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In Context, by Doug Henschen
Doug Henschen joined Intelligent Enterprise as Editor in 2004 and was named Editor-in-Chief in January 2007. He has specialized in covering the intersection of business intelligence, performance management, business process management and rules management technologies within enterprise applications and architectures. See More by Doug Henschen Top-Ten Secrets of Successful BI Revealed
My first Christmas present arrived the other day: a copy of Successful Business Intelligence: Secrets to Making BI a Killer App. Author Cindi Howson sent it to me in part as thanks for Intelligent Enterprise's help in getting more than 500 BI professionals to complete a 30-question survey that provided insight into the best practices detailed in the book. True to its name, Successful Business Intelligence: Secrets to Making BI a Killer App is a 244-page guidebook that will help beginners get off on the right foot while guiding veterans toward more successful approaches. The book is geared, as Cindi explains, to "businesspeople who feel their organizations are not making the most optimal decisions," as well as to executive sponsors, BI program/project managers and technical experts who design and implement aspects of the BI solution. Cindi puts the focus on business results right up front in Chapter 1, in which she explains how BI delivers value and improves performance. She also introduces the case examples of Flight Stats, Corporate Express, Dow Chemical, Norway Post, 1 800-CONTACTS, Continental Airlines and Emergency Medical Associates, seven successful BI practitioners from which she draws proven best practices and instructive anecdotes throughout the book. You'll find everything from the basics — with chapters on BI tools and components, data quality and BI department/competency center organization — to more advanced advice — such as advice on ensuring relevant insight, adopting agile development approaches and picking the right tool. What I like most about this book is that it's all written in Cindi's engaging, no-techno-babble prose, and she ends each topical chapter with helpful "Best Practices for Successful Business Intelligence," drawn from her research and the experience of successful practitioners. In the spirit of the season, I'll share an abbreviated version of Cindi's Top-Ten Secrets to Successful BI: 1. Measure success in multiple ways… With a weekend of reading, you'll learn how to put all ten secrets into practice.  E-MAIL | SLASHDOT | DIGG This is a public forum. CMP Technology and its affiliates are not responsible for and do not control what is posted herein. CMP Technology makes no warranties or guarantees concerning any advice dispensed by its staff members or readers. Community standards in this comment area do not permit hate language, excessive profanity, or other patently offensive language. Please be aware that all information posted to this comment area becomes the property of CMP Media LLC and may be edited and republished in print or electronic format as outlined in CMP Technology's Terms of Service. Important Note: This comment area is NOT intended for commercial messages or solicitations of business.
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