We are going to examine the top database visualization tools. Notice I said visualization tools, this means tools that allow data exploration, multiple charts/tables/maps and the ability to explore data without necessarily writing SQL. A separate article will be written shortly on SQL charting libraries.

Database Visualization Features

The key features that we will look at include:

  • Price - What does it cost? Per user?
  • User Friendliness - Can my manager use this? Or will I need DBA help?
  • HTML5/Web Support - Many of these big tools are old and don't support web or mobile well.
  • Real Time - Can charts be live updated very frequently? Or do they need regenerated?

Top Database Visualization Tools

The available tools can roughly be split into three categories:

  • Extremely expensive - Either has a wide range of user friendly features (tableau) or provides real-time charting. Tend to be older well testsed products.
  • Middle Tier - Still quite friendly but more targeted at smaller segments of the market.
  • New Comers - Recent entrants that provide HTML/SAAS database visualizations
  • Product License Price (per user/year) Runtime Realtime Time Series Tech Ease of Use Handles Big Data Video
    Panopticon Commercial $$$ Self Hosting Yes Yes Java 10 Yes video
    Tableau Commercial $2000 App No Yes Java 10 video
    Tableau Online Commercial $$$ SAAS No Yes HTML ? video
    Delta Dashboards Commercial $$$ Self Hosting Yes Yes Flex/Flash 7 Yes
     
    sqlDashboards Commercial $51 App Yes Yes Java 5 Yes video
    Bime Commercial $3000 video
    dashbuilder Open Source >0 Self Hosting Near ? HTML 5 video
    DataPine Commercial $1555 SAAS ? ? HTML 7 ? video
    DbFace Commercial $90 SAAS / Self Hosting No Limited HTML 7 No
    metabase Open Source 0 Self Hosting Near - 1 min refresh Limited HTML 7 No video
     
    chartio Commercial ?? SAAS video
    viurdata Commercial $300 SAAS Manual Refresh Yes HTML 9 OK video
    lumalytics Commercial $200 SAAS video
    slemma Commercial $200 SAAS ? ? HTML ? ? video

    Good Database Visualization Tools

    sqlDashboards

    Bime

    dashbuilder

    DataPine

    metabase


    Expensive Commercial Database Visualization Vendors

    Panopticon

    User friendly, fast, extensive time-series support, numerous adapters including specific drivers that generate smarter SQL queries than most other tools. Expensive.

    Tableau

    Wide range of visualizations, massive community, extremely user friendly.

    Tableau Online

    Relatively new product.


    New Database Visualization Tools

    chartio

    viurdata

    slemma