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The term BI has been stretched and widened to encapsulate a lot of different techniques, tools and technologies since it was first coined decades ago.
Essentially, BI has always been about information delivery, be it in static rows and columns, graphical representations of information, or the modern and hyper-interactive dashboard with dials and widgets. BI technologies have also evolved to include intuitive ad-hoc query and analysis with the ability to drill down into the details within context.
All of these capabilities are great for reacting to business problems as they occur. But organizations are not just solving problems. They are also anticipating and managing change, sustainable growth and managing performance.
Businesses face diverse and complex problems, global competition grows exponentially, increasingly restrictive regulations are just around the corner. Now they also have to operate in the midst of a ruinous global credit and liquidity crisis.
Reactionary decision making is just not working. Progressive organizations are now more than ever looking to leverage the power of analytics, specifically business analytics. Why? It’s because of the heightened need for proactive, evidence-based decision making.
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