Hex vs. Querio: When Notebooks Aren’t Enough for Business Users
Business Intelligence
Aug 2, 2025
Explore how traditional notebooks hinder business decision-making and how a new platform empowers non-technical users with real-time data insights.
Businesses struggle to turn vast data into actionable insights. While data-driven decisions improve outcomes by 300%, most executives lack confidence in using data effectively. Traditional notebooks like Jupyter are powerful for data scientists but fail to meet the needs of non-technical users due to coding requirements, collaboration challenges, and security risks. This gap slows decision-making and excludes key stakeholders.
Querio offers a solution. It simplifies access to data with plain-English queries, eliminates delays, and ensures consistent, secure insights for all teams. Unlike notebooks, Querio provides live data connections, centralized governance, and user-friendly dashboards, empowering business users without technical expertise.
Key takeaways:
Notebooks’ Limitations: Require coding, hinder collaboration, and pose security risks.
Querio’s Strengths: AI-driven queries, real-time data, robust security, and easy collaboration.
Impact: Faster decisions, fewer bottlenecks, and accessible insights for everyone.
Querio bridges the gap between technical tools and business needs, enabling teams to analyze data quickly and securely.
Where Notebook Tools Fail Business Users
Access Problems for Non-Technical Staff
Traditional notebook tools often create a barrier for those without technical expertise. Accessing data typically requires writing SQL queries or having a deep understanding of technical processes, which forces business teams to rely on technical staff to extract insights.
"Legacy analytics platforms often require SQL knowledge, complex dashboards, and the ability to write scripts to extract insights. This creates a bottleneck where only data teams can make sense of the numbers, leaving decision-makers waiting for reports."
Krishnapriya K M, Data analysis enthusiast [1]
Take a marketing manager trying to assess campaign performance or a finance director reviewing quarterly budgets. They shouldn't need to learn SQL or wait for a technical team to provide answers. This dependency slows decision-making and creates frustration for both business users and technical teams.
These access limitations ripple out, affecting collaboration and consistency across teams.
Collaboration and Governance Problems
Notebook tools can also complicate collaboration between teams. Different departments may define key metrics in conflicting ways, leading to confusion and undermining trust in the data. Without a shared understanding, cross-functional projects can become chaotic.
On top of that, managing version control in analyses is a challenge. As analyses evolve - drawing on multiple iterations and data sources - ensuring consistency without a robust governance framework becomes nearly impossible. For instance, while secure board portals are becoming more common (52% of boards use them now, compared to 40% in 2020 [2]), many notebook tools lack the centralized controls needed for effective governance.
Slow Decision-Making Processes
The reliance on technical experts to extract insights from notebooks introduces delays that can stifle business agility. Manual coding takes time, and in fast-moving industries, these delays can be costly.
In fact, 80% of businesses report that fragmented processes slow their decision-making [3]. And by 2025, Gartner predicts that 95% of data-driven decisions will involve at least some level of automation [3]. Companies that cling to manual notebook processes risk falling behind competitors who embrace more efficient systems.
Security and Compliance Issues
Fragmented processes and manual workflows also create vulnerabilities in security and compliance. Traditional notebook tools often fall short of modern security standards. As businesses face increasingly complex technology infrastructures - 76% of companies report that this complexity has made their work harder [3] - decentralized notebook environments only add to the challenge.
Without centralized controls or standardized processes, ensuring secure access and meeting compliance requirements becomes a daunting task. This lack of consistency can erode confidence in data governance and decision-making, leaving organizations exposed to risks they can’t afford to ignore.
The features every BI tool MUST have
How Querio Solves Business Intelligence Problems
Traditional notebook tools often create hurdles for business users, requiring technical expertise that many lack. Querio removes these barriers, making it easier for anyone to access and analyze data without needing advanced coding skills. Here's how Querio simplifies business intelligence through its key features:
Plain English Queries for Non-Technical Users
Unlike traditional notebooks that demand SQL proficiency, Querio uses AI-driven natural-language querying to make data accessible to everyone. For example, a marketing manager can ask, "What was our conversion rate last month?" or a finance director can request, "Show me quarterly budget variance by department", without needing to understand database structures or write SQL.
Querio connects directly to Snowflake, BigQuery, and Postgres using live, read-only connections. With no hidden query fees, it’s a cost-effective solution for businesses that need frequent access to data.
When users enter a plain-English query, Querio instantly converts it into SQL and visualizes the results in seconds - no waiting for hours or days. This straightforward process, paired with robust governance, ensures accurate insights every time.
