Can you imagine what it was like running a business in the 1980s? We can’t either, but being a marketer then was a bit simpler. All you needed to do was meet clients, make calls, and close deals.
Now, we’re on a data-driven rollercoaster. You have to keep up with information from the news, social media, websites, and several other sources. And then there are the ever-evolving marketing trends. If you snooze, your competitors zoom right past you.
With this kind of pressure, it’s not surprising that marketers have end-of-day headaches. But the savvy ones keep up with all the chaos. Actually, they thrive! You can, too.
You just need to understand the world of data preparation and how to use it to get ahead. We’re here to break it down. We provide information on self-service data prep tools, including selling points, features, and even limitations.
No matter what kind of business you’re in, the information will help you make the right choice when purchasing data preparation tools.
Here’s what we’ll cover in this guide:
What are data preparation tools?
Think about all the potential customers who call, visit your stand at an exhibition, or purchase a product, then vanish. You can use data preparation tools to collect, clean, and organize information. Once it’s ready, you can unleash the business analysts to work their magic.
Not only will you be able to find your buyers, but you’ll also have their age, media habits, economic status, and other characteristics. This information is gold for marketers.
The messages, storylines, and content you create for your campaigns will be what your customers are looking for. It’s like having a crystal ball showing you what they need. And after your campaigns, you can check how well the ads did.
Over the years, companies like Coca-Cola have used data to create ad content, inform sales plans, and improve their products. While we may not know the Coca-Cola recipe, we know their secret to a better customer experience is making data-driven decisions.
Many other companies are doing the same. According to an Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) survey, in 2023, 36% of advertising decision-makers considered using data to check how attentive audiences were to their messages. Such businesses are generally successful in keeping their customers longer. Use this information to your advantage.
If you’re ready to level up your marketing game, we’ve reviewed 10 data prep tools to prepare your data for analysis.
Our top data preparation tools
Here are our top 10 data preparation tools for 2023:
- Informatica
- Tableau Prep Builder
- SAP Data Intelligence Cloud
- Datameer
- Qlik
- Trifacta
- Integrate.io
- Tibco
- Microsoft Power BI
- Quest Toad Data Point
1. Informatica
Why Informatica: Informatica is a smart assistant that smoothly deals with massive data using an intelligent data cloud.
Informatica features: This platform has many features like data integration, quality, and maintenance. But what’s really impressive about it is its top-tier integration capabilities. It connects the dots effortlessly without needing different components.
What it’s great at:
- Meeting the demand for low-code solutions
- Using AI to minimize data preparation efforts
Areas of limitation:
- For a newbie, using Informatica might be scary. A little training is in order before they get to work.
2. Tableau Prep Builder
Why Tableau Prep: Tableau Prep is your go-to platform if you’re tired of dealing with unruly Excel spreadsheets. You can clean and structure data in real time.
Tableau Prep features: Tableau has an intuitive interface. Plus, it’s a pro at data cleaning, field formatting, filtering, and pivoting.
What it’s great at:
- Promoting group activities within the business intelligence team
- Performing multiple data cleaning actions at once, speeding up the process
- Collecting and organizing data from all digital corners, including Google Drive, Dropbox, PDF, and Text Files
Areas of limitation:
- Tableau Prep’s Achilles heel is that it can be slow when working on massive data sets.
3. SAP Data Intelligence Cloud
Why Data Intelligence Cloud: This platform might be your saving grace if you’re trying to make sense of endless rows and columns. And it’s cloud-based — perfect for anyone working from home, the office, a coffee shop, or anywhere.
Data Intelligence Cloud features
Data Intelligence Cloud’s toolbox has genius-level assets like data integration, data visualization, machine learning, and monitoring.
What it’s great at:
- Transforming data into beautiful visualizations that non-nerds can understand
- Pulling data from all corners to get the full scoop on customer behavior
- Lightning speed at categorizing data from several sources
Areas of limitation:
- While SAP Data Intelligence Cloud is a wizard when it comes to SAP products, it doesn’t speak the language of non-SAP tools.
4. Datameer
Why Datameer: If you’re working with messy data, Datameer is your go-to tool. It’ll collect, analyze, and visualize data. What’s more, it’s not scared of massive data due to its Hadoop powers.
