Page 205 - DCAP307_PLANNING_AND_MANAGING_IT_INFRASTRUCTURE

Unit 12: Business Intelligence

Self Assessment Notes

Fill in the blanks:
6. Business intelligence tools are a type of .................................. that is designed to retrieve,
analyse and report data.

7. A .................................. tool is software setup for users to ask questions about the data. The
user can search for patterns or details.
8. A .................................. tool is software that is automated to search data, seeking out ways
that the data correlates to other data.
9. A .................................. tool, also called Online Analytical Processing (OLAP), is software
that allows the user to view the same data from different aspects.
10. .................................. are popular business intelligence tools, especially among top
management because they are visual and easy to read.
11. .................................. tools bring in data from outside sources, transform it to meet your
specified operational needs, and then load the results into your company database.

12. .................................. tools gather and analyse metadata, helping to increase data quality.
12.4 Business Process Management

Business Performance Management (BPM) can be considered as being the final component of
business intelligence. Business performance management allows companies to more efficiently
collect data from their various sources, analyse it and take appropriate action. Through continuous
and real-time reviews, BPM provides the data to help companies monitor efficiency of projects
and employees against operational targets. Problems can be identified before they grow and
forecasting can become more reliable and predictable. BPM also can be used to analyse risk and
predict outcomes of various scenarios, including mergers and acquisitions.
Business Performance Management produces actionable results through business intelligence.
Business intelligence is the key to enterprise performance success. Business performance
management software can help you harness business intelligence, and use it to your advantage.
Now more than ever, businesses need timely and accurate information to improve performance,
increase revenue, reduce costs and optimise resources. Business intelligence (BI) provides the
purposeful information necessary to help you improve your decision-making and business
processes.
Typical reasons organisations struggle with business performance management and BI projects
include:
 Lack of planning—Failing to set reasonable goals and objectives up front or not establishing
proper controls to signal the business has strayed off course

 Limited access to data—Business users find it difficult and overly complex to properly
assess information from disparate data sources across the organisation
 Lack of adoption—The sooner a business intelligence solution delivers value, the faster it
will be adopted throughout the organisation
Business Performance Management is the next phase in the evolution of decision support systems,
enterprise information systems and business intelligence. If BPM is an outgrowth of BI and
incorporates many of its technologies, applications and techniques, than why BI itself can’t

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