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6 essential elements of a good reporting solution

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EducationHave you ever purchased business software, only to realize later that it didn’t quite meet every requirement? Maybe you overlooked a requirement, or maybe you assumed certain capabilities were standard, but they weren’t.

If you’re looking around at reporting tools, I want to help you avoid that mistake. The first (and most important) piece of advice is this: Never assume. Don’t just assume that every tool is created equal, or has similar features. Some tools may look impressive, but completely leave out some “basic” features.

So, what do you look for in a reporting tool? Obviously, the requirements vary by company, but I believe that certain elements are essential in a good reporting tool. What are they? We’ve put together a handy list of 6 essential elements you should look for in any good reporting solution. I hope you find it useful!

Create business reports in under 5 minutes

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Save TimeSome people request them from the IT department. Others lock themselves in their offices for a day or two and go crazy with spreadsheets. Others delegate the task. Whatever the method, everyone has a process for creating business reports.

But, what if your process wastes time? What if the hours you spend running reports or analyzing data are unnecessary?

Here’s a good test: Does it take longer than 5 minutes? If so, you’re wasting time. Within a matter of seconds, you should be able to see any piece of data you wish to see. For example, applications like this interactive report or this web pivot table report give you a high level view of data, but let you “slice-and-dice” it however you want. …

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What is business intelligence?

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EducationJust the other day, someone asked me this question: “What is business intelligence?” It got me thinking…I frequently write about business intelligence (BI) and why it’s important, but I’ve never really defined the term. In this post, I’d like to take a step back and give you the what, why, who, where, when, and how of business intelligence. Sound good? Okay, let’s get started…

What is business intelligence?
Most companies collect and store data covering all areas of their business. This data sits in a database and is really pretty useless in this format. What do I mean by that? If you looked at data in a database, it wouldn’t make any sense and would most definitely overwhelm you. This is where business intelligence comes into play. Business intelligence is the process of taking that (overwhelming) data in your database and presenting it in an understandable, accessible, and useful fashion. …

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Five essential elements every Business Intelligence solution should include

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EducationBusiness intelligence is a confusing subject. Generally speaking, when a company realizes they need business intelligence (BI), they aren’t clear on everything a BI solution should include. Why not? BI isn’t the same across the board. As a result, comparing BI solutions is like comparing apples and oranges. Each solution contains different elements.

So, how do you know which elements to look for in a BI solution? I think a few elements are pretty standard, like simple ad-hoc reporting, the ability to use multiple databases, and exporting data to Excel and PDF. Besides these basic elements, I’ve put together a brief list of 5 essential elements that every good BI solution should include: …

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