Analyses
A series of in-depth analyses and insightful commentaries from a vendor-neutral perspective. Our team of seasoned BI experts cover a variety of themes to give you the information you need to make your project a success. The analyses are split into sections:
- Understanding BI — Explanations of some of the technological aspects of business intelligence tools
- Advice to users — Tips and guidance guaranteed to improve the success of your project
- Understanding the market — Provides an overview of the market and the flavors of BI tools available
- Companies and strategies — Vendor strategy guides and commentaries on vendor-related news
- Mini product reviews — Overviews of lesser-known BI products that we have tested
The BI Market Guide
A 75-page overview of the BI software market designed to help steer you through the early stages of your tool selection project. The BI Market Guide is a collection of eight of the analyses listed below and can now be purchased separately.
Click here for more information about The BI Market Guide including a detailed table of contents.
Understanding BI
What is OLAP?
OLAP was originally defined by the late Dr Codd in terms of 12 rules, later extended to the less well-known 18 ‘features’. All 18 are analyzed, along with our preferred ‘FASMI’ test
Storing multidimensional data
A detailed explanation of the advantages and disadvantages of the different ways of storing multidimensional data on disk or in RAM.
Database explosion
One of the strange effects of multidimensional data is the alarming way that pre-calculations can grow database sizes. This popular and copiously illustrated section explains the exploding database problem and suggests solutions
Semantic Metadata in Reporting Tools
A discussion of semantic (or metadata) layers, an idea originally patented by Business Objects in 1996. Since then, a number of leading BI vendors have developed the concept. This article gives an overview of four of the most popular products that use semantic layers.
Relational Databases
The original concept of the relational database was first defined by Ted Codd some 40 years ago and, since the 1980s, it has emerged as the most commonly deployed database model. Here we explain the principles behind the relational model and its uses.
Business Intelligence and Web Front-ends
Web-based BI front-ends are becoming increasingly popular. This article gives the lowdown on the most significant developments in Web technologies, the pros and cons of Web-based BI deployments, the main issues to be kept in mind when selecting a Web-based business intelligence tool and a brief guide to the most common Web formats in use.
Advice to users
How not to buy a BI product
One that the salesmen really don’t want you to read! This penetrating section gives you plenty of examples of the mistakes people make when buying BI products and provides solid, practical advice for doing it quicker and more reliably
Top 21 tips for BI success
A fast checklist to avoid many of the common errors in BI implementations. Includes practical, punchy — and sometimes surprising — advice
Commentary: Business Intelligence competency centers
The results of The BI Survey, the largest independent survey of customer satisfaction in the area of BI, show that difficulties involving people are one of the main factors causing delays and failure in BI projects. Establishing a Business Intelligence Competency Center is one way to help avoid these issues
Commentary: Proof of Concept
This brief commentary provides invaluable advice on how and why to carry out a formal proof of concept workshop during your BI tool selection process.
Commentary: Good things come to those who DON’T wait
Changing requirements and technologies can turn any IT project into a multi-million dollar money pit. Using supporting empirical evidence, Dr Carsten Bange argues that the success of each project ultimately depends on the speed of implementation.
Commentary: Choose a product – not a vendor
Companies often purchase software from big-name players because they feel it is a safer investment. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Dr Carsten Bange explains why
The Factbase - A BI software evaluation template
This template, which serves as the basis for our own Factbases, gives you a comprehensive set of over 200 criteria by which to evaluate and compare products on your shortlist.
Understanding the Market
The BI Market Segment Guide
A guide to understanding the various flavors of BI software available, including advice on which tools fit into each product category. Essential reading in the early stages of your tool selection project.
Consolidations in the BI Industry
Nigel Pendse's running commentary on the dozens of acquisitions and consolidations which have taken place since the 1990s in the business intelligence industry
FAQ: Open source BI/OLAP
Open source software is well established in some other sectors but is just becoming established in BI and OLAP. This FAQ provides the background and answers your questions.
OLAP benchmarks
Provides in-depth analyses of the 16 benchmark tests published by Applix, Arbor/Hyperion, Microsoft and MicroStrategy. Includes the only full listing of APB-1 results available anywhere (including the first Oracle9i run), an explanation of why the APB-1 is deeply flawed and the most complete information available on the T3 project
Commentary: What in-memory BI 'revolution'?
If you follow the business intelligence industry, you'll have been swamped with amazing claims for 'revolutionary', 'next generation' in-memory BI tools. But what is the truth behind this development?
OLAP Market share analysis
The latest and previous estimated market shares of the top seventeen OLAP vendors, and an indication of the expected trends. Also explains the adjustments that are required before they can be calculated
A dozen ‘Next Big Things’ that didn’t happen
Many new developments are hyped to the rafters, then quietly fade away. This controversial new piece looks at a dozen of them
Key findings from The BI Survey 8
The BI Survey 8 is the world’s largest independent BI survey, and this new section summarizes the key findings from the full 489 page document
Companies and Strategies
The product strategy of SAP/Business Objects
A detailed analysis of the likely fate of the many overlapping BI and CPM products in the sprawling new SAP-BOBJ product portfolio
Oracle+Hyperion
What happens after the world’s largest-ever BI takeover? Will Oracle do a better job with Hyperion than it did with the Express business in 1995?
Oracle’s BI product strategy
What will happen with the bundled, but overlapping, former Siebel, Hyperion and Oracle BI and OLAP tools?
The Product Strategy of SAS
SAS is the largest remaining privately-owned BI vendor. This article looks more closely at the SAS BI portfolio and reveals some of the future plans on the Cary-based vendor's roadmap.
Commentary: Hyperion Solutions merger problems
The Arbor-Hyperion merger was an object lesson in how not-to-merge. In contrast, Oracle’s subsequent acquisition of Hyperion seems to be proceeding much more smoothly.
Commentary: Project Gemini — Microsoft’s Brilliant OLAP Trojan Horse
Nigel Pendse's reaction to the Project Gemini announcement at the Microsoft BI Conference in October 2008. The Gemini code-name is meant to imply that Excel and Analysis Services, and end-users and IT, will be twinned using the new product
Commentary: The false dawn of Microsoft PerformancePoint Planning
A commentary on Microsoft's abandonment of its much hyped, but short-lived, planning tool
Commentary: Panorama’s bumpy road from Microsoft to Google
Nigel Pendse examines the path Panorama has taken from its close relationship with Microsoft in the 1990s to the announcement that it is now working with Redmond's arch-rival, Google, to provide "advanced analytical, reporting and data visualization functions, all at no cost" to GoogleDocs users
Commentary: The OLAP Revival
OLAP is hip again, with all major vendors investing heavily in adding capabilities for multidimensional analysis and calculation
Mini Product Reviews
LogiXML
A brief overview of LogiXML, a relatively new player in the relational business intelligence market.