Becoming a successful Business Intelligence developer Steve Simon MVP Data Platform http://www.infogoldusa.com

SQL Server MVP Atrion Networking Corporation (Providence RI) Involved with database design for 31 years + Presenter at numerous PASS summits. Presenter at numerous SQL Saturday events. Regular contributor on SQLShack.com

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenrsimon Steve Simon LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenrsimon Twitter: @SQLServerBoffin Blog: http://www.sqlservercentral.com/blogs/simon_says/

Status Quo Three main categories Dev, BI, and DBA With the cloud, open DBA positions are becoming less. Adam Machanic. Many folks are frankly not interested ‘in the grain of the wood”. Many folks (such as myself) come from industry and are therefore are interested in efficient and effective business solutions. The kind that we wanted and could never get.

So what does it take An interest in resolving business issues. A drive to stay ahead of the curve with aesthetics. Ability to understand business challenges and to translate them into solutions. More importantly, the ability to communicate with end users and business folks and to be able to translate your ideas into “Easy English”.

So what exactly does this mean?

Fairy tale: Our Business Story

X Financial System Booking System Data Warehouse Once upon a time there were two local systems that could not talk to one another X Financial System Booking System Data Warehouse

Salesmen could not enter orders immediately from the client sites Need

“Infinite Wisdom” and against better judgment So in their “Infinite Wisdom” and against better judgment

Resorting to cloud based applications XX Dynamics CRM Service Now Cloud XX XX In house Mission Accomplished Hooray!!! Financial System

Enter the data warehouse Dynamics CRM Service Now Financial System Data Warehouse

So what does this have to do with the price of rice in China

Ivory Tower Open Communication

We as BI Folks must Put ourselves into the shoes of the business unit. Be able to scope a project and stick to deadlines. Avoid project creep. “In Phase II !” Say..“I always have time for you.” Understand that many users cannot look at a challenge from 50 ‘million meters’.

We as BI Folks must Predict potential business related challenges. Paraphrase concepts into “Easy examples”. Base ideas and decisions upon practical experience. This comes with time. Be able to put together Q&D POC’s and “Humour me’s”. “Yes you as the user are correct HOWEVER what do you think of this idea?”

We as BI Folks must Follow up. “Did our solution resolve your issues?” Look for ways to better the solution that you just created. Tell the user that in the next release we shall... Avoid frustration. This is very hard to do.

At the end of the day it all boils down to that you save the user and in doing so

Become a successful Business Intelligence developer Steve Simon MVP Data Platform http://www.infogoldusa.com