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Business Intelligence For Dummies®

Name: Business Intelligence For Dummies®
Author: Swain Scheps
ISBN: 9780470127230

by Swain Scheps

January 2008

Beginner

384 pages

9h 28m

English

For Dummies

Audiobook available

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Copyright
About the Author
Author's Acknowledgments
Introduction
About This BookHow to Use This BookHow This Book Is OrganizedPart I: Introduction and BasicsPart II: Business Intelligence User ModelsPart III: The BI LifecyclePart IV: Implementing BIPart V: BI and TechnologyPart VI: The Part of TensIcons Used in This BookTime to Get Down to Business ... Intelligence
I. Introduction and Basics
1. Understanding Business Intelligence
1.1. Limited Resources, Limitless Decisions1.2. Business Intelligence Defined: No CIA Experience Required1.2.1. Pouring out the alphabet soup1.2.2. A better definition is in sight1.2.3. BI's Big Four1.3. The BI Value Proposition1.4. A Brief History of BI1.4.1. Data collection from stone tablets to databases1.5. BI's Split Personality: Business and Technology1.5.1. BI: The people perspective1.6. So, Are You BI Curious?
2. Fitting BI with Other Technology Disciplines
2.1. Best Friends for Life: BI and Data Warehousing2.1.1. The data warehouse: no forklift required2.1.2. Data warehouses resolve differences2.1.3. All paths lead to the data warehouse2.2. ERP and BI: Taking the Enterprise to Warp Speed2.2.1. From mainframe to client/server2.2.2. The great migration2.2.3. Like it's 1999: the Y2K catalyst2.2.4. Cold war reporting2.2.5. ERP leads to the foundations of BI2.3. Customer's Always Right2.3.1. CRM joins ERP2.3.2. Core CRM2.3.3. Customer decisions2.4. BI-BUY! E-Commerce Takes BI Online2.4.1. E-commerce's early days (daze?)2.4.2. E-commerce gets smart2.4.3. Real-time business intelligence2.5. The Finance Function and BI
3. Meeting the BI Challenge
3.1. What's Your Problem?3.1.1. What can go wrong3.2. The BI Spectrum—Where Do You Want It?3.2.1. Enterprise versus departmental BI3.3. Strategic versus tactical business intelligence3.3.1. Power versus usability in BI tools3.3.2. Reporting versus predictive analytics3.3.3. BI that's juuuuust right3.4. First Glance at Best (and Worst) Practices3.4.1. Why BI is as much an art as a science3.4.2. Avoiding all-too-common BI traps3.4.3. One more continuum: hope versus hype
II. Business Intelligence User Models

