Description
Knowing your business, market, customers and competition is essential for any organization, small, large or in-between.
Business Analytics
IBM Software Business intelligence
Business intelligence for
business users
2R and SPSS software: Everyone wins
Contents
2 Overview
3 Business users are faced with a number of
analytics challenges
4 Executives
5 Business managers
8 Business analysts
9 Customer-facing and other business users
10 Conclusion: Forward-looking BI in the hands of
those who need it
11 About Business Analytics
11 Request a call
Overview
Knowingyourbusiness,market,customersandcompetition
isessentialforanyorganization,small,largeorin-between.
Increasedcomplexityanduncertaintyworldwidedemand
thatbusinessesandgovernmentscontinuetoimprovetheir
abilitytounderstandandanticipatechange.Inthepast,IT
departmentsorITstafmadesigni?cantinvestmentsin
businessintelligence(BI)solutionstogather,analyzeandshare
thisinformationwithtop-levelexecutivesanddecision-makers.
Recenteventsandexperiencesindicatethatthetruedriver
ofsuccesscomesfrominfusingbusinessanalyticsintoall
aspectsofthebusiness,whetheritisalargeenterpriseor
midsizecompany.Companiesaremostlikelytoreachbusiness
objectiveswhenallkindsofbusinessusersinallkindsof
companiescanaccesscomplete,consistentandtrustworthy
informationthewaytheywant.Mostprefertheiraccessto
beself-service,sotheydonothavetorelyonITtoserve
upimportantreportsordatatoanalyze.Mostimportantly,
businessuserswantbusinessanalyticssolutionsthatareeasy
touse,quickandavailablewhenandwheretheyneedthem.
Business Analytics3
ManyorganizationsareusingBItechnologiestodrivetheir
businessesforward.ThekeyistounleashBIwithsolutions
everyonecanusetoanswerkeybusinessquestions.Business
usersneedasimpleandintuitiveexperiencethathelpsthem
engageand?ndanswerstotheirownquestions.Andthey
shouldnothavetoswitchenvironmentsorlearnnew
applicationsastheyexpandtheirthinking.Theyneed
softwarethatcankeeppacewiththewaytheywork,think,
decideandrespond.
Thispapercovershowimportantitistoaddressthediferent
BIneedsofyourbusinessconstituents,sotheyhaveinsight
whenandwheretheyneedit.
Business users are faced with a
number of analytics challenges
Businessuserstodayfaceanumberofanalyticschallenges
thatwerealmostunheardofjust?veyearsago.Bigdata,
changedcustomerexpectationsandthepressuretodomore
withlessloomlargeinalmostallbusinesses.Considerthese
statistics.Thirty-eightpercentofNorthAmericanbusinesses
haveinvestedinsolutionstohelpthemusebigdatatotheir
advantage.
1
Thepercentageofconsumerswhorelyonat
leastonesocialnetworkforbuyingdecisionsis95percent.
2
Amajorityofbusinessesarenotabletoachievethedesired
returnontheircapitalinvestments.
“Our business generates a lot of data, and the
Cognos Business Intelligence platform helps
us understand all our ‘big data.’ As a result
we have a complete view of what is happening
in the business so that we can efectively
communicate our transformation strategy.”
– Manager, Strategy Analy tics and Business Intelligence at a US Manufacturing
company
Navigatingthisworldofbigdata,socialnetworksandbudget
constraintsisdifcult.Businessusersareexpectedtohavea
consistentunderstandingofwhatishappeningthroughoutthe
entireorganizationtobetteralignwithcompanygoalsand
objectives.Tomeettheseexpectations,businessusersneeda
combinationofself-serviceandmanageddataanalysis
capabilitiessotheycanbecomemoreefcientandefective
whendecisionsneedtobemade.Byunderstandingwhathas
happened,whyitishappeningandwhattheycandoaboutit,
businessesmaintainanoutlookontheiroperationsthatis
focusedonthefuture.And,withtherightanalyticssoftware,
theycanhelptheirbusinessesachieveahigherreturnon
capitalinvestments.
4R and SPSS software: Everyone wins
Toachievecompetitiveadvantage,companiesmustbeableto
putBIinthehandsofeveryonewhoneedsit.Makingsureall
usershaveBIcapabilitiesisespeciallycriticalinsmalland
midsizebusinesseswhooftenexpectuserstotakeonseveral
rolesastheygrowthecompany.Companiesmustalsomake
surethatpredictiveanalyticscapabilitiesarepartofBI.IBM
callsthis“forward-lookingBI.”Forward-lookingBIincludes
dataminingandpredictivemodelingsouserscanviewmore
thanjusthistoricdata.Itpresentsinformationasitis
happeningandthetoolstomodelscenariosthatcanhelp
themanticipatefutureoutcomes.Theobjectiveshould
betoprovidebusinessuserswiththeBI,performance
managementandpredictiveanalyticstheyneedto:
• Uncover insightswithatrustedplatformfordelivering
afullofviewbusinessinformationanddatadiscovery.
• Explore enterprise datawithworkspacesthatenablethem
toanalyzeinformationinalmostanyvolume,combination
andcomplexity.
