An end-to-end analytics platform built from a runtime up. Today it helps you build and manage the dataset you actually need; eventually it'll take you all the way through to the interactive publication that explains it.
What it does today.
The Sifter beta is focused on the first hard problem in any data project: getting the right data, in the right shape, without weeks of plumbing.
The pitch on sifter.com says it plainly — describe the dataset you want and Sifter builds it. Under the hood that means natural-language and structured workflows for collection, transformation, and management — producing artifacts you can read, fork, and trust.
- Describe, don't assemble. Tell Sifter what you need; review and refine the dataset it produces.
- Versioned, forkable datasets. Each dataset is real, versioned data — branch it, fork it, share a snapshot, or roll back when something changes.
- Cell-level lineage. Every value in every dataset traces back to its source. No black-box numbers, no trust-me data — just the receipts, down to the cell.
Where it's going.
Data collection is step one. The longer-term goal for Sifter is an end-to-end workspace that takes a question all the way to the story you tell with the answer.
- 01
Collect & manage
Build the right dataset, keep it fresh, and trust where it came from. Available in beta
- 02
Analyse
Explore, model, and pressure-test the data with a query layer that keeps analysts moving without the usual platform tax. Next
- 03
Visualise
Charts, dashboards, and exploratory views — built on the same runtime so they stay in sync with the data underneath. Next
- 04
Publish
Interactive publications that turn analysis into narrative — so the people you're trying to convince can play with the data, not just squint at a screenshot of it. On the roadmap
The runtime underneath.
Sifter is built on a runtime we designed from scratch — a WebAssembly client that does the heavy lifting in your browser, and a backend service that handles the work that has to happen elsewhere. We chose to build it ourselves because the existing options forced trade-offs we weren't willing to make: either fast and locked-in, or flexible and slow.
That runtime is what makes the rest of the roadmap possible. Each phase — collection, analysis, visualisation, publication — runs on the same foundation, so a dataset you build today flows straight into the chart you'll publish from it tomorrow.
It's also what makes Sifter more than a single product. Over time, we expect the same runtime to back custom analytics platforms built on top of it — not just Sifter itself.
Built by Spillsoft — a small studio in Airdrie, Alberta.
Want a look at Sifter?
We're letting people into the beta as we go. If you've got a dataset problem that fits, we'd love to hear about it.