The Business Intelligence perspective focuses on the distinctive aspects of business analysis in regards to changing, combining, and amplifying data.
The focus of business intelligence is the changing of data into enhanced information: this includes where to get it, how to merge it, and how to improve and deliver it as analytic insight to help with business decision making.
Business intelligence initiatives use infocentric system architectures as well as technologies and tools to convey dependable, stable, high-quality information that enables stakeholders to better manage strategic, tactical, and operational performance.
Business intelligence change scope talks about the factors in business intelligence and they include the following:
1 Breadth of Change: One of the main objectives of a business intelligence system is the reliable description and use of information throughout an organization by setting up a ‘single point of truth’ for various business data.
A solution architecture that can merges numerous data sources from within and even outside the organization furnishes the foundation of a business intelligence solution.
The business intelligence advances an enterprise-wide view of information
management.
To support that theoretical framework, a business intelligence initiative may also involve the creation of infrastructure services in the organization, such as data governance and metadata management.
2 Depth of Change: Business intelligence initiatives are centered on the information needed to support decision making at, across and at numerous levels within the organization, and these levels are:
- The executive level: this level assists with strategic decisions.
- The management level: this level assists tactical decisions.
- The process level: this level assists operational decisions.
Where information needs are originally communicated a particular level, the business analyst explores the business implications at other levels to evaluate the overall effect of the change on the organization.
At each level, the business needs may involve any or all of the following:
- Communication requirements for the creation of new reporting or the replacement of existing reporting.
- Information requirements for the addition of analytic functionality.
- Data combination requirements for the creation or alteration of the enterprise data view regarding data sources, definitions, transformation rules and quality issues.
3 Value and Solutions Delivered: The business intelligence initiative is valued for its ability to provide timely, accurate,valuable, and pragmatic information to people and systems in the enterprise so that they can use it in making business decisions.
Knowledgeable decision making at all levels can lead to enhanced business
performance in the following areas:
- Strategic processes such as market research, customer commitment, and product development.
- Tactical processes such as inventory and financial planning.
- Operational processes such as credit assessment, troubleshooting, and accounts payable observation.
These improvements when used in an organization’s current and future performance may be realized in increased revenues and reduced costs.
4 Delivery Approach: A business intelligence solution provides a range of delivery options to meet the arising information needs of stakeholders and the prime considerations of the organization.
The resilience and elasticity of the solution architecture ensures that business decision making would be gradually improved in the following situations:
- At different levels in the organization, from the strategic level which are the senior executives, through to the tactical level which is middle management, then to the operational staff and systems.
- In selected functional areas in the organization, from a particular area through to an enterprise-wide implementation.
The infrastructure services that provide data management, analytics, and
presentation capabilities, ease an incremental development strategy in regards to:
- The incorporation, coordination and control of numerous data sources.
- The analysis and creation of business information and insights.
Infrastructure elements of a business intelligence solution are usually provided by a commercial off-the-shelf package configured to the specific business environment and needs.
5 Major Assumptions: The following list states the major assumptions of a business intelligence initiative and they are:
- The existing business processes and transactional systems can provide source data that is describable and predictable.
- Technical, financial, political, cultural consideration do not prevent the implementation of the cross-functional data infrastructure that is needed to support a business intelligence solution.
- The organization acknowledges that process re-engineering and change management might be needed in order to successfully realize the value from a business intelligence solution.