4. Evolution of Business Intelligence Running Canned Reports Directly Against Operational DB Running Reports Against Nightly Copy of Operational DB (Reporting Server) Running Reports Against Real-time Copy of Operational DB (ODS) Composing and Running Ad hoc Reports Against Dimensionally Integrated Data (Relational Data Warehouse) Free Form Analysis Using Dimensionally Integrated and Pre-Aggregated Data (OLAP Data Mart)
5. BI Infrastructure Is About Data Data Quality Business Rules ETL Processes Analyzing Data Sources User Training BI Tools and Rollout DW Schema
Umbrella term that embodies many different things. It certainly includes static reporting which is the mainstay of many organizations. Beyond that it also includes free form or ad hoc analysis, data mining, and predictive modeling.
This graphic depicts the evolution (no pun intended) of information delivery and consumption by organizations. Out to the right would be an extra-terrestrial who would represent the latest developments in business intelligence. These are data mining and predictive analytics. There is momentum to move to more real-time business performance management using scorecards and dashboards. Predictive models help identify significant variables that have a bearing on outcomes.
Information infrastructure to enable business intelligence relies on a solid integrated data infrastructure. There are many ways to realize this, from Operational Data Stores to Enterprise Data Warehouses to Federated Data Marts. The users only see what is presented to them which belies the complexity of the processes and infrastructure that enable the presentation layer. Another analogy that Ralph Kimball frequently uses is that of a restaurant. Data Quality is essential to the acceptance and use of a DW.
A data warehouse serves as a solid foundation on which to build business intelligence capabilities. An ERP provides some interesting integration advantages and some complexities.
Speak to the elements of the various phases of the DW lifecycle.
The DW Bus Matrix is built with attention to the business processes that must be measured. Fact tables contain the process measures and the conforming dimensions represent the business participants in the process.