• Make con?dent decisionswithcompletevisibilityinto
yourbusiness.
• Help transform your businessfromareactiveoperation
toaproactivemarketleader.
Inessence,businessusersincompaniesofallsizesneed
everytoolavailabletohelpthemaddressthechallengesof
compresseddecisioncycleswithup-to-theminuteinformation.
Empoweredwithforward-lookingBI,allkindsofbusiness
users —fromexecutivesandanalyststolineofbusiness
managersandBIprofessionals—canmakethedata-driven
decisionsthatleadtobetterresults.Businessanalystscan
easilydevelopandsharemodelstotestscenarios.Finance
andlinesofbusinesscancreateandadaptplansandusebig
datatodelightmorecustomersandoptimizeoperations.
Allbusinessuserscanbasedecisionsonfactsasopposedto
gutfeel.
Executives
Executivesincompaniesofallsizesdemandinformation
thatishighlysummarizedandbearsdirectrelevanceto
theirkeyinitiatives.Theydonotneedtobeboggeddown
byminordetails;theyneedtobeabletoseethebigpicture
quicklyandclearlysotheycantakeaction.Tomeettheir
needsforat-a-glanceviewsofoperationaland?nancial
performance,executivesneedpreassembledandinteractive
workspacecontentthatcanhelpthem:
• Connectwithotherexecutivesormanagerstoshare
insightandgatherbroaderperspectiveandopinions.
• Exploreplansandinformationandmakeannotations
sootherscanviewtheircommentsandsuggestionsand
makeadjustments.
• Trackprojectsandactivitiesandgaininstantaccesstoa
completetasklist.
• Usepredictiveintelligenceinstrategic,operationaland
tacticaldecisions.
Business Analytics5
Figure 1: Forward-looking BI solutions provide at-a-glance views for
executives so they can see the big picture quickly and clearly and take action.
Executivesdonothavetimetolearnnewinterfacesor
complicatedsoftware.Aforward-lookingBIsolutiongives
executivestheoptionofworkingwithafamiliarinterface,
ifthatiswhattheyarecomfortablewith.And,because
executivesareoftenonthego,forward-lookingBIprovides
accesstoinformationontheirsmartphones,tablets,
notebookcomputersandothermobiledevices.
Executivesareultimatelyresponsibleforthedecisions
thatcanstayacompany’scourseortakeitinawholenew
direction.Theyneedtoevaluatesituationsoranticipate
theoutcomeofacourseofactionwithup-to-theminute
informationandpredictiveintelligenceforanalysis.They
mustbecon?dentthattheyaremakingoptimaldecisionsfor
theirorganizationswithBIthatprovidesalltheinformation
theyneedattheir?ngertips.
Business managers
Withaccountabilityforthesuccessofkeyinitiativesand
pro?tability,businessmanagersneedahigh-levelview
ofthebusinessandanabilitytodelveintooperational
details.Ofutmostimportancetothemisknowingwhat
factorsandrelationshipsarein?uencingoutcomessothey
canmitigateriskanddriveimprovements.Fastaccessand
contributiontorelevantinformationandpredictivescenarios
canhelpthemmakebetterbusinessdecisions.Self-service
BI,datadiscoveryandinteractivevisualizationscanenable
themtoworkindependentlyandthensharetheirinsights
withotherstakeholders.
6R and SPSS software: Everyone wins
Businessmanagers,likeallbusinessusers,needanintuitive
workspaceforarrangingandorganizinginformation.When
theycanexploreanycombinationofdata,includingbigdata,
overanytimeperiodandconstructpredictivemodels,they
canunderstandperformanceandanticipatefutureoutcomes.
Uniqueandpersonalizedviewsoftheperformanceoftheir
departments,divisions,linesofbusiness,regionsandmore
arecritical.Therefore,theirworkspacesshouldinclude
capabilitiesfordownloadinggraphicalrepresentationsofdata.
Theworkspacesshouldenablethemtodraganddropplanning
dataandmetricsintotheirreports,dashboards,plansand
more.Theseworkspacesshouldbeavailablewherebusiness
managersneedthemtobe.Theyshouldbeabletousethem:
• Ontheirdesktopsforindependentdatadiscovery,
analysisandinsight
• OnthewebforintegratedandcollaborativeBI
• OntheirsmartphonesortabletsforBIatthepointofimpact
• Intheireverydayapplications
Figure 2: Forward-looking BI solutions provide business managers with
reports on their mobile devices.
Business Analy tics7
Forward-lookingBIforbusinessmanagersshouldalsoinclude:
• Reportingcapabilitiesthatprovidethemwitha
comprehensiveandconsistentviewofbusiness
andoperations
• Interactivevisualizationsandothercapabilitiesthat
enablethemtomakesenseofcomplex,detaileddata
andevenbigdataso,dependingontheirrole,theycan
personalizetheuserexperience,makecustomersmore
pro?table,acquirenewcustomers(salesandmarketing)
orpredictmaintenance,optimizeassetavailabilityand
understanddemand(operations)
• Featuresforinteractingwiththoseviewsontheirdesktop,
withawebbrowserorboth
• Multidimensionaldatamanagementforreconciling
transactionandplanningdatatocreateacorporate-
sanctionedviewofbusinessinformation
• Metrics,processdiagramsandscorecardsforsharing
goalsfromthetopdownandensuringeveryoneisworking
towardthesametargets.
