Auto analysis is a powerful capability that enables Zoho Analytics to auto-generate reports and dashboards from your table or column. This is possible through a deep understanding of the meta-data and data contained in your tables. The auto analysis capability cuts down the time that you spend in creating reports and dashboards, thereby helping you move ahead into the analysis space much faster and to get insights.

Another handy feature offered by Zoho Analytics is "Similar to Another Table". Similar to Another Table option is an extension of auto analysis. This feature is used to generate similar reports and dashboards for a table that is structurally similar to another table within the workspace.

General

1. What is Auto Analysis?

Auto analysis is one such area where Zoho Analytics uses MI and AL techniques to generate reports and dashboards automatically by understanding the meta-data and data contained in your tables. This helps in reducing the time taken to create the reports and dashboards manually, thereby helping you move to your analysis space much faster. 

Also, when you have a new data set and are not quite sure what reports to create, you can make use of the "Auto Analysis" option. Zoho Analytics will automatically generate a variety of most relevant reports and dashboards on the available data set and will categorize them as groups in separate folders. The auto-generated reports and dashboards can help you jump-start your analytics right away.

2. What are the Auto Analysis options supported by Zoho Analytics?

Zoho Analytics provides the following auto analysis options that would help you get accurate - insightful reports and dashboards with just the ease of a single click.

Auto Analysis: You can automatically generate reports and dashboards for a table in Zoho Analytics without much effort on your part. You can customize the reports later if required.

Similar to Another Table: You can generate similar reports and dashboards for a table similar to an existing table within a workspace in Zoho Analytics. 

Ask Zia: You can ask questions in natural language, and Ask Zia will understand the intent and generate the most relevant reports as answers to you. The additional burden on the users to understand the data structure to create reports and dashboards is removed. They need to just ask questions to get insights as answers instantly.

Auto-Generate Reports

1. How to auto-generate reports for a table in Zoho Analytics?

Once you import data into Zoho Analytics, you will get a dialog box asking for your permission to auto-generate reports.

Clicking Yes will generate the most relevant reports and dashboards. On successful creation of reports and dashboards, you will get a "Reports Successfully Auto Generated" message. The reports will be neatly organized inside folder(s) with a temporary tag "Newly Auto Generated Reports." It will also open the most relevant dashboard for preview. As with any other reports, you can edit/customize these reports and dashboards too, any time.

Existing Table in Zoho Analytics

You can also auto-generate reports for an existing table in Zoho Analytics. To auto-generate reports for an existing table, follow the below steps:

1. From the table for which you are auto-generating reports and dashboards, click Create > With Auto Analysis or New icon > With Auto Analysis.
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2. In the Select Base Table dialog that opens, select the table name for which you wish to auto-generate reports and click OK.
   

On successful creation of reports and dashboards, you will get a "Reports Successfully Auto Generated" message along with the most relevant dashboard opened for preview.

The reports will be neatly organized inside folder(s) with a temporary tag "Newly Auto Generated Reports." As with any other reports, you can edit/customize these reports and dashboards too, any time.

2. How to auto-generate reports for a specific column in a table in Zoho Analytics?

Follow the below steps to auto-generate reports and dashboards for a specific column in a table:

1. Open the required table.
2. Select the data column to analyze. 
3. Right click on the column and choose the Analyze Column option.
   
4. On successful creation of reports and dashboards, you will get a "Reports Successfully Auto Generated" message. The reports will be neatly organized inside folder(s) with a temporary tag "Newly Auto Generated Reports." It will also open the most relevant dashboard for preview. As with any other reports, you can edit/customize these reports and dashboards too, any time.
   

3. Can I modify the reports and dashboards created using Auto Analysis?

Yes. As with any other reports, you can edit/customize the auto-generated reports too, any time. Click the respective links to learn more about creating and customizing reports and dashboards.

4. Can I auto-generate reports and dashboards for more than one table connected using lookup column?

No, you cannot auto-generate reports and dashboards for more than one table connected using lookup column. In this case, the reports and dashboards will only be created for the base table.

