Elements Of Business Intelligence Solutions

Information is the most valuable asset of any organization and thus has to be carefully managed, organized and stored, facilitating easy access on demand from an appropriately authorized person. Business intelligence systems are used to solve this problem. BI systems are essential to ensuring the smooth, uninterrupted flow of information within any level of an organization without compromising on security. These BI systems have to make available data on time to ensure that the correct decision can be made at the right time based on the information provided.

BI systems are used primarily to improve timeliness of information required by the organization, to provide information in business terminology, to give access to any information no matter where it is stored. For this reason, a BI system should greatly reduce distribution costs of the information and its handling time. BI systems have to improve forecasting and planning efforts and should allow business changes to be tracked, recorded, and responded to quickly, thereby helping steer the organization towards its goals.

What To Look For In Business Intelligence Systems

The elements of business intelligence solutions have to be considered carefully, and the system chosen has to be consistent. No matter how much new data is added and what new systems (such as ECM or CRM) are added, no matter what major changes occur, BI systems have to stay put and guide the company.

The way new data is integrated with existing BI systems is one element of the BI solution. Data warehouses can be created but consume time, energy and money. Data marts can be used to develop data warehouses later. Creating data marts requires less time, energy, and money. No matter which system is used, make sure a single version for truth of data exists within the organization.

BI systems need appropriate analytical tools, too, to help utilize all information gathered so laboriously. The first step is to categorize all data that is collected. This involves the data extraction, transformation, and cleansing processes. By using appropriate tools, you can face and solve the problems and restore order.

The next step is to have proper analytical tools to help analyze all data stored to help make decisions. If tools are used to do the analysis, the users have to learn how to use the tools and how to navigate through the systems. A server-centric approach for storing all BI data is recommended.

Selecting the right tools is essential for any BI system to be effective in producing accurate results. Three such tool categories are traditional query and reporting, OLAP, and data mining tools. These tools should handle time and data options well without being too hard to use.
All the elements of Business Intelligence solutions have to be carefully considered and the needs of the organization determined before buying a BI system.

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The Impact Of Business Intelligence

The impact of business intelligence is far-reaching. Its influence can be felt in every aspect of the business. The IT department of the organization, the non-technical end-users, external users, the business analysts, and the enterprise are all influenced greatly by Business Intelligence.

Impact Of BI On The IT Department

It is essential that the IT department be consulted while selecting the right BI system. Workers in this department have to intelligently, in an orderly fashion evaluate the BI needs, and select an appropriate tool. While selecting a BI system, they will have to take into consideration the platforms supported by the system, the databases and files supported, its integration with the existing IT infrastructure, the connectivity options, backup and recovery options, and the end user functions, among other criteria. Organizations have to realize the important role the IT department plays in the success of any BI system. For BI systems to have a marked effect, active IT department involvement is necessary.

Impact Of BI on Non-Tech End Users

The impact of BI on non-tech end users can be huge. BI systems have helped non-tech users uncover massive frauds using data mining. They will have to spend a lot of time in learning to use the tools effectively. The BI system has to be user-friendly so that even non-tech users can learn to use it and steer the company toward success by allowing those users to make informed decisions. The selected system must enable them to make the right decision by analyzing the sales, marketing, and financial issues. BI systems, therefore, have a very profound impact on the end users.

Impact Of BI On Business Analysts

Business analysts are also considered while selecting a good BI system. They are concerned with the broadness of the functions of the BI system and the analysis capabilities of that system. These are the users who will be able to use the BI system in producing solutions that can greatly affect the business.

Impact Of BI on External Users

The BI system affects the extranet environment of the organization greatly. Security is a very important aspect to be concerned about while dealing with external users. The BI system should preserve data accuracy and integrity. Make sure you are aware of your external users requirements and that the BI system meets their needs.

Thus, the impact of business intelligence can be felt on every aspect of the business. There is a growing need to come up with a great BI system that will be able to deal with the entire enterprise as a whole. The BI system has to integrate with the existing IT infrastructure. It should ensure that users get a consistent flow of accurate and current decisions to help make informed decisions. BI systems are essential to analyze and evaluate processes and to help make changes to guide a company toward success.

There are firms that offer services as well as products to help run businesses successfully.

Alexander Gordon is a writer for http://www.smallbusinessconsulting.com - The Small Business Consulting Community. Sign-up for the free success steps newsletter and get our booklet valued at $24.95 for free as a special bonus. The newsletter provides daily strategies on starting and significantly growing a business.

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