Friday, March 9, 2012

Top Ten Tutorials on BI 4.0

If you want more info about BI 4.0, and you haven’t yet heard about our free online catalog of BI eLearning tutorials, it’s definitely the next place you want to go after you’ve read this blog. You’ll find over 500 eLearning tutorials on the release, everything from architecture and key concepts, to exploring the interface and performing tasks within each tool. Learning from a mobile device? Just check out our YouTube playlist – and there’s more to come there, as we’re currently publishing all our tutorials to YouTube for viewing on mobile devices, like the BI Launch Pad tutorials.
We want to hear from you! We’re in the process of figuring out how we can continue to best support your learning needs; please help us out by completing this short 10 question survey on how you learn BI.
So what are our top ten tutorials on BI 4.0? You’ll find them below. Let us know YOUR top ten – post your ideas in Idea Place and if they get enough votes we’ll build it!

OUR TOP TEN! (in no particular order)

1. SAP BusinessObjects Mobile for iPadOverview
Get started using BI on your ipad with this new mobile app! (posted on You Tube so you can view on your ipad!)
2. Crystal Reports for Enterprise: Change the layout of a report using smart guidelines
Formatting your report has never been so easy; learn why!
3. Web Intelligence: Connect to a BEx query with hierarchical data
Learn how to connect to an SAP Business Explorer (Bex) query as a data source, and take advantage of the hierarchies set up within dimensions.
4. Web Intelligence: Copy and paste content within web intelligence and to other applications
Start working faster and smarter when working with your Web Intelligence documents alongside other applications.
5. Information Design Tool: Compare the information design tool to the universe design tool
For those experienced Universe Design users, you can quickly take advantage of the new semantic layer tool in 4.0, the Information Design Tool, by comparing the two tools side-by-side.
6. Crystal Reports 2011: Prompt for a value to select records
This shows report designers how easy it is to make reports interactive.
7. Analysis, edition for OfficeInsert a data source directly from BW
Experience how easy it is to get started analyzing BW data with Analysis, edition for Office.
8. Dashboards: Connect to a universe with the Query Browser
See how the Query Browser enables you to create a universe query that can be inserted into the embedded spreadsheet or bound directly to components.
9. Business Intelligence Platform: Perform an incremental upgrade
Go through the process of upgrading your XI R2 or XI 3.x deployment to BI 4.0, using the easy new Upgrade Management Tool.
10. Business Intelligence Platform: View the components
This interactive tutorials provides administrators with a framework of the servers involved in the Business Intelligence Platform. It also points out anything new or changed from 3.1.



10 Business Intelligence Tools for the iPad

Gartner predicts that by 2013, 33% of business intelligence functionality will be consumed on mobile devices. And it seems that these sort of forecasts are usually over-aggressive, our commenters seem to agree that Gartner's forecast is a bit too modest. BI going mobile quickly, and tablets are leading that movement.
Here are 10 BI apps that support the iPad right now. Some are existing BI products with iPad native apps, some are Web-based BI applications with iPad support and some are clients that can connect to your existing BI solutions.

MicroStrategy

Microstrategy iPad app
MicroStrategy, a well established BI vendor, launched its iPad app in July. Last month the company announced it would be rolling out additional ways to visualize data on iPads and other mobile devices, including a new product called MicroStrategy Transaction Services which will connect mobile devices with transactional systems.

PushBI

PushBI focuses on creating clients that push BI data to users. It augments existing BI tools. PushBI offers clients for desktop and mobile environments, including Windows, iOS and Android.

QlikView

Qlikview
QlikTech is another well established BI vendor that was quick to market with an iPad app for its flagship BI product QlikView.

Roambi

Roambi iPad
Like PushBI, Roambi offers tools to help enterprises mobilize existing BI reports, and has some of the slickest looking data visualizations available. Roambi partnered with SAP to provide smooth integration between Roambi and SAP and Carbon Disclosure. It can visualize data from several other sources as well, including Crystal Reports, Excel and Salesforce.com.

TIBCO Spotfire

TIBCO is a leader in real-time intelligence for financial services. TIBCO released an iPad app for its BI application Spotfire last November.

Yellowfin

Yellowfin is a business intelligence vendor that was founded in 2003. One of its distinguishing features is its GIS integration for location intelligence. It released its iPad app in November.

Non-Native Support for the iPad

Several cloud-based BI vendors offer support for the iPad versinon of Safari, including:

Roll Your Own

Bitzer Mobile, LeapFactor and Webalo all offer tools for mobilizing existing enterprise applications. For more information, see our articles 5 New Tools for Building Mobile Enterprise Apps and 3 More Ways to Mobilize Enterprise Applications.


Top 10 Business Intelligence and Analytics Tools

Business intelligence (BI) is a decision support tool used to capture, report, and analyze a subset of organizational data without affecting operational systems. The software provides essential business visibility to help clients' businesses grow by giving them the information they need about product, sales, and customer behaviour. It allows clients to look at their businesses in different ways, and helps them to understand the core issues so they can take action to improve performance.

