At Data Clarity, we are often asked the question: what does my ideal business intelligence (BI) solution look like? The answer will, of course, be slightly different for every company depending on size and need. But there are a number of key considerations that every company needs to keep in mind.
Below we examine the most importance business intelligence features you should expect when choosing your ideal BI solution for your organisation.
1. Self-serve reporting
The complex nature of traditional business intelligence means that only a select few employees within an organisation have the technical expertise required to build and maintain reports. This can place a great strain on resources and can lead to bottlenecks forming around these key individuals, slowing down the entire reporting process.
To get around any technical limitations, companies should look for BI tools with self-service reporting capabilities. Self-service reporting means that non-technical business users are able to generate any reports that are required whenever they need to, without relying on IT team support.
A self-service reporting solution such as ClarityQB allows users to generate powerful reports quickly and easily, without the requisite technical skills.
2. Data visualisation
On the back of the last point, self-service reporting, data visualisation has become a major component in the overall effort to make BI more widely accessible. It has become one of the most important business intelligence features in recent years.
In a modern workplace, where time is of the essence, it has become crucial that information is efficiently communicated across different levels of the business. The effective use of data visualisation can allow you to present large volumes of data in simplified and user-friendly manner.
3. Report scheduling
The ability to create stunning reports, quickly and easily is incredibly important. However, building reports is only half of the story, what you do with them is equally, if not more important.
There is no use creating these reports if they then lay unused and do not reach the people who would truly benefit from them. For this reason, report scheduling is one of the critical business intelligence features that you should expect from a Business Intelligence and reporting solution.
The ClarityQB Report Scheduler can email reports to individuals and groups – in or outside of your organisation, automatically and in a choice of file formats. On top of this we also provide a Report tools which enables users to create more complex, pixel perfect reports.
4. Fast implementation
One of the major issues with traditional business intelligence software is that it often requires a complex, time-consuming implementation process. This process is even more difficult for businesses that lack the in-house capabilities to conduct the implementation themselves. Figures show that these companies could end up spending between 100% – 300% of the original software cost on external consultancy to get things up and running.
One of the most important business intelligence features you should be looking for is a fast, efficient implementation process. With a Business Intelligence solution such as ClarityQB, a team of experts are on hand at every stage throughout the implementation process.
5. Data warehouse
It is entirely possible to have a successful business intelligence solution without having a data warehouse. However, having one could supercharge your BI strategy, making it one of the most important business intelligence features you should consider.
Why? Simply put, a Data Warehouse transforms the ease with which you can exploit your investment in Business Intelligence, and also greatly enhances its power, usability, and performance.
Here at Data Clarity, we regard a Data Warehouse as one of the core business intelligence features of our Cloud-based Business Intelligence ‘software as a service’ offering and are strong advocates of the advantages that it can bring to your organisation.
6. Mobile Access
In today’s work environment, mobility is no longer a luxury, but one of the must-have business intelligence features.
With busy executives always on the go, it is crucial that they can easily access management information wherever they are, on a range of different devices such as mobile and tablet. Companies should always keep this in mind when looking for their ideal BI solution.
7. Advanced security
Without a doubt, one of the most talked about business intelligence features is security, particularly when it comes to Cloud BI solutions. In the past concerns over security have led to businesses preferring on premise business intelligence solutions, however these concerns are beginning to diminish as vendors offer more robust and stringent security measures.
At Data Clarity we understand that security is one of the most important business intelligence features. Data Clarity BI allows you to control exactly who sees what. Using groups and roles, you can ensure a user only gets the information they need to see and nothing else. In this way you can share BI with managers, employees and even suppliers or customers with peace of mind.
We understand the importance of security in a cloud business intelligence world. Our security provisions are extensive. We use encryption that exceeds banking standards. Our data centres are ISO 27001 accredited.
To find out more about the fantastic business intelligence features of ClarityQB, visit the features page of our website.