Managing Information • A data warehouse is a repository for an organisations electronically created data and is designed and optimised to facilitate reporting and analysis. • Business intelligence tools are designed to report, analyse and present data. The tools generally read data, though not necessarily, that has been stored in a data warehouse.
‘But business intelligence is not just about hardware and software. It is about a company wide recognition that a company’s data are an important strategic asset that can yield valuable management information to improve decision making and implement change.’
Having a strategy is important Consistent Strategy?
• Having a strategy is the cornerstone of a successful business intelligence project
21%
• Top level management need to see the potential for BI? • Why is BI being implemented in the organisation? • Communicate understanding throughout the organisation
11% 68%
• Selecting the right technology • Do we have the right data in the right format • On-going development for the BI system
Yes – across the whole organisation Different strategies in different part of the organisation No consistent strategy
How would you describe the current status of data warehousing/business intelligence within your organisation? • Many organisations have a BI/DW solution of one sort or another • The result of tactical purchasing of products by individual departments • Result of implementing products with in-built business intelligence solutions • Result of merger activity – separate companies having their own products
11%
26%
5%
21% 21% 5%
11%
Widely implemented across the organisation
• Mature organisations have moved from departmental through operational BI to enterprise
Implemented in some parts of the organisation Currently in development/implementation Initial feasibility study/pilot study underway Formal analysis and specification in progress Identified as a future area of activity No plans to implement these systems
Key business reasons for adopting data warehousing & business intelligence? Improving quality of decision making
4.5
Providing insight into trends
3.8
Improving performance measures
3.8
Improving data accuracy & integrity
3.8
Increased insight into customer behaviour
3.5
Providing access to real-time data
3.2 Scale 1 to 5, 1 is equivalent to ‘not important’ and 5 is ‘very important’
2.9
Improving marketing and sales information 0
1
2
3
4
5
• “Providing the evidence base for corporate policy making & improved service delivery” • “Defining key performance indicators and measures” • “Rationalisation and aggregation of information available from diverse applications that underpin the value of pan company CRM” • “Ability to provide correct business decisions in an accurate and timely fashion” • “Elimination of data duplication. Business needs one single source of accurate information in a timely manner”
Do your senior management see data warehousing/business intelligence as a key enabler in decision making? 11%
• Managers need more insightful information that they can trust • Understanding what is happening in your business
5%
21%
11%
• Key decisions not made on numbers in your own spreadsheet & gut feeling • Managing and competing on ‘information’ and ‘intelligence’ is a key driver of performance for the 21st century business
26% 26% Very important Important Medium importance Little importance Not important Don't know
Overall how well do you think the objectives for data warehousing/business intelligence have been achieved? • Would indicate that many organisations still have a long way to go to become ‘intelligence’ driven
0%
16%
32%
• How do you define success? • Many organisations may need to redefine their BI objectives & strategy • Appoint champion to review information needs and delivery • Use external help if necessary
Large organisation – 3000 + food stores – using DW/BI for 15 years
•
300+ users of BI software across Finance, Trading, Marketing, Operations and Supply Chain
•
Data Warehouse now holds over 20 Billion rows of EPOS based data
•
Hold over 2 years history on granular data. This is over 2 billion customer baskets containing over 12 billion items
•
In addition to what the baskets contain we also know how they were paid for, which promotions they triggered, the promotional discount the customer received and any other reductions
•
Every day 9000 files are collected from the store estate. Over 25 million rows of data are loaded each night such that Monday’s sales data is available by 7.00am on Tuesday morning
•
Understand in detail the buying patterns of customers and members
- good with information • Loss prevention – minimise leakage & wastage • EPOS transaction data analysed for unusual patterns of behaviour • Created bespoke dashboards & reports - 90 + users across country • Allows loss prevention team to be more pro-active • First year produced £2 million of savings – avoided loss
“Business intelligence is an integral part of running our operations day-to-day and without it we would be running our business blind.” Mark Hale – Director of IS - Co-operative – Food Retail
Summary • Realisation that company data is a strategic asset • Effective strategy is essential • Need senior management to drive on-going development • Future looking as important as real time • Reports need to be flexible, customisable and interactive
