Most modern software platforms and applications provide some level of data analytics and reporting functionality for their end-users. This blog will look at some examples of solutions with report generation capabilities, specifically designed to help end-users easily create reports from databases or other data sources. Additionally, we will explore two paths to add report generation capabilities to your own SaaS solution.

What is a report generator?

Report generators enable users to create their own custom reports based on business needs directly from the software solutions they use. Report generators can span a variety of applications from creating custom financial reports to displaying sales funnel metrics. Once created they offer a variety of sharing options from direct exports, to email reports, or direct integrations with other products or databases.

Report Generator Features

Report generator tools have various features and capabilities for producing actionable insights. Below, we outline three key capability considerations for an effective report generator tool:

Report Builder Interface

A good report generator starts with an easy to use report builder interface. It’s crucial that users of the platform are able to select the correct data and reports that are needed. These interfaces can range from no-code, drag and drop to code heavy where users are required to write SQL to create reports. Depending on the user, it’s crucial to understand the exact requirements and technical abilities. 

Self-Service & User Friendly

Report generation should encourage a culture of data-driven decision-making by enabling users at all levels to independently generate reports. This autonomy not only boosts engagement but also scales with your organization, increasing product value and user satisfaction. 

Generative AI

The new frontier for report generator tools is Generative AI, which can produce reports leveraging natural language processing (NLP) for queries. Using Generative AI in these tools enhances efficiency and end-user accessibility.

Exporting and sharing functionality

Report generators offer a variety of methods for exporting the reports out of the platform. These methods include direct downloads to csv and excel files, to scheduled email reports, and even integrations with products such as slack to share the reports with other users. 

Comparing Top Report Generator Tools found in Software Solutions 

This section provides a comparative analysis of various software platforms, focusing on their report generator capabilities. We'll provide a brief overview of each platform, highlighting their unique features, strengths, and potential limitations. By examining these solutions side-by-side, we aim to offer product teams valuable insights that can inspire your own approach to providing report generation capabilities within your software.

HubSpot 

HubSpot is celebrated for its comprehensive marketing tools, combining CRM, analytics, and content management into one centralized intuitive platform. It excels in collecting data and providing reports, but some of its report tools may be too complex for end-users and the platform may present cost barriers for smaller businesses.

Strengths:

• All-in-One Platform: HubSpot combines extensive sales and marketing tools with analytics and CRM capabilities, offering a comprehensive solution that serves as a central hub for all marketing and sales activities.
• Integration with Other Systems: It boasts a wide array of integrations, pulling in data for analysis and automating workflows across systems, streamlining operations and enhancing efficiency.
• Pre-built Reports: Designed with non-technical users in mind, HubSpot includes a vast library of pre-built reports that provide quick access to essential insights, aiding decision-making processes.
• Point and Click: Hubspot offers a point and click interface walking users through the report creation process, all the way through adding it to a dashboard.

Limitations:

• Cost: Although the pricing structure starts low, it can quickly become a significant investment for small to medium-sized businesses as they scale, with the Marketing Hub alone costing $9,900 per year.
• Complexity for Small Teams: The breadth of features can be overwhelming for smaller teams or those with limited resources to dedicate to mastering the platform.
• Data Integration Challenges: While HubSpot excels at importing third-party data, exporting data for use in other analytics or reporting tools can sometimes encounter hurdles, potentially limiting flexibility in data management.

Hive 

Hive is a comprehensive project management and team collaboration platform designed for bringing together a view of a team’s tasks. Not only does it offer the features to organize and manage projects, but it has a robust analytics platform that can easily generate reports on the progress and time spent.

Strengths:

• Flexible dashboards and reports: Hive offers a full suite of customizable dashboards and reporting that satisfy requirements for a variety of teams.
• Comprehensive analytics: Hive offers more analytics and reporting than competing project management tools available today, with strong analytics capabilities across it’s different 
• Easy to configure: the reporting interface is completely no-code and easy to configure for users of all technical abilities.

Limitations:

• Limited applications: custom reporting is limited to certain aspects of the platform including time management and utilization
• Premium add-on: custom dashboard and reports are an add-on feature and not included the base platform

Klaviyo

Klaviyo is a marketing automation and email platform designed to help e-commerce businesses grow by making it easy to segment, target, and analyze customers. It offers powerful tools for creating personalized email and SMS marketing campaigns based on customer behavior and data. Klaviyo integrates seamlessly with multiple e-commerce platforms, providing detailed analytics to optimize marketing strategies and drive sales.

