database
Bring your data in
Upload Excel or CSV - every tab is read. Or connect a live Google Sheet, an Excel file in OneDrive or SharePoint, or a file at a web address.
dataLayers
Where presentations meet dashboards
The polish of a branded presentation, the freedom of a live dashboard, and the story written for you. Present the headline, drill into any region, team, client or class, and find which input deserves your next investment for the biggest return - all without leaving the presentation.
The best of both worlds
Until now, you had to choose
A presentation tells one story, beautifully. A dashboard answers everyone's questions, but tells no story at all. Data-driven meetings need both.
Presentations
Branded, fixed and rehearsed
- checkYour brand and your narrative
- checkApproved content, ready to present
- checkRehearsed, polished and in control
But it's one version for everyone - and it has no answer to "what about my team?"
Dashboards
Flexible, drillable and personal
- checkDrill into any number
- checkFiltered to my data and my region
- checkAlways up to date
But there's no story, no brand - and nobody wants to present one.
slideAcross with dataLayers
Both, in one presentation
- checkThe headline message, branded and rehearsed
- checkThe story written for you, at every level
- checkEvery region's own numbers, one click beneath it
- checkA fresh pack for everyone when new data arrives
The story keeps layering
Every drill writes the next chapter
A dashboard gives you another chart. dataLayers gives you another chart and the story that goes with it. Each time you drill, fresh insights are generated for exactly what you're looking at: what changed, how it compares, the trend, and the measures that move together.
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The whole company
Satisfaction by region
- ChangeSatisfaction is down 3 points on last quarter.
- CompareThe North is 6 points behind the other regions.
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Drill into the North
Satisfaction by site
- ChangeLeeds accounts for most of the fall.
- CompareDown 9 points on the same quarter last year.
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Drill into Leeds
Satisfaction over time
- TrendFalling for six weeks in a row.
- CompareBelow a typical week since mid-August.
-
Ask a question
Late deliveries and satisfaction
- PatternWhen late deliveries rise, satisfaction falls about a week later.
- ChangeLeeds's late deliveries jumped in early August.
The story doesn't stop at the headline. It starts there.
The correlation engine
Invest where it really pays back
Every organisation runs on inputs and outputs: calls and new business, marketing and enquiries, new sites and revenue, new starters and delivery. We all have instincts about which input drives which output. But before a sales day, a marketing push or a new hire, can you prove it?
lightbulb"What is most likely to drive sales?"
Ask, and dataLayers tests every input you hold against your sales, then plots them all on one chart:
- Which
- The inputs your sales really follow - and the ones that only seem to.
- How much
- The return: how much more you sell for every 10% more of each input.
- How soon
- The wait: whether results show the same week, or two months later.
The input you instinctively focus on may not be the one that pays back most. The bigger return might be somewhere else - you just need to know to wait for it.
Only strong, statistically tested links are flagged. Seasons and working days are allowed for, and you're told when there's too little data for a firm answer.
The driver map
What is most likely to drive new customers?
Bubble size: how strong the evidence is- ReturnMarketing campaigns give the biggest return: 10% more campaigns, about 8% more new customers - six weeks later.
- SpeedSales calls pay back fastest, within a week, but return less.
- No linkPrice promotions show no clear link to new customers.
Already have a BI tool?
Keep it. dataLayers is for the meeting.
Dashboards are built for analysts at a desk. Charts pasted into slides are out of date by the next meeting. dataLayers is built for the moment you stand up to present, and the questions that follow.
- checkThe story is written for you in plain English, not left as another chart to interpret
- checkSame numbers in, same words out - the built-in engine never invents a figure
- checkDrill in mid-presentation, without leaving your slides
- checkOne deck for the whole organisation, with everyone seeing only their own data
- checkPacks rebuild and send themselves when new data arrives
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No BI tool yet? You may not need one.
If your numbers live in spreadsheets, dataLayers gives a smaller organisation the drill-downs, the trends and the story, without a BI project, a data team or a warehouse.
We talk about being data-driven, but prior to slideAcross this was based on static insights or overly complex dashboards. Now everyone is always on the same page, with a data story crafted for their business area.
Made for data-driven meetings
Wherever the numbers need a story
The numbers change from team to team. The shape doesn't: a headline, the detail beneath it, and the patterns nobody had spotted.
The board pack and the all‑hands, in one deck
One message from the top, and a room full of people who each need to know what it means for them. Set the headline in a branded, rehearsed deck, and let every director drill beneath the same slides into their own area.
- The headlineRevenue, margin and satisfaction across the organisation, on brand and on message.
- The drillEach director drills into their division, then their teams. Permissions keep everyone to their own numbers.
- The refreshWhen the month closes, the pack rebuilds itself and lands in every director's inbox.
