is a simple dashboarding tool that integrates natively with Xero and a number of other cloud systems (including google sheets).
It lacks the sophistication of more complex business intelligence tools but it is cheap and simple to set up.
We like that it is built around a monthly reporting cycle in addition to live dashboards. In our experience users are more likely to interact with reports sent once a month via email than they are to login to view an online dashboard. This is particularly true of financial reporting which usually follows a monthly cycle.
How we typically use Visible at Quantico
We connect Xero as the primary data source and connect a few metrics (it's not usually helpful to connect the entire chart of accounts)
We connect any other relevant operational data sources where a pre-built integration exists. (See the full list
We usually track other KPIs in a Google Sheet first, and then connect that Google Sheet as a data source in Visible. This requires the sheet to be updated manually once a month before the report is sent, but in practice spending five minutes a month doing this is often faster than building and maintaining a complex integration.
How to use Xero tracking codes with Visible:
Connect Xero as a data source and select the GL codes that you want to use
Once you have added the GL source there is an option to select the tracking category to use (see screenshot below)
❗️Be careful using Visible with balance sheet metrics as it doesn't always deal well with opening balances. This isn't a problem with cashflow or P&L metrics.
Signs you need something more complex:
The limitations of Visible are:
It can't be connected to external databases
It's simplicity reduces the flexibility of the reports you can build