{"id":10564,"date":"2016-10-25T10:55:35","date_gmt":"2016-10-25T15:55:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/?p=10564"},"modified":"2022-11-22T16:08:31","modified_gmt":"2022-11-22T22:08:31","slug":"6-important-things-to-look-for-in-a-bi-solution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/2016\/10\/6-important-things-to-look-for-in-a-bi-solution\/","title":{"rendered":"6 key areas to examine in any BI solution"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Education\"Summary: Business Intelligence solutions have grown rapidly over the last few years. The modern business now has more BI tools than ever to choose from. How can you select the right BI tool? What elements should they look for? In this article, we explore a few not-so-obvious areas you can’t ignore when choosing a BI solution.<\/em><\/span>
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Business Intelligence (BI) is growing by leaps and bounds. According to Gartner<\/span><\/a>, the BI and analytics market will reach $16.9 billion this year, a 5.2% increase over last year. This growth is further evidenced in the annual \u201cTop CIO priorities<\/span><\/a>\u201d lists, in which BI\/analytics has taken the top spot a few years running. <\/p>\n

Driven by this increased demand for BI, new tools are cropping up left and right. If you\u2019re in the market for a BI solution, you\u2019ll easily find hundreds (if not thousands) of options to choose from.<\/p>\n

The big question<\/strong>: How do you know which option to choose? Are you going to compare every available option? Probably not. <\/p>\n

So, where do you start? How do you separate the good from the bad? After all, most BI tools offer similar features. They will all create reports and dashboards. They will all let you analyze your data.<\/p>\n

However, if you look a little deeper, you\u2019ll find some key differences. These are areas that might not seem obvious at first glance, but can make or break a BI project. Today, let\u2019s explore a few not-so-obvious areas you should look for in any BI solution.<\/p>\n

1. Scalability costs<\/h3>\n

This is an area that\u2019s commonly overlooked. Organizations commonly license a BI solution based on their current needs, but don\u2019t plan for growth. <\/p>\n

The problem is, many solutions become prohibitively expensive as your needs change. I\u2019ve seen businesses get hit with rising user fees, distribution fees, run-time fees, and more. They licensed a tool at a low initial cost…and it ballooned out of control as they grew. Now, they’ve invested time and money into a solution they can no longer afford.<\/p>\n

My advice: Plan for growth from the start. Now, I’m not saying you should purchase more licenses than you need. But, you must understand how the fees will change if you add more users or decide to distribute your BI applications in the future. You’d be surprised at the convoluted licensing structures that some BI vendors use.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cDifferent BI tools are suited to different purposes,\u201d explains Dirk Garner, Principal Consultant with Garner Consulting<\/span><\/a>. \u201cSome are best to serve individual users while others can serve the enterprise. Whichever tool you are looking for, you should determine if it will scale as your usage grows and your company strategy evolves. You may not see an immediate need for this, but once you begin using your new BI tool and experience success, others will surely want to get involved. Because of these factors you should consider how the upgrade cost structure works. Are the costs progressive based on usage, users, or seats? Will you be able to secure funding on an ongoing basis? Is there tiered licensing available?\u201d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

2. Self-service capabilities<\/h3>\n

The term, \u201cSelf-service BI<\/span><\/a>\u201d has grown in popularity over the last few years. With the growth of data, businesses are adopting self-service tools that let end users analyze data on their own.<\/p>\n

But, there\u2019s a problem: Not every \u201cself-service\u201d tool is truly self-service. Some require light coding, while others require technical skills. <\/p>\n

Before you adopt any \u201cself-service\u201d solution, walk through the build process interface in detail. As explained below, a true self-service tool won\u2019t require coding or extensive technical knowledge on the user\u2019s end.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cA true self-service BI tools is not just about fancy dashboards that appear easy to use but have to be built by technical professionals first,\u201d says Ben Tai, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of DrivenBI<\/span>. \u201cIt should require no programming or professional technical skill, no data warehouse or data modeling even when it comes building multi-dimensional analysis. And these business professional-friendly factors should stay true throughout the entire BI lifecycle, from preparing data, building analysis, and generating reports, to sharing results, taking actions, and collaborating with colleagues.\u201d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

3. Architecture<\/h3>\n

One of the most important aspects of BI software is also one that you can\u2019t see: The architecture. Some vendors build their software on proprietary architecture. Others build it on open architecture and frameworks.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the difference? While we cover a few advantages of good architecture in this article<\/span><\/a>, let\u2019s focus on one key benefit of a well-architected solution: Integration.<\/p>\n

Chances are, you will need to integrate your BI software with other software or systems within your company. The architecture could be the difference between a simple or difficult (if not impossible) integration. I\u2019ve seen businesses struggle for over a year trying to integrate a BI tool, before finally ditching it altogether. Understand how easily you can integrate a solution with your existing systems before you buy. <\/p>\n

\n\u201cHow well does the tool integrate with others?,” asks Charlie Leeds, Product Manager at Powerlinx<\/span><\/a>. \u201cThe point of having a BI tool is to be able to find actionable insights and put them into action. Good BI tools then should either seamlessly integrate into one another, or at least complement each other.\u201d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

4. Customization options<\/h3>\n

Is your business unique? Or, are there hundreds of businesses that do exactly what you do? I\u2019ll bet that most business leaders would choose the first option.<\/p>\n

If that\u2019s the case, why do so many businesses opt for one-size-fits-all BI solutions? If your business is unique, don\u2019t you want a BI tool that works the way your business works? <\/p>\n

\n\u201cReports and analytics are only as good as the data and business rules engines that crunch the data,\u201d says Robert W. Wells, CEO of Allocable<\/span>. \u201cBe sure to select a BI solution that fits your unique business or industry. There are far too many \u201cone-size-fits-all\u201d BI tools out there.\u201d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s a great point, and I\u2019d like to take it one step further. Make sure you understand how customizable the solution is before you license it. Here are a few questions to ask the vendor: <\/p>\n