Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Observable @observablehq.com · 14h

Our state of BI and analytics survey is still open! Share your feedback on big topics in BI — like how you're using AI in your data work and the pain points you face in your role. Take the survey here —> buff.ly/N3ev6m4

Observable @observablehq.com · 1d

🪄 Chart theming is here! Now, in Observable Canvases, you can apply custom color palettes and fonts to create dashboards that are automatically on-brand. Get started with dashboards and chart theming here: buff.ly/I1nu82R

3

Observable @observablehq.com · 5d

You’ve shipped your dashboard and checked it off the list. ✅ Done? Not quite.
“A successful dashboard isn't ever done… it should evolve to stay relevant as a hub for discussion and decision-making.” - Allison Horst (Observable DevRel). Hear more on the storytelling with data podcast→

Ep 92 | Collaborating for success — storytelling with data

In this Storytelling with Data episode, Simon chats with Allison Horst of Observable about why so many dashboards fail, how collaboration and early feedback lead to data products that get used, and…

buff.ly

4

Observable @observablehq.com · 6d

Glad to hear canvases looks interesting! We're happy to work with you on custom pricing for a smaller team size - and we offer a free pilot! If you'd like to test drive canvases, send us a DM with the best email to reach you, and we'll be in touch.

1

Observable @observablehq.com · 6d

😱 Horrified by the hours you've spent building dashboards that end up rotting in forgotten bookmarks? Observable Canvases simplify development, boost collaboration, & put interactive charts at your fingertips, so you can deliver better dashboards that stay alive for the long haul: buff.ly/43H8IKQ

1 1

Observable @observablehq.com · 8d

Despite claims that dashboards are dead, they remain a highly requested BI deliverable.

New features in Observable Canvases, like our streamlined viewer experience and control nodes, make dashboards easier to build and better to use, so they stay alive and well:

Building a better approach to dashboards in Observable Canvases

In Observable Canvases we’re building a new way to build dashboards that keeps your data workflow in one place, brings interactive charts to your fingertips, and consolidates collaboration to cut…

buff.ly

4

Observable @observablehq.com · 9d

We have lots of exciting treats in store for the month of October! Check back each Tuesday for new features and functionality in Observable Canvases. The first new feature drops tomorrow (and it's a big one!).

1 5

Observable @observablehq.com · 12d

🐝 Beeswarm charts are a powerful way to explore quantitative variable distributions, and a useful alternative to more aggregated options like histograms & box plots. Meet our expanding library of state-of-the-art, interactive charts in Observable Canvases: buff.ly/SLQY7SD

2

Observable @observablehq.com · 14d

📣 Calling all data professionals! We just launched a new survey on the state of business intelligence and analytics tools, and we want to hear from you. Share your POV here:

Observable State of BI and Analytics Survey

Thank you so much for taking our State of Business Intelligence and Analytics survey. We are looking for respondents that are data professionals, working specifically with data, business intelligence…

buff.ly

2

Observable @observablehq.com · 19d

Data joins are everywhere in analytics, but it's tricky to build UI-based joins in a reactive canvas.

In Observable Canvases, we’ve built robust joins that avoid SELECT *, deduplicate columns, and handle upstream changes. Learn more:

Challenges underlying the humble data join

Joins are a cornerstone of data wrangling, but are surprisingly challenging to build as UI-based operations. Get a behind the scenes look into why joins are hard, and how we handle them in Observable…

buff.ly

3

Observable @observablehq.com · 21d

We recently announced Observable Notebooks 2.0 with a new, open notebook file format + desktop app. Now, we’ve added Python & Node.js data loaders — special cells that run at build time, for better stability and performance.

Learn more 👉

Observable Notebooks Data loaders | Observable

Data loaders are special cells that run “ahead” at build time via an interpreter, rather than “live” when you view a notebook in the browser. Data loaders are useful for preparing static data,…

buff.ly

6

Observable @observablehq.com · 27d

Slow-loading tables and overworked browsers can bog down analysis when you're exploring large datasets. In our new post, we explain how table virtualization in Observable Canvas keeps data work fast and fluid — even with big data, and when viewing complex, branching analyses: buff.ly/7cfqsQA

5

Observable @observablehq.com · 28d

Treemaps help you go beyond donut charts and stacked bars to visualize parts of a whole for hierarchical data. Learn how canvases put state-of-the-art, interactive charts like treemaps, Sankey diagrams, beeswarms, bump charts, and more at your fingertips: buff.ly/DaE8zgO

4

Reposted by Observable

Mike Bostock @ocks.org · 29d

Observable Plot has crossed 100,000 weekly downloads (and very close to 5,000⭐️s)! observablehq.observablehq.cloud/oss-analytic...