Live Data Connections and Governance Controls
Traditional notebooks often lead to inconsistent metrics across teams, but Querio solves this with its context layer, which standardizes data definitions, joins, and glossaries. By configuring a single context layer, data teams ensure that every user gets consistent, real-time results.
For example, while one team might calculate revenue differently from another in a notebook environment, Querio’s governance controls enforce uniformity across all queries and reports. With encrypted connections to data warehouses, the platform provides secure, live access to data, eliminating issues like version control and data duplication that often arise in notebook setups.
Simple Collaboration and Reporting
Collaboration can be a challenge with traditional notebooks, but Querio makes teamwork seamless. Users can create dynamic dashboards that automatically update with live data, and scheduled reports ensure stakeholders stay informed without requiring additional logins.
Another standout feature is unlimited viewer users, allowing entire organizations to access insights without the per-seat licensing costs that often restrict access in notebook tools. This transforms data into a shared resource, empowering every department to make informed decisions.
Built-In Security and Compliance
Security is a major concern with decentralized notebook environments, but Querio addresses this head-on. It meets SOC 2 Type II standards, offers a 99.9% uptime SLA, and ensures that data is never stored, shared, or used for model training [4]. For organizations requiring more control, self-hosted options are also available.
This focus on security and compliance eliminates the vulnerabilities often associated with traditional notebooks, providing the reliability businesses need to operate confidently and securely.
Notebooks vs. Querio for Business Intelligence
When it comes to business intelligence, traditional notebooks and Querio take vastly different approaches. While notebooks may shine on the technical front, they often fall short when it comes to providing quick, accessible insights for business users.
Feature Comparison Table
Here’s a closer look at how traditional notebooks stack up against Querio in key areas:
Feature | Traditional Notebooks | Querio |
|---|---|---|
User Accessibility | Requires SQL/Python expertise | Plain English queries for everyone |
Data Connections | Manual file uploads, static datasets | Live connections to Snowflake, BigQuery, Postgres |
Query Costs | Hidden fees per query | Transparent pricing, no hidden fees |
Governance Controls | User-managed consistency | Centralized context layer with standardized definitions |
Collaboration | Limited sharing, version control challenges | Unlimited viewers, dynamic dashboards |
Security Compliance | Relies on external systems | SOC 2 Type II certified with built-in access controls |
Data Processing | Static file uploads only | Real-time data processing with live connections |
Setup Requirements | Complex technical configuration | Easy setup for non-technical users |
Decision Speed | Hours or days for results | Instant visualizations in seconds |
Beyond these features, cost and security are two areas where Querio stands out as a clear winner.
Cost and Security Advantages
The financial impact of poor data management is staggering. U.S. businesses lose $15 million annually due to bad data, and 40% of business initiatives fail because of inconsistent or unreliable metrics. Traditional notebooks, with their reliance on technical expertise and lack of standardized definitions, often exacerbate these issues. Querio, on the other hand, enforces uniform definitions and ensures consistent metrics across teams, eliminating delays caused by data quality problems.
Security is another critical factor. In 2023, data breaches rose by 20%, and penalties for non-compliance can reach 4% of global turnover or €20 million. Querio mitigates these risks with a robust, built-in security framework. It employs AES-256 encryption for data at rest, HTTPS/TLS 1.3 for data in transit, and additional safeguards like SSH tunneling, SSL/TLS, and IP whitelisting to secure data connections. This integrated approach reduces the vulnerabilities often associated with external systems.
Empowering Teams with Querio
Organizations face a choice: stick with the technical limitations of traditional notebooks or embrace Querio’s ability to deliver fast, secure insights to every team. By combining advanced AI capabilities with enterprise-level security, Querio ensures that every department can make informed decisions without worrying about governance or compliance. Its streamlined approach enables teams to access, trust, and act on data with confidence and speed.
What to Look for in an AI-Driven BI Platform
The market for AI-driven BI platforms is expanding rapidly, with projections estimating growth from $23.1 billion in 2020 to $33.3 billion by 2025 [5]. With 93.9% of top enterprises prioritizing data-driven strategies [5], choosing the right platform is crucial to avoid costly missteps. Here’s a breakdown of the key factors to consider when evaluating these platforms.
Data Privacy and Compliance Requirements
AI-driven BI platforms must meet stringent U.S. privacy regulations, including CCPA and PCI DSS. Look for platforms with built-in compliance features, such as SOC 2 Type II certification, which ensures robust security measures and trustworthy data management.