4. Basic Reporting and Querying
4.1. Power to the People!4.1.1. Querying and reporting in context4.1.2. Reporting and querying puts BI over the hump4.1.3. Reporting and querying toolkit characteristics4.1.4. So who's using this stuff?4.2. Basic BI: Self-Service Reporting and Querying4.2.1. Building and using ad-hoc queries4.2.2. Building simple on-demand self-service reports4.2.3. Adding capabilities through managed querying/reporting4.3. Data Access—BI's Push-Pull Tug-of-War4.3.1. Classical BI: pull-oriented information access4.3.2. Emerging BI: pushing critical insights to users
5. OLAP: Online Analytical Processing
5.1. OLAP in Context5.2. OLAP Application Functionality5.3. Multidimensional Analysis5.3.1. Lonely numbers5.3.2. One-dimensional data5.3.3. Setting the table5.3.4. Seeing in 3-D5.3.5. Beyond the third dimension5.4. OLAP Architecture5.4.1. The OLAP Cube5.4.2. OLAP access tools5.5. What OLAP Can Really Do5.5.1. Members only5.5.2. Remember the Big Four BI criteria5.6. Drill team: Working with Multidimensional Data5.6.1. Gaining insight through drill-down analysis5.6.2. Going in the other direction: drill-up analysis5.6.3. Getting to the source: drill-through5.7. OLAP versus OLTP5.8. Looking at Different OLAP Styles and Architecture5.8.1. MOLAP: multidimensional OLAP5.8.2. ROLAP: relational OLAP through "normal" databases5.8.3. HOLAP: Can't we all get along?
6. Dashboards and Briefing Books
6.1. Dashboards' Origins6.1.1. EIS: information gold for the top brass6.1.2. EIS: Everybody's Information System6.1.3. EIS gets left behind6.2. The Metric System6.2.1. Defining KPIs6.2.2. Business KPIs6.3. Looking at BI Dashboards6.3.1. Mission control to the desktop6.3.2. Dashboard best practices6.4. Briefing Books and Other Gadgetry
7. Advanced / Emerging BI Technologies
7.1. Catching a Glimpse of Visualization7.1.1. Basic visualization7.1.2. Worth a thousand words7.1.3. Off the charts7.1.4. Visualizing tomorrow7.2. Steering the Way with Guided Analysis7.2.1. Dancing the BI two-step7.2.2. Old idea, new moves7.2.3. Guiding lights7.3. Data Mining: Hype or Reality?7.3.1. Digging through data mining's past7.3.2. Digging for data gold7.3.3. Data mining today7.4. Other Trends in BI7.4.1. BI for one and all7.4.2. Unstructured data
III. The BI Lifecycle
8. The BI Big Picture
8.1. So Many Methodologies, So Little Time8.2. Starting at the beginning8.2.1. The exception to the rule: Micro-BI8.3. Customizing BI for Your Needs8.3.1. Your not-so-clean slate8.3.2. Initial activities8.3.3. Could-be versus should-be alternatives8.3.4. Selecting BI products and technologies8.4. Implementing BI: Get 'er Done8.4.1. Zeroing in on a technical design8.4.2. Putting together the BI project plan8.4.3. Finishing the job
9. Human Factors in BI Implementations
9.1. Star Techie: Skills Profile of a Core BI Team9.1.1. Key performers9.1.2. Your other techies9.2. Overruling Objections from the Court of User Opinion9.2.1. Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes9.2.2. Turn and face the strange9.3. Major in Competence9.3.1. Find your center9.3.2. A BI center that's juuuuust right9.3.3. Raising standards
10. Taking a Closer Look at BI Strategy
10.1. The Big Picture10.2. Your Current BI Capabilities (or Lack Thereof)10.2.1. Assessing your business infrastructure10.2.2. Assessing the technology stack, top to bottom10.2.3. Keep the good stuff10.2.4. Throw out the bad stuff10.3. Exploring "Should-Be" BI Alternatives10.3.1. Utopian BI10.3.2. Coming back to reality: examining barriers to achieving your desired future state10.4. Deciding "Could-Be" Alternatives10.4.1. Judging viability10.4.2. Identifying risks ... and also how to mitigate those risks10.4.3. Gauging business value10.4.4. Aligning your alternatives with your organizational structure and culture10.5. Making Your Choice10.5.1. Considering everything10.5.2. Deciding on your strategy10.5.3. Getting the necessary buy-in
11. Building a Solid BI Architecture and Roadmap
11.1. What a Roadmap Is (and Isn't)11.2. Centralized Versus Decentralized Architecture11.2.1. A couple question11.2.2. How to choose11.3. BI Architecture Alternatives11.3.1. Starting an architecture evaluation11.3.2. So many choices11.3.3. So little time11.3.4. The short list11.3.5. Taking a second look at your short list11.3.6. Examining costs for each alternative11.3.7. Looking at technology risks11.3.8. Making your decision11.4. Developing a Phased, Incremental BI Roadmap11.4.1. Deciding where to start11.4.2. Keeping score11.4.3. Deciding what comes next11.4.4. Deciding what comes next, and next, and next...11.4.5. Planning for contingencies11.4.6. Dealing with moving targets11.4.7. Leaving time for periodic "architectural tune-ups"
IV. Implementing BI
12. Building the BI Project Plan
12.1. Planning the Plan12.1.1. Revisiting the vision12.1.2. Project plan format12.2. Project Resources12.2.1. BI project roles12.3. Project Tasks12.3.1. First pass: Project milestones12.3.2. Second pass: High-level tasks12.3.3. Linkages and constraints12.3.4. Third pass: Break it down12.3.5. Roles and skills12.4. Risk Management and Mitigation12.4.1. Contingency planning12.4.2. Checkpoints12.5. Keeping Your BI Project Plan Up to Date12.5.1. Managing to the plan12.5.2. Working through issues12.5.3. Daily updates12.5.4. Keeping task data up-to-date12.6. Back to the OI' Drawing Board
13. Collecting User Requirements
