Advanced Analytics for Zoho Expense

Advanced Analytics for Zoho Expense provides you insights into your organization's expense and trip management. You can gain insights into various expense categories and policy violations. 

The Advanced Analytics for Zoho Expense includes 150+ prebuilt reports and dashboards over your Zoho Expense activity data that help you to jump-start your analytics right away.

General

1. What is Zoho Analytics?
2. Why Zoho Expense Analytics?
3. Who can subscribe to the Zoho Analytics - Zoho Expense connector?

Pricing & Trial

1. How much does this connector cost?
2. Do you provide trial evaluation for this connector?
3. What do you mean by 'Users' in the (connector) pricing plan?
4. What do you mean by 'Rows'/'Records' and how is it calculated in the pricing plan?

Setup

1. How do I setup the Zoho Expense Advanced Analytics connector?
2. How long should I wait for my Zoho Expense data to initially appear in Zoho Analytics?
3. What are the modules in Zoho Expense that will be synchronized in Zoho Analytics Workspace?
4. I got this email which said 'Setup Process Failed'/'Synchronization Process Failed'. What should I do?
5. How frequently can I synchronize my data with Zoho Analytics?
6. Can I edit the Zoho Expense Advanced Analytics connector Synchronization setting?
7. Can I synchronize my Zoho Expense data instantly?
8. Can I setup the Zoho Expense Advanced Analytics in any other existing Workspace or in any other Advanced Analytics Workspace?
9. Can I add/modify data in the Zoho Expense data tables within Zoho Analytics?
10. Can I add new columns to the Zoho Expense data tables within Zoho Analytics?
11. Can I add new data tables in this Zoho Expense to create reports & dashboards?
12. Can I transfer my Zoho Analytics connector to another admin account?
13. How do I re-authenticate my Zoho Expense account in Zoho Analytics?
14. How can I remove the Integration?

Reporting Features

1. In which modules of Zoho Expense can I create reports?
2. How do I create my own reports with this connector?
3. Can I create reports using the columns from different modules?
4. What are the report types supported by Zoho Analytics?
5. What are the default reports & dashboards created by Zoho Analytics, on setting up this connector?
6. What are Formulas in Zoho Analytics?
7. What are the default formulas that gets added by Zoho Analytics on setting up this connector?
8. Can I create my own custom formulas in Zoho Analytics? If yes, how do I create?
9. Can I combine/blend data from other sources with the data from Zoho Expense to create reports and dashboards?
10. Can I join data from multiple tables to create reports?
11. What are Query Tables?

Cross-Functional Analytics with Popular Business Applications/Other Data Sources

1. What are the popular business applications/other data sources that I can integrate this connector with?
2. How can I analyze the data from the third party business applications/other data sources along with Expense?
3. Will a lookup relationship between the related modules from Zoho Expense and other third-party applications be created automatically?

Users, Sharing & Collaboration

1. How do I share the reports in Zoho Analytics with my colleagues?
2. What are the user roles available in Zoho Analytics?
3. Why can't other users edit the reports that I have shared with them?
4. Can I share the same report created, to multiple users with different criteria associated so that they see different data?
5. Can I export a report/dashboard?
6. How can I print the reports & dashboards created in Zoho Analytics?​
7. How can I email reports & dashboards created in Zoho Analytics in a scheduled manner?​
8. Can I embed/create permalink for reports & dashboards created in Zoho Analytics?

Solutions

1. Does Zoho Analytics offer Embedded Analytics or rebranding?

Help & Support

1. How do I get technical support on Zoho Analytics?
2. Can I have someone from Zoho do a demo for me?

General

1. What is Zoho Analytics?

Zoho Analytics is a self-service business intelligence and analytics platform that helps you derive insights from your business data, through its powerful reporting and analytical capabilities. You can create dynamic and interactive reports and dashboards in minutes, with no IT help.

