Datatables

Below you see an example sales dataset that is formatted as a responsive datatable using DokuWiki plugin Datatables. The dataset is based on a download I found here. Initially, the table is sorted in ascending order on the first column. You can sort it on other columns by clicking on the heading of that column. Clicking a column header twice sets the order to descending. In the search box, you can type a word of an item included in one of the fields instantly filtering the rows. The total remaining rows are shown below the table.

Datatables can be used as a basic but efficient form of Business Intelligence solution to provide insight into sets of data. Its usability depends greatly on designing the right reporting formats and creating interlinked solutions. But that's no different from using “real” BI tools. I have used datatables on several projects. Data to be presented in these tables were provided through an API by external systems either by generating static DokuWiki pages on a daily basis or directly through pulling the data in at run-time.