The New Era of Enterprise Business Intelligence: Using Analytics to Achieve a Global Competitive Advantage (IBM Press)

A Complete Blueprint for Maximizing the Value of Business Intelligence in the Enterprise The typical enterprise recognizes the immense potential of business intelligence (BI) and its impact upon many facets within the organization–but it’s not easy to transform BI’s potential into real business value. In The New Era of Enterprise Business Intelligence, top BI expert Mike Biere presents a complete blueprint for creating winning BI strategies and infrastructure, and systematically maximizing the value of information throughout the enterprise. This product-independent guide brings together start-to-finish guidance and practical checklists for every senior IT executive, planner, strategist, implementer, and the actual business users themselves. Drawing on thousands of hours working with enterprise customers, Biere helps decision-makers choose from today’s unprecedented spectrum of options, including the latest BI platform suites and appliances. He offers practical, “in-the-trenches” insights on a wide spectrum of planning and implementation issues, from segmenting and supporting users to working with unstructured data. Coverage includes • Understanding the scope of today’s BI solutions and how they fit into existing infrastructure • Assessing new options such as SaaS and cloud-based technologies • Avoiding technology biases and other “project killers” • Developing effective RFIs/RFPs and proofs of concept • Setting up competency centers and planning for skills development • Crafting a better experience for all your business users • Supporting the requirements of senior executives, including performance management • Cost-justifying BI solutions and measuring success • Working with enterprise content management, text analytics, and search • Planning and constructing portals, mashups, and other user interfaces • Previewing the future of BI Cover 1 Contents 12 Chapter 1 Introduction to Business Intelligence Today 24 Setting Expectations 26 The Face of Business Intelligence Now 28 The Characteristics of a BI Vision and Strategy 31 Setting the Stage for BI Success 32 Within the IT Organization 32 Within the End User Community 34 Summary 35 Chapter 2 Defining Business Intelligence Today 36 Defining Business Intelligence within Your Organization 36 Platform Implications 38 What Is "Mission Critical" 40 BI Solution Elements 41 Business Intelligence and Data Warehouse: Are They Synonymous? 44 Business Intelligence as a Key Differentiator from Competition 45 Productivity Factors-Working Smarter 48 Summary 50 Chapter 3 The History of Business Intelligence within Your Organization 52 Mapping Your Environment to the BI Evolutionary Tree 52 Creating an Internal Record of BI Usage 57 Analysis of Displacement 61 Summary 63 Chapter 4 The Scope of BI Solutions Today and How They May Relate to You 64 The BI Infrastructure 64 BI Drivers, Trends, Sources, and Deployment Options 67 Mergers and Acquisitions-The Emergence of BI "Mega-Vendors" 68 BI Suites/Platforms versus Independents 69 Open Source BI Tools 70 Software as a Service (SaaS) 71 Cloud Computing 72 BI Appliances 74 Dynamic Warehousing-Extending Beyond Structured Information 75 Operational and Real-Time BI 77 ETL and Change Data Capture-Their Impact and Importance on BI 78 Master Data Management (MDM) and Its Role within a BI Infrastructure 81 The Impact of XML Data 82 BI Provisioning Models-What Is Best for You? 84 Establishing a BI Competency Center (BICC) 85 Creating an Information Agenda 85 Summary 87 Chapter 5 Elements of BI Solutions: The End User Experience 88 End User Assumptions 88 Setting Up Data for BI 90 The Functional Area of BI Tools 92 Query Tools and Reporting 92 OLAP and Advanced Analytics 94 ROLAP Solutions Versus OLAP 96 Understanding the Critical Role of Time Dimensionality 97 Data Mining 99 Text Analytics 100 Spreadsheets-Effective Use and the Implications on Security/Compliance 102 Executive Information Systems (EIS) 103 Operational BI 106 Embedded BI and Event-Driven Processes 109 ETL/ELT and Real-Time Change Data Capture (CDC) Options 110 Summary 113 Chapter 6 The Impact