Table Of ContentSuccessful
Business
Intelligence
Second Edition
Unlock the Value of BI & Big Data
About the Author
Cindi Howson is the founder of BI Scorecard (www.biscorecard.com),
a resource for in-depth BI product reviews, and has more than 20
years of BI and management reporting experience. She advises clients
on BI strategy, best practices, and tool selections; writes and blogs
for Information Week; and is an instructor for The Data Warehousing
Institute (TDWI). Prior to founding BI Scorecard, Cindi was a man-
ager at Deloitte & Touche and a BI standards leader for a Fortune 500
company. She has an MBA from Rice University. Contact Cindi at
[email protected].
About the Technical Editor
Mark Hammond is a technology writer working in the IT field since
1998 with a focus on business intelligence and data integration. An
award-winning journalist, Hammond serves as a contributing analyst
to The Data Warehousing Institute and provides services to leading
enterprise software companies. He can be reached at mfhammond@
comcast.net.
Successful
Business
Intelligence
Second Edition
Unlock the Value of BI & Big Data
Cindi Howson
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Contents
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xv
1. BI and Big Data from the Business Side 1
Business Intelligence by Other Names 1
How Business Intelligence Provides Value 4
The Business Intelligence Market 11
Battle Scars 18
The Research 19
Best Practices for Successful Business Intelligence 24
2. Technobabble: Components of a Business
Intelligence Architecture 27
Operational and Source Systems 28
Data Transfer: From Operational to Data Warehouse 31
The Data Warehouse 34
Data Warehouse Tables 37
The Data Warehouse Technology Platform 40
Big Data Technologies 45
Best Practices for Successful Business Intelligence 49
3. The Business Intelligence Front-End: More
Than a Pretty Face 51
Utopia: Self-Service BI 52
Business Query and Reporting 53
Visual Data Discovery 56
Dashboards 60
Scorecards 62
Production Reporting 63
Mobile BI 64
Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) 65
Microsoft Office 68
Performance Management 69
Analytic Applications 71
Advanced and Predictive Analytics 72
vii
viii Contents
Big Data Analytics 73
Best Practices for Successful Business Intelligence 73
4. Measures of Success 75
Success and Business Impact 75
How to Measure Success 79
Measures of Success at Netflix 80
Measures of Success at Learning Circle 82
Measures of Success at Constant Contact 83
Return on Investment 85
Anecdotes of Hard Business Benefits 87
Number of Users 87
Other Measures of Success 92
Best Practices for Successful Business Intelligence 93
5. Catalysts for Success: The LOFT Effect 95
The Role of Luck 95
Opportunity 100
Frustration 109
Threat 113
The Role of Time 116
If There Is No LOFT Effect, Is Successful BI Still Possible? 117
Best Practices for Successful Business Intelligence 119
6. Executive Support and Culture 121
Executive Support and Success 121
Which Executive Is the Best Sponsor? 123
The Role of an Executive Sponsor 126
Getting and Keeping Executive Buy-In 128
Culture 131
Best Practices for Successful Business Intelligence 138
7. The Business–IT Partnership 139
Voices of Frustration . . . and Hope 139
The Business–IT Yin-Yang 141
Meet the Hybrid Business–IT Person 144
How to Be a Better Partner 146
Partnership and BI Success 149
Partnership at Netflix 150
Alignment 152
Best Practices for Successful Business Intelligence 155
8. D Is for Data 157
Data Breadth 158
Data Quality 159
Contents ix
Successful Data Architectures 169
Master Data Management 171
Right-Time Data 175
Data Quality’s Chicken and Egg 178
Best Practices for Successful Business Intelligence 180
9. Relevance 181
Relevance Brings Clearer Vision 182
Relevance Improves Patient Care 183
Relevance for Teachers 188
The Role of Incentives 189
Personalization 190
Requirements-Driven BI 191
What to Do with Big Data 191
Best Practices for Successful Business Intelligence 193
10. Agile Development 195
Waterfall Development Process 195
Agile Development Techniques 201
Basic Concepts of Scrum 204
Agile Culture at Netflix 210
Medtronic: Agile for the Right Projects 211
Sharper BI at 1-800 CONTACTS 213
Best Practices for Successful Business Intelligence 213
11. Organizing for Success 215
Enterprise vs. Departmental BI 215
The BI Steering Committee 223
Business Intelligence Competency Centers (BICC) 224
The Best People 229
BI Team Leaders as Level 5 Leaders 230
Best Practices for Successful Business Intelligence 231
12. The Right BI Tool for the Right User 233
The Importance of BI Tools 236
The Role of BI Standardization 237
The Right Tool for the Right User 243
Characteristics for Defining User Segments 244
The Most Successful BI Module 252
Best Practices for Successful Business Intelligence 255
13. Other Secrets to Success 257
Innovation 257
Evangelizing and Promoting Your BI Capabilities 261
Training 268
