BI Reporting: navigating the sea of corporate data

Definitions of BI Reporting and technical terms are initially of little use for practical implementation, as the execution and objectives are very individualized for different companies. While companies that have resources for complex data analysis through their data analysts set very high requirements for their BI Reporting, small and medium-sized enterprises use BI Reporting primarily to improve and simplify their performance indicators, i.e., P&L, sales figures, finances, etc.

Therefore, the extent to which BI Reporting should be used in your company depends strongly on the combination of technology and strategy. Whether the potential of available data can be harnessed depends on the various stakeholders in your company. Questions you should therefore ask in this context are:

• What strategy and technology are currently being used to provide data to departments (stakeholders)?

"That sounds logical, but from experience, we know that realistic implementation, although theoretically better, can also lead to a deterioration in internal processes. Therefore, the following question should always be asked:"

• How proficient are the technological and digital competencies of the different stakeholders?

Before deciding on a new strategy, obtain detailed feedback from the various departments and conduct an in-depth process analysis.

In this guide: Data Analysis: An overview of report quality improvement you will also find all aspects that you need to consider for professional and high-quality BI Reporting.

ETL processes (extract, transform, load) are the heart of any BI solution and thus the foundation for effective BI Reporting. Simply put, ETL tools are the invisible helpers that extract data from various sources, transform them into a uniform format, and then load them into a central database, a data warehouse, or directly into the BI tool.

IT specialists ensure that ETL processes are technically correctly implemented and are in accordance with operational needs and security standards. They undertake a multitude of tasks: from the selection of appropriate ETL tools, the integration of different data sources, to the continuous monitoring and optimization of processes. This means that the real core of your BI Reporting is the IT department. Here too, you should therefore ask yourself some critical competency questions:

• What strategy and technology does the IT department currently use?
• How proficient are the IT-specific skills of the employees?
• Are there enough time and personnel resources available to implement an ETL project?

For more information about data quality read: Data Cleansing: The Comprehensive Overview for Ensuring Data Quality in Companies

It is clear now that BI reporting is not one-size-fits-all. It's a multifaceted tool that must adapt to the specific needs of a company. Both technical and human factors play a role here.

Because what's the use of the best technology if it's not tailored to the needs of those who are supposed to use it?

In BI reporting, two different areas of expertise intersect: analysts and IT specialists need to work closely with information and data consumers or, more simply put, end-users.

• Analysts are data jugglers, but not found in every company. They dive deep into numbers, create dashboards, visualizations, and look for patterns in the data.
• IT specialists are the core and ensure a smooth workflow.
• On the other hand, data consumers and end-users require easy access to data and reports in order to work smoothly and make quick and well-informed decisions.

In this regard, self-service BI is very helpful and essentially the BI method that should facilitate dealing with data in the company. It allows stakeholders to work independently with the data to perform individual analyses and create reports.

Self-service BI thus creates a bridge between these areas, without neglecting the needs of one for the sake of the others.

Learn more about Self-Service BI in our article: Business Intelligence: the guide for organizations

We have identified the three most important obstacles whose overcoming is crucial for a company:

1. Complexity of tools: While analysts and IT specialists can handle complex BI and ETL tools, end-users need simpler and more intuitive solutions. Therefore, it makes sense to rely on familiar and already established programs. This can also minimize the risk of deteriorating real processes. In our experience, the simplest and most intuitive solution is often the best one.
2. Stakeholder willingness: Our experience shows again and again that theory and practice are far apart. One of the most common obstacles is the willingness within the company to engage in major changes, as most people are reluctant to part with what is familiar. Therefore, it usually encounters less resistance when using what is already established as a basis and to further develope it.
3. Misunderstandings: Without clear communication and understanding of the needs of each other's group, misunderstandings can easily occur. This means that communication is the top priority when implementing a new BI reporting strategy. Too often, we have found that in the end, it’s said, “Oh, I had imagined it differently.” A simple but very effective method we recommend to prevent misunderstandings works as follows:

This is a method widely used in psychology. The arguments and perspectives of the conversation partner are paraphrased in one's own words and possibly documented in writing. This paraphrasing is then approved by the conversation partner. In this way, it is ensured that both sides mean the same thing and are clear about the requirements.

In the previous sections, we have dealt extensively with the challenges for the successful implementation of a BI reporting strategy. Therefore, the question still remains: why should companies take this step?

The reason is that our basic market economy principles come into play here. Orientation towards the competition is therefore advisable in order not to be disadvantaged in the competition. If a company does not at least follow the technological standard of the industry, no immediate consequences are to be expected; however, this can lead to negative effects in the medium and long term.

In this way, a competitive advantage is created for competitors who have more efficient and faster processes and are thus better able to respond to market-specific and regulatory environmental changes. In addition, employees who find modern working conditions elsewhere may be able to reorient themselves in the long term.

It is both an art and a science to find the right mix of technology, methodology, and humanity. Therefore, we have compiled a whole range of best practices for you that you should consider and follow based on our experience.

Choosing the right BI tool is just the beginning. The true value of such an instrument only becomes apparent in daily use. Here are some recommended actions for effective deployment:

• Ensure data quality: Without clean data, any BI tool is useless. Make sure your IT specialists have the necessary skills and resources.
• Pay attention to user-friendliness: A tool that relevant employees find too complex and difficult to understand will not be used.
• Keep scalability in mind: The tool should be able to grow with the company.
• Regular training: So that all employees can make optimal use of the tool and processes in the company can be standardized.
• Foster a feedback culture: This is the only way to continuously improve the handling of the BI tool.

In an ideal BI environment, everyone has access to the information they need for their work. This is the basic idea behind Self-Service BI. But how does this fit into a work world where participants have very different requirements and possess different technological skills?

Excel is ubiquitous in the business context, but its capabilities are often limited by manual processes and data silos. AnalyticsGate, in collaboration with Qlik Sense, enhances Excel's capacities with powerful BI functions. This gives companies the opportunity to build on proven processes and improve them.

No matter the department, Excel is a ubiquitous tool that is a basic requirement for many jobs in sales, controlling, or management. One of the hurdles, willingness, is thus effectively circumvented with an Excel-based solution.

The integration of AnalyticsGate into Excel offers a range of benefits:

• Automatic data preparation: Say goodbye to tedious sorting and filtering. AnalyticsGate turns complex data sets into clear, meaningful tables.
• Dashboards: Create dashboards that not only look good but also provide the information individual stakeholders need.
• Data blending: Combine data from CRM, ERP, and other systems to get a complete picture of your business processes.

For a detailed overview of the benefits of AnalyticsGate in conjunction with QlikSense and Excel, see this post: Use Qlik Sense in Excel with AnalyticsGate: Benefits for your business!

BI Reporting is much more than a technical gimmick; it's the navigation system that steers companies through the complex sea of data. From data integration and ETL processes to visualization and provision of data and key figures, BI Reporting is an orchestrated interplay of technology and human.

Close collaboration and clear communication between management and end-users are essential for efficient handling of company data and revolutionizing reporting through Self-Service BI.

AnalyticsGate, as an Excel-based extension of the BI tool Qlik Sense, takes this practice to a new level. It automates and simplifies processes that were previously manual and error-prone. Through integration into Excel, it offers a familiar environment while simultaneously expanding possibilities for all stakeholders in the company.