Book Summary

The main theme of the book is to educate readers on how to utilize the advances in business intelligence and big data to attain the maximum Return on Investment (ROI). It explores the components of effective BI strategy, development of analytic ecosystems, and maintaining relevance of BI in an organization, among other things. The book puts emphasis on strategy, value, people, process, and technology, all crucial aspects to consider for the success of a business intelligence program.

Title, Author: Successful Business Intelligence, Second Edition: Unlock the Value of Bi & Big Data 2nd Edition by Cindi Howson

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Key ideas or arguments presented

  1. Garnering executive support to foster an analytic culture in an organization.
  2. Aligning the BI strategy with business goals.
  3. Developing an analytic ecosystem to exploit data warehousing, analytic appliances, and Hadoop for the right BI workload.
  4. Continuous improvement of the quality, breadth, and timeliness of data.
  5. Identifying the relevance of BI for everyone in the company.
  6. Using agile development processes to deliver BI capabilities and improvements at the pace of business change.
  7. Selecting the right BI tools to meet user and business needs.
  8. Measuring success in multiple ways.
  9. Embracing innovation, promoting successes and applications, and investing in training.
  10. Monitoring your evolution and maturity across various factors for impact.

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Chapter Titles or Main Sections of the Book

The book is divided into several sections, but without direct access to the content, a detailed list of chapter titles is not possible to provide. However, based on the book’s theme, we can anticipate chapters on the following topics:

  1. Introduction
  2. The Business Case for BI
  3. BI Strategy and Roadmap
  4. Executive Sponsorship and Leadership
  5. Building an Analytic Culture
  6. The Analytic Ecosystem
  7. Data Warehousing and Big Data
  8. Data Governance
  9. Data Quality
  10. Agile BI
  11. BI Tools and Technology Selection
  12. BI Development and Implementation
  13. BI Adoption and Value Realization
  14. Measuring BI Success
  15. Innovation and Future Trends
  16. Case Studies

Key Takeaways or Conclusions

The key takeaway from the book is that BI and big data have become integral parts of our socio-economic landscape. For successful BI initiatives, planning and deploying agile, state-of-the-art BI solutions that link insights to action are essential. Besides, fostering an analytical culture, aligning BI strategies with business goals, and continuous quality improvement of data are all critical to achieving a sustained competitive advantage.

Author’s Background and Qualifications

Cindi Howson is the founder of BI Scorecard, a resource for in-depth BI product reviews, with over 20 years of BI and management reporting experience. She has an MBA from Rice University and is an instructor for The Data Warehousing Institute (TDWI). Cindi advises clients on BI strategy, best practices, and tool selections and writes for Information Week.

Comparison to Other Books on the Same Subject

While there are numerous books on business intelligence, Cindi Howson’s book is unique for its focus on value creation, ROI, and a holistic approach to BI strategy that takes into account strategy, people, processes, and technology. Its updated content addresses the latest advances in BI, such as big data, cloud, mobile, visual data discovery, and in-memory computing.

Target Audience or Intended Readership

The intended readership includes both those who are just trying to better understand the business intelligence space and seasoned BI practitioners. IT and business leaders would particularly benefit from the book’s insights on delivering successful BI.

Reception or Critical Response to the Book

Critics and professionals in the field have received the book positively. Notably, Bill Frank, Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing Program Manager at Johnson & Johnson, praised the book’s attention to detail and contemporary approach. Similarly, Thomas H. Davenport, President’s Distinguished Professor at Babson College, recommends the book for quantitatively oriented strategists and technologists supporting them.

Publisher and First Published Date

The book was first published by McGraw-Hill Education in 2014.

Recommendations (Other Similar Books on the Same Topic)

Where to Buy

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Final Thoughts

The book’s most significant takeaway is the necessity of an agile, comprehensive, and inclusive BI strategy that exploits latest technologies and data sources to deliver maximum business value and competitive advantage.

Sources