Systems | Development | Analytics | API | Testing

October 2022

Welcome to the decade of data

To quote Hemingway: change happens gradually, then suddenly. We see this in the world around us. Think back to 2019. There’s no denying how much the pandemic reshaped our professional and personal lives, with technology driving this change at massive scale. Yet these changes, despite their ubiquity, are really the culmination of trends like cloud and automation that were well underway.

5 Magic Fixes for the Most Common CSV File reader Problems | ThoughtSpot

I’ve encountered a thousand different problems with spreadsheets, data importing, and flat files over the last 20 years. While there are new tools that help make the most of this data, it's not always simple. I’ve distilled this list down to the most common issues among all the databases I’ve worked with. I’m giving you my favorite magic fixes here. (Well, okay, they aren’t really “magic” but some of them took me a long time to figure out.)

How to use Google Sheets for data analysis with ThoughtSpot

Businesses have been scaling rapidly in the cloud, driven by the pandemic and lured by the promise of agility and flexibility. But here’s a dirty little secret anyone who works in data knows. Despite the value of the cloud, tons of data hasn’t made it there. So, where is it? Spreadsheets. Still the stalwart workhorse, hero, and bane of the business world. We all love how Google revolutionized this world by bringing spreadsheets to the cloud.

What's new in ThoughtSpot Analytics Cloud 8.8.0.cl

In this release, we’re delighted to launch in beta ThoughtSpot metrics integration with dbt — the quickest way to move from data models to business insights. We’ve also added support for dbt models on Amazon Redshift and Google BigQuery, as well as new live query connectors for Presto and Trino. Check out the highlights in this video.

How to solve four SQL data modeling issues

SQL is the universal language of data modeling. While it is not what everyone uses, it is what most analytics engineers use. SQL is found all across the most popular modern data stack tools; ThoughtSpot’s SearchIQ query engine translates natural language query into complex SQL commands on the fly, dbt built the entire premise of their tool around SQL and Jinja. And within your Snowflake data platform, it’s used to query all your tables.

Build data apps with Streamlit + ThoughtSpot APIs

I’ve been following the Streamlit framework for a while, since Snowflake announced that they would acquire it to enable data engineers to quick spin up data apps. I decided to play around with it and see how we could leverage the speed of creating an app along with the benefits that ThoughtSpot provides, especially around the ability to use NLP for search terms. Streamlit is built in Python.

Ep 60: The Modern Milkman's CSO, John Hughes on Using Data to Save Our Oceans from Plastic

Each year, around 8 million tons of plastic waste enter the ocean, killing wildlife and damaging the enviroment for future generations. Much of this pollution originates from the wasteful packaging used for everyday grocery products. But a greener grocery alternative is making waves from across the pond. Joining us today is John Hughes, Chief Strategy Officer at The Modern Milkman, a UK-based grocery delivery company that brings locally sourced goods directly to customers without any single-use plastics.

6 most useful data visualization principles for analysts

The difference between consuming data and actioning it often comes down to one thing: effective data visualization. Case in point? The John Snow’s famous cholera map. In 1854, John Snow (no, not that one) mapped cholera cases during an outbreak in London. Snow’s simple map uncovered a brand new pattern in the data—the cases all clustered around a shared water pump.

3 types of data models and when to use them

Data modeling is the process of organizing your data into a structure, to make it more accessible and useful. Essentially, you’re deciding how the data will move in and out of your database, and mapping the data so that it remains clean and consistent. ThoughtSpot can take advantage of many kinds of data models, as well as modeling languages. Since you know your data best, it’s usually a good idea to spend some time customizing the modeling settings.

How to build a self-service BI strategy

Think about the times you've wished you had more insight into your business data. Or all of the times you wished you could answer questions about your business performance without waiting for someone else to get back to you. Gone are the days when businesses rely solely on IT staff to provide reports and analytics. With self-service business intelligence (BI), users can create their own reports, dashboards, and data visualizations without relying on IT help.

How ThoughtSpot Uses ThoughtSpot for Field Marketing

As ThoughtSpot’s SVP of Corporate Marketing I oversee a field marketing team that acts as the glue between our Marketing and Field Sales teams. When people talk about field marketing, they’re often just thinking of events — but we have a far broader remit than that. Each member of the Field Marketing team sits within a specific sales region, acting as a kind of regional CMO.

Ep 59: New Zealand's Crown Research Institute CDAO, Jan Sheppard on Treating Data as a Treasure

Treating data as a treasure is a foundational principle for Jan Sheppard, the Chief Data and Analytics officer at New Zealand’s Crown Research Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR.) This agency leads ongoing research in public health, environmental health, and forensics for the country of New Zealand. Like many other CDAOs, her role is relatively new. But the unique values she applies to data can be traced back many hundreds of years to the indigenous Maori people of her country. Through her work, Jan recognizes the profound impact data can have on people and their environments for generations to come.