Business IntelligenceConceptual IntroductionBy Ahmed Rami Elsherif

Introduction

• Business intelligence (BI) generally refers to the process of transforming the raw data companies collect from their various operations into usable information.

• BI software comprises specialized computer programs that allow an enterprise to easily aggregate, manipulate, and display data as information that can be acted upon in the decision making process.

Simple Example

Raw Data e.g.A sales/Cost transaction

Introduced in the enterprise ERP

Information e.g.A sales/Cost trend

graph generated by BI Application

Knowledge e.g.A sales/Cost cause

and effect analysis of information generated by the BI Application

Current Situation & Challenges• Companies are flood with raw data stored in their

transactional Information systems but lack the tools to exploit it into information and knowledge.

• Roughly 80 % of Business Analysis time is spent on collection, consolidating, and presenting the information and 20 % on the real analysis and decision making.

• Semantics,Terminology and Metrics are different and ambiguous a cross the companies departments and units.

Solution OverviewBI Application

•Read data from transactional systems.

•Transform,aggregate, and present information.

•Deliver the information for the decision makers in time and quality.

SAP R/3

Oracle

JD Edwards

Other Applications

INPUT

Reports

Charts and Graphs

Costume Queries

Mail Alerts

OUTPUT

Advantages

• Increase speed,accuracy and quality of Information.

• Eliminate data collecting tasks and concentrate in analysis and decision making.

• Cultivate a culture of curiosity and proactive questioning.

• Uniform presentation and calculation procedures.

Project Success Factors

• Guarantee the commitment of the higher management for the BI project.

• Involve the users in the planning and conception phase or the project.

• Establish a culture of measurement.• Make the system as easy to use as possible. • Empower the system with flexibility and adaptability

to answer new requirements that can come up.

Conclusion

A proposed formula to estimate the value of information in the enterprise is:

The Value of Information ~ Users2 X Business Area

BI Portals are very effective, direct means of increasing both variables of that formula reason for which companies have to pay close attention to their analysis, design, development and implementation.