BigSheets is a browser-based analytics tool designed for business users to analyze big data without technical knowledge, utilizing a spreadsheet-like interface. It allows users to model, filter, and visualize data from various sources, enabling them to uncover actionable insights. The tool supports multiple data formats and offers built-in functions for data manipulation and visualization.

1. Introducing BigSheets
Spreadsheet-Style Tool
for IBM InfoSphere BigInsights
Cynthia M. Saracco
Senior Solution Architect
IBM Silicon Valley Lab

2. What is BigSheets?
Browser-based analytics tool for business users.
Why BigSheets?
How can BigSheets help?
Business users need a non-technical approach
for analyzing Big Data.
Translating untapped data into actionable
business insights is a common requirement.
Built-in “readers” can work with data in
several common formats (JSON, CSV, TSV, …)
Visualizing and drilling down into enterprise
and Web data promotes new business
intelligence.
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Spreadsheet-like interface enables business
users to gather and analyze data easily.
Users can combine and explore various types
of data to identify “hidden” insights.
© 2013 IBM Corporation

3. What you can do with BigSheets
Model “big data”
collected from various
sources in spreadsheetlike structures
Filter and enrich content
with built-in functions
Combine data in different
workbooks
Visualize results through
spreadsheets, charts
Export data into common
formats (if desired)
No programming knowledge needed!
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© 2013 IBM Corporation

4. Sample Scenario
Data gathering
Data storage
• WebCrawler app
• DBMS import app
• BoardReader app
• Accelerators
• Flume
• Hadoop commands
• -...
• Distributed file system
• Web-based file browser
and administration
Data exploration,
manipulation, and
analysis
• BigSheets
InfoSphere BigInsights
Blue italics = IBM technology
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© 2013 IBM Corporation

5. Technology
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6. Working with BigSheets
Create workbook (spreadsheet-style structure) to model target data
Customize workbook through graphical editor and built-in functions
– Filter data
– Manipulate data (e.g., concatenate fields)
– Combine data from multiple workbooks
“Run” workbook: apply work to full data set
Explore results in spreadsheet format and/or create charts
Optionally, export your data
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© 2013 IBM Corporation

7. What are Workbooks?
Spreadsheet-like structures defined by user
Based on data accessible in BigInsights
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© 2013 IBM Corporation

8. Creating a Workbook (one approach)
From BigSheets tab of
Web console, click New
Workbook button
Supply input
– Workbook name
– Source file (select from file
system directory tree)
– Appropriate “reader” (data
format translator)
• Built-in readers for Web
data, JSON, CSV, TSV,
Hive, etc.
• User-written plug-ins
supported
Save the workbook
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© 2013 IBM Corporation

9. Customizing a workbook
Work with built-in editor
Add / delete columns
Filter data
Specify formulas to compute
new values using
spreadsheet-style syntax
Apply built-in or custom macro
functions
– Supplied text analytic functions
for popular business entities:
person, location, phone number,
etc.
...
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© 2013 IBM Corporation

10. Visualizing results
Built-in charting facility aids analysis
Pie charts, bar charts, tag clouds, maps, etc.
Hover over sections to reveal details
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11. Exporting data
Useful for sharing with downstream applications
Several common formats supported
Save to distributed file system or display in browser (Save As -> local file)
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© 2013 IBM Corporation

12. On-demand videos
Available on YouTube’s IBM Big
Data Channel at
http://www.youtube.com/user/ibm
bigdata
“Analyzing Social Media for IBM
Watson”
“Big Data Patent Analysis with
BigSheets”
“Big Data for Business Users”
“BigSheets in Action”
See the full list of videos at
http://tinyurl.com/biginsights
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© 2013 IBM Corporation

13. Supplemental
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© 2013 IBM Corporation

14. Inspecting runtime statistics
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15. Displaying the workflow diagram
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© 2013 IBM Corporation

16. Built-in text analysis functions
Included with BigInsights
Version 2.1
BigSheets functions for
extracting common business
entities from text-based
columns
– Address, EmailAddress, Country,
Person, etc.
– Based on pre-built text extractor
library provided with BigInsights
Add Sheet -> Function ->
Categories -> entities
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© 2013 IBM Corporation