Blog

How we made data modeling multiplayer
Today we’re excited to announce the launch of our dbt Core™ integration, making Count the most collaborative way to build data models. Data modeling and analytics are two sides of the same workflow a
Jason Cole
30 November, 2023 · 7 min read
The Data Professional’s Cheat Sheet for Working with Stakeholders
Generating impact means convincing the people you work with that the work you do has value for them or their business. Impact is a combination of perception and results. In this guide, I’ll break do
Jerrie Kumalah
05 October, 2023 · 7 min read
10 ways to solve your ad-hoc request problem that don't require a new tool
Ad-hoc requests, or those "quick questions" data teams receive when they are busy with other projects, have the power to distract and derail a data team's productivity. As such, there are a lot of the
Taylor Brownlow
25 September, 2023 · 8 min read
A data notebook buyer's guide
So you’ve decided you’re ready to take the plunge into a data notebook. It can be easy to get lost in the data-notebook hype and ever-increasing options available to you, making it difficult to choose
Taylor Brownlow
06 September, 2023 · 4 min read
Why a dashboard isn't enough
The primary way data is consumed in organizations is through dashboards. And while dashboards are great for certain things, like informing you of last month’s churn rate, they fall shockingly short wh
Taylor Brownlow
23 August, 2023 · 4 min read
The Ultimate SQL Guide
Understanding SQL remains the best way to work with data in our organizations. For a stakeholder, just being able to read and understand SQL queries can completely change how they work. Instead of onl
Taylor Brownlow
12 June, 2023 · 3 min read
Announcing Python in the canvas
Hello, Python 🐍
Taylor Brownlow
31 May, 2023 · 4 min read
Demystifying dbt models at scale
How the Data Engineering team at The Stable, part of Accenture Song, uses the Count canvas to bring transparency to their pipeline and deliver outputs 3x faster.
Taylor Brownlow
26 May, 2023 · 5 min read
Count + dbt: Making your data models radically transparent
Our new dbt integration makes it easier than ever to work with your data models.
Taylor Brownlow
18 May, 2023 · 5 min read
The ultimate guide to dbt
Today we released the ultimate guide to dbt - a one-stop-shop for anyone hoping to learn what the dbt hype is about, pick up some curated tips from experts, or anything in between. You can see the gu
Taylor Brownlow
17 May, 2023 · 3 min read
Why people don't trust your numbers and what you can do about it
"Those numbers aren't right." I’m not sure there is another phrase capable of eliciting as much rage, exasperation, and anxiety from a data person as this one.
Taylor Brownlow
02 May, 2023 · 6 min read
How we evolved our query architecture with DuckDB
A deep dive into how we used DuckDB to take our browser-first query architecture to the next level.
Jason Cole
21 April, 2023 · 6 min read
Dashboards are dead: 3 years later
On April 9, 2020, I published an essay called "Dashboards are Dead". I wrote it largely to vent my pent-up frustrations as a data analyst, and to take on the most popular data tool at the time: the da
Taylor Brownlow
11 April, 2023 · 6 min read
The ultimate guide to hiring your data team
The one-stop shop for all your data hiring needs. Today we launched the ultimate guide to hiring your data team - a labor of love, research, and collaboration to bring together the best insights and
Taylor Brownlow
07 April, 2023 · 3 min read
Making complex SQL simple
With exploding cells, your most complex SQL query or model just got a whole lot simpler. TL;DR: The status-quo Whether you're a data engineer trying to understand a complex data model, or an anal
Taylor Brownlow
20 March, 2023 · 3 min read
Introducing: Alerts
Get your data to the right people at the right time. When speaking to a Head of Data a few years ago, she used a phrase I've been in love with ever since: dashboard detritus. She was referring to the
Taylor Brownlow
07 March, 2023 · 3 min read
Count vs Looker
Google’s Looker is one of the stalwarts of the analytics space, providing functional dashboards and drag-and-drop self-service on high quality data models for over a decade. However, there are signif
Taylor Brownlow
05 March, 2023 · 3 min read
Count vs Tableau
Tableau has been the defacto analytics front end for people looking to deliver beautiful dashboards for over a decade, and for good reason. However, many feel it’s become overly complex and cumbersome
Ryan Dolley
26 February, 2023 · 4 min read
Safe, flexible analytics at Omnipresent with Count
Phillip van Blerk is the passionate Head of Data and Analytics at Omnipresent, a series B startup that offers compliance, payroll and benefits options to hire people anywhere on Earth. He recently sat
Ryan Dolley
01 February, 2023 · 4 min read
Snowflake Telemetry in Count
Regardless of where your database resides, keeping track of what is happening in the database has long been a challenge for most database administrators, database developers, and business intelligence
Matt Childs
26 January, 2023 · 8 min read
Transform Data Interviews with Count’s Canvas
Technical interviews in data can be a bit hit or miss. But as Count advocate Emily explains with the right tool they can become something brilliant.
Emily Nguyen
04 January, 2023 · 5 min read
Data trends to watch in 2023
What can we expect to see in 2023?
Taylor Brownlow
28 December, 2022 · 5 min read
The 2022 year in review
In February I (attempted) to predict the data trends of 2022 [https://blog.count.co/how-data-analytics-will-change-in-2022/]. Now that 2022 is rapidly coming to a close, it's time to see just how well
Taylor Brownlow
07 December, 2022 · 3 min read
Heuristics: the power of folklore in decision-making
Long before I got into data, I had another love. One I've never been able to let go of. Like data, it satisfied my need to have things ordered and was focused on using that organization to uncover pat
Taylor Brownlow
30 November, 2022 · 2 min read
Where does Count fit in your stack?
