1. Business Intelligence
Revision note

2. What to revise?
Read all the slides, pay attention to the learning outcomes listed (objectives) in all chapters, ask yourself if you are able to demonstrate the knowledge identified in the learning outcomes
Revise all the questions discussed in tutorials, if the questions ask for examples, work on providing relevant examples and always try to match with the main objectives of BI in business
Use table to provide comparison, ensure the points discussed relate to the ones compared to
Help me to help you – look after the format & handwriting and structure and label your answers accordingly

3. How much is enough? Look at the marks allocated.
Try to work out the math for the points required in your answer.
Example :
In Business Performance Management, it has been identified that there are four
sources for the gap between strategy and execution. Identify each gap.
[4 marks]
Answer:
Four sources of gap are :
Vision (viability, suitability to the organization)
People (are they ready?)
Management (do they agree?)
Resources (are the infrastructure ready?)
(Award 1 mark each for the correct identification)

4. Compare and contrast Always use table
Identify the basis for each comparison
Try to make a contrasting point for each items to be compared.
Elephants
Cats
Weight
1000kg
4kg
Habitat
Jungle
Home
Length
5 meter
0.8 meter ??

5. Segmenting your answer
If ask to identify a few list of items, segment your answer, don’t combine discussion on all of the items in one paragraph.
E.g. Identifying project activities
Planning: Setting goals and objectives etc……
Data Gathering : Establishing data/information/requirement ……
Design : Based on data gathered ….
Develop: Develop the system …….
rather than
The first process is ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… The second process is The third process is

6. Answer to the question
Identify what are the questions that need to be answered.
E.g.
Describe OLAP in detail and explain why it has become important in decision making process. Include in your answer a discussion on how does OLAP differ from OLTP.

7. What you must be comfortable explaining
Topic 1 – Changes in Business Environment and Managerial Decision Making
Learning outcomes:
Critically discuss problems faced by today’s business and ways they are being addressed
Discuss the need for computerized support of managerial decision making
Keywords: Structured and unstructured decision making, ubiquity, business environment factors

8. Keywords you must be comfortable explaining
Topic 2 – Understanding BI Part I
Learning Outcomes:
Explain the concept of Business Intelligence
Keywords : Strategy gaps, Business Intelligence, Data warehouse, Business Analytics, Business Performance Management, Major Issues in Implementing BI

9. Keywords you must be comfortable explaining
Topic 3 – Understanding BI Part II
Learning Outcomes:
Discuss the use of BI
Describe the major types of BI users
Describe major issues in implementing BI
Keywords: Operational Excellence
Operational Excellence, Customer Intimacy, Product Leadership
Competitive Intelligence
Competitive Advantage
OLAP
OLTP

10. Keywords you must be comfortable explaining
Topic 4 – Data Warehouse Part I
Learning Outcomes:
Understand the basic definitions and concepts of data warehouses
Understand how a data warehouse differs from an operational database
Describe the characteristics of data warehouse
Describe data warehouse process overview
Describe the different types of data warehouse architectures

11. Keywords you must be comfortable explaining
Topic 5 – Data Warehouse Part II
Learning Outcomes:
Describe the processes used in developing and managing data warehouses
Explain data integration and the extraction, transformation, and load (ETL) processes
Describe real-time (active) data warehousing
Understand data warehouse administration and security issues

12. Keywords you must be comfortable explaining
Topic 6 – Business Analytics & Visualization
Learning Outcomes:
Explain the concept of multidimensionality and how can it improve decision making
Explain the concept of cube in multidimensionality
Explain Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and its role in BI

13. Keywords you must be comfortable explaining
Topic 7 – Data Mining
Describe data mining, its characteristics and objectives in business
Identify and explain the common algorithms used in data mining
Discuss the use of data mining in different types of business
Discuss the importance of data mining in understanding customers’ behaviours
Discuss text mining

14. Keywords you must be comfortable explaining
Topic 8 – Business Performance Management
Business performance management (BPM) definition
BPM’s closed-loop processes
Strategy gap factors
The differences between scorecards and dashboards

15. Question 2
Ubiquity in computing is said to offer capabilities to facilitate decision support . Explain ubiquity with example.

16. Question 3
Explain structured decision making with example

17. Question 4
Explain unstructured decision making with example

18. Question 5
Explain Business Intelligence

19. Question 6
Explain strategy gap with example

20. Question 7
Explain how Business Intelligence can help closing the Strategy gap

21. Question 8
Identify 4 major components of Business Intelligence

22. Question 9
Identify and briefly describe the 3 environments in BI

23. Question 10 Enterprises can maximize their BI investments by achieving
operational excellence, customer intimacy and product
leadership.
Explain operational excellence

24. Question 11 Enterprises can maximize their BI investments by achieving
operational excellence, customer intimacy and product
leadership.
Explain customer intimacy

25. Question 12 Enterprises can maximize their BI investments by achieving
operational excellence, customer intimacy and product
leadership.
Explain product leadership

26. Question 13
Explain OLTP

27. Question 14
Explain OLAP

28. Question 15
Explain competitive intelligence

29. Question 16
Identify and explain one type of BI user

30. Question 17
Identify and explain one type of BI user

31. Question 17
Identify and explain one type of BI user

32. Question 18
Understanding and dealing with the user community is said to be one of the BI implementation issues. Explain this notion.

33. Question 19
Explain data warehouse. How does it differ from operational database?

34. Question 20-23
Explain one out of four 4 main characteristics of data warehousing

35. Question 24
Explain the data warehousing process

36. Question 25-27
Illustrate one of the data warehouse architectures

37. Question 27-31
Explain the following guidelines in considering a vendor for data
warehouse project.
Financial strength
Qualified consultants
Market share
Industry experience
Established partnerships

38. Question 32-33
Describe the two approaches in data warehouse development

39. Question 34
Describe data mining and explain its importance to organizational decision making

40. Question 35
Describe the 4 common data mining algorithms and their examples of use in business

41. No handphones in exam hall please
Good Luck
No handphones in exam hall please