Similar to Another Table

1. What is "Similar to Another Table"?

In many circumstances, you might have a similar data set, like that of an existing one, imported into Zoho Analytics. You might want to create reports on the new data set similar to the ones already available. In such scenarios, you can use "Similar to Another Table" option for easy report recreation. 

"Similar to Another Table" is a handy feature, which helps you to create similar reports on a table that is structurally similar to another table within a workspace. 

2. What are the pre-requisites to use the "Similar to Another Table" option?

When you have to use the "Similar to Another Table" option on a data set, the following criteria have to be met:

• Both the tables (the source table and the destination table) must be structurally similar i.e.,, the destination table should have the same column names and same data types as that of the source table. 
• The columns over which the reports are created in the source table must be available in the destination table as well. If the destination table has extra columns that are not in the source table, the reports will be generated only for the columns present in the source table.

3. How to use the "Similar to Another Table" option?

Follow the below steps to generate reports and dashboards for a table similar to another table within a workspace,

1. From the table for which you are generating reports, click Create > Similar to Another Table or New icon > Similar to Another Table.
   
2. In the Select Table for Report Generation dialog that opens, provide the following information:
   
   • Select table to generate reports: Select the table for which you would like to create reports.
   • Select reference table: Select the source table whose reports and dashboards you wish to recreate.
   • Folder to save generated reports: Provide a destination folder where the reports must be saved.
   • Copy formulas from reference table: In case formula columns have been created over the source table, you can choose to recreate the same in the destination table as well by clicking the Formula Column and/or Aggregate Formula checkboxes. To know more about adding formulas, refer to Adding Formulas documentation.
3. Click OK.

On successful report creation, a Report Creation Summary dialog will appear showing the number of reports and dashboards created.

You will notice that the created reports and dashboards will be placed inside the specified folder. As with any other reports, you can edit/customize these reports and dashboards too, any time.

4. Can I copy the formulas created in my source table to the destination table that I am creating using the "Similar to Another Table" option?

Yes. You can copy the formulas created in your source table to the destination table, along with the set of reports created on them while you are recreating reports using "Similar to Another Table" option. You just have to select the formula types (Formula Column and/or Aggregate Formula) checkboxes that you wish to be recreated on the destination table and click OK.

5. Can reports be generated using the "Similar to Another Table" option for two or more tables connected using lookup columns?

Yes, reports can be generated using the "Similar to Another Table" option for two or more tables connected using lookup columns provided:

• The source tables and the destination tables should be structurally similar (same data type and column names). 
• The lookup relation defined between the source tables must be defined between the destination tables as well in order to replicate the reports. For example, there are two tables A and B that act as the source Parent-Child tables. Then the same kind of lookup relation needs to be defined between the destination tables, say A' and B', to copy the reports created on A and B.
  

6. Can we copy the reports created over the lookup column of a Child table to another Child table sharing the same Parent table?

Yes, you can copy the reports created over the lookup column of a Child table to another Child table sharing the same Parent table. As with every other case, you need to have the same lookup defined for both the Child tables with the Parent table.

Troubleshooting Tips

1. Similar to Another Table: I get an error message "Error - Only One Table Found. Report generation not possible. Only table found in the workspace is '<Table_Name>'. Require at least another table to generate similar reports." What could be the possible reason?

This is because you have only one table in your workspace. The 'Similar to Another Table' function is possible only when two (or more) tables with the same structure are available within a workspace. 

2. Similar to Another Table: I get an error message "Error - Unable to generate reports. Report generation failed due to table structure mismatch. Columns are mismatching between '<Table_Name_1>' and '<Table_Name_2>'. Please verify the column names and data types in both the tables." What could be the possible reason?

This is because your source and destination tables do not have the same structure, i.e., the same column names and data types. Ensure that the source and destination tables have the same structure with the column names matching as well. Refer to question 2 of Similar to Another Table section for more details.