Businessmanagersareverylikelytobecomfortableusing
MicrosoftOfceinterfacesandwanttocontinueworkingin
thefamiliarformat.Forthosereasonsandmore,theyshould
beabletoaccessBIcontentwithMicrosoftOfce.For
travelingmanagers,amobilecapabilityshouldmakeiteasyfor
themtoaccesswhattheyneedthemomenttheyneedit,no
matterwheretheyareorwhatdevicetheyarecarrying.
Extensible visualization
The human brain was designed to process visuals quickly and
easily. Therefore, understanding data is easier when users can
visualize it. Visualization provides interactive suppor t for critical
decision-making and data discovery. It transforms confusing
rows and columns of data into graphical renderings that are
easy to use and understand. Once the domain of a select group
of IT and business analysts, visualization has emerged as a
capability that can enable creative data discover y in the
business without IT inter vention.
Extensible visualization is a capability in IBM® Cognos®
Business Intelligence that enables “pluggable” interactive
visualizations that can be added between product releases.
With extensible visualization, business users can download and
edit a wide variety of graph and char t templates whenever they
need them. They do not have to wait for a new product or
version release to provide them with new graph types.
8R and SPSS software: Everyone wins
Business analysts
Businessanalystsaretaskedwithunveilingblindspotsand
garneringinsightsfromallinformationsourcessotheycan
developfactualcontext.Businessanalystsrelyonreports
toprovidethemwithinformationforconnectingthedots
betweenrevenuesandlosses,productsandpro?tability,
?nancialperformanceandmarkettrendsandsoon.Therefore,
theyneedacomprehensiveforward-lookingBIsolutionthat:
• Presentsthemwithacompleteandconsistentviewof
businessandoperations
• Helpsthemaccessreliablestatisticalevidence,trends,
patternsandpredictionseasily
• Expandsvisibilityandintelligencebeyondtheinformation
athand
• Helpsthemattainaverydetailedunderstandingofthe
relationshipshiddeninallenterprisedata(numerical
andtext)
• Enablesthemtogeneratefocusedpredictiveintelligence
thatcandriveimprovedoutcomesinanydecisionmaking
thatresultsinmeasurableROI
Tohelpbusinessanalysts?ndcorrelationsbetweenthevarious
factorsthatafectbusinessperformance,forward-lookingBI
presentsdatainformatsthatareeasiertoanalyzeandtoshare
withothers.Aworkspaceinstalledontheirdesktopsbut
integratedwiththeenterpriseorauni?ed,interactive
browser-basedworkspacecustomizedjustforthemshould
helpthemexploreandshareinformationthewaytheywant.
Drag-and-droptechniquesandamodelingworkbench
shouldmakeitpossibleforthemtogettothe“why”behind
aneventoractionquicklyandeasily.Drillingdownthrough
increasinglevelsofdetailcanhelpthemviewdataby
diferentdimensions,suchassalesperregionorbyproductto
analyzeandreportontrendsinorganizationalperformance.
Integrationwithpredictiveintelligencecapabilitiesshould
enablethemtoconstructmodelstopredictoutcomesand
futureevents.Thegoalisforthemtobeabletodelivertimely,
quality,relevantinformationtoalarge,diversecommunity.
Figure 3: Forward-looking BI solutions provide business analysts with an
advanced workspace with intuitive navigation and a streamlined look so they
can calculate, drill, ?lter, pivot, monitor KPIs, add char ts, embed predictive
outcomes and more.
Business Analytics9
Businessanalystsareoftenaskedtoprovideanalysisorinsight
onthespot,evenwhentheyarenowhereneartheirofces.
Therefore,theyneedasolutionthatdeliversBIcontent,
analysisandstatisticsrighttotheirmobiledevices.They
shouldalsobeableto:
• UseandsaveBIcontentorcreatesophisticateddesktop
reportssuchasbrie?ngbooksanddashboardsina
MicrosoftOfceapplication.
• RefreshMicrosoftOfcedocumentswithupdated
informationondemand.
• Accessmodelingtoolsthatcanhelpthemincorporate
analysisofabroaderrangeofalternativescenariosto
ascertaintheprobabilityofoutcomes.
Similartootherbusinessusers,analystsneedcollaboration
andnetworkingcapabilitiessotheycanengagewithbusiness
managers,executivesandotheranalyststosharetheinsights
theyhaveuncovered.Theyshouldalsobeabletoaccess
multidimensionaldatamanagement.Dataaugmentationis
necessaryforthemtoaddexternalmarketingandtrenddatato
theircorporateinformation.Visualizationsshouldbeavailable
thatenablethemtopresentanswerstocomplexquestionsina
waythatmostusersintheorganizationcanunderstand.