Zoho Analytics offers the following important capabilities:

• Complete Online Business Intelligence and analytics service, accessible anytime, anywhere!
• Easy to adopt 'spreadsheet-like' interface with powerful drag & drop based reporting features for quick report creation.
• Visual Analysis capability for in-depth analysis and to slice & dice your data.
• Wide range of reporting capabilities like Dashboards, Charts, Pivot Views, Summary Views, Tabular reports, and KPI widgets.
• Data import from various sources such as data stored in local drive (CSV, Excel, JSON, HTML, XML, JSON, Statistical & MS Access files), Web feeds and cloud storage. Also supports data import from local/hosted Databases and cloud databases. Supports periodic scheduling of importing data.
• Integrated with a suite of 15+ Zoho products such as Zoho CRM, Zoho Desk, Zoho Projects, Zoho People, Zoho Books, Zoho Billing, Zoho Invoice, Zoho Inventory, Zoho Campaigns, etc.,
• Integrated with 45+ popular business applications like Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Bing Ads, Salesforce, MailChimp, Zendesk etc.,
• Integrated with Zapier and Zoho Flow to power up import from over 500+ apps.
• Integrates with custom applications using APIs.
• Blend/merge data from across different sources to create meaningful business reports and get end-to-end cross-functional analytics.
• An advanced formula engine for deriving key business metrics from your data. 
• SQL (Structured Query Language) driven querying for powerful data preparation and report creation.
• Data alerts to track vital changes in your key business metrics
• Collaborative reporting and analytics with fine-grained permission control over your shared data and reports with your colleagues & friends. 
• Efficiently collaborate with your users by setting up real-time commenting on a shared view.
• Publish reports for wider consumption. Embed reports/dashboards within your websites, web applications, and blogs.
• Email, Export, and Print reports in a variety of formats.
• Highly secure as all users login only over HTTPS (SSL connection). All your data and reports are hosted in secure data centers. (Refer to Security and Privacy)
• Supports Logo Rebranding.
• Get the mobile apps (optimized for both IOS and Android platform) and access the reports and dashboards on the go.

2. Why Zoho Expense Analytics?

Advanced Analytics for Zoho Expense provides you insights into your organization's expense and trip management. You can gain insights into various expense categories and policy violations. 

Advanced Analytics for Zoho Expense brings in all the capabilities of Zoho Analytics described in the above question.

• A full-featured business intelligence (BI) and reporting tool that can slice & dice the Zoho Expense data to create any reports/dashboards you require.
• Create your own reports and dashboards based on not only your Zoho Expense data but also by blending data from other data sources.
• Share reports and dashboards with your colleagues.
• Set up Alerts to get notifications on key business metrics.
• Schedule and email your reports whenever you want.
• Export your reports as PDF, HTML, Excel, CSV and image files.
• Embed your reports on websites, blogs, etc.

3. Who can subscribe to the Zoho Analytics - Zoho Expense connector?

Users with paid accounts of both Zoho Analytics (at least the Basic plan) and Zoho Expense (at least the Professional plan) or Zoho CRM Plus / Zoho One users can avail this connector.

Users with the Administrator roles in Zoho Expense can configure this connector.

Pricing & Trial

1. How much does this connector cost?

Zoho Expense Analytics is bundled free for all the paid users of Zoho Analytics. The Zoho Analytics paid plans start at   per month. Click to learn more about Zoho Analytics pricing.

2. Do you provide trial evaluation for this connector?

Yes, we do provide a 15-day free trial for this connector from the date of set up.

3. What do you mean by 'Users' in the (connector) pricing plan?

Anyone to whom you privately share your Workspace, tables (data), reports and dashboards, created in Zoho Analytics, for collaboration is considered a 'User' in Zoho Analytics. A user is identified by his/her unique email address, with which their Zoho Analytics account was registered.

Suppose you subscribe to the Zoho Analytics Standard plan, you can privately share the data/reports in your account and collaborate with 4 other persons. Now your Zoho Analytics account is said to have 5 users (including yourself).

4. What do you mean by 'Rows'/'Records' and how is it calculated in the pricing plan?

In Zoho Analytics, a row or record is defined in the same context as in a database (or spreadsheet). In simple terms, a table consists of rows (records) and columns (fields). Each row in a table represents a set of related data and has the same structure.

For example, in a table that represents "Conversations", each row would represent a single record. The number of rows calculated for pricing is the sum of all rows/records stored across all your Workspace tables in your Zoho Analytics account.

Setup

1. How do I setup the Zoho Expense Advanced Analytics connector?

From Zoho Analytics Interface

The below presentation shows you how to set up the connector from Zoho Analytics interface.

