Business Intelligence ... no glaze please

When asked "what is BI ?" it is so easy to illicit a look so glazed that it could compete with a Krispy Kreme donut.

The problem is we tend to explain BI in terms of the technology. Don't misunderstand me, this is perfectly understandable. After all, it was the convergence of a number of technologies over the last 20 years that made so much of what Business Intelligence is today possible. Also, the technology does some amazing things. It allows users to navigate their information with a slice, dice, drag or drop and then visualise it in any number of charts, maps or diagrams.

However, before I launch into an enthusiastic guided (or misguided) tour of OLAP, data warehousing and metadata with a detailed explanation of the difference between scorecards and dashboards I usually remind myself that it is possible to get through the BI elevator pitch after you have pressed the button and before the doors have closed.

At it's simplest, Business Intelligence is business information for the purpose of decision making. That's it.

But let me just explain a little more about master data management ...