Features To Look For In Bi Tools

The world of business is one that has changed quite a bit in the last twenty years

. Advancements in technology have made it possible to bolster productivity and accomplish more than was ever thought possible before the age of the Internet. Of course, the only way this can happen is through the use of improved business intelligence (BI) tools, which are designed to provide you and your employees with the information needed to get a comprehensive overview of your company's performance and productivity. But what kind of features should you look for in BI tools?

Data Access and Mashup: No matter what the business that you are in, you need the type of data access that allows you to know the things which keep you competitive within your industry. Information such as monthly revenue, orders by customer, sales information, and employee sick time can all factor in. Reward the tenacity that helps you meet quotas. Seek clients that are profitable in both revenue and time. Pat employees on the back who go that extra mile. Technology enables you to monitor virtually anything pertaining to your business, so make sure the BI tools that you evaluate include powerful and flexible data access and mashup tools.

Visualization: Raw data is not always easy to use and translate into decisions without more simplified presentation. That's where visual analysis tools come in handy. Through multi-dimensional charting, analytic and monitoring-oriented dashboards, you can see at a glance the things you're doing right and the areas where improvements are necessary. Patterns and outliers are also more easily detected. Before you buy, know what you're getting into, and make sure that the BI software you are evaluating includes easy to use visual analysis tools.

Unified Business Analytics: Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is only half of the battle. You must make sure that you have a clear idea of what to do with that information. That's where unified business analytics come in to play. With target based and balanced scorecards, alerts for exceptions, interlinking between programs, and crossover access to applications such as Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services, Hyperion ESSbase, Oracle OLAP, and SAP NetWeaver, it becomes easier to explore the ramifications of your content and produce plans or contingencies.

Success in today's marketplace is not getting any easier to come by. Nevertheless, it is possible if you prepare for it by taking stock of where your organization is, and where it needs to go in order to stay competitive. Don't leave things to chance, and don't refrain from searching for these tools based simply on the fact that you don't understand the technology. The appeal of BI tools is that they make your life easier. Ease of use and self-service capabilities are key features of today's software - which represent a great improvement from the tools of yesterday.

by: Gen Wright

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