AuraDB Fundamentals ›Tools
Comparing and choosing the right tool

AuraDB Fundamentals

Introduction to Neo4j Aura

Getting Started

Tools

Operations

Comparing and choosing the right tool

Comparing and choosing the right tool

So far in this course,you have used the Import tool, Query, Explore, and Dashboards tools.

In this lesson, you will learn how to:

  • Decide when to use Import, Query, Explore, or Dashboards

  • Match each tool to typical tasks, users, and data scale

  • See how data type (connected, hierarchical, time-series, knowledge graph) affects tool choice

  • Combine tools in a workflow

Query, Explore, and Dashboards comparison

To help you choose the right tool for your task, you can use the following comparison:

Tool Best for Data scale Requires Cypher?

Query

Developers, DBAs, data engineers

Hundreds of nodes/relationships

Yes

Explore

Business analysts, domain experts

Thousands of nodes/relationships

No (uses search phrases)

Dashboards

Stakeholders, executives, end users

Aggregated metrics and summaries

Created with Cypher, used without

How the tools fit together

A typical flow: use Query to develop and test Cypher, use Explore to validate and explore results visually or to create Perspectives, then use Dashboards to package insights for others.

The diagram summarizes who usually uses which tool and how they connect.

Tool comparison: Query

How data type affects tool choice

Your data shape can steer you toward one tool or a combination.

Highly connected data (e.g. social networks, fraud detection):

  • Use Explore to trace connections and spot patterns visually.

  • Use Query when you need precise path-finding or algorithms.

  • Use Dashboards for metrics like "average connections per user."

Hierarchical data (e.g. org charts, product catalogs):

  • Use Explore to move through parent-child relationships visually.

  • Use Query for recursive traversals and aggregations.

  • Use Dashboards for tree summaries and counts.

Time-series or transactional data (e.g. logs, orders, events):

  • Use Query for date-range filters and aggregations.

  • Use Dashboards for trends and KPIs.

  • Use Explore to drill into specific transactions or anomalies.

Knowledge graphs (e.g. recommendations, semantic data):

  • Use Explore with Perspectives for business-friendly views.

  • Use Query for complex inference or similarity search.

  • Use Dashboards to surface recommendations to end users.

Check your understanding

Choosing the right tool

Which tool allows developers to create Cypher-powered views that stakeholders can use without writing queries themselves?

  • ❏ Query tool

  • ❏ Explore tool

  • ✓ Dashboards

  • ❏ Import tool

Hint

Think about which tool separates the creation role from the consumption role. Developers write the Cypher once, and stakeholders interact with the results.

Solution

The correct answer is Dashboards.

Dashboards require Cypher to define each card, but once created, stakeholders can view and filter the data without writing any queries. This makes Dashboards ideal for sharing curated insights with executives and end users.

The other tools serve different purposes: Query is for writing and running Cypher directly, Explore is for visual graph exploration using search phrases, and Import is for loading data into the graph.

Summary

In this lesson, youlearned when to use each Aura console tool:

  • Import tool — Loading data and defining the graph model.

  • Query — Developing and running Cypher; precise, repeatable results; best for hundreds of nodes.

  • Explore — Visual exploration without Cypher; Perspectives and large result sets (thousands of nodes).

  • Dashboards — Sharing curated, filterable views with stakeholders.

You also saw how data type (highly connected, hierarchical, time-series, knowledge graph) can guide which tool or combination to use.

In the next module, you will learn about operations, including shared responsibilities, security, and further learning resources.

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