By Elif Tutuk and Erica Driver.

The purpose of BI software is to help people derive insights and make better business decisions based on data. So when you think BI you probably think about left-brain activities like analysis, calculations, math, and logic. But not all business problems can be solved with numbers and analysis alone ― and it takes a certain kind of mind to be able to find meaning by looking through rows and columns of numbers. BI software vendors began to recognize this a decade or more ago with an increased focus on data visualization, and with the more recent focus on collaboration and social capabilities built into the software.

Being able to see the relationships and patterns in the data takes advantage of the right side of the brain, which is dominant in areas like spatial abilities, face recognition, visual imagery, and artistic and musical ability. Right-brain activities can spark creative thinking ― connecting dots you never thought to connect, and identifying patterns and outliers. And being able to communicate about questions, insights, observations, and perspectives helps all decision makers on a team move more quickly toward answers and action.

One of the things that differentiate QlikView from traditional BI platforms is that it enables people to utilize both modes of thinking. QlikView’s data analysis, charting and reporting, and annotations capabilities enable the left side of our brain to operate logically and sequentially. We could even include QlikView Publisher and QlikView Server here because these components provide administration of the QlikView environment.  

QlikView’s associative experience, visualizations, search, collaborative sessions, extensions, and the QlikView Workbench component enable right brain activities. Here are a few earlier QlikView blogs that demonstrate QlikView enabling the right side of the brain: “’Q’ – Your Business Discovery Personal Assistant” and “Making Everything ‘Qlikable’ with Recognition Technologies” and “The Bicycle of Business Intelligence.”

If we just had right-sided brains we wouldn’t be all that effective at work, and the same goes with the left side of the brain. We need a mixture of ways of thinking and QlikView enables both!