+

Chapter 7: Business Intelligence Tools and Vendors

+Outline

BI tools Relationship with capabilities and solutions Customization and standardization

BI vendors Types of vendors

+Outline

BI vendors Type basis

Ability to execute (ATE) Completeness of vision (COV)

Type classifications Leaders Challengers Visionaries Niche Players

+Business Intelligence Tools?

Application software which enables BI

Facilitates access, analysis of data and presentation of results

Complement traditional ITs (DW, data mining, transaction processing systems) to enable 4 BI capabilities

+Business Intelligence Tools Differ from BI Capabilities

BI capabilitiesOrganizational memoryInformation integrationInsight creationPresentation

+Business Intelligence Tools Differ from BI Solutions

BI solutionsUtilize BI tools acquired by an

organization Draw upon existing data from traditional

ITs, and other information to support the BI process by delivering information and knowledge to facilitate decision-making

The four BI capabilities come together in BI solutions

+ Figure 7.1: BI Tools in Relation to BI Capabilities, Solution, Product, and Process

BI SolutionBI Solution

Data and Information (External & Internal;

Structured & Unstructured)

BI ProcessBI ProcessInformation (that leads to knowledge and/or enables decision making)

BI Product

BI Tools

Other Technologies (e.g., Data Warehouse,

Data Mining)

Other Technologies (e.g., Data Warehouse,

Data Mining)

BI CapabilitiesOrganizational

MemoryOrganizational

MemoryInformation IntegrationInformation Integration

Insight Creation Insight

Creation PresentationPresentation

© Sabhewal & Becerra-Fernandez

+Figure 7.2: A Variety of BI Tool and Technologies

Data Warehousing

Enterprise Resource Planning systems

Knowledge Repositories

Digital Content Management tools

Document Management tools

Business Analytics tools

Data Mining

Real-time Decision Support tools

BPM tools

Scorecarding tools

Digital Dashboards

Visualization tools

OLAP tools

RFID

Environmental Scanning

Web Mining tools

Text Mining tools

© Sabhewal & Becerra-Fernandez

+BI Tools Classified into Categories

Reporting, data mining, OLAP (Baars and Kemper)

Increasing: cost, functionality, BI complexity & Decreasing: # of users (Keydata)

Supports: data, information, knowledge, decisions (Olsak and Ziemba)

BI tools and technologies map into four BI capabilities Drawn from other arenas to support BI capabilities Emerged with development of BI

+

• Data Warehousing• ERP• Knowledge

Repositories• Digital Content

Management tools

• Document Management tools

• Data Warehousing• ERP• Knowledge

Repositories• Digital Content

Management tools

• Document Management tools

• Business Analytics tools

• Data Mining• Real-time Decision

Support

• Business Analytics tools

• Data Mining• Real-time Decision

Support

• Text Mining tools• Web Mining tools• Environmental

Scanning• RFID

• Text Mining tools• Web Mining tools• Environmental

Scanning• RFID

Figure 7.3: Classifying BI Tools and Technologies Based on Supported Capability

BI Capabilities Organizational Memory

Organizational Memory

Information IntegrationInformation Integration Insight Creation Insight Creation

BI Tools and Technologies

Note: The highlighted tools have emerged along with development of BI, whereas the others have beenadapted from other technologies to support BI.

• OLAP tools • Visualization

tools• Digital

Dashboards• Scorecarding

tools• BPM tools

• OLAP tools • Visualization

tools• Digital

Dashboards• Scorecarding

tools• BPM tools

PresentationPresentation

© Sabhewal & Becerra-Fernandez

+Customization vs Standardization of BI Tools

CustomizationCould lead to wasting time on tools

rather than business tasks Could lead to creating queries that are

not useful to all

StandardizationCould be overly restrictive Could inhibit some of the major benefits

from BI

+Customization vs Standardization of BI Tools: Recommendations Tools supporting organizational memory capability

should be standardized

Tools supporting information integration should be customized only with respect to roles

Tools supporting insight creation capabilities should be customized with respect to roles and tasks

Tools supporting presentation capability should be customized with respect to roles, tasks, and individuals

+Figure 7.4: Customization and Standardization of BI Tools and Technologies

Note: The highlighted tools have emerged along with development of BI, whereas the others have beenadapted from other technologies to support BI.

