Data preparation software tools assists in the process of discovering, blending, combining, cleansing, enriching, and transforming data so large datasets can be easily integrated, consumed, and analyzed with business intelligence and analytics solutions. Data preparation tools provide IT departments, data analysts, data scientists, and average business users a platform to integrate disparate data sources in a quick and efficient way. It makes for a much smoother analysis experience when businesses attempt to extract actionable insights from their data. Many data preparation solutions offer the functionality of data governance software, metadata management, and machine learning features. Data preparation is necessary to improve data quality.
Data preparation services are used by data-driven companies that empower their employees to explore business data to enhance decision making and drive productive change. Data preparation platforms integrates with analytics platforms and other analytics tools to clean datasets that can be easily understood and acted upon. The integration with intelligence and analytical software helps in the actual analysis of the data. Data preparation tools may also be used in conjunction with data integration software to make it easier when combining data sources.
Many business intelligence platforms and self-service business intelligence software have data preparation capabilities. Additionally, data preparation functionality can be included in data quality software.
To qualify for inclusion in the Data Preparation category, a product must:
Provide data preparation capabilities such as blending, combining, and transforming datasets for simple analysis and integration
Provide cleansing and enrichment capabilities for a higher level of data quality
Offer integrations with analytics and data integration solutions
Exist as standalone software or in integration with an analytics platform, with clear mention of data preparation capabilities
