, regardless of where the data actually resides.”

Incorta Launches New Advanced Analytics Platform Incorta 5 (March)

Incorta recently announced the launch of Incorta 5, a unified data analytics platform that expands on the company’s Direct Data Mapping technology. Incorta 5 is headlined by capabilities that enable technical and non-technical users to collect, interpret and act on complex data. The product requires little to no training and signals Incorta’s move away from a traditional component model toward a unified data analytics platform that can manage a number of business analytics use cases from data storytelling to predictive analytics.

In a media statement about the news, Incorta CEO Scott Jones said: “Anyone who handles enterprise data knows that current technologies don’t provide the seamless self-service experience or agility and velocity that today’s digital businesses require. I have long believed that there has to be a better way to give every decision-maker access to data. Incorta 5 solves that with its revolutionary Direct Data capabilities, essentially cutting out the middleman, and enabling anyone from IT to the C-level to make informed, creative decisions about every element of how they manage their business and the relationships they have with their customers.”

insightsoftware Acquires Embedded Analytics Leader Logi Analytics (April)

insightsoftware recently announced that it has acquired Logi Analytics, according to a press release on the company’s website. The merger, according to insightsoftware, will position the firm “as a leader in integrating financial and operational reporting and expands the company’s market opportunity through embedded analytics for commercial software organizations and corporate application teams.” No terms of the acquisition were disclosed. The news comes on the heels of Logi’s Composer embedded BI development platform release from last June.

In a media statement about the news, insightsoftware CEO Jim Triandiflou said: “This is a critical piece of our long-term strategy. With Logi Analytics’s robust operational reporting solution paired with our market-leading financial reporting, we can provide our customers the ability to report on every area of their business. In addition, Logi Analytics’s leading position in embedded analytics opens a whole new market opportunity for us and we’re excited to invest and expand Logi Analytics’s leadership position in embedded analytics.”

GoodData Foreshadows DaaS Category with GoodData Cloud Native (April)

GoodData announced the launch of GoodData Cloud Native (GoodData.CN), a new cloud-native data analytics platform. The platform, according to GoodData, “represents step one in the definition and implementation of the new Data as a Service (DaaS) category and ecosystem.” GoodData Cloud Native allows users to deploy analytics on the most modern framework available, including Docker and Kubernetes. Cloud deployment also eliminates the need to move or copy data.

In a media statement about the news, GoodData CEO Roman Stanek said “If you look at the transformation going on in the market right now, DaaS is the logical next step. DaaS will change the way analytics is done at a fundamental level. Companies have been overspending and seeing little return for more than a decade. The time for experimentation with analytics is over and with the introduction of Data as a Service, and the rise of new platforms like the one we’re launching today, we can unlock an entire new era of analytics.”

Kyligence Raises $70 Million Funding for Cloud-Native Analytics (April)

Data intelligence and analytics provider Kyligence recently announced $70 million in Series D funding, according to a press release on the company’s website. The funding, which was led by SPDB International, brings the company’s total earned to more than $118 million since its founding in 2016. The news also comes on the heels of the firm’s January unveiling of Kyligence Cloud 4 big data analytics solution. The capital injection will enable Kyligence to continue growing its cloud big data business.

In a media statement on the news, Kyligence co-founder and CEO Luke Han said: “Today’s cloud data warehouses and data lake analytics are struggling to deliver cost-effective analytics as data and user volumes explode. Kyligence can vastly improve the economics of these platforms via our cloud-native architecture and AI-augmented operations. Coupled with a Unified Semantic Layer, Kyligence customers can expect unprecedented performance and concurrency at the least possible cost. Our investors understand that our commitment to this kind of innovation, customer focus, and cost control for cloud analytics has us moving in the right direction.”

ThoughtSpot Acquires Diyotta, Launches ThoughtSpot Everywhere (May)

ThoughtSpot recently made two major announcements with its acquisition of serverless data integration platform provider Diyotta and the release of ThoughtSpot Everywhere. The acquisition will enable ThoughtSpot to rapidly expand integrations with best-of-breed services in customers’ modern data stack. It also means that customers will be able to deploy ThoughtSpot as part of their cloud architecture. Additionally, the merger paves the way for ThoughtSpot to hasten integrations with modern data platforms, AI and machine learning services, and data applications built by web developers.

In a media statement on the news, ThoughtSpot CEO Sudheesh Nair said: “ThoughtSpot Everywhere’s low-code, API-approach makes it simple for our customers to take advantage of the entire modern analytics cloud. It’s never been easier to build the most modern, simple, and powerful data experiences in your own offerings to delight customers and scale automation.”

