Business Intelligence 100 Success Secrets

(1)

Business Intelligence

100 Success Secrets

100 Most Asked Questions: The Missing BI

software, Tools, Consulting and Solutions Guide

(2)

Notice of rights

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Notice of Liability

The information in this book is distributed on an “As Is” basis without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of he book, neither the author nor the publisher shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book or by the products described in it.

Trademarks

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and the publisher was aware of a trademark claim, the designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All other product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. No such use, or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.

(3)

Business Intelligence 100 Success Secrets

Gerard Blokdijk

There has never been a Business Intelligence manual like this. 100 Success Secrets is not about the ins and outs of Business Intelligence. Instead, it answers the top 100 questions that we are asked and those we come across in forums, our consultancy and education programs. It tells you exactly how to deal with those questions, with tips that have never before been offered in print.

This book is also not about Business Intelligence’s best practice and standards details. Instead, it introduces everything you want to know to be successful with Business Intelligence.

(4)

Successful BI Implementation...103 Business Intelligence UK: Harnessing the Power of BI in Carving Niche Markets...105 How to Clinch a Successful Deal with a Business Intelligence Vendor ...107 How to Find the Best Business Intelligence Vendors ...108 Business Intelligence Wiki: Merging Two Technologies to

Improve Corporate Intelligence...109 Business Intelligence Wikipedia: Providing Important

Knowledge Resource on BI Applications...110 Business Objects Desktop Intelligence: Adding Portability to BI Deployment ...112 Business Objects Web Intelligence: Offering Flexible and Remote Business Intelligence Capability ...114 What Can the Center for Business Intelligence Do to Businesses ...115 What Cognos Business Intelligence Can Do to Your Company ...117 Getting Daily Solution for Business Intelligence...118 What is Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence...120 What are the responsibilities of Director of Business Intelligence ...122 The Importance of Enterprise Business Intelligence...124

(9)

Global Business Intelligence Can Help Businesses and

Companies... 125

Saving Lives Through Healthcare Business Intelligence ... 127

Go Global with Thomson Business Intelligence ... 129

Grow Your Business with IBM Business Intelligence... 131

Market Intelligence that Drives Business Growth... 133

Why There s A Need for MS Business Intelligence... 135

Online Business Intelligence Maximizes Surveys ... 137

Open Source Business Intelligence The New Business Trend. 138 The Face of Oscoda Business Intelligence ... 139

The Complexity of Retail Business Intelligence... 140

SAS Business Intelligence Empowers Report-Generating ... 142

The Effectiveness of Sharepoint Business Intelligence ... 144

The Face of SQL 2005 Business Intelligence ... 145

SQL Server 2005 Business Intelligence and Its Innovation ... 146

The Features of the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio ... 147

Visual Business Intelligence: How It Came About And How It Helps ... 148

Visual Studio 2005 Accepts Business Intelligence... 150

(10)

(11)

11

(12)

12

The $13 Billion Business Intelligence

Market: No Sign of Let-up

The business intelligence market has been growing continu-ously throughout the years. The market for business intelligence applications has reached to almost $13 billion annually and it has lured even the big leaders in the software industry. This success of the market can be attributed to BI application s increasing popular-ity among top executives and CEOs of today s business sectors. Business intelligence technology is being used as the foundation for most strategic corporate planning and direction setting. Through business intelligence, companies are getting accurate and focused information to grasp every trend of the market as well as the cur-rent strength of their own business organization. In this way, companies that have deployed business intelligence in their opera-tions can get an all-rounded view of the whole business environ-ment and how their companies can adapt to it.

In some studies of the business intelligence market, it has been found out that an increasing number of companies are im-plementing or about to implement BI applications to their opera-tions. The urgency for automating the information need of companies has come to the fore especially with the influx of new communication technologies that can serve as an engine for more accurate business intelligence. Automation of BI capability has been shown to increase corporate productivity, improve the profit-ability of enterprises, and maintain market dominance in their own niches. It is no wonder that chief executives and corporate manag-ers are the ones pioneering the implementation of BI technologies because it can definitely enhance the performance of the company and its employees.

(13)

13

Business Intelligence Reporting:

In-formation Flow Made Easier

Business intelligence reporting can simplify the delivery of business intelligence to the entire enterprise. Executives, manag-ers, employees, and external customers can get the most accurate business intelligence and easy to understand data and analytics through BI reports.

New BI reporting technologies allows users to customize re-port generation according to intended audience. BI rere-ports could include content that are rich in data and analysis, graphs or presen-tations, spreadsheet scorecards, company directions and key per-formance indices, and many more. The possibilities could be unlimited precisely because business intelligence reporting applica-tions depend on the user s preference of reporting.

Top executives could receive enterprise performance score-cards and market trends, managers could have the employee pro-ductivity report while employees can get the corporate operations report. External customers like suppliers and consumers can receive financial statements, invoicing, product price list and comparative studies, and more. All these business intelligence reports can be generated by a single engine and delivered to in-tended recipients based on the specifications of BI software users.

BI reporting can also be programmed so that it can be deliv-ered whether on a per event basis or based on scheduled and pre-programmed reporting. BI reporting software allows reports to be accessed on any platform and operating system. This made BI reports a powerful tool to inform the company and its customers on current developments and updates.

(14)

14

Through business intelligence reporting, information dis-semination and use of data by concerned parties could be made convenient and cheaper. This will further improve the performance and customer relations of companies.

(15)

15

Ways to Improve Business

Intelli-gence Resume

When finding a job in business intelligence field, one should create a well written business intelligence resume that highlights individual BI capabilities, grasp, and knowledge of techniques. Whether an applicant is seeking a job as business intelligence analyst, programmer, technician, or developer, the resume must include details of BI trainings, certifications and seminars. This is important in order to get the attention of hiring managers who may need competent personnel that will maintain the business intelli-gence program of the company.

Business intelligence is a very competitive field. In order to gain acceptance into the industry, one must have the necessary skills and competencies in business intelligence. A manager or an IT specialist that have a rich experience and education in the prac-tice of business intelligence will certainly have an edge over other applicants.

A training certification in business intelligence will definitely look good on the resume. BI trainings can be acquired either through online business training centers or through business schools and institutions that offer BI trainings. Some online train-ing centers offer one-on-one coachtrain-ing and tutorial services to managers and other business professionals. These online trainings are good venue to grasp the principles and current techniques in business intelligence. New technologies and applications are also introduced to trainees so that their knowledge of business intelli-gence will be updated.

With the increasing demand for business intelligence de-ployment, more companies will need experts and technical

(16)

person-16

nel that will run corporate business intelligence. Applicants can enhance their chance if they have sufficient experience and BI trainings and certifications.

Business Intelligence 100 Success Secrets

Business Intelligence

100 Success Secrets

100 Most Asked Questions: The Missing BI

software, Tools, Consulting and Solutions Guide

Business Intelligence 100 Success Secrets

Gerard Blokdijk

Table of Contents

The $13 Billion Business Intelligence

Market: No Sign of Let-up

Business Intelligence Reporting:

In-formation Flow Made Easier

Ways to Improve Business

Intelli-gence Resume