A time-series chart shows daily downloads of Observable Plot from npm; downloads have grown from a couple thousand per day in October 2022 to about 15,000 per day in September 2025 (7-day moving average); a tooltip shows 20,229 downloads on September 10, 2025.

1 6 32

Reposted by Observable

Mike Bostock @ocks.org · Sep 16

Observable Notebook Kit & Desktop 1.4 now support TypeScript cells, along with TypeScript for Node.js data loader cells. (Just type stripping, but greatly helps interoperability.)

3 4 30

Observable @observablehq.com · Sep 15

Observable Canvases now support BigQuery making it easy for more companies to connect, query, and build. Get started today at: buff.ly/DaE8zgO

1

Observable @observablehq.com · Sep 12

Self-serve analytics sounds great — that is, until tools overwhelm or constrain users, and adoption tanks. Our VP of Sales, Trevor Eddy, shares how collaborative analytics delivers insights and finally fulfills the promise of self-serve BI:

Why has the promise of self-serve analytics failed?

There was so much hype around the promise of self-serve analytics: data-driven insights, efficiency gains and competitive advantage. In this post, we outline why self-service analytics has failed,…

buff.ly

1

Observable @observablehq.com · Sep 11

Sankey diagrams make it easy to see how quantities flow through a system, but they're tough to build from scratch.

In Observable Canvases, you can create Sankey diagrams (plus arc maps, beeswarms, & more) in minutes — all optimized for clarity and performance: buff.ly/gsd0cpg

4

Reposted by Observable

Mike Bostock @ocks.org · Sep 10

Observable Notebook Kit and Desktop 1.3.0 are out, featuring data loader cells. You can now (finally!!) write Python and Node.js in notebooks. 🐍 observablehq.com/notebook-kit...

1 6 32

Observable @observablehq.com · Sep 9

Bump charts show how rankings shift over time, and are a great option when order matters more than absolute values. In Observable Canvases, you can now build & share responsive bump charts with just a few clicks. See what's new in our summer release: buff.ly/ZDxrAvt

1

Observable @observablehq.com · Sep 4

For one of the most common operations in all of data wrangling, implementing UI-based data joins is anything but straightforward. Software engineer Tony Sullivan shares some unexpected challenges behind joins and how we handle them in Observable Canvases: buff.ly/4FRU9C9

6

Observable @observablehq.com · Sep 3

Join us tomorrow, Thursday, September 4 at 10am PT, for a webinar showcasing the latest features in Observable Canvases, including new chart types, additional data sources, and improved dashboards: buff.ly/QPox1Oj

What’s new in Observable Canvases

Observable Canvases just got a lot more powerful. In this live webinar, our product experts and engineers will demonstrate what's new in canvases, including new advanced chart types, enhanced sharing…

buff.ly

3

Observable @observablehq.com · Sep 2

Observable Canvases make it lightweight to share interactive charts and tables as a natural extension of your data analysis. Embed canvas nodes into your internal data apps, or draw a frame around part of your canvas to generate a tidy dashboard view. Learn more: buff.ly/Bw8nukG

3

Reposted by Observable

Nael Shiab @naelshiab.bsky.social · Sep 2

My most popular interactive @observablehq.com notebook, Math for Journalists, just got a fresh update! 🧑‍🎓

👉 Sample size and confidence: I explain how sample sizes work, like in a survey.
👉 Tests for statistical significance: I break down what "statistically significant" means.

Link in comments! 👇

2 4 22

Observable @observablehq.com · Aug 28

In Observable Canvases, we’re putting advanced, interactive charts at your fingertips. Make Sankey diagrams, beeswarm charts, arc maps, bump charts, and more in just a few clicks. Learn how canvases streamline data visualization and analysis: buff.ly/ATVg0sw

2