Qlik Unveils Q2 Feature Enhancements Including Qlik Sense Mobile (May)

Qlik recently announced Q2 feature enhancements across its SaaS data integration and analytics platform, headlined by a new iOS and Android application called Qlik Sense Mobile. The mobile platform touts fully interactive online and offline analysis and integrated alerting to drive action. Included Qlik Sense analytics are optimized for mobile consumption with new features like single object mode, an intuitive selections bar, and a mobile collection in the hub. There’s also full-featured data exploration with the Qlik Associative Engine running on-device.

In a media statement on the news, Qlik Chief Product Officer James Fisher said: “Analytic data pipelines built for the cloud are the only ones that can deliver the real-time insights and action at the heart of Active Intelligence. With Qlik Sense Mobile for SaaS and our additional planned features, Qlik continues to enhance the only modern end-to-end platform that gives enterprises the analytic data pipelines required for real-time data delivery to capture business moments and drive unique value.”

Oracle Adds Slew of Modern BI Features to Oracle Analytics Cloud (May)

Oracle recently announced new innovations to Oracle Analytics Cloud, headlined by enhanced interactions with data via maps, visual market basket analysis, and mobile devices. Oracle Analytics Cloud now features explainable machine learning, data preparation, built-in text analytics, natural language queries, and a brand new mobile application. In sum, the product now touts a much richer set of capabilities that solve for the entire enterprise analytics workflow.

According to Oracle’s Senior Vice President of Analytics T.K. Anand, the latest updates “are reflective of our focus on innovation and responding to our customers’ needs. This is why we are particularly excited to branch out into new ways our customers can share data and analyses in the form of “data stories” —all through a single, extensible cloud analytics platform that allows everyone to create custom visual experiences with little or no code.”

Tellius Unveils Major Platform Update Headlined by Tellius Quick Start (May)

Tellius recently updated its flagship business intelligence and data analytics offering with feature improvements designed to help customers hasten decision-making. The release is headlined by a new Quick Start capability, proactive intelligence functionality, and resource and data controls that let users start analysis quickly. Quick Start asks users about metrics of interest, and then automatically generates tailored analytics content including data visualizations, inquiries, and AI-powered insights.

In a media statement on the news, Tellius Founder and CEO Ajay Khanna said: “Personalized, proactive insights are the future of business intelligence and data science and this news is yet another step Tellius is taking to augment and tailor the enterprise analytics experience to go beyond dashboards. With maximum flexibility across clouds and on-premise solutions, Tellius is helping customers make the most of their data resources in a cost-effective manner—no matter where and how that data is stored.”

Sigma Computing Launches New Sigma Workbooks (June)

Sigma Computing announced the launch of Sigma Workbooks featuring an easy-to-use collaborative canvas for iteration and interaction on analysis. Sigma Workbooks touts a unified canvas that combines self-service spreadsheets, charts and narratives. Purpose-built for business teams, the new tool offers a responsive user experience that enables data calculation for finding answers.

In a media statement on the news, Sigma co-founder and CTO Rob Woollen said: “With a data exploration and analytics interface that is similar to a spreadsheet, Sigma Workbooks meets knowledge workers, like operations, finance, and marketing teams, where they are when it comes to analytical skills and empowers them to find the answers they need to make decisions quickly. Sigma Workbooks also gives some much-needed time back to data and BI teams so they can focus on larger initiatives, curating data sets, and supporting the data needs of business teams behind the scenes.”

Domo Launches Updated Version of Domo Everywhere Embedded BI (June)

Domo recently launched its new Domo Everywhere release with updated components and new capabilities for delivering embedded analytics. The new version brings data sharing and collaboration via a highly curated experience. Domo’s existing set of embedded analytics products (Domo Publish, Domo Embed) will be consolidated under the Domo Everywhere brand as well. Now available as a new service on the Domo Platform, the Everywhere solution is available immediately.

In a media statement on the news, Domo Chief Business Officier Jay Heglar said: “Domo is pushing external BI beyond the traditional ‘places’ that analytics content is embedded and the value that is received. With Domo Everywhere, we’re giving customers an easy way to create, deliver and monetize high-value data solutions in a fraction of the time it would normally take and with a fraction of the resources required of any other approach.”

Incorta Raises $120 Million Series D Funding for Unified Analytics Platform (June)

Incorta raised $120 million in Series D funding, bringing the company’s total raised to $195 million since its founding in 2013. Announced via a press release on the company’s website, the capital injection included participation from new and existing investors and will be used to expand go-to-market operations and to meet demand for the firm’s unified data analytics platform. Incorta released a mobile version of its product back in May.

In a media statement on the news, Incorta CEO Scott Jones said: “After hitting a major inflection point in 2020, Incorta is now scaling fast to meet global demand for modern data analytics in the cloud. This funding enables us to scale up while staying true to Incorta’s DNA and maintaining our best-in-class innovation, quality and customer obsession. We are also thrilled to welcome Prysm and National Grid to the Incorta family, joining our already world-class investors.”