1. An Introduction to Business Intelligence
WHY YOU SHOULD BE
BI CURIOUS
An Introduction to Business Intelligence
JAMES McGILLIVRAY

2. The Journey to Understanding BI
WELCOME
The Journey to Understanding BI
Agenda
About the Presenter
James McGillivray, Professional and Personal info.
What is BI
Definition
The Data Life Cycle
Data vs Information
BI Basics
Clean Data
Historical Reporting and Trends
Benchmarking and KPIs
Advanced BI
Statistical Analysis
Forecasting
Machine Learning
Demo
Reporting Services
Analysis Services
PowerBI
Questions

3. James McGillivray / BI Architect
WHO AM I
James McGillivray
Not 24601
Professional
10 Years BI Experience
Microsoft Certified
SQL User Group Johannesburg, South Africa
Personal
Sport: Cricket, Soccer, Squash, Running Slowly.
Culture: Symphony Choir of Johannesburg, Musical Theatre
Other: Board Games, Poker
James McGillivray / BI Architect
@JamesMcG_MSBI
TheJimmyRSA

4. The Textbook Definition…
WHAT IS BI?
The Textbook Definition…
the set of TECHNIQUES and TOOLS for the TRANSFORMATION of RAW DATA into MEANIGFUL and USEFUL INFORMATION for BUSINESS ANALYSIS purposes

5. The Data Life Cycle process capture store transaction
WHAT IS BI?
The Data Life Cycle
Put your great subtitle here!
process
capture
store
transaction
“You can have data without information, but you cannot have information without data.”
Daniel Keys Moran. Computer Programmer and Science Fiction Writer.

6. What do we do with data once we have it?
WHAT IS BI?
What do we do with data once we have it?
Data without context is just wasted space

7. The BI Maturity Model As the Business Intelligence solution moves up
WHAT IS BI?
The BI Maturity Model
Make data great again
Optimize
Predict
As the Business Intelligence solution moves up
the curve, the questions answered become
more complex, and the value of information
increases exponentially.
Forecast
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
Statistical Analysis
Alerts
Self-Service Models
Reports
Ad hoc Queries (IT)
Cleansed Data
Raw Data
COMPLEXITY OF BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE OFFERING

8. Effective Information Delivery
BI BASICS
Effective Information Delivery
REPORTING is a FUNDEMENTAL BUILDING BLOCK for BUSINESS ANALYSIS. A SIMPLE REPORT is often the MOST EFFICIENT WAY to DELIVER MEANINGFUL DATA.

9. The BI Maturity Model COMPLEXITY OF BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE OFFERING
BI BASICS
The BI Maturity Model
Make data great again
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
Reports
Ad hoc Queries (IT)
Cleansed Data
Raw Data
COMPLEXITY OF BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE OFFERING

10. Data Scienctists Work Type Split
BI BASICS
The Importance of Clean Data
a.k.a. Garbage In - Garbage Out
What do we mean by “clean” data?
Complete
Data Scienctists Work Type Split
CrowdFlower Survey
Almost 80% of time spent COLLECTING and CLEANSING data
Accurate
Consistent
Unique

11. Ad Hoc Queries from Business
BI BASICS
Ad Hoc Queries from Business
Hello IT. Have you tried turning it off and on again.
Impractical
Users need to contact IT and request information.
Slow
Request is only serviced on demand.
Simple
Insights from ad-hoc queries are simplistic and provide little value.
Reactive
Users only request data when they identify a problem. Often too late.
“He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp posts – for support rather than for illumination.” Andrew Lang, Scottish Writer

12. Data matures like wine, applications mature like fish.
BI BASICS
Standardized Reports
Data matures like wine, applications mature like fish.
Repeatable
Automated
Complex
Proactive
“War is ninety percent information.” Napoleon Bonaparte, French Military and Political Leader

13. Data-Driven Decisions
ADVANCED BI
Data-Driven Decisions
If you do not know how to ASK the RIGHT QUESTION, you DISCOVER NOTHING!

14. The BI Maturity Model As the Business Intelligence solution moves up
WHAT IS BI?
The BI Maturity Model
Make data great again
Optimize
Predict
As the Business Intelligence solution moves up
the curve, the questions answered become
more complex, and the value of information
increases exponentially.
Forecast
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
Statistical Analysis
Alerts
Self-Service Models
Reports
Ad hoc Queries (IT)
Cleansed Data
Raw Data
COMPLEXITY OF BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE OFFERING

15. Prospering in the Information Age
ADVANCED BI
Prospering in the Information Age
Making your data work for you
Self Service
Let your users ask their own questions.
Add flexibility.
Approach information from different angles.
Statistical Analysis
Build complex models to identify trends and seasonal fluctuations.
Users gain deeper insights.
Forecast
Extrapolate historical patterns to predict future behaviour.
Optimize staffing/inventory etc. with accurate activity forecasts.
Optimize
Gain maximum value from your historical data, by using computational power to optimize your decisions
“He who would search for pearls must dive below.” John Dryden

16. Prospering in the Information Age
ADVANCED BI
Prospering in the Information Age
Making your data work for you
Self-Service
Analyse
Predict
Optimize
“Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital.” Aaron Levenstein, Business Professor at Baruch College

17. “…INVOLVE ME and I LEARN”
DEMO
BI in Action
“…INVOLVE ME and I LEARN”

18. How many people have Irish heritage?
DEMO
Seasonality
How many people have Irish heritage?

19. Why Guys Don’t Play DOTA with their Girlfriends.
DEMO
Why Guys Don’t Play DOTA with their Girlfriends.
A Venn Diagram
Guys with girlfriends
Guys who play DOTA

20. DEMO
The Machines Know
Sort of….

21. With Absolute Certainty
DEMO
The Machines Know
With Absolute Certainty

22. Seriously….Everywhere!
DEMO
BI is Everywhere
Seriously….Everywhere!

23. INTELLIGENCE is ASKING the RIGHT QUESTION
QUESTIONS
Are you still not bored of me?
INTELLIGENCE is ASKING the RIGHT QUESTION

24. HAVE A NICE DAY EVERYONE!
THANK YOU
HAVE A NICE DAY EVERYONE!