Tableau Software Inc. is looking to enhance its data visualization platform through the newly announced acquisition of Empirical Systems Inc., an artificial intelligence startup with roots at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

As part of the transaction, made public this morning, Tableau is gaining Empirical’s Analytics Engine, a software tool designed to take much of the complexity out of large-scale data modeling.

Data modeling is a key part of business intelligence initiatives. Broadly, it involves structuring records into a form that lends itself better to the purpose of an analytics project, be it finding new sales opportunities or uncovering operational risks. Empirical’s technology automates several of the most difficult tasks involved in the process.

By helping with the statistical heavy lifting, the software can save time for data science teams, as well as enable less technical users to take on a more central role in analytics projects. Tableau said that Analytics Engine guides workers through activities such as mapping out the relationships among different variables.

Tableau will bake Empirical’s technology into its data visualization platform in a bid to make it easier for users extract insights from the information they’re analyzing. The Empirical team is coming aboard as well to help with the product integration effort.

The startup is set to continue operating out Cambridge, Massachusetts, where it’s currently based. Tableau also plans to establish a new development center in the city to draw on the talent pool at its two universities, MIT and Harvard. 

Empirical is the latest of several startups that Tableau has acquired in recent years to extend its platform. In 2017, the company picked up ClearGraph Inc., an emerging outfit that had developed technology for facilitating natural-language data querying. Tableau’s platform also includes a high-speed analytics engine that it obtained through an earlier startup purchase.

Image: Tableau