What is a Business Intelligence White Paper
A business intelligence white paper simply defines a write up, by a journalist, expert on the subject or by a vendor, that in some way deals with issues surrounding business intelligence. Business intelligence white papers are typically published the most by business intelligence vendors like cognos, business objects and others. A business intelligence white paper will typically deal with a number of diverse issues like reporting or issues relating to deploying and using business intelligence. A supply chain management business intelligence white paper, for example, will deal with how BI can be used within the supply chain industry.
Purpose of a Business Intelligence White Paper
While the fundamental purpose of any business intelligence white paper is education, the true "purpose" of a business intelligence white paper depends on its source. Any business intelligence white paper published from independent research is typically unbiased and tries to provide a balanced view of the subject being covered. A business intelligence white paper published by a software vendor on the other hand may not be as unbiased since it tries to present a view of business intelligence that is most beneficial to the vendor.
Finding a Business Intelligence White Paper
Despite their bias, vendor sites are among the best places to find a business intelligence white paper. Companies like cognos, business objects, EMANIO, QlikTech and others publish white papers and make them available on their web sites and through other means. These business intelligence white papers are typically geared more towards how the specific company solutions solve key problems but can be educational and useful nonetheless. The key to reading a vendor business intelligence white paper is to truly understand the goal behind the business intelligence white paper.
Goals of a Business Intelligence White Paper
A business intelligence white paper published by a vendor has two goals. The first goal of a vendor business intelligence white paper is to generate leads. While you may not be immediately contacted by a vendor sales rep, rest assured that your request for a business intelligence white paper has generated a trail that will ultimately lead to a phone call. While this may seem intrusive its a small price to pay for a business intelligence white paper that can often contain very valuable information. The reason for this is the second goal, vendors use a business intelligence white paper to in fact educate the market and try to get broader understanding for their tools and the problems they solve.
Benefits of Reading a Business Intelligence White Paper
Reading a business intelligence white paper published by a vendor can have a number of benefits. The first one is simply education. A business intelligence white paper from a vendor is going to provide valuable insight. The second is product knowledge; a business intelligence white paper from a vendor will invariably give you some information about the vendor, the business intelligence white paper will also let you gauge how knowledgeable about the subject the vendor is.
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