Narrative Science is to become the latest addition to the Salesforce family. Although there has been no official word from Salesforce, a deal is expected to close in the new year.
The data storytelling specialists will be joining Tableau as part of Salesforce’s latest acquisition. As Narrative Science has been partnered with Tableau since 2016 (Quill for Tableau), this move should make for a harmonious union between data storytelling and analytics.
What is Data Storytelling?
Stories have always helped people to communicate information, meaning, and intent. Narrative Science believes that data should be treated in the same way to maximize opportunities for businesses.
“With data storytelling, data and analytics leaders can finally empower everyone in the company to make informed, data-driven decisions that drive the company forward every single day.”
It’s a common misconception that data storytelling is simply the creation of visual aids (such as charts). In reality, it is much more than this, combining data, visuals, and narratives in a structured approach to disseminate insights.
Without specialized training, data can be difficult for people to grasp and interpret, leading to low user adoption of analytics. But, by translating data into these bitesize, digestible narratives, dashboards and reports are bolstered (not avoided). It’s a win-win!
Narrative Science and Tableau
Narrative Science and Tableau are old friends, which makes this a particularly exciting (and logical) new venture for Salesforce.
Currently, “Quill for Tableau” focuses on three key areas:
- Driving results
- Empowering everyone
- Saving time
There is a clear focus on people – the way they think, explore, and understand data. Stories can be built, customized, and accessed alongside analytics dashboards from within Tableau, providing compelling, responsive stories to support visuals.
Ultimately, the two platforms go hand in hand, so it will be interesting to see how much of Narrative Science’s storytelling capabilities Salesforce aims to integrate and evolve.
Summary
Narrative Science puts things in simple terms: ‘everyone loves a good story’, and they’re right! Their mission – to make data accessible and meaningful for all – is perfectly aligned with Salesforce’s values of empowerment and inclusivity. Watch this space!
Comments: