Yellowfin joins GenAI fray, launches new NLQ capabilities
The longtime BI vendor is the latest to add generative AI-powered natural language query capabilities aimed at enabling more users within organizations to use complex capabilities.
Yellowfin on Thursday launched AI NLQ, a generative AI-powered natural language query tool that enables users to ask questions of their data and receive relevant responses without having to write code or follow specific syntax rules.
AI NLQ is a new feature in Guided NLQ, which is Yellowfin's longstanding natural language query (NLQ) interface first made available first made available in December 2021, and is part of the vendor's Version 9.15 platform update.
Although Yellowfin has provided NLQ capabilities for years, Guided NLQ could not infer meaning and thus required that users phrase queries using specific language. As a result, while the feature made Yellowfin's platform easier to use, it still required training that limited its pervasiveness within organizations.
AI NLQ uses generative AI (GenAI) to infer meaning, reducing the training needed to use Yellowfin's platform and potentially enabling more employees within organizations to gain insights from data.
[Yellowfin is] catching up with other trends in the market. But they are building on a platform which made excellent use of machine learning in BI, so this is a very promising development for existing Yellowfin users.
Donald FarmerFounder and principal, TreeHive Strategy
Yellowfin is far from the first analytics vendor to add GenAI-powered NLQ capabilities. For example, Domo and Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) made GenAI capabilities available in 2023. However, whether or not Yellowfin is ahead of competitors in adding such capabilities, they are significant for the vendor's users, according to Donald Farmer, founder and principal of TreeHive Strategy.
"I don't think there's a whole lot unique here -- [Yellowfin is] catching up with other trends in the market," he said. "But they are building on a platform which made excellent use of machine learning in BI, so this is a very promising development for existing Yellowfin users."
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Yellowfin is a longtime analytics vendor. Originally based in Melbourne, Australia, the vendor was acquired by B2B software specialist Idera in January 2022 and is now part of Idera's Developer Tools business.
New capabilities
Despite the benefits of BI, analytics use within many organizations was limited for decades to a small number of trained experts, due to the complexity of BI platforms.
Vendors attempted to make their tools easier to use with natural language processing (NLP) and low-code/no-code tools. Still, even those required training, and analytics use hovered around a quarter of employees as recently as the spring of 2022.
GenAI is changing that by enabling true NLP.
By combining proprietary data with language models such as ChatGPT, many enterprises are developing applications that understand their business and enable users to analyze data using freeform natural language. Meanwhile, many analytics vendors are providing customers with natural language assistants that simplify data analysis -- and help customers build GenAI applications -- via true NLP.
Yellowfin is joining the fray with AI NLQ.
With AI NLQ, users can type freeform natural language queries that the feature sends to GenAI capabilities from OpenAI to translate into the syntax understood by Guided NLQ, so that Guided NLQ can return relevant responses. In addition, AI NLQ includes a "Suggested Questions" option that lists potential queries based on an organization's metadata for underlying data sets.
To use AI NLQ, Yellowfin customers also need an OpenAI account. However, Yellowfin specifies that no raw data is transmitted to OpenAI's models. Only metadata and queries are sent, and the feature comes with role-based access controls so that administrators can further enhance security.
Yellowfin previously developed features such as Stories for automated data storytelling and Signals for automated business monitoring. Connecting GenAI to improve those capabilities and create new ones is a natural progression, according to Brad Scarff, the vendor's chief technology officer.
"Our customers have a mix of curiosity and caution [about GenAI]," he said. "They are eager to … improve effectiveness and productivity, but this is balanced against the need to cut through hype and ensure any implementation is properly secured and governed."
AI NLQ is just the first GenAI capability Yellowfin plans to develop, Scarff continued. Automated insight generation and development of data visualizations are others, and agentic AI is part of the vendor's long-term roadmap.
"In the future, AI agents will be able to take the heavy lifting from the data analyst," Scarff said.
Like Farmer, Mike Leone, an analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group, noted that while Yellowfin is far from the first analytics vendor to develop GenAI capabilities, their addition is still important for Yellowfin users. Enterprise Strategy Group is now part of Omdia.
"More people get faster answers and can dig into insights without needing to be data experts," he said. "And it puts Yellowfin squarely in the competitive arena with other major BI platforms that have offered similar capabilities for some time now."
Perhaps the most significant benefit to users is increased speed to insight, Leone continued.
"The speed at which a non-technical user can now ask a question and get an answer … is a significant acceleration of the analytics lifecycle," he said. "This agility, combined with the broader accessibility for more users, means insights can be generated and acted upon much more quickly across different teams and departments."
Enterprises might receive these 10 benefits when using generative AI.
Competitive standing
Before BI entered the GenAI era, Yellowfin was known as one of the more innovative analytics vendors. Its NLQ capabilities, though requiring technical acumen, were among the more advanced, enabling trained users to explore detailed topics with properly phrased natural language, according to Farmer.
Now, although it has added GenAI-powered NLQ capabilities, other BI vendors such as Tableau are providing more advanced capabilities, such as the agents that are part of Yellowfin's long-term roadmap. AI assistants that enabled NLQ were the vanguard in 2023. Now, agents that can act autonomously are the latest trend.
Still, AI NLQ is important for Yellowfin users, according to Farmer.
"These new features look as if they will address [the] skills barrier, specifically, and I am sure they will be welcomed by users," he said.
Leone, meanwhile, noted that while AI NLQ isn't groundbreaking, Yellowfin still has an opportunity to differentiate itself from competitors. Combined with Yellowfin's strengths, including collaborative BI and guided analytics, AI NLQ could provide Yellowfin with a unique angle for applying GenAI.
"While not first to the party, this move is crucial for them to remain a compelling choice for organizations seeking modern, user-friendly data exploration," Leone said.
Eric Avidon is a senior news writer for Informa TechTarget and a journalist with more than 25 years of experience. He covers analytics and data management.
