Chapter 1. Business Intelligence and BusinessObjects XI Release 2: Working Hand in Hand

In This Chapter

  • Discovering how business intelligence can help your business

  • Delving into BusinessObjects XI Release 2

Before you roll your sleeves up and get running with BusinessObjects XI Release 2, it’s worth taking a moment to consider the bigger picture. At the beginning of this chapter, we give you an overview of business intelligence, and show how you can use business intelligence applications and technologies to help you make better business decisions.

If your business has been running Crystal Enterprise or BusinessObjects, you’re probably faced with having to upgrade — specifically, to BusinessObjects XI. If so, welcome to some enhanced capabilities. If not — if you’re just starting out with Business Objects XI — welcome to a whole new business universe. The last half of this chapter provides an overview of the different components that make up the BusinessObjects XI Release 2 Enterprise product suite — and offers some pointers on finding the right tools for the job — both for the migration and the projects to follow.

Fitting Business Intelligence into Your Business

Business intelligence (BI) is a business management term for the tools and methodologies used to collect, provide access to, and analyze data (which, in a typical organization, usually means information about a firm’s operations such as details of sales, production, or human resources).

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