Datameer Features
The platform’s bag of tricks includes data cleansing, blending, enrichment, advanced transformation, and organization.
What it’s great at:
- Handling expansive data sets
- Fast data importation through Java Database Connection (JDBC) and other protocols
- Used by people who are new to the data game due to its friendly interface
Areas of limitation:
- If you’re a multitasker, Datameer might not be for you. It’s impossible to use two windows in the same session.
5. Qlik
Why Qlik: Qlik is an extraordinary tool. It has
extensive capabilities for complex data modeling, calculation, and analysis.
Qlik’s features
Some features of Qlik include smart visualization and analytics, associative model, mobility, alerting, machine learning, sharing, and collaboration and reporting.
What it’s great at:
- Turning numbers into beautiful, easy-to-understand visuals — you no longer have to put up with boring charts and graphs
- Finding connections between data columns
- Keeping an eye on data and issuing alerts when something is off
- Manipulating large data sets quickly and accurately
Areas of limitation:
- While Qlik is close to perfect, its less user-friendly interface can be a little challenging to work with.
6. Trifacta
Why Trifacta: You can wave this wand to create and automate data pipelines. If you’re using a service, it will connect to it to host data.
Trifacta features
Collaborative interface, connectivity, machine learning, and automation are some of the goodies Trifacta comes with.
What it’s great at:
- Tidying up data before analysis
- Ultimate multitasking
- Handling repetitive tasks, saving time and energy
Areas of limitation:
- While Trifacta is an organizer extraordinaire, it can be unpredictable for server run times. You have to work on its schedule.
7. Integrate.io
Why Integrate.io: Cloud-based Integrate.io seamlessly integrates, processes, and prepares data.
Integrate.io features
It’s loaded with prebuilt connections and top-notch data security and compliance measures. That’s not the only fun part. It has a simple, interactive interface and 100 integrations to different sources.
What it’s great at:
- Planning for data pipelines when you need them
- Turning chaotic information into orderly data
- Gathering info from all over the place and funneling it to your IT systems
Areas of limitation:
- If you use Excel files, you’ll need to find another tool. Integrate.io only works on cloud-based data sources.
8. Tibco
Why Tibco: We recommend Tibco if you want to collect and manage data from different sources.
Tibco features
With no-code process automation, you can achieve more in less time when using Tibco. Plus, data modeling, a friendly user interface, and web-based connectivity make it simple to use.
What it’s great at:
- Bridging the frustrating data gap between different tools and systems
- Integrating into an organization’s workflow – once it’s up and running, it works perfectly for years without major issues
- Uniting scattered data islands into one harmonious central view
Areas of limitation:
- Tibco’s got tons of great features, but if you’re new to it, you can get lost. Integrating it with other tools can be tough, too.
9. Microsoft Power BI
Why Microsoft Power BI: This BI platform gathers data and produces great visuals to make sense of it all.
Microsoft’s Power BI features
One of its strongest points is its customizable dashboards and navigation pane. If you’re used to working on Excel, you will love Power BI’s Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) function.
What it’s great at:
- Connecting to live data
- Tailoring images to your preferences
- Encouraging productivity with minimal training and experience
Areas of limitation:
- Microsoft Power BI loses its shine when dealing with a lot of data.
10. Quest Toad Data Point
Quest Toad Data Point: Quest Toad Data Point is a user-friendly data-integration application that gives data a good scrubbing.
Quest Toad Data Point features
This platform features automation, a Structured Query Language (SQL) editor, simplified exporting, and the ability to run cross-connection queries.
What it’s great at:
- Linking to many sources
- Detecting patterns and checking gaps, duplicated entries, and distinct values
- Arranging database doings with Windows Scheduler
Areas of limitation:
- Quest Toad Data Point can feel overwhelming if you’re not used to how it operates.
Conclusion
Businesses produce data by the truckload every day. We’re talking sales figures, contact lists, customer demographics, the whole shebang. Don’t let this data go to waste. Your organization can use this information to make business decisions. But first, you need to prepare and analyze it.
Data preparation tools help in the process of turning trash into treasure. Most marketers benefit from the information because it helps them understand what makes their customers tick.
After all, most marketing work involves dealing with people. We can only impress them if we understand what they need. This includes using language that will compel them to act and sell them what they truly need.