| Good Business Intelligence will provide answers to your | | | | in. The software used to create Business Intelligence |
| questions. Great Business Intelligence will answer the | | | | reports is capable of producing any variation of date |
| questions you wish you had asked. So how do you | | | | ranges imaginable, so some thought is required to take |
| ensure that your Business Intelligence is great Business | | | | maximum advantage of all these possibilities. A good |
| Intelligence? The first step is to develop a definitive | | | | BI consultant will provide guidance and suggest viable |
| picture of what you want the BI to deliver. Never lose | | | | options. |
| track of core idea: BI should provide answers to your | | | | Frequency |
| questions. | | | | How often do you want to view the information? This |
| Initially, I would advise that you produce a list of dreams | | | | can also have an impact on the date ranges used for |
| and desirables. Ignore whether data is actually available | | | | the report and should be considered when setting up a |
| in this first step. A good Business Intelligence | | | | schedule for when reports are run. Initially Joe wants a |
| professional will often be able to derive information | | | | one off set of reports to show how his company is |
| from existing data where it would seem impossible - | | | | currently performing. However, he plans on making |
| let them decide what is achievable and what is not. It's | | | | several changes based this analysis and wants to |
| extremely common for a BI implementation to highlight | | | | monitor how they alter profits. |
| the benefit for new streams of data to be collected | | | | Joe re-runs the reports weekly for the first month to |
| and stored. | | | | monitor the initial impact of his changes, and decides |
| Joe's Garage has expanded beyond all expectations | | | | that a monthly run will give enough information |
| through diligence and the use of Business Intelligence. | | | | thereafter. |
| As a result of this success, Joe has expanded the | | | | Distribution |
| types of data he records and now, as well as | | | | Once a report is developed it must be run to collect, |
| customer and completed job records, the company | | | | manipulate and display the requested data, and the |
| also retains information on employee time keeping, job | | | | results communicated to the people who need to view |
| timings and costings, and a host of other areas of | | | | it. This can be done as a manual process, running the |
| business. As more information is collected Joe | | | | report and then either saving it to a suitably accessible |
| becomes increasingly excited about new opportunities. | | | | drive, or emailing to the intended recipients. However, |
| Start here... | | | | specialist software is available for this purpose, and |
| With wish-list in hand, confer with anyone who may | | | | reports can be scheduled to run automatically at |
| have an insight into the information your company is | | | | specified time interval, and results sent to recipients in a |
| storing. Now is the time to track down any information | | | | convenient format (usually Excel or PDF). |
| that anyone may be tracking on their personal | | | | The size and scope of your project will determine |
| spreadsheet etc, it can all be reported on and | | | | whether specialist software is a worthwhile |
| analysed, and can all be of benefit. If your company | | | | investment. I discuss Distribution in greater detail in later |
| has Database Administrators, they are likely to be | | | | articles. |
| more aware of what data is available than anyone | | | | The Development Process |
| else. Most IT, administrative and management roles | | | | Business Intelligence implementations are a different |
| involve elements of data collection, recording and | | | | animal to other IT development and should be treated |
| monitoring, so prepare to be surprised by the scope of | | | | as such. Traditionally, a design document is written to |
| your existing data. | | | | client specifications and once this is signed off as |
| With your increased knowledge it is at this point that | | | | correct and complete, the software is developed and |
| bringing in a Business Intelligence consultant is highly | | | | the project is considered finished. Any change to the |
| recommended, as expert guidance is crucial in making | | | | software after this point incurs additional cost. |
| the most of the opportunity. In my previous article 'blah | | | | Developing BI reports however, should be a more fluid |
| blah blah' I discussed the options available for hiring in | | | | and iterative process. All efforts should be taken to |
| expert help, and gave some handy pointers on pricing | | | | identify what is needed before work commences, but |
| and negotiating contracts. | | | | the first draft of the developed report should be |
| Joe has an in depth look at the data he and his staff | | | | treated as just that, a first draft. Many consultants will |
| have gathered over the past few months and makes | | | | try to set requirements in stone as early as possible. |
| some rough notes on areas of interest. The main core | | | | This is usually done with the best of intentions, but by |
| of Joe's focus is staff efficiency and work standards. | | | | accepting a rigid template from the outset, there is a |
| Whether you decide to use an in-house developer, or | | | | high likelihood of a compromise in the quality and scope |
| bring in a specialist consultant to execute your project, | | | | of the finished reports. |
| you will need a general understanding of reporting to | | | | There are many factors to consider, some subjective, |
| be able to communicate your goals and requirements | | | | or which seem a good idea in theory, but in reality do |
| effectively. | | | | not achieve the desired results. The result of Joe's initial |
| Types of Reports | | | | meeting with Patrick generated more ideas for reports |
| There are a few distinct categories of report styles, | | | | than Joe could realistically use or would be affordable |
