“Yellowfin’s approach to Mobile BI is based on the firm belief that using a Mobile BI application should be as fun and easy as browsing an online magazine, or sharing ideas with friends across social networks”, said Yellowfin CEO, Glen Rabie.
The iPad app allows users to subscribe to and save ‘favourite’ reports, filter their search results and drill down into the data.
Users can set alerts, see all their reports in one place and collaborate with other workers all while within the app. This collaboration allows for in-app emailing and even extends to allow for polling and voting, meaning that company decisions can be made on the spot.
Utilizing the multi-touch iPad display, Yellowfin's new app can be used to view all dashboard tabs and favourites with a single swipe, while a drop-down inbox is provided for the user to control information delivery, access and dissemination, all from a central location.
Significantly, there is also an offline mode, which allows data to be stored and viewed offline on individual mobile devices.
Yellowfin now has native mobile BI applications for iPad, iPhone or Android.
Rabie said that the introduction of the iPad app is a sign that the firm is responding to the consumerization of BI as well as the need for greater return on investment (ROI) on BI projects. As it is, a number of analysts have already highlighted the consumerization of BI as the main way in which to improve BI ROI.
The news follows a string of impressive awards for Yellowfin, with Dresner Advisory Services (DAS) recently identifying the Australia-based software vendor as the leading solution for mobile BI, in two separate studies during 2011. further adding to this, Yellowfin was recognized in Gartner’s annual 'Who's who in Mobile BI' report last month.