What is our primary use case?
My primary task involves creating reports and dashboards by extracting data from Snowflake, which consolidates information from various sources like Salesforce, our website, and Google Analytics. The goal is to provide insights and generate reports, such as sales reports for our sales team. These reports cover crucial aspects like total revenue, individual sales performance, goal achievements, and commission calculations. I use Sigma to perform calculations in the background, allowing end-users like sales managers and the finance team to access and analyze these reports effortlessly. It also offers a comprehensive overview for our CEO, enabling them to monitor various aspects of the company, including sales, finances, expenses, and product delivery. Each employee can access relevant information tailored to their role, facilitating better decision-making and job performance.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable aspect for me is having real-time data. I don't have to worry about deciding how much data to extract or when to perform extractions. All I need is to ensure the data is in Snowflake, and from there, it seamlessly flows into Sigma.
What needs improvement?
While Sigma excels in quick and straightforward visualizations, it currently lacks some of the intricate options that Tableau offers. If Sigma were to incorporate these advanced visualization capabilities, it could be a game-changer. The ability to create complex visualizations in seconds, a strength already present in Sigma, coupled with the sophistication of Tableau, could reshape the landscape of data visualization tools.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using it for three months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Sigma has proven to be consistently reliable, ensuring uninterrupted access without facing server-related disruptions.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
You have the flexibility to easily add or delete reports in Sigma, including incorporating new ones without any complications. In terms of users, the advantage lies in the fact that viewers are free and their allocation is unlimited. This has been particularly beneficial for us, as the majority of our users fall into the viewer category. This simplified the process, allowing anyone who simply requires viewing access to be added without any limitations. For users needing additional capabilities, such as making adjustments or creating content, a license purchase is required. However, these users with extended functionalities are limited, and we don't have a substantial number of users falling into this category. We have future plans to expand and continue our utilization of Sigma.
How are customer service and support?
I am extremely satisfied with their technical support. During a challenging month when I had to transition everything to a new platform and was unfamiliar with creating basic features, their support was invaluable. In contrast to my previous experience with Tableau, where I would resort to online searches or contacting external companies, Sigma's support is exceptional. I could simply enter the live chat, ask my questions, and receive immediate answers. This significantly expedited the process, contributing to the month-long transition period. Their customer support was consistently reliable and responsive, making the overall experience highly positive.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before adopting Sigma, our tool of choice was Tableau. Upon exploring Sigma, I found that it addressed everything I ever felt was missing in Tableau, especially in meeting the needs of our users. Sigma not only provided the features I had been looking for but also introduced convenient options like input tables, user-friendly visualizations, and the ability to view raw data instantly without the need to download it to Excel or any external platform. It seamlessly incorporated all these aspects within the Sigma platform.
How was the initial setup?
The installation process was incredibly straightforward — simply logging into the router, and that was it. Setting up the connection with our Snowflake account was equally swift, taking around twenty seconds, or half a minute, to input the username and password.
What about the implementation team?
Sigma is an official partner with Snowflake, streamlining the integration process. By adding Sigma as a partner within the Snowflake account, all the necessary features are automatically configured, making the setup in Sigma seamless and automatic. This entire process, including the partnership setup, took me less than a minute. Once the setup was complete, the main task was to recreate all the reports from Tableau in Sigma. Despite the volume, around fifty to sixty reports, this took me approximately a month. The initial challenge was recreating each report, but the efficient integration and setup made the transition smooth, allowing for a relatively quick adaptation of the reports in Sigma.
What was our ROI?
Ultimately, despite being more expensive than Tableau, Sigma is worth the investment based on the pricing plan we signed up for. In 2024, being the first year of using Sigma, I am confident that we will witness improvements. The value of Sigma lies in its ability to save time and provide instant insights, allowing us to focus on our tasks and deals. The return on investment (ROI) becomes evident when users can directly attribute efficiency gains to Sigma.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The viewer license is free, and the available licenses are for creators. The retail price is set at one thousand dollars per creator per year. Additionally, there is a platform fee of thirty thousand dollars per year, which is a fixed cost.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
When we switched from Tableau to Sigma, we didn't consider other tools. It never crossed my mind to replace Tableau; I had been consistently using Tableau, even in my previous job. Sigma came into the picture when they reached out to me on LinkedIn, asking if I was familiar with it and interested in learning more.
What other advice do I have?
Sigma is like an advanced version of Excel. If you have even a basic understanding of Excel, especially its fundamental functions, using Sigma becomes intuitive. Our revenue operations manager transitioned to Sigma almost immediately and, as one of the creators, hasn't used Excel much since. In just two months, Sigma has empowered her to handle tasks independently, eliminating the need for frequent requests on how to perform certain actions or make adjustments. As a data analyst, this shift has freed up a considerable amount of time, allowing for a more focused and confident approach to the actual job. Currently, I would give it a rating of nine out of ten. The only minor area for improvement lies in handling highly complex visualizations. However, overall, I am highly satisfied with the outcomes we've achieved so far.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
