Zoho launches AI-rich version of Zoho Analytics

Zoho Corporation has 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, 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.

Alun Rafique, CEO and Co-Founder at Market Dojo comments, "As developers, Zoho Analytics 6.0's new AutoML capabilities caught our attention immediately. Our team is currently working on a model to analyse and predict customer churn, among other projects. Zia Insights' diagnostic capabilities have been a game-changer as well, helping us understand the underlying causes of a spike or drop in sales or performance so we can take quick action.

“Again, as solutions providers, it's critical we understand what's working and what's not within our own company before helping other businesses and professionals. Zoho Analytics 6.0 continues to give us that insight and more. Ask Zia' is another useful feature. With a simple prompt, I'm able to get the right insights I need instantly. The new chart types are amazing, and I'm particularly impressed with the racing and sunburst charts."

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, ensuring more accurate and applicable decision-making and deeper insights to accelerate business success. Key data management additions to Zoho Analytics are as follows:

● Zoho Analytics has added Stream Analytics and 25 other new data connectors to its expansive 500+ connector portfolio. Now, businesses may access a central repository of data pulled from a broad host of databases for more precise and efficient analysis.

● Within Zoho Analytics, users can now create and manage complex ETL data pipelines, ensuring data is properly extracted, transformed, and deposited by taking 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 Ask Zia, Zoho's AI copilot

○ ‌Access an automatic versioning system and new Sandbox environment

○ ‌Orchestrate data pipelines using Zoho Flow

● Zoho Analytics' new Unified Metrics Layer enables users to define, standardise, monitor, access control, and catalogue 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 Natural Language Querying AI copilot, now understands Spanish and French, allowing users to trigger actions and build custom data models in three languages. 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, reports, 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 (DSML) Studio

Zoho Analytics now features the DSML Studio, allowing users to simply and quickly build custom machine learning models, which, for example, analyse or predict customer churn. DSML Studio offers the following capabilities:

● AutoML, a no-code assistant enabling users 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.

● 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 extensible, allowing businesses to sync and standardise data stored across multiple tools and platforms for comprehensive analysis and insights. Zoho Analytics is a composable platform on which any analytical solution can be built. The following are additional key extensibility developments:

● 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.

● No-code data connector builder, allowing users to create custom connectors to bring data from any custom application. Partners can also build data connectors that can be published and sold on Zoho Marketplace.