• Data Warehousing• ERP• Knowledge

Repositories• Digital Content

Management tools

• Document Management tools

• Data Warehousing• ERP• Knowledge

Repositories• Digital Content

Management tools

• Document Management tools

• Business Analytics tools

• Data Mining• Real-time Decision

Support

• Business Analytics tools

• Data Mining• Real-time Decision

Support

• Text Mining tools• Web Mining tools• Environmental

Scanning• RFID

• Text Mining tools• Web Mining tools• Environmental

Scanning• RFID

BI Capabilities Organizational Memory

Organizational Memory

Information IntegrationInformation Integration Insight Creation Insight Creation

BI Tools and Technologies

• OLAP tools • Visualization

tools• Digital

Dashboards• Scorecarding

tools• BPM tools

• OLAP tools • Visualization

tools• Digital

Dashboards• Scorecarding

tools• BPM tools

PresentationPresentation

Customization for users/situations becomes more importantCustomization for users/situations becomes more important

Standardization becomes more importantStandardization becomes more important

No customization Customization for roles and tasks

Customization for roles, tasks, and

individuals Customization for

roles

© Sabhewal & Becerra-Fernandez

+Four BI Mega-Vendors

Oracle (including Hyperion)

SAP (including Business Objects)

IBM (including Cognos and SPSS)

Microsoft

+Six Major Independent BI

Vendors

SAS

Micro Strategy

Information Builders

TIBCO (including Spotfire)

Qliktech

Actuate

+Other Notable BI Vendors

Teradata

HP

arcplan

Board International

Panorama Software

+Classification of BI Vendors …

#1

BI vendors Basis of classification

Ability to execute (ATE) Completeness of vision (COV)

Four types Leaders (strong in ATE, strong in COV) Challengers (strong in ATE, limited in COV) Visionaries (limited in ATE, strong in COV) Niche Players (limited in ATE, limited in COV)

+Classification of BI Vendors …

#2Vendor Evaluation in industry surveysBI Mega-vendors

Oracle (including Hyperion)

G’08: Leader; G’09: Leader; F’08: Leader

SAP (including Business Objects)

G’08: Leader; G’09: Leader; F’08: Leader

IBM (including Cognos) G’08: Leader; G’09: Leader; F’08: Leader

Microsoft G’08: Leader; G’09: Leader; F’08: Strong performer

Major Independent VendorsSAS G’08: Leader; G’09: Leader; F’08: Leader

Micro Strategy G’08: Leader; G’09: Leader; F’08: Strong performer

Information Builders G’08: Leader; G’09: Leader; F’08: Strong performer

TIBCO (including Spotfire) G’08: Visionary; G’09: Visionary; F’08: Strong performer

Qliktech G’08: Visionary; G’09: Visionary; F’08: Contender

Actuate G’08: Niche player; G’09: Niche player; F’08: Strong performer

Note: “G’ and “F’” refer to Gartner and Forrester classifications, respectively. ‘08 and ‘09 refer to classifications in 2008 and 2009, respectively.

+Products Offered by BI Vendors

Vendor ProductsOracle (including Hyperion)

Oracle BI Suite Enterprise Edition Plus; Oracle BI Suite Standard Edition One; Oracle BI Publisher; Oracle Business Activity Monitoring; Oracle Crystal Ball; Oracle Data Integration Suite; Oracle BI on Demand

SAP (including Business Objects)

SAP Business Objects Enterprise; SAP Business Objects Xcelsius Enterprise; Crystal Reports; Netweaver BW (Business Warehouse)

IBM (including Cognos)

IBM Cognos 8, delivering numerous BI capabilities on a single service-oriented architecture: reporting, analysis, scorecarding, dashboards, and extending BI

Microsoft Microsoft SQL Server; Microsoft SharePoint Server Microsoft Office Performance Point Server; Microsoft Excel

SAS SAS Enterprise BI Server; SAS Analytics; SAS Visual BI; SAS Web Report Studio

Micro Strategy Intelligence Server; Intelligence server extensions; User interfaces; Development/administration tools

Information Builders

WebFOCUS BI platform; iWay software suite of pre-built integration components; host-based reporting (FOCUS)

TIBCO (including Spotfire)

TIBCO Spotfire; TIBCO Spotfire DecisionSite; TIBCO Spotfire Analytics Server; TIBCO Spotfire S+

Qliktech QlikView; QlikView Server; QlikView Publisher

Actuate Actuate BIRT tools; Actuate e.Reports; e.Spreadsheet

+Recap

We have:

• Discussed BI tools, examined them in relation to BI Capabilities and solutions, and illustrated them

• Identified and classified major BI vendors and the tools they offer

+Key Terms

business intelligence tools

business intelligence solutions

business intelligence vendors

mega-vendors

independent BI vendors

customization of BI tools

standardization of BI tools

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©  Sabherwal & Becerra-Fernandez