Worst Practices in Business Intelligence – Why BI Applications Succeed Where BI Tools Fail

BI software – tools, platforms, and applications alike – holds great potential for helping
organizations readily access the enterprise information needed to make informed business
decisions and, ultimately, achieve their business objectives. But, as with any technology, the
implementation, roll out, and usage practices play a critical role in the success of BI.
In tracking mediocre results, and even failure1, in the implementation of BI software over the
years, many common threads, or “worst practices,” can be found. The top-four worst practices
for BI include:

■ Assuming the average business user has the know-how or the time to use BI tools

■ Allowing Excel to become the default BI “platform”

■ Assuming a data warehouse will solve all information access and delivery requirements

■ Selecting a BI tool without a specific business need

These worst practices set companies on the auspicious path of BI failure. They have been repeated
by some of the best run and smartest companies in the world. Typically, these worst practices are
the result of wanting to ride the latest technology wave without balancing the hype with practical
knowledge and experience.

Designed to help organizations learn from the mistakes of others, this paper provides insight into
the top-four worst practices for BI. It also provides guidance on how to avoid and/or overcome
worst practices in order to tap into the true power of BI. By reading this paper, you will have a
solid understanding of how to avoid BI failure and achieve success with your BI initiatives.

by Kevin R. Quinn

Full Story: http://www.informationbuilders.com/about_us/whitepapers/pdf/Worstpractices_R4.pdf

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Inteneo Systems – Business Intelligence Expertise from Big Sky Country http://www.inteneosystems.com