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Raising your BI IQ—How Business Intelligence Impacts IR Presenters Faron Kincheloe, Baylor University Martha Oburn, Lone Star College System
Raising your BI IQ—How Business Intelligence Impacts IR
PresentersFaron Kincheloe, Baylor University
Martha Oburn, Lone Star College System
So What is BI Anyway?
BI (Business Intelligence) is an umbrella term to describe a set of concepts and methods to improve decision-making by using fact-based support systems.
Source: Wikipedia
Why is BI needed?
• Increasing size and complexity of our institutions
• Need for more information—not just data• Expectations that information will be
accessible, flexible, easy to use• The desire to provide advanced analytics
including predictive modeling, forecasting
What are the components of a BI system?
• Projects• People• Data• Software• Hardware
BI Terminology 101
• Decision Support Systems (DSS)• On Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) • Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)• Dashboards• Scorecards• Data warehouse• Data mining• Analytics
Evolution of BI
• Was it really a data warehouse?• Diverse definitions
– Archived data– Transactional reporting center– Data Mart
Diverse Definitions
• Data Closet – It is usually the first stage of the Data Warehouse, a small, dark place to shove some data.
• Data Kid’s Room – It is bigger than a Data Closet, but usually quite disorganized, with nobody wanting to clean it up.
• Data Haunted House – A Data Warehouse that has been abandoned because of scary data.
Source: Unknown
Diverse Definitions
• Data Double-Wide – A poorly implemented Data Warehouse designed by the boss’ son-in-law Billy Bob for half the price.
• Data Penthouse – It is very expensive to maintain and all you can get is top level data.
• Data Fortress – It could be the greatest Data Warehouse ever, but you’ll never know because the security guys have it locked down too well.
Source: Unknown
Diverse Definitions
• Data Wal-Mart – A Data Warehouse that is so successful it expands rapidly and people from other departments organize protests to try to keep it from taking all their resources.
Source: Unknown
Evolution of BI
• BI was there all along• Shift from past to present and future
– Dashboards– Analytics– Forecasting
How do BI systems get implemented?
• Executive support is critical to success• Start comprehensive planning sooner not later• It’s not about the software! • Try not to let budget constraints drive key
decisions
How do BI systems get implemented?
• Involve key staff at the start• Partner with your IT department• Start training immediately• Manage expectations• Anticipate culture change
About that Software
• Compatibility• Adaptability• Scalability• Your ability
What does planning for BI include?
• Identify the goals and purposes of BI• Review current sources of data and
information• Assess the costs and risks related to BI
implementation• Determine who will benefit—and who will pay
What does planning for BI include?
• Define the key metrics and their information requirements
• Establish the best ways to measure each metric
• Develop strategies to monitor progress and make adjustments as necessary
• Identify security implications
A key question
How will IR be involved in planning, implementation, and organization of
BI?
Where Does BI Live?
• IR vs. IT• Data knowledge• Technical expertise• What works in your culture • Teamwork is essential
What can BI do for my College or University?
• Single version of the truth• Better informed decisions• Targeted marketing• Predictive modeling
Data Subjects in Institutional BI
• Recruits• Applicants• Enrolled Students• Degrees Awarded• Employees• Financial
– Aid awards– Tuition revenue– Expenses vs. Budget
Typical Information Formats
• Drillable Cubes• Stored Processes• Static Reports (PDF)• Interactive Excel Documents• Links to other web resources• Automated updates
How Does BI Impact IR?
• Make our jobs easier, right?– Self-service for users
• Questions get tougher• Exposes data issues
– Cleaner data
• More organized data for IR• Ongoing maintenance• Users are hungry for more!