A growing number of organizations - 92%, to be exact - acknowledge the need for rethinking risk management strategies due to AI’s influence [6]. Advanced compliance tools can help by identifying sensitive data, flagging potential violations, and automatically generating compliance reports. However, it’s important to note that compliance is a shared responsibility. While the platform should provide a secure foundation, your organization must also take proactive steps, such as conducting regular audits and adopting a privacy-by-design framework. After addressing compliance, the next consideration is how well the platform fits into your existing data ecosystem.
Integration and Scalability
Seamless integration with your current systems is non-negotiable. Choose a platform that works effortlessly with major data warehouses like Snowflake, BigQuery, and Postgres while supporting both technical and non-technical users. The platform should also handle real-time data processing to enable quick responses to shifting market dynamics.
Scalability isn’t just about managing larger datasets. As your team grows, the platform should remain accessible to users of varying technical expertise, ensuring everyone can leverage its capabilities. This adaptability is key to meeting evolving operational and strategic demands [5].
Total Cost of Ownership
Beyond performance and security, it’s essential to evaluate the total cost of ownership (TCO). This includes not only the initial licensing fees but also costs related to implementation, ongoing support, and potential opportunity costs.
Beware of hidden expenses that can eat into your ROI. For instance, some platforms charge per query as usage increases, while others may require complex setups or extensive maintenance that overburdens your IT team. Opt for platforms with clear, transparent pricing that aligns with your business goals and anticipated growth.
The financial return on AI investments varies. According to an IDC study, companies typically see $3.70 in returns for every $1 spent on AI [8]. However, challenges remain - S&P Global reports that by 2025, 42% of companies abandoned most of their AI projects, up from 17% the year before. The primary reasons cited were high costs and unclear value [7].
To ensure a strong ROI, set clear performance benchmarks before deployment and monitor key metrics post-implementation. Consider both measurable financial gains and operational advancements, such as improved decision-making speed, better data accuracy, and enhanced collaboration. A balanced approach - evaluating financial, customer, process, and innovation outcomes - can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the platform’s impact.
Conclusion: Making Data Accessible with Querio
For 70% of employees, the complexity of notebook tools creates a significant barrier to effective data analysis [10]. These business users need tools that align with their skills, removing the need to master advanced data science techniques.
Querio bridges this gap by enabling quick, plain-language access to data, streamlining decision-making, and eliminating technical bottlenecks. Imagine a finance team asking, “What was our customer acquisition cost last quarter?” - no SQL required. Product managers can dive into user engagement trends through simple interactions, while marketing teams can monitor campaign results in real time without relying on technical support.
With AI-powered insights and dynamic dashboards, Querio empowers users to quickly analyze and interpret data [9]. This ability to gain near-instant insights becomes especially valuable during volatile market conditions or when executives need answers fast. The platform combines speed with security, ensuring that while data is easily accessible, it remains safeguarded.
Querio's security framework keeps data protected while its context layer allows data teams to set business rules once, maintaining control over how information flows across the organization. By focusing on clear goals, ensuring regular data updates, and promoting a data-driven culture through training and support [10], businesses can unlock Querio’s full potential. Its user-friendly interface caters to both technical and non-technical users [9], making it easier for organizations to embrace these best practices and foster widespread engagement.
FAQs
How does Querio prioritize data security and ensure compliance for business users?
Querio prioritizes data security and compliance by utilizing strong encryption methods, detailed access controls, and constant monitoring to protect your sensitive information. The platform's security framework is built to align with industry standards like SOC 2, ensuring it meets rigorous criteria for data protection, availability, and confidentiality.
On top of that, Querio complies with essential privacy regulations and enforces thorough policies to ensure adherence. These safeguards make Querio a dependable option for businesses managing critical or sensitive data.
How does Querio make data analysis easier for non-technical business users with plain-English queries?
Querio makes data analysis accessible to everyone, even those without technical expertise. Instead of relying on SQL or other advanced skills, users can simply ask questions in plain English. This intuitive approach removes barriers and minimizes errors when working with complex datasets.
With plain-English queries, users can access real-time insights quickly, helping them make smarter decisions without delay. It also promotes data democratization, allowing every team member - regardless of their technical background - to play a role in shaping data-driven strategies.
How does Querio improve collaboration and ensure effective governance across teams?
Querio simplifies teamwork and governance by providing a central hub where teams can work together seamlessly. With features like role-based access, organized workflows, and clear accountability, it ensures tasks are managed efficiently. Tools like task organization, customizable templates, and smart folders make it easy for everyone to stay on the same page and keep productivity high.
The platform also includes built-in tools for data tracking and permission management, helping organizations stay transparent while following governance rules. This combination of efficiency and security promotes smoother communication and coordination across teams and departments.