Business and IT decision makers need to maintain a clear distinction between true BI and gratuitous data. This research note provides that delineation by addressing the following key areas:
- A working definition of BI – what it is and what it is not.
- A summary of common BI tool types, with examples.
- Key considerations prior to adoption.
- Recommendations for high-level BI planning.
IT and business leaders can leverage this information to develop a solid grasp of BI and ensure the initiative does not stray too far from the core principles.
Technology Point
Business Intelligence (BI) is rapidly becoming one of the most overused terms in IT. More and more software vendors are claiming that their products have BI capabilities; a growing number of consulting firms offer BI optimization assessments. Part of the explanation for this trend is that BI as a concept involves both business processes and enabling technologies that can be implemented in a variety of ways with different levels of complexity. Enterprise decision makers need to fully understand what BI is before they can decide what to do about it.
What It Is & How It Works
There is a common tendency to equate BI with the set of proprietary technologies that bear the same name. However, organizations that do not make use of a major vendor toolset can still engage in BI activities. At its core, business intelligence is both a set of processes and technologies aimed at improving strategic and operational decision making by leveraging enterprise data.
Business Intelligence (BI) is…
- A process involving the consolidation, analysis, and communication of business information to assist business decision making.
- A technology which consists of a variety of tools that automate data consolidation, analysis, and the presentation of business information to end users.
Download the Business Intelligence Concepts and Technologies Document (PDF)