Business Dashboards: Choosing Business Intelligence Solutions That Work

By Author: Priestley White
Total Articles: 18
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Mistakes are common in the selection game of business intelligence solutions, and they'll cost you. At their best, business dashboards drastically improve your end game, showing you exactly what your company needs to do to cut costs, maximize resources and leverage profits. At their worse, they are smokescreens that keep you from realizing your true potential. Like the Knight of the Crusades said to Indiana Jones, you have many choices, but choose wisely. Consider these tips in selecting a system that works for you.

Solutions Work Better than Pretty Visuals
Virtualization is key to business intelligence solutions, but don't be persuaded by visual charm alone. The biggest mistake you can make in choosing a BI vendor is judging just from the slickness of their business dashboards alone. Business visualization components are a dime a dozen. Effective solutions, however, are worth their weight in stars. The best software offers customizable solutions that can adapt to the individual needs and challenges of your business. Without personal flexibility, sleek business solutions are nothing but ineffective compromises in ...
... cheap business suits.

Don't Buy the Data Warehouse
Data warehouses are centralized databases filled with a businesses data, and they've traditionally been the cash cow for many BI vendors. In fact, some continue to rely on them to meet expenses, despite the fact that much more affordable and effective solutions can be found in the cloud. Modern and effective business intelligence solutions don't require a data warehouse, even if multiple data sources are required. If your business dashboards require a warehouse, find another provider. Those guys are old school and probably still run the company from an Apple II C.

Be Wary of Large Up Front Investments
Some BI vendors promise the world, but then try to sell you a trip to the moon. Watch out. Demand at least several solid business dashboards running over your own data before signing on the dotted line. If they balk at this suggestion, it's probably because they haven't fully developed their systems yet. This is a good indication that they're using antiquated technology, meaning business intelligence solutions dating back to the stone ages. Move on, and work with someone from the 21st century. The 90s are for aging dinosaurs.

Make Them Prove It
Always make your BI vendor prove their claims before signing on the dotted line and forking over a check. You can find substantial proof in the form of reports, business dashboards or analytics from real life scenarios. Business intelligence solutions can be judged based on real data. It's just a matter of numbers. Get the data and prove the facts before choosing your company. The truth is in the data.

Chris Toland is the author of this article on business intelligence solutions and business dashboards. Visit us: http://www.inetsoft.com/company/business_intelligence_solution/ .