Strengths:

• Product Integrations: Kalviyo integrates with a variety of tools in the marketing and ecommerce tech stack, centralizing data and reporting into a single platform
• Pre-built and Custom Reports: get started with a variety of prebuilt reports or make completely custom reports to accomplish reporting needs for all types of businesses
• Benchmarking: built-in benchmarking tools are available to add to reporting to make gaining insights on your data easier than ever

Limitations:

• Data Granularity and Customization: Some users find the reporting tools lack the ability to drill down into data with as much granularity or customization as they would like, making it challenging to obtain specific insights or tailor reports to unique business needs.
• Complexity for New Users: The depth and breadth of data available can be overwhelming for new users or small businesses without dedicated marketing analysts, making it challenging to interpret and act on the data effectively.
• Integration and Data Syncing Issues: While Klaviyo offers robust integration options, there can be limitations or delays in data syncing with external platforms, which may affect real-time accuracy and the comprehensiveness of reports.

Product Roadmap or Detour? How to Embark on Report Generation

When considering building out a reporting tool in your own application, the question remains, should you embark on this journey in-house or embed a third party solution? Choosing to build an in-house solution for reporting and analytics in your SaaS platform might seem appealing initially, due to the prospect of custom-tailored features and direct control over development. However, this path often proves to be inefficient and costly in terms of resources, time, and scalability. 

Firstly, developing such a complex feature in-house demands a significant allocation of development resources, including a dedicated team of developers, which can divert focus from your core product offerings. The companies above spend millions a year in engineering resources to build and maintain their reporting solutions. Secondly, the time to market is substantially longer, as building a robust, secure, and user-friendly reporting tool from scratch can take months, if not years, delaying potential revenue and growth opportunities. Lastly, scalability poses a major challenge; what works for a handful of users may not hold up under the strain of thousands, requiring continuous investment in development to ensure performance and reliability. 

In contrast, opting for a third-party solution, which is designed to embed seamlessly into SaaS platforms, offers immediate access to advanced reporting capabilities, saving valuable time and resources while ensuring scalability to meet future demands.

Introducing Explo for Embedded Report Generation

Explo emerges as a comprehensive white-label third-party solution designed to seamlessly integrate into SaaS platforms, offering a robust suite of features for report generation. It encompasses a user-friendly report builder, leveraging GenAI to automate and enhance data analysis, along with low-code capabilities that significantly lower the barrier to entry for users of all skill levels. This integration enables SaaS platforms to provide their end-users with powerful, customizable reporting and analytics tools without the need for extensive development resources. By embedding Explo, SaaS providers can enhance their product offering, providing their clients with the ability to generate insightful, data-driven reports directly within their platform, thereby adding value and improving user experience.

Strengths:

• Embedded Multi-Use Case Focus: Explo is uniquely designed for embedded analytics and embedded reports, ensuring a seamless integration into software platforms​​.
• Low-Code, User-Friendly Interface: Its low-code approach minimizes the technical expertise required to develop and deploy analytics, making it accessible to a wider range of users and speeding up implementation.
• Customization and White Labeling: Exceptional white-labeling features enable deep customization, allowing businesses to maintain brand consistency across their analytics.
• Self-Service Reporting: Explo’s report builder empowers end users to generate their reports by selecting columns, applying filters, and manipulating data to help in data-driven decision making. You can also provide users with built-in reports to get started.

Limitations:

• Designed for SaaS and Software Companies: Explo's features are optimized for integration within software applications, making it less ideal for organizations that want a simple report generation tool for one-off report runs.
• Database requirement: Explo connects to SQL databases and not third party applications. If you want to share out data from those sources, Explo partners with platforms that handle the data extraction and storage.

Final Thougts

In navigating the diverse landscape of report generator tools, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Each software company must choose a tool that precisely aligns with their specific needs, whether it's for embedding analytics seamlessly into their platform or providing a cost-effective, white-labeled solution. 

For those searching for unparalleled report generation capabilities that seamlessly integrate with any tech stack, Explo is a top-tier choice. Explo’s self-service report builder combines ease of use for users with extensive customization. Explore how Explo can transform your reporting capabilities and elevate your analytics experience. Schedule a demo today to see it in action.