When people describe Count, they typically do so in terms of familiar functionality: While those descriptions are helpful (and entertaining) they are less effective in articulating what you actually
Taylor Brownlow
23 November, 2022 · 4 min read
The dark art of gathering requirements
Gathering requirements for a data project is both painful and essential. But there are ways to make it easier…
Taylor Brownlow
16 November, 2022 · 7 min read
Data Literacy hack: Creating psychological safe zones
In this article, I am going to walk through a playbook for how to host a robust and healthy data conversation in your organization, and create something called a ‘Psychological Safe Zone’.
Zac Ruiz
04 November, 2022 · 11 min read
Combine knowledge. Miro → Count
Copy from Miro, paste into Count. Simple 👍
Taylor Brownlow
27 October, 2022 · 3 min read
How to build a Canvas - a data analyst perspective
Building a canvas can seem easy enough, but like everything in the world of data, it can quickly get out of hand. Bouncing between ideas, changing data and shifting requirements can derail any project
Ryan Dolley
04 October, 2022 · 8 min read
Going deeper into startup metrics
‘We’ve done 150 growth scanners over the years, and the last 20 are in canvas. We’ve been doing it for years but we weren’t able to turn it into a really useful product until we had the canvas. The sharing at the canvas level, the talking back and forth - it just changed the game for us.’
Ryan Dolley
29 September, 2022 · 2 min read
Count unveils breakthrough tool for data analytics and collaboration
Count releases a hyper-collaborative data platform to turn the data analytics workflow into a fun, creative journey for the whole team to reach data-driven decisions faster. The launch comes on the he
Taylor Brownlow
23 September, 2022 · 3 min read
Bye-bye notebooks. Hello, canvas.
Why we believe the future of analytics involves two dimensions, a load of sticky notes and a sledgehammer.
Taylor Brownlow
07 September, 2022 · 10 min read
Finding data clarity at a fast-growing fintech
"When I first started you couldn’t trust anything. We had a mess of queries and Tableau dashboards that disagreed with one another."
Ryan Dolley
06 September, 2022 · 5 min read
Dashboards: The ad-hoc generating machine
Here we thought dashboards were dead.
Ryan Dolley
31 August, 2022 · 5 min read
Keep Calm and Collaborate: Creating a fun, data culture that works
“Always remember who this is for. If they don’t understand your data work, you might as well not do it!”
Ryan Dolley
27 April, 2022 · 3 min read
The Last Mile of Analytics can make or break your startup
There is no shortage of challenges vying for the attention of our data teams. So how do you decide what to focus on? We created a 21-page guide to help you decide when it's time for you to focus on the Last Mile of Analytics.
Taylor Brownlow
15 March, 2022 · 5 min read
10 Hot 🔥 Data & Analytics Trends to Watch in 2022
All the cool kids are late to the party, right?
Taylor Brownlow
22 February, 2022 · 8 min read
The dark side of good decision making
A journey to discover what it takes to make good decisions beyond using data.
Taylor Brownlow
14 February, 2022 · 5 min read
Why your BI tool isn't driving decisions
How shifting our attention to where and how decisions are made can help change that.
Taylor Brownlow
24 January, 2022 · 4 min read
Data tools need to change, including ours
Why we're going back into private beta
Taylor Brownlow
20 December, 2021 · 2 min read
How to make agile actually work for analytics
In all the debate about bringing agile to analytics, we may have just missed the point.
Taylor Brownlow
08 December, 2021 · 5 min read
What Will “Analyst 2.0” Look Like?
The newest generation of analysts is about to change the game.
Taylor Brownlow
19 November, 2021 · 5 min read
Why the last mile of analytics matters
The last mile of analytics can take our state-of-the-art data stack and actually make it useful. Find out how.
Taylor Brownlow
08 November, 2021 · 5 min read
Take your SQL from Good to Great: Part 5
What can UDFs do for you?
Taylor Brownlow
06 August, 2021 · 6 min read
Take your SQL from Good to Great: Part 4
Everyone's favorite SQL cheat code.
Taylor Brownlow
28 June, 2021 · 5 min read
Take your SQL from Good to Great: Part 3
Time to join the JOIN movement
Taylor Brownlow
02 June, 2021 · 5 min read
Take your SQL from Good to Great: Part 2
Not always there when you call, but always on time.
Taylor Brownlow
19 May, 2021 · 5 min read
Take your SQL from Good to Great: Part 1
WITH CTEs, you can go far.
Taylor Brownlow
05 May, 2021 · 4 min read
The Tableau Era is Over
What will the next era in data look like?
Taylor Brownlow
05 April, 2021 · 5 min read
How to Make Sure Your Analysis Actually Gets Used
How to keep the pirates at bay.
Taylor Brownlow
10 March, 2021 · 6 min read
Your Organization's First Notebooks
How to introduce BI notebooks into your organization.
Taylor Brownlow
25 February, 2021 · 3 min read
Numbers Are No Longer Enough
To make better decisions, we need data tools that communicate more than just numbers.
Taylor Brownlow
24 February, 2021 · 4 min read
Numbers Are No Longer Enough
To make better decisions, we need data tools that communicate more than just numbers.
Taylor Brownlow
24 February, 2021 · 4 min read
The Analytical Workflow is Broken
A case for modern tools in a modern age.
Taylor Brownlow
18 February, 2021 · 4 min read
Dashboards are Dead
Dashboards have been the primary weapon of choice for distributing data over the last few decades, but they aren’t the end of the story. To increasingly democratize access to data we need to think again, and the answer may be closer than you think!
Taylor Brownlow
09 April, 2020 · 7 min read