Databricks Acquires Data Spreadsheet Platform Row Zero

Databricks announced on the 30th that it had acquired spreadsheet platform Row Zero. The acquisition is aimed at adding a spreadsheet environment to Genny, its AI coworker for business teams.

Genny is an AI coworker for business teams with capabilities that support data-driven answers and help users carry out necessary tasks. Through the acquisition of Row Zero, Databricks aims to combine a spreadsheet workspace with Genny.

Databricks cited data management issues stemming from the expanded use of spreadsheets as the background for the acquisition. It said spreadsheets have been around for more than 40 years and remain widely used by companies as an analysis tool.

Databricks said spreadsheets can support complex business models by using familiar formulas and functions, which is why they continue to be used in corporate decision-making. At the same time, it said the growing use of spreadsheets has also expanded security and governance challenges.

Teams inside companies have stored data in spreadsheet files that are not subject to governance, and Databricks referred to such files as "spreadmarts." It also said teams inside companies share data between people and agents, and that unmanaged data pipelines increase each time data is taken out in the process.

Databricks said it is difficult in business data analysis, modeling, and task-execution environments to verify data sources and quality in agents. It also said handling sensitive data when its source and quality cannot be verified is inappropriate. Row Zero was presented as a solution to these problems.

Row Zero provides a massively scalable spreadsheet. The spreadsheet connects directly to real-time, governance-based data, while users can continue using spreadsheets in the traditional way. This allows users to manage data security and governance at the same time. Row Zero was designed to be used alongside Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets, and because it can use existing formulas, pivots, and keyboard shortcuts as they are, users can maintain existing workflows without additional training.

In addition, using Row Zero's agent tools makes it possible to view agent tasks within the spreadsheet. The process and results of the work can be interpreted based on spreadsheet formulas and processing methods, and audits of the process and results are also possible.

Genny connects directly to major data sources, and queries are executed based on each user's permissions. Data is automatically updated for real-time sources, data exports can be restricted, and the data sources of analysis results can also be rewritten. It can also use Row Zero's data processing engine to handle data at the interactive speed level, including several billion rows.

According to the company, Patrick Wendell, Databricks co-founder and vice president of engineering, said Genny helps improve the productivity and performance of all knowledge workers. He added that as more teams are adopting Genny in finance, operations, and go-to-market functions, it is important to provide an environment where spreadsheets can be used seamlessly as well.

Patrick Wendell also said he was pleased to welcome the Row Zero team to Databricks. He added that the company aims to continue advancing Genny's capabilities and grow it into the AI coworker that every enterprise team turns to first.

Source: IT DAILY · Yang Seung-gab
Original: https://www.itdaily.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=241934

References

• https://www.itdaily.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=241934