Embedded Analytics for any SaaS Platform
Integrating BI directly into your SaaS application creates a seamless experience for users: they don't need to switch between different tools or log in to a separate BI platform.
Not every BI tool is suitable for this purpose because SaaS (multi-tenant) apps has own specifics:
- Embedded reports should provide real-time access to data, enabling users to make data-driven decisions instantly rather than relying on static reports. This is particularly important for SaaS applications that involve dynamic or rapidly changing data.
- Report's data should be fully controlled by your SaaS app to guarantee data security and compliance with privacy regulations.
In many cases this means on-premise BI tool deployment as a most convenient way to guarantee that data breaches of sensitive data are impossible.
- SaaS apps can differently store tenants data. This can be a one (shared) database when customer's records are separated by a special column (like
tenant_id
, instance_id
etc), or each tenant may have its own database (or even separate DB server). A suitable embedded BI
should strongly support tenant's data isolation to guarantee that reports include only relevant data.
- Embedded BI solution should support customizations to match your SaaS app's branding and user interface to create a consistent user experience inside the app.
This is usually covered by 'white-labeling' capability.
SeekTable Embedded perfectly satisfies all these requirements:
- SeekTable uses databases as live data sources (ROLAP/DirectQuery mode), providing near real-time reporting for end-users.
- SeekTable is an on-premises-first product, it's really easy to deploy & maintain SeekTable installation - and for really reasonable fixed cost.
- SeekTable secure embedding mechanism is suitable for all typical SaaS app architecture (shared database/dedicated database/hybrid).
Technically it is possible to apply extra query conditions to filter tenant's data or even use another connection string depending on the
security context that comes from the host SaaS app. The same report/dashboard can be used for all tenants.
- With white label mode it is possible to style reports to match your SaaS app and they can look like a seamless part of your product - end users will not know that these reports are part of another product.
Quick start proof-of-concept setup steps
- Deploy self-hosted SeekTable: any Linux server that can run docker containers is suitable. If you use AWS, it is possible to start an AWS instance with SeekTable from AWS Marketplace in a few clicks.
Instructions: Self-hosted SeekTable setup.
- Create a user account on your SeekTable instance (via signup form).
- Connect to your database and create a test cube. For this purpose you need to know a connection string (a read-only access is recommended)
and test SQL query that loads columns you need in reports. For testing purposes this could be something simple like
select * from orders
.
- Create some meaningful reports you want to display for your SaaS app users.
Then publish them to web (Report→Share→Get Link), it is already possible to display these reports inside your SaaS app in an iFrame.
- Contact us and ask for free 14-day trial to activate a set of subscriptions needed for embedded usage scenarios.
- Setup secure embedding and implement JWT generation on your SaaS app side (auth token included into report's URL of iFrame's "src").
- Configure special report parameters in your cube to filter concrete tenant's records, and then
include values for these parameters into JWT payload.
- Don't hesitate to contact us if something is unclear and assistance is needed!