Business Intelligence 100 Success Secrets 100 Most Asked Questions: The Missing BI software, Tools, Consulting and Solutions Guide Gerard Blokdijk
Business Intelligence 100 Success Secrets Copyright 2008 by Gerard Blokdijk 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.
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.
Table of Contents The $13 Billion Business Intelligence Market: No Sign of Let-up...12 The $13 Billion Business Intelligence Market: No Sign of Let-up...12 Business Intelligence Reporting: Information Flow Made Easier...13 Ways to Improve Business Intelligence Resume...15 Business Intelligence Services: Corporate Efficiency through Information Rationalization...17 Business Intelligence Solution: Converting Random Data into Meaningful Information...19 Key Benefits of Business Intelligence Solutions...21 3 Keys to Successful Business Intelligence Strategy...23 Business Intelligence Studio: A BI Developer s Best Companion...25 Business Intelligence Tool: Superior Tools Means Superior Information...27 Uses of Business Intelligence Tools...28 The Advantages of Microsoft Business Intelligence...29 How SQL Business Intelligence Works?...31 The Key Aspect of SQL Server Business Intelligence...33
Powerful New Features of SQL Server Business Intelligence Studio... 34 Boast-worthy Attributes of Alpena Business Intelligence... 35 Business Intelligence 101: The Basics of Business Intelligence... 36 Moving on to Business Intelligence 2.0... 38 Is There a Need for Business Intelligence Associates?... 40 Leading to Business Intelligence Best Practices... 42 Having Business Intelligence Through Visual Studio... 44 The Significance of Business Intelligence... 45 Highlighting the Importance of Business Intelligence Advisors 46 Noteworthy Tips for Business Intelligence Analysis... 47 The Many Responsibilities of a Business Intelligence Analyst... 48 The (Dizzying) Ins and Outs of Business Intelligence Analytics 49 What? No Business Intelligence Application in Your Company?!... 50 How Does One Go About Business Intelligence Applications?. 51 Business Intelligence Architecture in a Nutshell... 52 All Things Techie: Business Intelligence Architecture... 53 Much Ado about Business Intelligence Centers... 54 The Use of a Business Intelligence Certificate... 55 Yes, You NEED a Business Intelligence Company... 56 What Smart Business Intelligence Companies Do For You... 57 What Goes On In A Business Intelligence Conference?... 58
Business Intelligence Consultant: The Go-to Guy of the Company...59 The Dish on Business Intelligence Consulting...60 What s In Store For You In a Business Intelligence Course...61 Dash to Success with Business Intelligence Dashboard...62 Using the Business Intelligence Data to Come Up With Solutions...63 Storing Information Via Business Intelligence Data Warehousing...64 A Straightforward Definition of Business Intelligence...65 The New Jack-of-All-Trades: Business Intelligence Developer...66 Development Studios: The New Stomping Grounds of BI Enthusiasts...67 Business Intelligence BIG Deal...68 What the Business Intelligence Industry Expects of its Players..69 A Place for Everyone: The Abundance of Business Intelligence Jobs in the Market...70 Business Intelligence Jobs: Opportunities for Everyone...71 Business intelligence: The Management Aspect...72 Dissecting the Make-up of a Good Business Intelligence Manager...73 Business Intelligence Network: Consolidating the Data Technology Market...74 What Is Business Intelligence: An Overview...76
Business Intelligence Platform: Enabling Companies to Make Sound Business Decisions... 77 Business Intelligence Portal: Creating Intelligent Companies... 79 Enhancing Data Reporting and Usage through Business Intelligence PPT... 80 Best Features of a Business Intelligence Product... 82 How to Choose the Best Business Intelligence Products... 83 3 Fatal Mistakes in the Implementation of Business Intelligence Project... 84 2 Key Elements for Successful Business Intelligence Projects... 86 Sources of Business Intelligence Report... 88 The Mark of Good Business Intelligence Reports... 90 The Benefits of Using Automated Business Intelligence Research... 91 Where to Find Business Intelligence Review... 92 Business Intelligence Service: Giving Vital Support to BI Projects... 94 Need a Tool? Try Business Intelligence Software... 96 Ground-breaking Business Intelligence Summit: Enriching Management Practices towards Excellence... 97 What is a Business Intelligence System... 99 2 Important Features of Business Intelligence Systems... 100 Emerging Trends in Business Intelligence Technology... 101
Business Intelligence Training: Necessary First Step for 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
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 What Is Business Intelligence?... 151
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12 The $13 Billion Business Intelligence Market: No Sign of Let-up The business intelligence market has been growing continuously 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 popularity 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 current strength of their own business organization. In this way, companies that have deployed business intelligence in their operations can get an all-rounded view of the whole business environment 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 implementing or about to implement BI applications to their operations. 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 profitability of enterprises, and maintain market dominance in their own niches. It is no wonder that chief executives and corporate managers are the ones pioneering the implementation of BI technologies because it can definitely enhance the performance of the company and its employees.
13 Business Intelligence Reporting: Information Flow Made Easier Business intelligence reporting can simplify the delivery of business intelligence to the entire enterprise. Executives, managers, 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 report generation according to intended audience. BI reports could include content that are rich in data and analysis, graphs or presentations, spreadsheet scorecards, company directions and key performance indices, and many more. The possibilities could be unlimited precisely because business intelligence reporting applications depend on the user s preference of reporting. Top executives could receive enterprise performance scorecards and market trends, managers could have the employee productivity 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 intended recipients based on the specifications of BI software users. BI reporting can also be programmed so that it can be delivered whether on a per event basis or based on scheduled and preprogrammed 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 Through business intelligence reporting, information dissemination 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 Ways to Improve Business Intelligence 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 intelligence 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 practice 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 training centers offer one-on-one coaching 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 intelligence will be updated. With the increasing demand for business intelligence deployment, more companies will need experts and technical person-
16 nel that will run corporate business intelligence. Applicants can enhance their chance if they have sufficient experience and BI trainings and certifications.