From Zoho Expense Interface

The below presentation shows you how to set up the connector from Zoho Expense interface.

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2. How long should I wait for my Zoho Expense data to initially appear in Zoho Analytics?

Initial data import will take from a few minutes to a couple of hours depending on the volume of data in your Expense account. You will receive an email notification once the import is complete. If you access the Workspace before the initial fetch is complete, it will not display any data (empty tables i.e., tables with zero rows). 

3. What are the modules in Zoho Expense that will be synchronized in Zoho Analytics Workspace?

You can synchronize the following data from Zoho Expense into Zoho Analytics.

• Customers
• Customer Contact Person
• Taxes
• Projects
• Users
• Project Users
• Accounts
• Reporting Tags
• Accrual Transactions
• Bank Statements
• Expense Claim
• Expense Claim Item
• Expense Comments
• Expense Tax
• Expense Category
• Expense Type
• Expense Type Details
• Report Type
• Report Type Details
• Merchant
• Policies
• Policy Rules
• Vehicles
• Mileage
• Attendees
• Expense Attendees
• Trip Attendees
• Trips
• Trip Itenary
• Trip Comments
• Policy Logs
• Employee Bank Accounts*
• Department
• Employee Policies*
• Reports
• Shared Reports
• Shared Trips
• Approval Reports
• Approval Report Details
• Approval Trips
• Approval Trip Details
• Approval History
• Shared Advances
• Approval Advances
• Approval Advance Details
• Employee Reimbursements
• Employee Reimbursement Refund
• Employee Advance Payments

4. I got this email which said 'Setup Process Failed'/'Synchronization Process Failed'. What should I do?

The import/sync process of your Zoho Expense data can fail sometimes, due to a variety of reasons. Hence, you may receive such emails occasionally. The Zoho Analytics team will look into it immediately and get back to you, after taking the required corrective action.

Case 1: You will receive the Setup Process Failed mail when there is a failure during the initial fetch. In this case, we request you to:

1. Open the Workspace in which you have set up the connector.
2. Click the Data Sources button in the Explorer tab.
3. In the Data Sources page that opens click the Retry Now link.
4. If the issue persists please do write to support@zohoanalytics.com. We will look into it and get back to you immediately.

Case 2: You will receive the Synchronization Failed mail if there is any failure during the data synchronization process between Zoho Expense and Zoho Analytics, after the initial setup & import of data. This might be a momentary failure due to any internal issues. This import schedule will get suspended if there are five successive failures.

5. How frequently can I synchronize my data with Zoho Analytics?

If you are a Basic plan user of Zoho Analytics, you can synchronize your data once every day. If you are a user of the Standard plan or above, you can choose to synchronize your data at one of the hourly intervals mentioned below.

• 3 Hours
• 6 Hours
• 12 Hours
• Every day

6. Can I edit the Zoho Expense Advanced Analytics connector Synchronization setting?

Yes, you can edit the Zoho Expense connector synchronization setting if you are the administrator of the Zoho SalesIQ Advanced Analytics. To do so,

1. Open the corresponding Zoho Expense Advanced Analytics Workspace in Zoho Analytics.
2. Click Data Sources on the left panel. 
3. In the Data Sources page that opens, click the Edit Setup link.
   
4. The Edit Setup - Zoho Expense dialog will open. Modify the settings as needed. 
   
5. Click Save. The synchronization setting will be modified and data will be synced in the next synchronization interval.

7. Can I synchronize my Zoho Expense data instantly?

Yes, you can synchronize your Zoho Expense data instantly when needed.

To synchronize your data instantly:

1. Open the corresponding Zoho Expense Advanced Analytics Workspace in Zoho Analytics.
2. Click Data Sources on the left panel. 
3. In the Data Sources page that opens, click Sync Now. Zoho Expense data will get instantly synchronized.  
4. 

8. Can I setup the Zoho Expense Advanced Analytics in any other existing Workspace or in any other Advanced Analytics Workspace?

Yes, you can setup the Zoho Expense Advanced Analytics in any of the existing Workspace or in any of the Advanced Analytics Workspace to analyze data together. You can do this by creating a new table by importing data. 

Refer to the Cross-Functional Analytics section for more details on this. 