13.1. It's Business, Not Technical13.1.1. Documenting business requirements13.1.2. Document size and structure13.1.3. A little help from your friends (and enemies)13.2. Requirements-Gathering Techniques13.2.1. The data difference13.2.2. User focus13.2.3. Requirements-gathering activities13.3. What, Exactly, Is a Requirement?13.3.1. Reporting and analytical functionality13.3.2. Data needed to support your desired functionality13.3.3. Matchup maker13.3.4. The "look and feel" for how information should be delivered to users13.4. Validating BI Requirements You've Collected13.4.1. Conducting the initial double-checking13.5. Prioritizing Your BI Requirements13.5.1. Identifying "must-have-or-else" requirements13.5.2. Getting the final buy-in13.5.3. Stepping on the baseline13.6. Changing Requirements
14. BI Design and Development
14.1. Successful BI14.1.1. Be realistic14.1.2. Follow demand14.1.3. Act now, but think ahead14.2. Design with Users in Mind14.2.1. Power users14.2.2. Business users14.2.3. The middle class14.3. Best Practices for BI Design14.3.1. Designing the data environment14.3.2. Designing the front-end environment14.4. Getting Users On Board14.4.1. Reporting review14.4.2. Testing, 1-2-3...14.4.3. Pilot projects14.4.4. Proof of concept
15. The Day After: Maintenance and Enhancement
15.1. BI = Constant Improvement15.2. Post-Implementation Evaluations15.2.1. Overall project review15.2.2. Technology review15.2.3. Business-impact review15.3. Maintaining Your BI Environment15.3.1. System health15.3.2. System relevance—Keeping up with business changes15.4. Maintaining lines of communication15.5. Extending Your Capabilities15.5.1. Expanding existing applications15.5.2. Installing advanced upgrades15.6. The Olympic Approach15.6.1. Thinking long term with a roadmap15.6.2. Evolvability
V. BI and Technology
16. BI Target Databases: Data Warehouses, Marts, and Stores
16.1. Data Warehouses and BI16.1.1. An extended example16.1.2. Consolidating information across silos16.1.3. Structuring data to enable BI16.2. Data Models16.2.1. Dimensional data model16.2.2. Other kinds of data models16.3. Data Marts16.4. Operational Data Stores
17. BI Products and Vendors
17.1. Overview of BI Software17.1.1. The dimensional model17.1.2. Working together17.2. The BI Software Marketplace17.2.1. A little history17.2.2. Mergers and acquisitions17.3. Major Software Companies in BI17.3.1. Oracle17.3.2. Microsoft17.3.3. SAP17.3.4. IBM17.4. Pure-Play BI Vendors17.4.1. Indispensable qualities17.4.2. Vendors by strong suit17.4.3. The sales pitch
VI. The Part of Tens
18. Ten Keys to BI Success
18.1. Picking Good Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)18.2. Adjusting the Recipe18.3. Coming to Terms with Complexity18.4. Thinking (and Working) Outside the Box18.5. Picking a Winning Team18.6. Doing Your Homework18.7. Remembrance of Things Past (Especially Mistakes)18.8. Considering Corporate Culture Completely18.9. Just Going Through a Phase18.10. Adopting a Bigwig
19. Ten BI Risks (and How to Overcome Them)
19.1. Resistance Movement19.2. Moving Targets19.3. Tool Letdown19.4. Being a User Loser19.5. Mister Data Needs a Bath19.6. Dough a No-Go?19.7. Scope Creep19.8. Rigidity19.9. Environmental Crisis
20. Ten Keys to Gathering Good BI Requirements
20.1. All the Right People20.2. The Vision Thing20.3. Connecting BI to the Business Themes20.4. Make Sure the Insights Are Within Sight20.5. Greatest Hits from Yesterday and Today20.6. Consequences of Going Without20.7. What's the Big Idea?20.8. Going Straight to the Source20.9. Adjunct Benefits20.10. What's First and Why
21. Ten Secrets to a Successful BI Deployment
21.1. Start Early!21.2. Get What You Paid For21.3. Only Losers Ignore Users21.4. Name-Dropping21.5. Testing 1-2-3...4-5-6...and So On21.6. Go to Battle from a War Room21.7. Project Management Management21.8. Deal with Any Foot-dragging Immediately!21.9. Prove That Concept!21.10. The Devil Is in the Details21.11. We've Got a Live One
22. Ten Secrets to a Healthy BI Environment
22.1. Data TLC22.2. Hitting Budget Targets22.3. Hitting Schedule Targets22.4. Rinse and Repeat22.5. Rinse and Don't Repeat22.6. Maintain Team Knowledge22.7. Remember What You Forgot the First Time22.8. Regular Updates22.9. Staying in Touch and in Tune22.10. Communicating Changes22.11. Stay on the Train22.12. Maintenance as a Process
23. Ten Signs That Your BI Environment Is at Risk
23.1. The Spreadsheets Just Won't Die23.2. Everybody Asks for Help23.3. Nobody Asks for Help23.4. Water-Cooler Grumbles About Usability23.5. Good-Old-Day Syndrome23.6. Usage Numbers Decline Over Time23.7. BI Tools Aren't Part of Strategy Discussions23.8. Executive Sponsors Lose Enthusiasm23.9. Executive Sponsors Lose their Jobs23.10. Resistance to Upgrades and Expansion

Content preview from Business Intelligence For Dummies®

Part III. The BI Lifecycle

The 5th Wave

By Rich Tennant

In this part ...

So you've figured out the concepts of BI, and you understand how users work with the tools to obtain business insights. Now you're ready to make that lemonade stand hum.

In this part, you'll learn about how BI solutions are assembled. Where do you start? What goals are you working toward? How does the structure of your company play into these tasks? What factors are important to your lemonade stand that may not be important to your competitors?

Before you know it, you'll be hammering out a BI strategy for yourself.

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Business Intelligence For Dummies®

by Swain Scheps

Part III. The BI Lifecycle

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.