of Business Intelligence on Roles within the Enterprise 116 End User Categories 116 End User Management 119 Skills Definitions 121 IT Support Roles 123 BI Tools Support Staff and Business Analysts 124 The Executive/Managerial Role 125 Non-Technical and Casual Users 127 Summary 128 Chapter 7 Corporate Performance Management and the Executive View of Business Intelligence 130 Defining CPM 131 Elements of a CPM System 132 Vision 134 Strategy Map 134 Balanced Scorecard 135 Dashboards 136 Feedback 137 The "PM"s Available Today 138 The Executive View of BI 140 Summary 141 Chapter 8 Enterprise Content Management, Unstructured Data, Text Analytics, and Enterprise Search 144 Enterprise Content Management (ECM) 146 Enterprise Search 148 Using RSS as a Conduit for External Information 152 Text Analytics 153 The Search and Text Analytics Project 155 Text Analytics as a Part of the Complete BI Picture 156 The Impact of XML on BI 157 Summary 158 Chapter 9 Key Influencers in the Enterprise 160 User Segmentation Reality Check 161 Identifying the Power Brokers-Key Influencers 163 Attributes of Key Influencers 166 Extending BI Beyond the Enterprise 167 Summary 168 Chapter 10 Justifying Business Intelligence Solutions and Measuring Success 170 Justification Scenarios 171 BI Roadmaps 171 Articulating Potential Benefits 173 Business Unit Impact on Justification 174 Big Purchase...No Plan 176 ROI, TCO, and TCA 179 Measuring BI Success 181 BI Clouds and Outsourcing 183 Summary 184 Chapter 11 Platform Selection, Technology Biases, and Other "Traps" 186 Platform Selection for BI Tools— The Database View 187 Platform Selection for BI Tools— The Tools View 189 Technology Biases 191 Other BI "Traps" 193 Handling Biases 193 Summary 195 Chapter 12 Intelligent Responses to an RFI/RFP and Setting Up a Proof of Concept/Technology 198 Creating a Better RFI/RFP 199 Get into the Details 199 Coordinating IT and Business Users-Ranking the Proper Criteria 202 Data Access and Performance Aspects of an RFI/RFP 202 Documenting RFP/RFI Information for the Future 204 The PoC/PoT Scenario 205 Matching RFI/RFP Checklists to a PoC/PoT and Documentation 207 Summary 208 Chapter 13 End-User Support and Productivity 210 WYNTK-What You Need to Know About BI Support 211 Centralized Support-A BI Competency Center (BICC) 214 Methodology of Work Submission and Success 218 Vendor BICCs 219 Productivity-A Valuable Offshoot of Effective BI 220 What Is End-User Productivity? 220 Summary 222 Chapter 14 Implementation of Business Intelligence Solutions 224 Setting User Expectations Early and Coping with the First Project 225 How to Scope the First Project 226 BI Skills Required 228 End-User Provisos 230 BI Solution Elements-Query, Reporting, OLAP 231 Query and Reporting Application Elements 231 OLAP Application Elements 233 System Sizing, Backup, and Recovery Issues 235 System Sizing 236 Backup and Recovery 237 Summary 238 Chapter 15 The Impact of Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA) on Business Intelligence Solutions 240 SOA...So What? 241 Is SOA Practical for BI? 243 Getting Started with a BI SOA 244 BI SOA Frameworks 248 Summary 250 Chapter 16 Enterprise Portals, Mashups, and Other User Interfaces 252 The Enterprise Portal-Its Purpose and Potential 253 Mashups-A Perfect BI Delivery Model 257 Understanding BI in the Context of Portals, Mashups, and Collaboration 258 Summary 262 Chapter 17 An End User Survival Guide 264 BI Basics 265 Ease of Use, Leprechauns, and the Yeti 266 Interacting with BI Tools and Features 267 The BI Skills Conundrum 270 So Who Are You? 271 BI Skills Assessment 273 Do You Have a Standard for Naming BI Objects? 276 White Board the Data Sources and Combinations 277 Summary 279 Chapter 18 Checklists for BI Planning 280 An Enterprise Checklist 281 The Business Unit Level Checklist 283 A BICC Checklist 285 An IT Checklist 287 Summary 289 Chapter 19 Speculation on the Future of Business Intelligence 292 Emerging BI Technologies 293 Technology Gaps 297 Trends to Monitor 299 Responding to Trends 301 Summary 302 Index 304 A 304 B 304 C 306 D 306 E 306 F 307 G 307 H 307 I 308 J 308 K 308 L 308 M 308 N 309 O 309 P 309 Q 309 R 309 S 310 T 310 U 311 V 311 W 311 X-Y-Z 311