Customer-facing and other business users
Businessusersarethoseworkerswhoarenotmanagersor
analysts.Oftenonthefrontlinesofabusinessorpartofa
smallormidsizebusiness,theyneedpersonalandeasyaccess
toinformationthatcanhelpthemmeettheirgoalsand
objectives.Theseusersrequire:
• Asingleplacetheycanuseasastartingpointfor
understandinginformationanduncoveringinsight—and
checkingonhowtheyaredoing
• Abrowser-basedreportingfeatureandvisualizationsto
helptheminteractwiththedatatheyneed
• Automatedscorecardsandmetricstohelpthem
visualizehowtheyareperformingbasedontargets
setforrole-speci?cprojectsandactivities.
Thesekindsofbusinessuserswanttocreatetheiron-demand
queriesormodifyexistingreports.Therefore,aforward-
lookingBIsolutionprovidesthemwithtoolsforcontributing
tothereportingprocess—orevenforcreatingtheir
own.Becausemanybusinessusersdealdirectlywithyour
customers,theyareofteninthe?eldoroutsideofyour
BIinfrastructure.Inthepast,thishamperedtheirabilitiesto
makeprompt,efectivedecisionsortakeimmediateaction
whenitwasneeded.
10R and SPSS software: Everyone wins
Forward-lookingBIsolutionsresolvethatsituationwitha
completeBIexperience—browse,exploreandauthor—on
theiriPhonesoriPadsorinaself-containedofine
environment.Businessusersneedtobeabletotaketheir
datawiththemtodiscoveropportunitiesandanalyze
trendsevenwhentheyarenotonline.
Figure 4: Forward-looking BI provides business users on the front lines or
who interact with customers with richly detailed and customizable repor ts that
are easy to distribute.
Conclusion: Forward-looking BI in
the hands of those who need it
Aforward-lookingBIsolutionenablesexecutives,business
managers,businessanalysts,businessusers,processesand
technologytoworktogethersoyourentireorganization,
largeorsmall,canmakemoreinformeddecisions.WithBI
andpredictiveanalyticscapabilitiesinfusedthroughoutyour
business,userscanaccessandshareinformationwhen,where
andhowtheyneedit.Theycanincludecriticaldriversin
theirreportsthatidentifypatterns,trendsandpredictive
scores.Theycanusenumerouscapabilitiestoimprove
operationalefciencyandreachgoalsfaster.Theycanidentify
risksandnewopportunitiesinadvancetoachievebusiness
success.PredictiveanalyticsenhancesthevalueofBIwith
visibilityintothepast,presentandfuture.Asaresult,
individualscanmakesmarterdecisionsandorganizations
cangainagility,outperformandanticipatefutureoutcomes.
Business Analytics11
IBMCognosBusinessIntelligencetransformsdatainto
meaningfulandusefulinformationbyprovidinghistorical,
currentandpredictiveviewsofbusinessoperations.
Thisinformationisdeliveredtobusinessusersthrough
interactivereports,dashboardsandscorecardssothey
canmakesmarterandmorestrategicdecisions.Theresult
isafullpictureofoperationaldatathathelpsgeneratepast,
presentandfutureinsights.Businessuserscannotonly
describeanddiagnoseyourpastandcurrentperformance,
butalsopredictfutureperformance.Theresult?Your
organizationcangainstrategicandcompetitiveadvantages
andpositionitselfforgrowth.
Formoreinformationaboutforward-lookingBI,readthe
whitepaper:ibm.com/ser vices/forms/signup.do?source=swg-
BA_WebOrganic&S_PKG=ov18937
FormoreinformationaboutIBMsolutionsforbusiness
intelligence,visit:ibm.com/sof tware/products/en/categor y/
business-intelligence
About IBM Business Analytics
IBMBusinessAnalyticssoftwaredeliversdata-driveninsights
thathelporganizationsworksmarterandoutperformtheir
peers.Thiscomprehensiveportfolioincludessolutionsfor
businessintelligence,predictiveanalyticsanddecision
management,performancemanagementandriskmanagement.
BusinessAnalyticssolutionsenablecompaniestoidentify
andvisualizetrendsandpatternsinsuchareasascustomer
analyticsthatcanhaveaprofoundefectonbusiness
performance.Theycancomparescenarios;anticipatepotential
threatsandopportunities;betterplan,budgetandforecast
resources;balancerisksagainstexpectedreturnsandworkto
meetregulatoryrequirements.Bymakinganalyticswidely
available,organizationscanaligntacticalandstrategicdecision
makingtoachievebusinessgoals.Formoreinformation,see:
ibm.com/business-analy tics
Request a call
Torequestacallortoaskaquestion,goto
ibm.com/business-analy tics/contactus.AnIBM
representativewillrespondtoyourinquirywithin
twobusinessdays.
©CopyrightIBMCorporation2014
IBMCorporation
SoftwareGroup
Route100
Somers,NY10589
ProducedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
March2014
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1 AngusMacaskill,“Bigdata:Bighypeorbighope?”ZDNet,1Oct.2013;http://www.zdnet.com/big-data-big-hype-or-big-hope-7000021246
2 JamesDohnert,IDGStudyFinds95%ofConsumersUseSocialMedia,”
ClickZ,3Dec.2012,http://www.clickz.com/clickz/news/2229193/
idg-study-?nds-95-of-consumers-use-social-media
Please Recycle
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doc_998375233.pdf
Knowing your business, market, customers and competition is essential for any organization, small, large or in-between.