9. Can I add/modify data in the Zoho Expense Analytics data tables within Zoho Analytics?

No, you cannot add/modify data in the Zoho Expense data tables. Data from Zoho Expense application will automatically get synced into Zoho Analytics in the different tables. You cannot edit any of this data or add new data records from within Zoho Analytics.
However, you can add new tables and add/import data into that, to create reports combining it with the data from Zoho Expense.

10 Can I add new columns to the Zoho Expense data tables within Zoho Analytics?

No, you cannot add new columns. But, you can add Custom and Aggregate Formulas (i.e., calculated fields) to these tables to help you create powerful reports. Refer to Adding Formulas to know more about this.

11. Can I add new data tables in this Workspace to create reports & dashboards?

Yes, you can add new data tables. Click New > New Table to add a new table in the existing Zoho Expense Advanced Analytics Workspace.

With this feature, you can import data from other sources or add them manually into your Workspace to analyze and create reports combining this with your Zoho Expense data. 

Refer:

• Import data from files
• Import data from Web feeds
• Import data from Cloud Storage
• Import data from local databases
• Import data from Cloud databases
• Import data from popular Business Applications
• Import data using Zoho Analytics API

​12. Can I transfer my Zoho Analytics connector to another admin account?

Yes, the Zoho Expense connector in your account, can be transferred to another Administrator in the Organization. 

An Account Administrator can transfer the connector by transferring the account to an Organization Administrator. An Organization Administrator can transfer the connector setup to another Administrator by unsubscribing from the Organization.

13. How do I re-authenticate my Zoho Expense account in Zoho Analytics?

You can re-authenticate the setup by following the below steps.

1. Open the corresponding Zoho Expense Advanced Analytics Workspace in Zoho Analytics.
2. Click Data Sources on the left panel. 
3. In the Data Sources page that opens, click Re-Authenticate.
4. 

Your account will be successfully authenticated.

14. How can I remove the Integration?

You can remove the connector from the Data Source page.

1. Open the corresponding Zoho Expense Advanced Analytics Workspace in Zoho Analytics.
2. Click Data Sources on the left panel. 
3. Hover the mouse over the Data Source name in the left corner. A Settings icon will appear. 
4. Click the Settings icon.
5. Select Remove Data Source.
   ​​

The data synchronization from Zoho Expense into this Workspace will be removed. However, you will still be able to access this Workspace with existing data. 

Reporting Features

1. In which modules of Zoho Expense can I create reports?

Zoho Analytics will synchronize the data specified in this question into the Zoho Expense Analytics workspace. You can create reports using this data. 

2. How do I create my own reports with this connector?

3. Can I create reports using the columns from different tables?

Yes, you can create reports using the columns from different tables. All the modules (tables) from Zoho Expense will be linked by default. You can create reports by simply dragging and dropping the required columns into the reports designer.

4. What are the report types supported by Zoho Analytics?

Zoho Analytics supports a wide variety of reports.

• Charts
  • Pie
  • Bubble
  • Packed Bubble
  • Bar
  • Stacked bar
  • Line
  • Smooth Line
  • Scatter
  • Combination
  • Map Chart
  • Area
  • Stacked Area
  • Web
  • Funnel
  • Doughnut
  • Table View
• Pivot tables (Matrix Views)
• Summary view
• Tabular view
• KPI Widgets
  • Single Numeric Widget
  • Dial Chart Widget
  • Bullet Chart Widget
• Dashboards (multiple reports arranged in the same page)

5. What are the default reports & dashboards created by Zoho Analytics, on setting up this connector?

When you setup/configure the Zoho Expense Connector, 75+ default reports & dashboards are automatically created. These hand-picked reports will be pretty useful in analyzing your help data effectively.

6. What are Formulas in Zoho Analytics?

Formulas, as the name indicates, are calculations that help you derive key business metrics that can be used for reporting and analysis. Zoho Analytics provides a powerful formula engine to create any type of calculations required, to enable creating the required reports.

Refer to Adding Formulas in Zoho Analytics to know more.

7. What are the default formulas that gets added by Zoho Analytics on setting up this connector?

The default formulas added by Zoho Analytics are listed below. You can view these formulas by opening the corresponding table and selecting Add > Edit Formulas from the toolbar.

The following are the default formulas in the Accounts table.