a Complete Blueprint For Maximizing The Value Of Business Intelligence In The Enterprise

the Typical Enterprise Recognizes The Immense Potential Of Business Intelligence (bi) And Its Impact Upon Many Facets Within The Organization–but It’s Not Easy To Transform Bi’s Potential Into Real Business Value. In The New Era Of Enterprise Business Intelligence, Top Bi Expert Mike Biere Presents A Complete Blueprint For Creating Winning Bi Strategies And Infrastructure, And Systematically Maximizing The Value Of Information Throughout The Enterprise.

this Product-independent Guide Brings Together Start-to-finish Guidance And Practical Checklists For Every Senior It Executive, Planner, Strategist, Implementer, And The Actual Business Users Themselves. Drawing On Thousands Of Hours Working With Enterprise Customers, Biere Helps Decision-makers Choose From Today’s Unprecedented Spectrum Of Options, Including The Latest Bi Platform Suites And Appliances. He Offers Practical, “in-the-trenches” Insights On A Wide Spectrum Of Planning And Implementation Issues, From Segmenting And Supporting Users To Working With Unstructured Data.

coverage Includes

• Understanding The Scope Of Today’s Bi Solutions And How They Fit Into Existing Infrastructure

• Assessing New Options Such As Saas And Cloud-based Technologies

• Avoiding Technology Biases And Other “project Killers”

• Developing Effective Rfis/rfps And Proofs Of Concept

• Setting Up Competency Centers And Planning For Skills Development

• Crafting A Better Experience For All Your Business Users

• Supporting The Requirements Of Senior Executives, Including Performance Management

• Cost-justifying Bi Solutions And Measuring Success

• Working With Enterprise Content Management, Text Analytics, And Search

• Planning And Constructing Portals, Mashups, And Other User Interfaces

• Previewing The Future Of Bi

A Complete Blueprint for Maximizing the Value of Business Intelligence in the Enterprise The typical enterprise recognizes the immense potential of business intelligence (BI) and its impact upon many facets within the organization–but it’s not easy to transform BI’s potential into real business value. In **__The New Era of Enterprise Business Intelligence,__** top BI expert Mike Biere presents a complete blueprint for creating winning BI strategies and infrastructure, and systematically maximizing the value of information throughout the enterprise. This product-independent guide brings together start-to-finish guidance and practical checklists for every senior IT executive, planner, strategist, implementer, and the actual business users themselves. Drawing on thousands of hours working with enterprise customers, Biere helps decision-makers choose from today’s unprecedented spectrum of options, including the latest BI platform suites and appliances. He offers practical, “in-the-trenches” insights on a wide spectrum of planning and implementation issues, from segmenting and supporting users to working with unstructured data. Coverage includes • Understanding the scope of today’s BI solutions and how they fit into existing infrastructure • Avoiding technology biases and other “project killers” • Setting up competency centers and planning for skills development • Supporting the requirements of senior executives, including performance management • Working with enterprise content management, text analytics, and search • Previewing the future of BI Introduction to business intelligence today Defining business intelligence today The history of business intelligence within your organization The scope of BI solutions today and how they may relate to you Elements of BI solutions : the end user experience The impact of business intelligence on roles within the enterprise Corporate performance management and the executive view of business intelligence Enterprise content management, unstructured data, text analytics, and enterprise search End user segmentation Justifying business intelligence solutions and measuring success Platform selection, technology biases and other "traps" Intelligent responses to an RFI/RFP and setting up a proof of concept End-user support and productivity Implementation of business intelligence solutions The impact of service oriented architectures (SOA) on business intelligence solutions Enterprise portals, mashups, and other user interfaces An end user survival guide Checklists for BI planning Speculation on the future of business intelligence.