Business Analytics
IBM Software Business intelligence
Business intelligence for
business users
2R and SPSS software: Everyone wins
Contents
2 Overview
3 Business users are faced with a number of
analytics challenges
4 Executives
5 Business managers
8 Business analysts
9 Customer-facing and other business users
10 Conclusion: Forward-looking BI in the hands of
those who need it
11 About Business Analytics
11 Request a call
Overview
Knowingyourbusiness,market,customersandcompetition
isessentialforanyorganization,small,largeorin-between.
Increasedcomplexityanduncertaintyworldwidedemand
thatbusinessesandgovernmentscontinuetoimprovetheir
abilitytounderstandandanticipatechange.Inthepast,IT
departmentsorITstafmadesigni?cantinvestmentsin
businessintelligence(BI)solutionstogather,analyzeandshare
thisinformationwithtop-levelexecutivesanddecision-makers.
Recenteventsandexperiencesindicatethatthetruedriver
ofsuccesscomesfrominfusingbusinessanalyticsintoall
aspectsofthebusiness,whetheritisalargeenterpriseor
midsizecompany.Companiesaremostlikelytoreachbusiness
objectiveswhenallkindsofbusinessusersinallkindsof
companiescanaccesscomplete,consistentandtrustworthy
informationthewaytheywant.Mostprefertheiraccessto
beself-service,sotheydonothavetorelyonITtoserve
upimportantreportsordatatoanalyze.Mostimportantly,
businessuserswantbusinessanalyticssolutionsthatareeasy
touse,quickandavailablewhenandwheretheyneedthem.
Business Analytics3
ManyorganizationsareusingBItechnologiestodrivetheir
businessesforward.ThekeyistounleashBIwithsolutions
everyonecanusetoanswerkeybusinessquestions.Business
usersneedasimpleandintuitiveexperiencethathelpsthem
engageand?ndanswerstotheirownquestions.Andthey
shouldnothavetoswitchenvironmentsorlearnnew
applicationsastheyexpandtheirthinking.Theyneed
softwarethatcankeeppacewiththewaytheywork,think,
decideandrespond.
Thispapercovershowimportantitistoaddressthediferent
BIneedsofyourbusinessconstituents,sotheyhaveinsight
whenandwheretheyneedit.
Business users are faced with a
number of analytics challenges
Businessuserstodayfaceanumberofanalyticschallenges
thatwerealmostunheardofjust?veyearsago.Bigdata,
changedcustomerexpectationsandthepressuretodomore
withlessloomlargeinalmostallbusinesses.Considerthese
statistics.Thirty-eightpercentofNorthAmericanbusinesses
haveinvestedinsolutionstohelpthemusebigdatatotheir
advantage.
1
Thepercentageofconsumerswhorelyonat
leastonesocialnetworkforbuyingdecisionsis95percent.
2
Amajorityofbusinessesarenotabletoachievethedesired
returnontheircapitalinvestments.
“Our business generates a lot of data, and the
Cognos Business Intelligence platform helps
us understand all our ‘big data.’ As a result
we have a complete view of what is happening
in the business so that we can efectively
communicate our transformation strategy.”
– Manager, Strategy Analy tics and Business Intelligence at a US Manufacturing
company
Navigatingthisworldofbigdata,socialnetworksandbudget
constraintsisdifcult.Businessusersareexpectedtohavea
consistentunderstandingofwhatishappeningthroughoutthe
entireorganizationtobetteralignwithcompanygoalsand
objectives.Tomeettheseexpectations,businessusersneeda
combinationofself-serviceandmanageddataanalysis
capabilitiessotheycanbecomemoreefcientandefective
whendecisionsneedtobemade.Byunderstandingwhathas
happened,whyitishappeningandwhattheycandoaboutit,
businessesmaintainanoutlookontheiroperationsthatis
focusedonthefuture.And,withtherightanalyticssoftware,
theycanhelptheirbusinessesachieveahigherreturnon
capitalinvestments.
4R and SPSS software: Everyone wins
Toachievecompetitiveadvantage,companiesmustbeableto
putBIinthehandsofeveryonewhoneedsit.Makingsureall
usershaveBIcapabilitiesisespeciallycriticalinsmalland
midsizebusinesseswhooftenexpectuserstotakeonseveral
rolesastheygrowthecompany.Companiesmustalsomake
surethatpredictiveanalyticscapabilitiesarepartofBI.IBM
callsthis“forward-lookingBI.”Forward-lookingBIincludes
dataminingandpredictivemodelingsouserscanviewmore
thanjusthistoricdata.Itpresentsinformationasitis
happeningandthetoolstomodelscenariosthatcanhelp
themanticipatefutureoutcomes.Theobjectiveshould
betoprovidebusinessuserswiththeBI,performance
managementandpredictiveanalyticstheyneedto:
• Uncover insightswithatrustedplatformfordelivering
afullofviewbusinessinformationanddatadiscovery.