Below listed are 10 Business Intelligence tools that are widely in use and can be considered for your analytics needs.
bugzilla WebFOCUS is a comprehensive business intelligence platform that enables smarter decision-making from everyone at every level of your business, whether inside or outside your organization. As the leading provider of BI solutions for large-scale, customer-facing, and third-party partner initiatives, WebFOCUS integrates the four elements of successful information strategy namely Business Intelligence, Performance Management, Data Integrity and Advanced Analytics. Some of its features include multi-tiered processing which partitions application logic over multiple platforms, fail-over capability, server clustering with built-in load balancing, non persistent connection, SOA support, super-linear scalability, a unifying integration infrastructure, deep integration with desktop products such as Microsoft Excel and Adobe PDF etc. WebFOCUS offers a rich set of analysis and report tools that may well put cost-saving BI into reach for many mid-size firms.
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mantis SAP Netweaver Business Intelligence (SAP Netweaver BI) unites a powerful business intelligence platform, a comprehensive set of tools, planning and simulation capabilities, and data-warehousing functionality – delivered through sophisticated and user-centric enterprise portal technology to provide a coherent, comprehensive solution. It provides features such as reliable data acquisition, business-oriented modeling, robust analytical capabilities, enterprise ready life-cycle management, remote activation of data sources, metadata search, enhanced operational data store object and high performance analytics. SAP Netweaver Business Intelligence Accelerator is known for its awesome query performance while requiring little administration.
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trac MicroStrategy is a business intelligence (BI), enterprise reporting, dashboard, and OLAP (on-line analytical processing) software vendor. MicroStrategy's software allows reporting and analysis of data stored either in a relational database, multidimensional database, or a flat file. Features include easy to use personalized reporting, analysis and monitoring, rich UI with innumerable analytical and formatting features, fully interactive pixel perfect scorecards, dashboards and reports, guided ad-hoc report building and analysis, user and data scalability, centralized application, object and data-level security, open xml architecture for web services, enhanced mobile capabilities for iPhone and iPad and faster performance with in-memory BI acceleration technology. Micro Strategy’s platform provides intuitive, web-based query and reporting, rapid development and deployment, and quick customization and integration thereby making it easier for technical staff and end users to do their jobs. One of the most scalable BI solutions available.
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redmine SAS Enterprise BI Server is a comprehensive, easy-to-use business intelligence software solution that integrates the power of SAS Analytics and SAS Data Management to provide insights that power better decisions. It includes role-based, self-service interfaces for all types of users within a well-defined IT governance framework and a centralized point of administration. This helps organizations simplify and speed business intelligence deployment. Features include portal and customizable dashboards, business visualization, web and desktop reporting, mobile analytics, Microsoft Office integration, query and analysis, OLAP storage and OLAP data exploration interface, business metadata management, flexible deployment options, guided analysis and model development etc. SAS Business Intelligence gives users at all different skill levels immediate access to cleansed and reliable data through targeted user interfaces that make use of centralized metadata.
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redmine SAP Business Objects Enterprise Software is a flexible and scalable information infrastructure that makes it easy for you to discover and share insight for optimal decision making. Built on a service-oriented Architecture, the software offers an extensive set of solutions on a single platform and enables IT departments to extend BI to any application or process in any environment. Features include ad-hoc reporting, query and analysis for business, live data access within Microsoft Office, interactive dashboard viewing for executives and managers, secure, easy to understand data for rapid decisions, mobile BI for end users on the go, anytime anywhere data delivery, rapid deployment options for faster time-to-value etc.  With powerful business analytics, SAP Business Objects can help your business run smarter and decide with confidence.
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redmine IBM COGNOS 10 delivers a revolutionary new experience and expands traditional BI with planning, scenario modeling, real-time monitoring and predictive analytics. COGNOS 10 capabilities includes: query and reporting, analysis, score carding, dash boarding, real-time monitoring, statistics, planning and budgeting, collaborative BI, business driven UI, work flow oriented environment, security features, SOA support and much more. It is a single place where designated users from all over your organization can create and collaborate on a consistent and shared viewpoint.
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redmine Within one single product BOARD offers all the functionalities needed to build any Business Intelligence and Corporate Performance Management application, without the use of any programming. It provides a variety of BI functions, including reporting, multidimensional analysis, ad hoc querying and dash boarding. It also gives users the ability to manage and monitor performance planning and control processes—from budgeting, planning, and forecasting to profitability analysis, score carding, and financial consolidation.
Its revolutionary toolkit approach, as well as delivering unrivalled speed in BI and CPM applications building, customization and maintenance, provides end-users with an advanced interactive interface. This unique capability turns the self-service creation of any report or analysis into the simplest of tasks and also ensures better performance than traditional BI solutions at half the price. Visit Website
redmine ActuateOne products provide users with a common interface and common report design, making it possible to work across the organization with minimal effort. The product suite is engineered for rapidly developing and deploying custom BI applications and rich information applications that leverage BIRT (Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools). With features like intelligent report navigation, progressive viewing, web-based management console, ad hoc reporting, BIRT Interactive Viewer, Dashboards, Mobile Options, Analytics and much more, Actuate is the only RIA-ready platform that can simultaneously grow and evolve to continually meet the changing information needs of its users.
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redmine Oracle Hyperion System is a flexible business performance management (BPM) system integrating a modular suite of financial management applications with the most comprehensive business intelligence (BI) capabilities for reporting and analysis. Features include integrated analytical capabilities, operational business planning, integration with Microsoft Office, simplified web interface, scaleable architecture, workflow management, robust data integration etc which helps users increase productivity, lowers cost of ownership and helps reduce business risk.

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redmine Microsoft Business Intelligence solution offers a complete and integrated software offering that supports the entire organization. It supports streamlined decision making, predictive analytics and data mining, data integration and data warehousing, reporting, collaboration, dashboards and scorecards and managed self service business intelligence, thereby providing a full-featured suite of server, client, and developer products that seamlessly integrate with each other.

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