It is widely known that the modern data stack has undergone considerable changes over the last decade. However, in the last mile of the stack, BI tools have not seen as many exciting transformations. Established products such as Tableau, PowerBI, or Looker, while powerful, sometimes feel outdated. Thankfully the rise of the semantic layer has given birth to a much more intuitive tool: Steep.
Based on the semantic principle, Steep is an innovative business intelligence tool designed to revolutionise the way organisations handle metrics. With Steep, you can set up a metric once and seamlessly power multiple visualisations without redundant configurations. This centralised approach not only enhances control and maintainability but also ensures consistency across all visualisations when changes are made.
It’s intuitively easy for users of all types, fostering a collaborative environment where everyone shares the same metrics and insights. Whether you’re part of a small team or a large organisation, Steep structures your metrics catalogue as a single source of truth, making your data-driven decisions more effective and collaborative. With that being said, let’s dive into the key points of Steep.
Steep is a fast, modern, and easy to implement tool for your company. The time-to-value is exceptionally short, largely due to its user-friendly interface and streamlined setup process. Organisations can quickly integrate Steep with existing databases and start defining metrics right away. This rapid deployment capability significantly reduces the time and effort typically required to start leveraging insights from BI tools.
Implementation: Steep’s installation process is straightforward, facilitated by its extensive documentation and responsive support team. Companies can get Steep up and running in no-time. It integrates smoothly with various data sources such as BigQuery, Snowflake and major SQL databases.
If you want to try Steep before connecting your data source, the company offers a demo mode that is likely to make you interested!
Usability: The platform is designed to be intuitive for users of all skill levels. Steep removes the need for extensive training or deep technical knowledge, making it accessible to everyone in the organisation. What’s more, Steep has a mobile application that syncs in real-time, perfect for keeping track of your metrics on the go.
Performance: Steep is incredibly fast and updates across your devices in real-time. Its performance is optimised for efficiency, minimising load times and enhancing user experience, even with complex datasets and large numbers of users.
Cost: Steep offers a competitive pricing structure with a free plan for up to three users, and affordable options for larger organisations. At 12€ per month per user, it is an amazing value for money. The clear and transparent pricing ensures that businesses can scale their usage without unexpected costs.
Organisation: Within Steep you can create teams to stay organised and on top of your metrics. Furthermore, you can restrict access to certain users if you have confidential metrics that you do not want to expose to everyone in the company.
Connectivity: Steep connects seamlessly with numerous data sources and data transformation tools. It supports direct integrations with dbt Cloud and Cube, enhancing its utility in a growing and diverse tech ecosystem.
Community: While still growing, the Steep community is only getting started. Within the organisation, the platform encourages collaboration among users through shared insights and best practices, fostering a learning environment that benefits all users.
Moving forward, it would be beneficial to see more advanced analytical features and customizability options to cater to the needs of power users. Additionally, it would be great to have a place where Steep users can discuss and share their experience with the tool, fostering the Steep community.
Steep represents a significant step forward in making BI tools more accessible and effective for modern businesses. Its focus on metrics rather than queries, along with its robust collaboration features, makes it a standout choice for organisations aiming to democratise data analysis and foster a data-driven culture.
As data experts, we recognise the value of the semantic layer and how it can radically improve trust and productivity across organisations. If you are interested in hearing more about how the semantic layer and Steep can be implemented in your team, do not hesitate to reach out to us directly or sign up for our 3-hour free data assessment.