• Explore enterprise datawithworkspacesthatenablethem
toanalyzeinformationinalmostanyvolume,combination
andcomplexity.
• Make con?dent decisionswithcompletevisibilityinto
yourbusiness.
• Help transform your businessfromareactiveoperation
toaproactivemarketleader.
Inessence,businessusersincompaniesofallsizesneed
everytoolavailabletohelpthemaddressthechallengesof
compresseddecisioncycleswithup-to-theminuteinformation.
Empoweredwithforward-lookingBI,allkindsofbusiness
users —fromexecutivesandanalyststolineofbusiness
managersandBIprofessionals—canmakethedata-driven
decisionsthatleadtobetterresults.Businessanalystscan
easilydevelopandsharemodelstotestscenarios.Finance
andlinesofbusinesscancreateandadaptplansandusebig
datatodelightmorecustomersandoptimizeoperations.
Allbusinessuserscanbasedecisionsonfactsasopposedto
gutfeel.
Executives
Executivesincompaniesofallsizesdemandinformation
thatishighlysummarizedandbearsdirectrelevanceto
theirkeyinitiatives.Theydonotneedtobeboggeddown
byminordetails;theyneedtobeabletoseethebigpicture
quicklyandclearlysotheycantakeaction.Tomeettheir
needsforat-a-glanceviewsofoperationaland?nancial
performance,executivesneedpreassembledandinteractive
workspacecontentthatcanhelpthem:
• Connectwithotherexecutivesormanagerstoshare
insightandgatherbroaderperspectiveandopinions.
• Exploreplansandinformationandmakeannotations
sootherscanviewtheircommentsandsuggestionsand
makeadjustments.
• Trackprojectsandactivitiesandgaininstantaccesstoa
completetasklist.
• Usepredictiveintelligenceinstrategic,operationaland
tacticaldecisions.
Business Analytics5
Figure 1: Forward-looking BI solutions provide at-a-glance views for
executives so they can see the big picture quickly and clearly and take action.
Executivesdonothavetimetolearnnewinterfacesor
complicatedsoftware.Aforward-lookingBIsolutiongives
executivestheoptionofworkingwithafamiliarinterface,
ifthatiswhattheyarecomfortablewith.And,because
executivesareoftenonthego,forward-lookingBIprovides
accesstoinformationontheirsmartphones,tablets,
notebookcomputersandothermobiledevices.
Executivesareultimatelyresponsibleforthedecisions
thatcanstayacompany’scourseortakeitinawholenew
direction.Theyneedtoevaluatesituationsoranticipate
theoutcomeofacourseofactionwithup-to-theminute
informationandpredictiveintelligenceforanalysis.They
mustbecon?dentthattheyaremakingoptimaldecisionsfor
theirorganizationswithBIthatprovidesalltheinformation
theyneedattheir?ngertips.
Business managers
Withaccountabilityforthesuccessofkeyinitiativesand
pro?tability,businessmanagersneedahigh-levelview
ofthebusinessandanabilitytodelveintooperational
details.Ofutmostimportancetothemisknowingwhat
factorsandrelationshipsarein?uencingoutcomessothey
canmitigateriskanddriveimprovements.Fastaccessand
contributiontorelevantinformationandpredictivescenarios
canhelpthemmakebetterbusinessdecisions.Self-service
BI,datadiscoveryandinteractivevisualizationscanenable
themtoworkindependentlyandthensharetheirinsights
withotherstakeholders.
6R and SPSS software: Everyone wins
Businessmanagers,likeallbusinessusers,needanintuitive
workspaceforarrangingandorganizinginformation.When
theycanexploreanycombinationofdata,includingbigdata,
overanytimeperiodandconstructpredictivemodels,they
canunderstandperformanceandanticipatefutureoutcomes.
Uniqueandpersonalizedviewsoftheperformanceoftheir
departments,divisions,linesofbusiness,regionsandmore
arecritical.Therefore,theirworkspacesshouldinclude
capabilitiesfordownloadinggraphicalrepresentationsofdata.
Theworkspacesshouldenablethemtodraganddropplanning
dataandmetricsintotheirreports,dashboards,plansand
more.Theseworkspacesshouldbeavailablewherebusiness
managersneedthemtobe.Theyshouldbeabletousethem:
• Ontheirdesktopsforindependentdatadiscovery,
analysisandinsight
• OnthewebforintegratedandcollaborativeBI
• OntheirsmartphonesortabletsforBIatthepointofimpact
• Intheireverydayapplications
Figure 2: Forward-looking BI solutions provide business managers with
reports on their mobile devices.
Business Analy tics7
Forward-lookingBIforbusinessmanagersshouldalsoinclude:
• Reportingcapabilitiesthatprovidethemwitha
comprehensiveandconsistentviewofbusiness
andoperations
• Interactivevisualizationsandothercapabilitiesthat
enablethemtomakesenseofcomplex,detaileddata
andevenbigdataso,dependingontheirrole,theycan
personalizetheuserexperience,makecustomersmore
pro?table,acquirenewcustomers(salesandmarketing)
orpredictmaintenance,optimizeassetavailabilityand
understanddemand(operations)
• Featuresforinteractingwiththoseviewsontheirdesktop,
withawebbrowserorboth
• Multidimensionaldatamanagementforreconciling
transactionandplanningdatatocreateacorporate-
sanctionedviewofbusinessinformation
• Metrics,processdiagramsandscorecardsforsharing
goalsfromthetopdownandensuringeveryoneisworking
towardthesametargets.
