Databricks Targets Non-Technical Users With New AI Tools

Until now, Databricks has primarily pitched its products to technical users such as data scientists and AI engineers. But at its customer conference in San Francisco, Databricks unveiled a strategy shift that includes new products and features specifically designed for business teams, in a move to expand its reach and generate more revenue.

One forthcoming product—a new user interface—lets non-technical users, like finance and marketing managers, build charts and graphs using the data their companies store in Databricks. Another allows them to create software-based conduits for bringing in new data from providers like Salesforce—known as pipelines—using a drag-and-drop interface.

Databricks, valued at $62 billion after a funding round early this year, sees the new products as a way to raise its profile and get more customers. Database provider Snowflake, one of Databricks’ chief rivals, has a similar goal. The moves underscore the growing importance of data analytics as companies search for new ways of extracting business value from their data.