How did my division do?Break it down by team
Why has margin slipped?Drill into margin, then down to each product line
Is this a blip, or a trend?Show this over time
How does that compare with last year?Compare with the same period last year
Client reviews that answer back
Present a polished quarterly business review, then answer the client's questions from their own data while you're still in the room. Next quarter, the deck rebuilds itself for every account.
- The headlineSpend, orders and service for the account, in a deck you'd be proud to send.
- The drillSpend by site, into Leeds, then Leeds over time.
- The patternSupport tickets follow each product release about two weeks later.
Why did spend drop at Leeds?Drill into Leeds, then show it over time
Which products are growing?Break it down by product
How does this quarter compare?Compare with the previous quarter
What happens after a release?See what moves together - and how far apart
Training results, team by team
Show completion and assessment results across the organisation, then drill into the departments and teams that need support - before the deadline, not after. Every manager gets their own up-to-date pack.
- The headlineCompletion and assessment scores by department.
- The drillInto Operations, then by team, then over time.
- The patternCompletions pick up about a week after manager reminders go out.
Which teams are behind?Break it down by team
Are scores improving?Show this over time
Do completions pick up after reminders?See how the two move together - and how far apart
How does this intake compare with the last?Compare with the same period last year
Attendance and attainment, from school to class
Give governors and staff the whole-school picture, then drill into a year group and down to each class. Permissions decide which staff see which classes.
- The headlineAttendance and attainment by year group.
- The drillInto Year 10, then by class, then across the term.
- The patternDips in attendance come about three weeks before dips in grades.
Which classes need support?Break it down by class
Is attendance slipping?Show this over the term
How does this year compare?Compare with the same period last year
Do grades follow attendance?See how the two move together - and how far apart
Every client's pack, rebuilt every quarter
Turn each client's data into a branded review with the story already written, then explore it with them in the meeting. When the next quarter's data lands, every client's pack rebuilds itself.
- The headlineThe client's KPIs, with the story already written.
- The drillSales by region, then into each store.
- The patternFootfall and sales move together, week by week.
Which stores are underperforming?Break it down by store
Is it seasonal?Compare with the same period last year
Is it getting worse?Show this over time
Do sales move with footfall?See how the two move together
How it works
Slides you can question
dataLayers turns a spreadsheet or live data feed into branded slides with the story already written. It keeps every pack up to date, and lets everyone drill into their own data while they present.
01
Present it clearly
lightbulb
It understands your data
Dates, numbers to measure, categories to group by and ID columns are recognised for you. A new upload with the same shape can be merged in, so history builds up over time.
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The story, written for you
Every data slide comes with a chart and its story: a plain-English summary of what changed and what stands out. Choose your own view, or let suggestions propose the ones worth a look.
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Context built in
The story compares against the average, against everyone else, and against earlier periods - same day last week, same period last year, or typical for this day of the week.
description
On brand, in plain English
Chart colours come from your brand colours. Summaries are written by a built-in language engine - the same numbers in, the same words out - or by your organisation's chosen AI.
dashboard
Dashboards
Bring up to eight charts onto one slide. They update with the data, and clicking a tile while you present jumps to its full slide.
02
Everyone gets the latest pack
schedule
On the schedule you agree
Live sources refresh when you say - every few hours, daily, or every Monday between 7 and 8am - or whenever you press Refresh now. Only new rows are stored.
autorenew
A fresh pack, for everyone
Make any deck a template. Each time the data refreshes, the pack is rebuilt - every chart and every story - and sent to the people, departments or whole organisation you choose.
history
A moment in time
Every pack keeps the numbers it was made with, so last quarter's update still says what it said. The newest arrives at the top of your homepage, marked New.
03
Drill into your own data
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Drill down, and the story follows
Click a bar to drill in: a region becomes that region over time, a month splits into weeks. Each level comes with its own insights. Your audience sees a clean chart; you see the controls.
scatter_plot
Find what drives your results
Ask "what is most likely to drive sales?" and every input is tested at once, showing the return each one gives and how long it takes to show. Or test any two measures, with a scatter chart. More on the correlation engine
mic
Just say it
Explore by voice, without touching the keyboard: "drill down into London", "break it down by branch", "show this over time", "find what drives sales", "switch to totals".
Governance
Control who sees what
Built on your organisation's departments and teams, so the CEO sees the whole picture and each regional director sees their own - and no more.
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Permissions by department
Full access, own rows only, or none. A branch sees its own detail plus the totals, not other branches' people. Teams inherit from their parent.
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No data by default
Administering slideAcross doesn't mean seeing all the data. Only the organisation owner and the person who brought the data in set the rules.
person
Accounts stay personal
Connected Google and Microsoft accounts belong to one person, never the organisation, and can be disconnected at any time.
public
Local time, everywhere
Each organisation and department has its own time zone, so "today" and "this hour" mean what they should, wherever your teams are.
Present the headline. Explore the detail.
Branded presentations and live data, in one place. Your first month of Pro Plus is free.