Businessmanagersareverylikelytobecomfortableusing
MicrosoftOfceinterfacesandwanttocontinueworkingin
thefamiliarformat.Forthosereasonsandmore,theyshould
beabletoaccessBIcontentwithMicrosoftOfce.For
travelingmanagers,amobilecapabilityshouldmakeiteasyfor
themtoaccesswhattheyneedthemomenttheyneedit,no
matterwheretheyareorwhatdevicetheyarecarrying.
Extensible visualization
The human brain was designed to process visuals quickly and
easily. Therefore, understanding data is easier when users can
visualize it. Visualization provides interactive suppor t for critical
decision-making and data discovery. It transforms confusing
rows and columns of data into graphical renderings that are
easy to use and understand. Once the domain of a select group
of IT and business analysts, visualization has emerged as a
capability that can enable creative data discover y in the
business without IT inter vention.
Extensible visualization is a capability in IBM® Cognos®
Business Intelligence that enables “pluggable” interactive
visualizations that can be added between product releases.
With extensible visualization, business users can download and
edit a wide variety of graph and char t templates whenever they
need them. They do not have to wait for a new product or
version release to provide them with new graph types.
8R and SPSS software: Everyone wins
Business analysts
Businessanalystsaretaskedwithunveilingblindspotsand
garneringinsightsfromallinformationsourcessotheycan
developfactualcontext.Businessanalystsrelyonreports
toprovidethemwithinformationforconnectingthedots
betweenrevenuesandlosses,productsandpro?tability,
?nancialperformanceandmarkettrendsandsoon.Therefore,
theyneedacomprehensiveforward-lookingBIsolutionthat:
• Presentsthemwithacompleteandconsistentviewof
businessandoperations
• Helpsthemaccessreliablestatisticalevidence,trends,
patternsandpredictionseasily
• Expandsvisibilityandintelligencebeyondtheinformation
athand
• Helpsthemattainaverydetailedunderstandingofthe
relationshipshiddeninallenterprisedata(numerical
andtext)
• Enablesthemtogeneratefocusedpredictiveintelligence
thatcandriveimprovedoutcomesinanydecisionmaking
thatresultsinmeasurableROI
Tohelpbusinessanalysts?ndcorrelationsbetweenthevarious
factorsthatafectbusinessperformance,forward-lookingBI
presentsdatainformatsthatareeasiertoanalyzeandtoshare
withothers.Aworkspaceinstalledontheirdesktopsbut
integratedwiththeenterpriseorauni?ed,interactive
browser-basedworkspacecustomizedjustforthemshould
helpthemexploreandshareinformationthewaytheywant.
Drag-and-droptechniquesandamodelingworkbench
shouldmakeitpossibleforthemtogettothe“why”behind
aneventoractionquicklyandeasily.Drillingdownthrough
increasinglevelsofdetailcanhelpthemviewdataby
diferentdimensions,suchassalesperregionorbyproductto
analyzeandreportontrendsinorganizationalperformance.
Integrationwithpredictiveintelligencecapabilitiesshould
enablethemtoconstructmodelstopredictoutcomesand
futureevents.Thegoalisforthemtobeabletodelivertimely,
quality,relevantinformationtoalarge,diversecommunity.
Figure 3: Forward-looking BI solutions provide business analysts with an
advanced workspace with intuitive navigation and a streamlined look so they
can calculate, drill, ?lter, pivot, monitor KPIs, add char ts, embed predictive
outcomes and more.
Business Analytics9
Businessanalystsareoftenaskedtoprovideanalysisorinsight
onthespot,evenwhentheyarenowhereneartheirofces.
Therefore,theyneedasolutionthatdeliversBIcontent,
analysisandstatisticsrighttotheirmobiledevices.They
shouldalsobeableto:
• UseandsaveBIcontentorcreatesophisticateddesktop
reportssuchasbrie?ngbooksanddashboardsina
MicrosoftOfceapplication.
• RefreshMicrosoftOfcedocumentswithupdated
informationondemand.
• Accessmodelingtoolsthatcanhelpthemincorporate
analysisofabroaderrangeofalternativescenariosto
ascertaintheprobabilityofoutcomes.
Similartootherbusinessusers,analystsneedcollaboration
andnetworkingcapabilitiessotheycanengagewithbusiness
managers,executivesandotheranalyststosharetheinsights
theyhaveuncovered.Theyshouldalsobeabletoaccess
multidimensionaldatamanagement.Dataaugmentationis
necessaryforthemtoaddexternalmarketingandtrenddatato
theircorporateinformation.Visualizationsshouldbeavailable
thatenablethemtopresentanswerstocomplexquestionsina
waythatmostusersintheorganizationcanunderstand.
