bridge the gap between insight and action |
actionable meaning from reporting and |
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by supporting peoples’ natural decision- |
analytics. |
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making processes. |
2. Increasingly dispersed workforces have |
heightened the need for, and benefit of, |
Gartner has suggested that around 15 % of |
fast information sharing and collabora- |
||
BI deployments now combine traditional |
tive decision-making. |
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BI and collaborative components in a single |
3. The need to provide context to action- |
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decision-making environment. I believe this |
able information to underpin accurate, |
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figure is extremely conservative. Or if it’ s ac- |
fact-based decision-making. |
curate, far too many vendors are hopelessly |
behind the fast disappearing‘ ball’. |
I’ ve also found that clients who embrace best |
practice collaborative BI have the ability to |
This demand for better enterprise collabora- |
improve productivity and visibility across |
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tion, and collective decision-making capabili- |
the breadth of organisational operations, |
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ties, is part of a wider spike in demand for |
via enhanced knowledge sharing. |
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© iStockphoto. com / Er Ten Hong |
CDM software. Analyst firm IDC reported a 5.1 % uptick in CDM software sales across 2012, making it the fastest growing global software segment last year.
More specifically, Wayne Eckerson’ s‘ Collaborative Business Intelligence: Optimizing the Process of Making Decisions’ report found that 87 % of BI professionals believe that“ col-
|
The need: why is collaboration important when using analytics?
The demand and drivers for collaborative BI
seem clear. But why is conducting effective
collaboration so important when attempting
to use BI content to make better decisions?
Information sharing and discussion allows
|
|
laboration tools can have a positive impact |
human insight and understanding to be |
||
when drawn together, enable a collective |
on analysis and decision-making activities”, |
added to data, making it more meaningful |
|
decision to be made. |
while“ Fifty-eight percent of BI professionals |
and actionable. |
|
plan to evaluate collaboration features when |
|||
BI veterans Claudia Imhoff and Collin |
they purchase their next BI tools.” |
Collaboration exposes the‘ why’ and‘ how’ |
|
White provide a useful definition of col- |
behind data, helping us move beyond the |
||
laborative BI,“ BI software enables business |
According to InformationWeek’ s 2012 Busi- |
simple‘ what’ and onto a deeper level of |
|
users to report on and analyse business |
ness Intelligence, Analytics and Information |
analysis and comprehension. For example, |
|
processes and associated activities, while |
Management Survey, 59 % of IT pros list“ the |
you might work for a sporting goods com- |
|
collaboration tools enable the results of BI |
ability for users to share and collaborate” as |
pany assessing the monthly sales report. In |
|
queries and reports as well as other related |
the most important feature to consider when |
one instance, that report might indicate a |
|
information to be accessed and shared by |
purchasing a BI solution. Only mainstays |
massive jump in the sale of boxing equip- |
|
multiple users. |
“ ease of use”( 63 %) and“ fast data explora- |
ment. By sharing data with all the relevant |
|
tion”( 62 %) ranked higher. |
business groups- Sales( did we have a focus |
||
“ The ultimate goal of any BI environment is to make timely and better business |
Drivers |
on clearing boxing equipment this month?),
Marketing( did we run a campaign?), IT
|
|
decisions. A collaborative BI environment |
Over the years I’ ve found three key factors |
( do we have errors in our data sets relat- |
|
supports team efforts to assess situations |
driving client demand and interest in col- |
ing to boxing equipment?)- we’ re able to |
|
and make decisions.” |
laborative BI: |
determine not just what happened, but why |
|
Demand for collaborative BI |
1. The increased demand for real-time information, in conjunction with the |
and how it happened. Collaborative BI is
about connecting the right people with
|
|
If executed correctly, collaborative BI has the |
rapid expansion of corporate data assets, |
the right data to maximise the effective- |
|
ability to form crucial connections between |
has resulted in organisations searching |
ness of data analysis and achieve better |
|
people, process, data and technology- to |
for faster methods to share and derive |
decision-making. |
27 |