Learn to create an effective business strategy using Microsoft's BI stack Microsoft Business Intelligence tools are among the most widely used applications for gathering, providing access to, and analyzing data to enable the enterprise to make sound business decisions. The tools include SharePoint Server, the Office Suite, PerformancePoint Server, and SQL Server, among others. With so much jargon and so many technologies involved, Microsoft Business Intelligence For Dummies provides a much-needed step-by-step explanation of what's involved and how to use this powerful package to improve your business. Microsoft Business Intelligence encompasses a broad collection of tools designed to help business owners and managers direct the enterprise effectively This guide provides an overview of SharePoint, PerformancePoint, the SQL Server suite, Microsoft Office, and the BI development technologies Explains how the various technologies work together to solve functional problems Translates the buzzwords and shows you how to create your business strategy Examines related technologies including data warehousing, data marts, Online Analytical Processing (OLAP), data mining, reporting, dashboards, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Simplifies this complex package to get you up and running quickly Microsoft Business Intelligence For Dummies demystifies these essential tools for enterprise managers, business analysts, and others who need to get up to speed.

Make competitive intelligence part of your business practice—and be on the cutting edge Competitive intelligence is the art of defining, gathering, analyzing, and distributing intelligence about products, customers, competitors, individuals, concepts, information, ideas, or data needed to support executives and managers in making strategic decisions for an organization. Competitive Intelligence For Dummies introduces you to this fascinating subject and gives you the tools you need to incorporate it into your business decision-making process. Conducted within an organization, competitive intelligence serves as a catalyst in planning and strategic growth. It is part of the value chain that converts gathered data to actionable information that results in strategic decisions. Competitive Intelligence For Dummies helps readers gather valuable information on the competition, the operational environment, and the target customer. It also explains how to carefully analyze and use this information in decision making processes to gain market share and stay on the cutting edge of an industry. Whether you are just starting a business, venturing into new areas with your existing company, or looking to gain ground on a key competitor, Competitive Intelligence For Dummies gives you insight on how to gather valuable information on not only your competitors, but on your market and key customer base. Gets you up to speed on how to locate, collect, and process competitive intelligence Shows you how to carefully analyze competitive intelligence and disseminate it throughout your organization Illustrates how competitive intelligence can help you gain market share If you're a business owner, analyst, manager, or researcher, Competitive Intelligence For Dummies gives you and your business an edge.

You're intelligent, right? So you've already figured out that Business Intelligence can be pretty valuable in making the right decisions about your business. But you’ve heard at least a dozen definitions of what it is, and heard of at least that many BI tools. Where do you start? Business Intelligence For Dummies makes BI understandable! It takes you step by step through the technologies and the alphabet soup, so you can choose the right technology and implement a successful BI environment. You'll see how the applications and technologies work together to access, analyze, and present data that you can use to make better decisions about your products, customers, competitors, and more. You’ll find out how to: Understand the principles and practical elements of BI Determine what your business needs Compare different approaches to BI Build a solid BI architecture and roadmap Design, develop, and deploy your BI plan Relate BI to data warehousing, ERP, CRM, and e-commerce Analyze emerging trends and developing BI tools to see what else may be useful Whether you’re the business owner or the person charged with developing and implementing a BI strategy, checking out Business Intelligence For Dummies is a good business decision.

Business professionals who want to advance their careers need to have a strong understanding of how to utilize business intelligence. This new book provides a comprehensive introduction to the basic business and technical concepts they’ll need to know. It integrates case studies that demonstrate how to apply the material. Business professionals will also find suggested further readings that will develop their knowledge and help them succeed.

A Complete Blueprint for Maximizing the Value of Business Intelligence in the Enterprise The typical enterprise recognizes the immense potential of business intelligence (BI) and its impact upon many facets within the organization—but it’s not easy to transform BI’s potential into real business value. In The New Era of Enterprise Business Intelligence, top BI expert Mike Biere presents a complete blueprint for creating winning BI strategies and infrastructure, and systematically maximizing the value of information throughout the enterprise. This product-independent guide brings together start-to-finish guidance and practical checklists for every senior IT executive, planner, strategist, implementer, and the actual business users themselves. Drawing on thousands of hours working with enterprise customers, Biere helps decision-makers choose from today’s unprecedented spectrum of options, including the latest BI platform suites and appliances. He offers practical, “in-the-trenches” insights on a wide spectrum of planning and implementation issues, from segmenting and supporting users to working with unstructured data. Coverage includes Understanding the scope of today’s BI solutions and how they fit into existing infrastructure Assessing new options such as SaaS and cloud-based technologies Avoiding technology biases and other “project killers” Developing effective RFIs/RFPs and proofs of concept Setting up competency centers and planning for skills development Crafting a better experience for all your business users Supporting the requirements of senior executives, including performance management Cost-justifying BI solutions and measuring success Working with enterprise content management, text analytics, and search Planning and constructing portals, mashups, and other user interfaces Previewing the future of BI