Customer-facing and other business users
Businessusersarethoseworkerswhoarenotmanagersor
analysts.Oftenonthefrontlinesofabusinessorpartofa
smallormidsizebusiness,theyneedpersonalandeasyaccess
toinformationthatcanhelpthemmeettheirgoalsand
objectives.Theseusersrequire:
• Asingleplacetheycanuseasastartingpointfor
understandinginformationanduncoveringinsight—and
checkingonhowtheyaredoing
• Abrowser-basedreportingfeatureandvisualizationsto
helptheminteractwiththedatatheyneed
• Automatedscorecardsandmetricstohelpthem
visualizehowtheyareperformingbasedontargets
setforrole-speci?cprojectsandactivities.
Thesekindsofbusinessuserswanttocreatetheiron-demand
queriesormodifyexistingreports.Therefore,aforward-
lookingBIsolutionprovidesthemwithtoolsforcontributing
tothereportingprocess—orevenforcreatingtheir
own.Becausemanybusinessusersdealdirectlywithyour
customers,theyareofteninthe?eldoroutsideofyour
BIinfrastructure.Inthepast,thishamperedtheirabilitiesto
makeprompt,efectivedecisionsortakeimmediateaction
whenitwasneeded.
10R and SPSS software: Everyone wins
Forward-lookingBIsolutionsresolvethatsituationwitha
completeBIexperience—browse,exploreandauthor—on
theiriPhonesoriPadsorinaself-containedofine
environment.Businessusersneedtobeabletotaketheir
datawiththemtodiscoveropportunitiesandanalyze
trendsevenwhentheyarenotonline.
Figure 4: Forward-looking BI provides business users on the front lines or
who interact with customers with richly detailed and customizable repor ts that
are easy to distribute.
Conclusion: Forward-looking BI in
the hands of those who need it
Aforward-lookingBIsolutionenablesexecutives,business
managers,businessanalysts,businessusers,processesand
technologytoworktogethersoyourentireorganization,
largeorsmall,canmakemoreinformeddecisions.WithBI
andpredictiveanalyticscapabilitiesinfusedthroughoutyour
business,userscanaccessandshareinformationwhen,where
andhowtheyneedit.Theycanincludecriticaldriversin
theirreportsthatidentifypatterns,trendsandpredictive
scores.Theycanusenumerouscapabilitiestoimprove
operationalefciencyandreachgoalsfaster.Theycanidentify
risksandnewopportunitiesinadvancetoachievebusiness
success.PredictiveanalyticsenhancesthevalueofBIwith
visibilityintothepast,presentandfuture.Asaresult,
individualscanmakesmarterdecisionsandorganizations
cangainagility,outperformandanticipatefutureoutcomes.
Business Analytics11
IBMCognosBusinessIntelligencetransformsdatainto
meaningfulandusefulinformationbyprovidinghistorical,
currentandpredictiveviewsofbusinessoperations.
Thisinformationisdeliveredtobusinessusersthrough
interactivereports,dashboardsandscorecardssothey
canmakesmarterandmorestrategicdecisions.Theresult
isafullpictureofoperationaldatathathelpsgeneratepast,
presentandfutureinsights.Businessuserscannotonly
describeanddiagnoseyourpastandcurrentperformance,
butalsopredictfutureperformance.Theresult?Your
organizationcangainstrategicandcompetitiveadvantages
andpositionitselfforgrowth.
Formoreinformationaboutforward-lookingBI,readthe
whitepaper:ibm.com/ser vices/forms/signup.do?source=swg-
BA_WebOrganic&S_PKG=ov18937
FormoreinformationaboutIBMsolutionsforbusiness
intelligence,visit:ibm.com/sof tware/products/en/categor y/
business-intelligence
About IBM Business Analytics
IBMBusinessAnalyticssoftwaredeliversdata-driveninsights
thathelporganizationsworksmarterandoutperformtheir
peers.Thiscomprehensiveportfolioincludessolutionsfor
businessintelligence,predictiveanalyticsanddecision
management,performancemanagementandriskmanagement.
BusinessAnalyticssolutionsenablecompaniestoidentify
andvisualizetrendsandpatternsinsuchareasascustomer
analyticsthatcanhaveaprofoundefectonbusiness
performance.Theycancomparescenarios;anticipatepotential
threatsandopportunities;betterplan,budgetandforecast
resources;balancerisksagainstexpectedreturnsandworkto
meetregulatoryrequirements.Bymakinganalyticswidely
available,organizationscanaligntacticalandstrategicdecision
makingtoachievebusinessgoals.Formoreinformation,see:
ibm.com/business-analy tics
Request a call
Torequestacallortoaskaquestion,goto
ibm.com/business-analy tics/contactus.AnIBM
representativewillrespondtoyourinquirywithin
twobusinessdays.
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1 AngusMacaskill,“Bigdata:Bighypeorbighope?”ZDNet,1Oct.2013;http://www.zdnet.com/big-data-big-hype-or-big-hope-7000021246
2 JamesDohnert,IDGStudyFinds95%ofConsumersUseSocialMedia,”
ClickZ,3Dec.2012,http://www.clickz.com/clickz/news/2229193/
idg-study-?nds-95-of-consumers-use-social-media
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