Sigma’s Automated Reporting: How to Save Time, Cut Costs, and Deliver for Your Business

Delivering insights at the right time is crucial for driving business impact and becoming a truly data-driven organization.

Data teams often find themselves overwhelmed with requests for new reports, ad hoc analyses, and data distribution. Without automation, these tasks can turn into repetitive manual work—rerunning queries, sending out the same reports, and copying links for various stakeholders. This busy work leaves little time for actual data analysis.

With Sigma, you can automate these processes, making workflows more efficient, data more accessible, and your business more data-driven. Here’s how report automation can transform your operations, the benefits it offers, and how to set it up in Sigma.

What is report automation?

Report automation means having your business reports updated and delivered automatically according to a set schedule. This includes extracting data, updating visualizations, and sharing reports, all without manual intervention. It’s about providing critical business insights effortlessly and consistently.

For businesses, this capability optimizes workflows and speeds up decision-making processes, making a significant impact on efficiency and productivity.

Benefits of report automation with Sigma

Save time and reduce effort: Manually sending the same report to multiple people is a drain on resources. Sigma’s report automation cuts down this redundant work, freeing up your data team to focus on more critical tasks.

Boost productivity: By automating repetitive tasks, your data teams can spend more time on meaningful analysis and less on manual report generation and distribution.

Cut costs: Time saved is money saved. Automation reduces the need for analysts to spend their day on tasks that can be handled by Sigma, thus lowering operational costs.

Enable real-time decision-making: Automatically refreshed data ensures that stakeholders always have the most current information, facilitating quicker and more accurate decision-making.

Increase data accessibility: Regularly scheduled reports ensure consistent access to key metrics for all teams, supporting a data-driven culture throughout your organization.

Key considerations for setting up report automation

Ensure data accuracy: Accurate data is essential. Make sure the data in your automated reports is correct and sourced properly to maintain workflow integrity.

Optimize database load and timing: Running reports can strain your database. Schedule report generation during off-peak hours to minimize impact and ensure availability for all users.

Choose the right sharing channels: Automated reports are only useful if they reach the right people. Sigma allows you to deliver reports via platforms like Slack and Email, ensuring everyone stays informed.

Automating reports with Sigma

Sigma simplifies the process of automating reports, offering a seamless experience compared to traditional BI tools. Here’s what makes Sigma stand out:

• Efficient data processing: Sigma’s data engine minimizes database load, making report automation smooth and efficient.
• Flexible scheduling options: Set up reports to be sent at various intervals—daily (once or multiple times), weekly (once or multiple times), monthly, or custom.
• Condition-based triggers: Use APIs or webhooks to automate reports based on specific conditions or events.
• Detailed metadata: Automated reports include metadata like last edited and last run times, enhancing transparency and reliability.
• Direct sharing capabilities: Share reports directly from Sigma with internal and external stakeholders, with granular role-based access permissions.
• Multi-platform delivery: Deliver reports via download (as JSON, Excel, PDF, PNG, or CSV), email (as Excel, PDF, PNG, or CSV), Slack (as Excel, PDF, PNG, or CSV) Google Sheets, Webhook (as JSON or CSV), or Cloud storage (as CSV or gzipped CSV).