Business Intelligence has many aspects, but the penny drops for most managers when they see their data visually, in one place, via a dashboard.
Visual dashboard in our Solution Accelerator
Our approach to BI is based on using the right tool for the job, so ideally we would use PerformancePoint for heavyweight analysis and data sets with live drill down and views, complex reporting using SQL Server Reporting Services, Microsoft Excel 2010 for legacy reports, ad hoc reports and quick turn round reporting needs and SharePoint KPI lists where simple RAG indications are needed (Plus integration of existing BI tools where needed). This spread of tools is then presented to the user in one or more personalised and interactive SharePoint dashboards, providing a consistent ‘at a glance’ view of many factors that busy managers can act on, and which the analysis team can rapidly alter and update to show the current state of play/business needs.
Dashboards:
- Provide important, related information in one glance
- Can show summarized or detailed data
- Can be targeted to specific audiences
- Allow interaction – drill down, get details
- Commonly show scorecards composed using KPIs
KPIs can be built using:
- Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services
- Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (KPI Lists)
- Microsoft PerformancePoint
- Microsoft Excel
