Excel Analytics Platform
Project Overview
Client
Internal SaaS project for data analysts and business professionals requiring advanced Excel data visualization
Timeline
8 weeks | November 2024 - January 2025
Team Role
Full-stack development - Frontend, Backend, Database Design, Deployment
Create a comprehensive analytics platform that transforms Excel data into interactive visualizations with AI-powered insights. The platform needed to support multiple users with role-based access, provide both 2D and 3D chart options, maintain analysis history, and offer a modern, theme-aware interface for data professionals.
The Challenge
Building an advanced analytics platform presented several technical challenges: Complex Data Processing - Parsing and processing large Excel files efficiently while maintaining real-time responsiveness and handling various Excel formats (XLS, XLSX, CSV). 3D Visualization Performance - Rendering interactive 3D charts (surface plots, scatter plots) using Three.js without performance degradation on lower-end devices. AI Integration - Implementing meaningful AI-assisted analysis that provides actionable insights from uploaded data without requiring extensive configuration. Role-Based Architecture - Creating separate interfaces for regular users and admins with appropriate data access controls and permission management. State Management - Managing complex application state across file uploads, chart configurations, theme preferences, and user sessions effectively.
Our Solution
We built a full-stack MERN application with advanced visualization capabilities: MERN Stack Architecture using React for dynamic frontend, Node.js/Express for robust backend API, and MongoDB for flexible data storage and analysis history. Excel Processing Pipeline with XLSX library for parsing multiple file formats, data validation, and transformation into chart-ready formats with optimized chunking for large files. Interactive Visualizations combining Plotly.js for professional 2D charts and Three.js for immersive 3D surface and scatter plots with zoom, rotation, and export capabilities. AI-Assisted Analysis implementing data pattern recognition, trend identification, and automated insight generation to help users understand their data quickly. Theme System with dark/light mode support using CSS variables and context API, ensuring comfortable viewing in any environment. Role-Based Access Control with separate user and admin dashboards, secure authentication using JWT, and granular permission management. Cloud Deployment on Netlify (frontend) and Render (backend) with CI/CD pipeline for seamless updates and 99.9% uptime.
Key Features
Excel File Upload & Processing
Support for XLS, XLSX, and CSV files with automatic parsing and data validation
Interactive 2D Charts
Professional charts using Plotly.js with zoom, pan, and export capabilities
3D Visualizations
Immersive 3D surface plots and scatter plots built with Three.js for advanced data exploration
AI-Powered Insights
Automated analysis providing trends, patterns, and actionable recommendations
Analysis History
Track and revisit all previous uploads and analyses with saved configurations
Dark/Light Themes
Toggle between themes for comfortable viewing in any lighting condition
Role-Based Dashboards
Separate interfaces for users and admins with appropriate access controls
Technology Stack
Frontend
- React 18
- Plotly.js for 2D charts
- Three.js for 3D visualizations
- XLSX for file parsing
- Context API for state management
- CSS Modules with theme support
Backend
- Node.js with Express
- MongoDB with Mongoose
- JWT authentication
- Multer for file uploads
- Data processing algorithms
Infrastructure
- Netlify for frontend hosting
- Render for backend API
- MongoDB Atlas for database
- CI/CD with Git integration
Project Gallery
Dashboard showing total uploads, recent analysis, and saved analytics overview
Upload and analyze interface with drag-and-drop Excel file support
Data preview and AI-generated insights on uploaded Excel data
3D surface plot visualization of uploaded data with interactive controls
Interactive scatter plot showing data relationships in 3D space
Analysis history page tracking all previous uploads and configurations
Results & Impact
File Processing Speed
Chart Rendering
Theme Options
User Roles
Deployment
What We Learned
This project significantly enhanced our understanding of complex data visualization and state management in React. We learned effective strategies for handling large file uploads, optimizing 3D rendering performance, and implementing role-based access control. The experience with Plotly.js and Three.js expanded our visualization toolkit, while deploying on Netlify and Render taught us valuable lessons about serverless architecture and backend deployment optimization.
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