An Introduction to Business Intelligence

An introduction to business intelligence is typically associated with users or potential buyers of business intelligence systems who are looking for reporting and dashboarding solutions. An introduction to business intelligence is often the first step in a long road of learning about and understanding business intelligence on the road to adoption. Any introduction to business intelligence is most effective when it takes the concepts of business intelligence, the challenges and the benefits, and presents them in a way that provides maximum usage for the audience.

Why use an Introduction to Business Intelligence

Using an introduction to business intelligence can be most beneficial in a number of settings. One of the most useful ones is the early stages of research on business intelligence. This is typically the case when a company is moving from traditional reporting to business intelligence. An introduction to business intelligence in this phase should focus on the benefits of business intelligence and the various types of business intelligence platforms available. Through an introduction to business intelligence the business should learn why they should make the purchase and what the options available in the market are.

Introduction to Business Intelligence During Purchasing

During the purchasing phase, an introduction to business intelligence should provide more information about specifics on each platform being looked at. The introduction to business intelligence in this phase will give the organization a clear understanding of each systems capabilities. This introduction to business intelligence is often provided by each of the vendors being considered, focused on the advantages and benefits of the system in question. This type of introduction to business intelligence is a great launching point for organizations to begin their BI evaluations.

Introduction to Business Intelligence During Adoption

When moving to the adoption phase, an introduction to business intelligence should focus on the best practices associated with buying and deploying a business intelligence solution. In this phase, the introduction to business intelligence should point out related needs like data warehousing and best practices associated with successful deployments. An introduction to business intelligence in this phase should also point to the perils of not using best practices and how to avoid these perils. The introduction to business intelligence should also provide enough range of material to fit the needs of organizations of varying sizes.

Sources for an Introduction to Business Intelligence

As you search for an introduction to business intelligence there are going to be a number of sources that will be useful. One of the most effective introductions to business intelligence is a simple look at the wikipedia page on the topic. This type of introduction to business intelligence will be cursory and not provide a lot of detail, but will be a a valuable starting point for someone getting started. Other great sources for an introduction to business intelligence are vendor sites. While their material will be skewed towards their own solutions, any introduction to business intelligence of this type is going to also be beneficial in the process.