Please wait while the page is being loaded Skip this advertisement >
Friday | 5 December, 2008
CIO
10 Keys to a Successful Business Intelligence Strategy
You need to have an executive sponsor and a business intelligence strategy in place before you start thinking about which vendors to evaluate
Diann Daniel 03 December, 2007 13:39:13

  • 5. Understand what users need. The three broad classes of business intelligence users are strategic, tactical and operational. Strategic users make few decisions, but each one can have a profound effect - for example, should we close operations in Europe and open them in China. Tactical users make many decisions a week, and use both aggregate and detail-level information, and likely need updated information daily. Operational users are the front-line employees, such as call centre staff. They need data within their own set of applications to execute the enormous numbers of transactions. Understanding who will use BI and for what purposes can show the type of information needed and its frequency, and help guide BI decision making.

  • 6. Decide whether to buy or build the analytical data model. One size does not fit all. In general you may benefit from an out-of-the-box, industry-specific data model if you have a more homogeneous IT environment - such as one ERP, one CRM system. Do watch for extensibility and hierarchy flexibility. More complex enterprises may benefit from customization, although you may still want to consider beginning with an industry-standard model as a template or a set of guides (such as typical facts, dimensions and so on).

  • 7. Consider all business intelligence components. Components that affect the success of business intelligence implementations include: metadata, data integration, data quality, data modelling, analytics, centralized metrics management, presentations (reports and dashboards), portals, collaboration, knowledge management and master data management. Be sure to define the architecture for all layers of the business intelligence stack; even though they may not be part of the BI strategy itself, they will effect the success of implementation.

  • 8. Choose a systems integrator. Business intelligence implementations require guidance from a partner who has deep experience. Evelson says be prepared to spend $5 to $7 on services for every $1 on software, and cautions: Do not outsource the fine-tuning of business intelligence. The process requires a high degree of collaboration among end users, analysts and developers.

  • 9. Think "actionable" and "baby steps". Choose an end user, business analyst and developer to create a first proof of concept within a few days. Choose a few key performance indicators and build a few reports, then add new releases every few weeks.

  • 10. Choose low-hanging fruit to start. Evelson recommends choosing high-value, simple components to begin. For example, a sales analytics data mart may present high-value targets that also have plenty of existing models and best practices.

  • Featured Whitepaper Sponsors
    Market Place
     

    Smart SOA World Tour

    Discover how SOA can create smarter outcomes for your business.

    Attend and learn:

    • How SOA is helping leading companies to become more agile
    • Where you should be applying SOA processes in your company
    • The top SOA implementation mistakes to avoid

    Click here for more information.
    • +

      CIO Live Podcast #79: Brent D Taylor, author of The Outsider's Edge: The Making of Self-Made Billionaires Part II 05 October, 2007 06:00:00

      For his new book, The Outsider's Edge: The Making of Self-Made Billionaires, social researcher Brent D Taylor spent four years of intensive research investigating the psychological make-up and backgrounds of some of the world's richest men and women, including IT luminaries Bill Gates, Larry Ellison and Steve Jobs. Taylor discovered that, despite working in different industries and coming from different upbringings, they all have one thing in common -- they are all outsiders.
    • +

      CIO Live Podcast #78: Brent D Taylor, author of The Outsider's Edge: The Making of Self-Made Billionaires 28 September, 2007 17:34:25

      For his new book, The Outsider's Edge: The Making of Self-Made Billionaires, social researcher Brent D Taylor spent four years of intensive research investigating the psychological make-up and backgrounds of some of the world's richest men and women, including IT luminaries Bill Gates, Larry Ellison and Steve Jobs. Taylor discovered that, despite working in different industries and coming from different upbringings, they all have one thing in common -- they are all outsiders.
    • +

      CIO Live Podcast #77: Panasonic Speeds Up Trans-Pacific File Transfers, Part III 21 September, 2007 07:00:00

      Part three in our three-part special report from CIO's sister publication Network World in the US, as Paul Desmond reports from the Network World IT Roadmap Conference in Santa Clara, California. With development teams in the US and Japan, Panasonic needed a more efficient way to move very large files between the two locations. Iben Rodriguez, IT consultant for Panasonic Research and Development, explains how a storage-area network and virtual server technology helped speed up WAN performance.
    • +

      CIO Live Podcast #76: Panasonic Speeds Up Trans-Pacific File Transfers, Part II 14 September, 2007 07:00:00

      Part two in our three-part special report from CIO's sister publication Network World in the US, as Paul Desmond reports from the Network World IT Roadmap Conference in Santa Clara, California. With development teams in the US and Japan, Panasonic needed a more efficient way to move very large files between the two locations. Iben Rodriguez, IT consultant for Panasonic Research and Development, explains how a storage-area network and virtual server technology helped speed up WAN performance.
    • +

      CIO Live Podcast #75: Panasonic Speeds Up Trans-Pacific File Transfers, Part I 07 September, 2007 07:00:05

      Part one in our three-part special report from CIO's sister publication Network World in the US, as Paul Desmond reports from the Network World IT Roadmap Conference in Santa Clara, California. With development teams in the US and Japan, Panasonic needed a more efficient way to move very large files between the two locations. Iben Rodriguez, IT consultant for Panasonic Research and Development, explains how a storage-area network and virtual server technology helped speed up WAN performance.
    • +

      SOA What? Why You Need SOA Governance Framework 04 December, 2008 08:32:00

      Adopting services oriented architecture (SOA) in your enterprise without thinking through IT governance can cause something like the Gold Rush in the 1800s; extreme rates of growth and minimal law and order which produce unexpected outcomes.
    • +

      The Myth of Cloud Computing 04 December, 2008 08:25:00

      Why the rapid spread of virtual technology is becoming a security risk
      Why the rapid spread of virtual technology is becoming a security risk.
    • +

      Who Pushed Vendors Toward Better Security? 04 December, 2008 09:38:00

      Hint: It had something to do with pressure from customers and government agencies, writes Oracle CSO Mary Ann Davidson
      Hint: It had something to do with pressure from customers and government agencies, writes Oracle CSO Mary Ann Davidson.
    • +

      CPO & CISO: A Comprehensive Approach to Information 04 December, 2008 08:42:00

      GE CPO Nuala O'Connor Kelly advocates greater CPO/CISO cooperation to place the right value on information assets.
      GE CPO Nuala O'Connor Kelly advocates greater CPO/CISO cooperation to place the right value on information assets.
    • +

      Virtually every Windows PC at risk, says Secunia 04 December, 2008 08:00:00

      Almost all PCs scanned by patch tool have an unpatched app; 46% have 11-plus.
      More than 98% of Windows computers harbor at least one unpatched application, and nearly half contain 11 or more programs at risk from attack, a Danish security company said Wednesday.
    CIO Webcast Innovation #8 - What are the biggest roadblocks to IT's involvement in innovation at your company?
    Watch the latest latest edition of CIO Innovation which is now available for download.
    Watch the webcast
    Sign up to the CIO Innovation update email


    CIO Live Podcast #79: Brent D Taylor, author of The Outsider's Edge: The Making of Self-Made Billionaires Part II
    Listen to the latest edition of CIO Live which is now available for download.
    Listen to the podcast
    Sign up to the CIO Live email
    Whitepaper

    Understanding Email Marketing: A Guide for SMBs

    Email marketing is often viewed as a marketers silver bullet. If used effectively, email campaigns will provide strong results for a limited spend each and every time. Download this white paper to discover how email marketing can work for you and your business.