Business intelligence is a technology-driven discipline that uses data to inform business decisions. Business intelligence is about transforming raw data into meaningful insights to support strategic decision-making, improve operational efficiency, and optimize business performance. It involves using tools, applications, and methodologies to collect, analyze, and present data for clear business understanding.
What are the main features of business intelligence?
- Data-driven decision making: Relies on data analysis to guide business choices rather than intuition.
- Focus on actionable insights: Extracts usable information from data to support concrete actions.
- Technology-enabled: Utilizes various software and tools like data warehouses, data mining applications, and visualization tools.
- Focus on communication: Effectively presenting insights to decision-makers in a clear and understandable way.
What are the most important sub-areas of business intelligence?
- Data Warehousing: Storing and managing large datasets from various sources.
- Data Mining: Uncovering hidden patterns and trends within data.
- Data Visualization: Presenting data in a clear and visually compelling way (charts, graphs).
- Business Analytics: A subfield that uses statistical methods and advanced analytics to extract even deeper insights from data.
- Data Governance: Establishing policies and procedures for data management and security.
What are important concepts of business intelligence?
- Data Quality: Ensuring data is accurate, complete, and consistent for reliable analysis.
- Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Measurable metrics used to track business performance.
- Data Model: A structured representation of how data is organized and relationships between data points.
- Self-Service BI: Tools allowing non-technical users to access and analyze data to some extent.
- Big Data: Extremely large and complex datasets requiring specialized techniques for processing.
Who are influential figures in business intelligence?
- Howard Dresner: Coined the term "Business Intelligence" in the 1980s.
- Inmon W.H.: Pioneered the Inmon methodology for data warehousing.
- Kimball R.: Developed the Kimball methodology for data warehousing, focusing on dimensional modeling.
- Hans Peter Lehmann: Contributed significantly to data mining techniques and knowledge discovery in databases.
Why is business intelligence important?
- Data-driven insights can lead to better decision-making across all levels of a business.
- Improved operational efficiency through data-backed process optimization.
- Stronger customer focus by understanding customer behavior and preferences through data analysis.
- Enhanced competitive advantage by identifying trends and opportunities before competitors.
- More informed risk management through data-driven risk assessment.
How is business intelligence applied in practice?
- Marketing: Analyzing customer data to personalize marketing campaigns and measure their effectiveness.
- Sales: Identifying sales trends and predicting future sales figures.
- Finance: Monitoring financial performance and making informed investment decisions.
- Operations: Optimizing supply chain management and identifying areas for cost reduction.
- Human Resources: Analyzing employee data to improve recruitment, retention, and training programs.
JoHo can really use your help! Check out the various student jobs here that match your studies, improve your competencies, strengthen your CV and contribute to a more tolerant world
IT and technology: summaries and study assistance - WorldSupporter Start
Summaries, study notes, tips and tools for studying IT and technology
Online access to all summaries, study notes en practice exams
- Check out: Register with JoHo WorldSupporter: starting page (EN)
- Check out: Aanmelden bij JoHo WorldSupporter - startpagina (NL)
Using and finding summaries, study notes en practice exams on JoHo WorldSupporter
There are several ways to navigate the large amount of summaries, study notes en practice exams on JoHo WorldSupporter.
- Starting Pages: for some fields of study and some university curricula editors have created (start) magazines where customised selections of summaries are put together to smoothen navigation. When you have found a magazine of your likings, add that page to your favorites so you can easily go to that starting point directly from your profile during future visits. Below you will find some start magazines per field of study
- Use the menu above every page to go to one of the main starting pages
- Tags & Taxonomy: gives you insight in the amount of summaries that are tagged by authors on specific subjects. This type of navigation can help find summaries that you could have missed when just using the search tools. Tags are organised per field of study and per study institution. Note: not all content is tagged thoroughly, so when this approach doesn't give the results you were looking for, please check the search tool as back up
- Follow authors or (study) organizations: by following individual users, authors and your study organizations you are likely to discover more relevant study materials.
- Search tool : 'quick & dirty'- not very elegant but the fastest way to find a specific summary of a book or study assistance with a specific course or subject. The search tool is also available at the bottom of most pages
Do you want to share your summaries with JoHo WorldSupporter and its visitors?
- Check out: Why and how to add a WorldSupporter contributions
- JoHo members: JoHo WorldSupporter members can share content directly and have access to all content: Join JoHo and become a JoHo member
- Non-members: When you are not a member you do not have full access, but if you want to share your own content with others you can fill out the contact form
Quicklinks to fields of study (main tags and taxonomy terms)
Field of study
- Communication & Media sciences
- Corporate & Organizational Sciences
- Cultural Studies & Humanities
- Economy & Economical sciences
- Education & Pedagogic Sciences
- Health & Medical Sciences
- IT & Exact sciences
- Law & Justice
- Nature & Environmental Sciences
- Psychology & Behavioral Sciences
- Public Administration & Social Sciences
- Science & Research
- Technical Sciences
Je vertrek voorbereiden of je verzekering afsluiten bij studie, stage of onderzoek in het buitenland
Study or work abroad? check your insurance options with The JoHo Foundation
- 1 of 26
- next ›
Add new contribution