| and the type of report you choose will determine how | | | | in the short term. Joe is toying with the idea of staff |
| successfully the report will meet its objective. The | | | | bonuses and so decides to focus exclusively on the |
| following list describes the basic types, which will give | | | | times associated with different jobs. This is to |
| you an idea of the features and advantages of each. | | | | encompass the performance variations between jobs |
| Please note, there are no hard and fast rules, and | | | | completed on different days of the week, morning or |
| reports can be a mix of these types tailored to your | | | | afternoon, employee undertaking the job. |
| specific requirements: | | | | After viewing the first draft reports and further |
| * Detail Reports - Essentially a list of all the information | | | | discussion with Patrick, Joe decides to have the |
| of interest. These are great for identifying particular | | | | various information presented wit one report for ease |
| records or problems. Additional formatting can be used | | | | of reference, but knows this is as much work as |
| to highlight records that may be of interest. | | | | producing three separate reports. |
| * Summary Reports - These provide totalled | | | | When is development complete? |
| summaries of the data that is of interest, such as | | | | Ideally, a report should only be signed off once its |
| hours spent on a particular task in a week. The range | | | | target audience has viewed, and ideally used the |
| of options for the type of summary total is extensive - | | | | report with real data. Minor requests are common at |
| average, sum, percent, count - to name a few (Crystal | | | | this stage. Often small adjustments are required to |
| Reports has nineteen different types of summary). | | | | take account of factors which were not apparent at |
| Results of Summary Reports are often displayed in | | | | the time of the initial design discussion, but become |
| charts for clarity. | | | | obvious when viewing the report for real. For example, |
| * Drilldown Reports - This is like a Summary Report, | | | | perhaps two columns which tend to be compared are |
| but has the added feature that when you click on any | | | | illustrated at opposite ends of the report, thus requiring |
| summary total, the report displays the detailed data | | | | repositioning. |
| that makes up that summary. | | | | Many consultancies are not fond of this approach as it |
| * Dashboards - These are a collection of Summary | | | | gives the customer the freedom to make changes |
| Reports, usually viewed in graph form with a minimum | | | | their brief and requirements after work has already |
| of numeric values displayed, and are designed to give | | | | been done. Personally though, I find that if the original |
| the viewer an immediate overview of a particular set | | | | requirements analysis is done correctly, any alterations |
| of related information. These options, either individually | | | | needed later are minimal and worth the effort to fine |
| or used in conjunction, will meet virtually all business | | | | the report exactly to the customers needs. Patrick |
| requirements no matter what the business sector. | | | | supplies a set of "prototype reports" which Joe looks |
| Joe wants the freedom to look closely at all his data | | | | over. Other than a couple small changes, the reports |
| and so opts for drilldowns on all his reports. This allows | | | | are exactly what Joe had envisaged. |
| him to investigate the cause of any summarised | | | | However, after using them for a couple of days Joe |
| results that catch his attention. He particularly likes the | | | | decides that one report needs to be altered. Patrick |
| idea of being able to compare employee work rates, | | | | looks at the report and they agree that it does match |
| and then look more closely into the data to see | | | | the initial requirements exactly. Joe is sure that, after |
| whether any patterns emerge. | | | | viewing the other reports, he wants the information in a |
| Date Ranges | | | | different format. He decides that he will keep the |
| Every report must specify the time span from which | | | | report in its original format as well, and so it is clear that |
| data is to be reported. It is important to make the right | | | | the new format report is an extra requirement. |
| choice, and very much worth taking the time to give it | | | | As this new report is derivative of the original it does |
| careful consideration. In a lot of cases your decision will | | | | not take a lot of work to develop, so Patrick is able to |
| depend on what the information is needed for. For | | | | produce it at an affordable price. |
| example a report which shows data from the previous | | | | So, in short... |
| six months in summary, with the current month's data | | | | To recap, here is a list of the basic steps involved in a |
| shown on a day by day chart and in summary, is an | | | | Business Intelligence implementation. |
| invaluable tool for a manager to track their progress | | | | Identify the Questions You Want Answering |
| daily during the month. | | | | Look Over Your Company Databases and See What |
| However, if you want to measure the performance of | | | | You Have |
| a third party provider, measuring in four week blocks | | | | Utilise Expert Help to Set a Solid and Agreed BI |
| rather than months (which vary in length) is the only | | | | Implementation Scope |
| way to view performance consistently. Another | | | | Evaluate the Developed Reports and Test Their |
| common requirement for this type of report is to | | | | Suitability |
| differentiate between work carried out during a | | | | With All Alterations in Place, Sign-off the |
| standard working day and that which is resolved | | | | Implementation as Complete |
| "outside of hours". | | | | And finally, reap the rewards of great Business |
| Comparing seasonal sales can also be of great | | | | Intelligence! |
| importance depending on the type of business you are | | | | |