This book examines the managerial dimensions of business intelligence (BI) systems. It develops a set of guidelines for value creation by implementing business intelligence systems and technologies. In particular the book looks at BI as a process – driven by a mix of human and technological capabilities – to serve complex information needs in building insights and providing aid in decision making. After an introduction to the key concepts of BI and neighboring areas of information processing, the book looks at the complexity and multidimensionality of BI. It tackles both data integration and information integration issues. Bodies of knowledge and other widely accepted collections of experience are presented and turned into lessons learned. Following a straightforward introduction to the processes and technologies of BI the book embarks on BI maturity and agility, the components, drivers and inhibitors of BI culture and soft BI factors like attention, sense and trust. Eventually the book attempts to provide a holistic view on business intelligence, possible structures and tradeoffs and embarks to provide an outlook on possible developments in BI and analytics.

Find the right information and present it the right way Take full advantage of all SQL Server Reporting Services can do for you Without a way to interpret it, the data in your database just sits there doing nothing. Now you have help! This handy guide shows you how to retrieve data and create reports with the newest version of SQL Server Reporting Services, so you can deliver both hard copy and interactive, Web-based reports that tell your story. Discover how to Access information from different databases Build the right queries Choose the best report type Move from other reporting tools Deliver reports on demand Produce drill-down and drill-through reports

The convergence of modern technology and social dynamics have shaped the very fabric of today’s organizations, making the role of Business Intelligence (BI) profoundly significant. Data-Driven Business Intelligence Systems for Socio-Technical Organizations delves into the heart of this transformative realm, offering an academic exploration of the tools, strategies, and methodologies that propel enterprises toward data-driven decision-making excellence. Socio-technical organizations, with their intricate interplay between human and technological components, require a unique approach to BI. This book embarks on a comprehensive journey, revealing how BI tools empower these entities to decipher the complexities of their data landscape. From user behavior to social interactions, technological systems to environmental factors, this work sheds light on the multifaceted sources of information that inform organizational strategies. Decision-makers within socio-technical organizations leverage BI insights to discern patterns, spot trends, and uncover correlations that influence operations and the intricate social dynamics within their entities. Research covering real-time monitoring and predictive analytics equips these organizations to respond swiftly to demands and anticipate future trends, harnessing the full potential of data. The book delves into their design, development, and architectural nuances, illuminating these concepts through case studies. This book is ideal for business executives, entrepreneurs, data analysts, marketers, government officials, educators, and researchers.

Learn how to develop models for classification, prediction, and customer segmentation with the help of Data Mining for Business Intelligence In today's world, businesses are becoming more capable of accessing their ideal consumers, and an understanding of data mining contributes to this success. Data Mining for Business Intelligence, which was developed from a course taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management, and the University of Maryland's Smith School of Business, uses real data and actual cases to illustrate the applicability of data mining intelligence to the development of successful business models. Featuring XLMiner, the Microsoft Office Excel add-in, this book allows readers to follow along and implement algorithms at their own speed, with a minimal learning curve. In addition, students and practitioners of data mining techniques are presented with hands-on, business-oriented applications. An abundant amount of exercises and examples are provided to motivate learning and understanding. Data Mining for Business Intelligence: Provides both a theoretical and practical understanding of the key methods of classification, prediction, reduction, exploration, and affinity analysis Features a business decision-making context for these key methods Illustrates the application and interpretation of these methods using real business cases and data This book helps readers understand the beneficial relationship that can be established between data mining and smart business practices, and is an excellent learning tool for creating valuable strategies and making wiser business decisions.

Data analysis is an important part of modern business administration, as efficient compilation of information allows managers and business leaders to make the best decisions for the financial solvency of their organizations. Understanding the use of analytics, reporting, and data mining in everyday business environments is imperative to the success of modern businesses. Applying Business Intelligence Initiatives in Healthcare and Organizational Settings incorporates emerging concepts, methods, models, and relevant applications of business intelligence systems within problem contexts of healthcare and other organizational boundaries. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as rise of embedded analytics, competitive advantage, and strategic capability, this book is ideally designed for business analysts, investors, corporate managers, and entrepreneurs seeking to advance their understanding and practice of business intelligence.