What is business intelligence?

Derek,
This is a huge question and each consultant will give you a slightly different answer depending on what service/software they are hawking. As a former IT Director, my definition of Business Intelligence is ensuring that the right people get the right information at the right time to make the right choices. There are some real difficulties in delivering this. First off, IF an organization is collecting the correct data, all of that data needs to be aggregated (probably from disparate data bases and excel spreadsheets), then it needs to be organized, then presented in a usable format and built with flexibility (sorting, date ranges, field additions/subtractions). The idea that this is a "project" and will done in x number of months is a myth. While everyone wants a BI system or tool, this is a constant, ongoing effort. Just as each department continues to find new indicators, measurements that helps them better perform, the tools need to evolve as well. The key is that you need to know your audience in order to answer your question. Execs will say that BI is the magic box that will give them summarized reports that will allow them to drill down to details and allow them to export to excel. These magic reports will evolve as their needs change. Middle management and line workers will say that it is a report that gives them real time feedback so they can do their jobs better. The actual software, data bases, servers etc. don't matter to these folks. The technology folks will say that BI is the latest greatest hunk of huge iron running THEIR favorite OS, Data Base, BI tool. In some cases it will be a home grown system that just works for their particular company. The interesting thing is that they all may be right. From their perspective that is. The bottom line is that BI delivers results on time, every time for the person that you are asking.

Regards,

George Ruzzier
gruzzier@aldannetworking.com