EPM Strategy and Roadmap Breakfast Event @ Intellient
Intellient, the leading Hyperion Enterprise Performance Management and Executive Reporting implementer, support provider and preferred delivery partner for Oracle Hyperion, will be hosting an interactive breakfast on EPM Strategy and Roadmap (including BI Convergence) for their clients, colleagues and business partners on 27 September 2011. The breakfast will be held at the Country Club Johannesburg (CCJ) in Woodmead, but the presentations from speakers will be streamed live to the Cape Town offices so that clients and colleagues from Cape Town can be a part of this exclusive event.
Acclaimed EMEA speaker to attend
Intellient’s clients will have the opportunity to meet Karine Picard, a senior EMEA representative, at the event. Picard will be sharing information about exciting developments from Oracle.
Picard, who is an accomplished speaker from France, has a strong background in Performance Management Applications and she has implemented financial information systems for a number of large organisations.
Picard has worked as a Senior Sales Consultant and Senior Product Manager at Hyperion, as Presales manager at OutlookSoft covering EPM (Enterprise Performance Management) and leading the EMEA EPM presales team at SAP. Karine is now leading the EPM & GRC Sales development team for EMEA and she’s focusing on key strategies and plans to grow Oracle EPM Business across EMEA.
Intellient, which has been providing cutting edge content distribution, EPM systems and marketing automation since 1996, has offices in London, Cape Town and Johannesburg. Some of Intellient’s key clients who have already indicated they will be attending the event include representatives from Nampak, Telkom, FNB, FirstRand Bank, Anglo Gold Ashanti, MTN, Rand Merchant Bank and Sappi Limited. Live presentations and footage will be recorded to create a podcast for the event for those who missed out.
Intellient looks forward to hosting this event and sharing some key insights from industry leaders with our clients. For more information about this event, contact us at www.getensight.com!
IT Architecture in Finance Conference and Exhibition
Charl du Toit, a Solutions Manager at Intellient, will be speaking at the IT Architecture in Finance Conference and Exhibition about Enterprise Performance Management. The Conference and Exhibition is a gathering of various industry leading enterprise architects, system engineers and other IT professionals in the IT finance and architecture industry, creating an open platform to discuss and partake in solution finding for the industry.
Charl’s position as a Solutions Manager necessitates his involvement with the implementation of EPM products within various projects in the financial sector. His experience and expertise in Hyperion Essbase, Hyperion Planning, and a range of Data Relationship Management as well as BI Tools makes him a qualified speaker in this field. Projects that require Charl’s involvement range from business analysis, solution design and physical solution building and quality control.
The presentation will focus on how Enterprise Performance Management solutions such as EOH and Oracle can be implemented to provide ground-breaking solutions for clients in the financial industry. People who would benefit from the presentation range from enterprise and solutions architects, system engineers, technology officers, governing and compliance officers to risk officers and network administrators.
Intellient – developer of multi-channel eCRM Solutions
An industry leading developer of multi-channel eCRM solutions, Intellient produces tailored solutions for various industries including the financial services, travel and retail sector among others. Charl du Toit, a Solutions Manager at Intellient has been working in the BI/EP field for the last 16 years, with a specialisation in positioning and implementing OLAP, BI and, data warehousing, while planning tailor made solutions for Intellient’s varied clientele.
Business intelligence software and tools
Reporting, analysing and presenting data in a highly legible manner are the cornerstones of business intelligence (BI) software and the tools that can be used range from the accessible to highly complex applications that are best suited for system developers. A selection of BI tools and software is listed below:
Local information systems
This set of tools are primarily used in Europe, and chiefly for geographic reporting, with the primary function being the reporting of statistical data with support for storage functionality and the recovery of uncategorised data. Statistical data can loaded, analysed and referenced according to key geographical regions. This helps to target a wide range of groups in the shortest possible time.
Data Mining
Data mining is considered to be one of the most advanced forms of BI, and incorporates artificial intelligence into its design in order to extract numerous data patterns. Customer profiling, fraud detection and company-wide surveillance are all part of the features that data mining can offer.
OLAP
Online analytical processing is the best approach a business can take if it needs to address multi-dimensional analytical queries. Complex data models and on-the-fly queries can be performed in rapid succession of each other. OLAP queries are displayed in intricate matrices, millions of rows and columns that constantly measure the data of the current project.
Spreadsheets
Excel, Calc and other spreadsheet applications are typically used in order to record date from the BI systems into a unified order. Once the data is inputted into the spreadsheets, it can then be exported into the OLAP for further data dissemination.
Digital Dashboards
A digital dashboard is an executive information system and forms the user interface which is easy to understand and modify as per the needs of the BI model. Dashboards are laid out in such a manner that the flow of information is constantly tracked to monitor all business processes. The digital dashboard can be graphically customised in any way that the design team sees fit.
Business performance management
Achieving a small sub-set of goals is the key component for correctly running a BI campaign. With business performance management, it becomes possible to track all goals within the core BI group and further analyse each sections success and failures, building a predictive model for all current and future projects.
A large percentage of these BI tools are standalone packages and with the exception of the spreadsheets, are all targeted to highly specific users within the industry.
Business intelligence data mining techniques
Data mining can be seen as a series of automatic search procedures that are used for ascertaining any actionable insights from large sets of high-dimensional data clusters. Data mining uses advanced techniques garnered from machine learning, pattern recognition and statistics. It is automated business intelligence (BI) solutions and scalability which is the driving force between distinguishing data mining from the myriad statistical modeling and machine learning applications. The applications of BI that data mining targets includes:
- Fraud detection – discovering criminal activity online and in real-time
- Customer retention – being able to take proactive action when a customer leaves and discovering why the customer is unhappy
- Targeted monitoring – discovering which promotions work best and targeting the customers based on their historical purchases
- Risk Analysis – customers can be labeled into groups according to their credit and insurance history, furthermore a predictive model can be built for future risk classification
Predictive modeling is undoubtedly the most commonly used of all data mining techniques and is an excellent method for creating decision supporting solution, as well as building on existing business intelligence systems. Ultimately, a robust and heavily automated forecasting system is created for the data storage environments.
The data mining process is performed in three necessary steps. Historical data is mined in order to create a pattern which actively predicts all future behaviours – this includes but is not limited to credit history, customer profitability, transactional history and direct mailers. This model then scores future transactions based on the modeled behavior. The final step is the system acting on an optimization strategy for the future business objectives.
Further key areas that data mining can be applied to include customer relationships, business process efficiency and profitability – data mining for BI allows a company to discover potential new clients, increase their profit margins and to decrease costs, yet not at the price of production methods.
There are many more business applications with in-depth techniques that BI data mining analysts spend years perfecting.
Best practices in Business Intelligence
Simply put, business intelligence (BI) best practices deliver highly-detailed implantation documents as well as a readily-configured system that is custom-designed to support all end-to-end company processes in a generic or specific way and of course, according to the requirements of the market. This is all structured on a ‘building block’ attitude and delivers a customisable system that can address the unique needs of the business. Dually, it will address the primary issues of any business shortcomings.
BI best practices will usually comprise of customised templates with the necessary documentation which are readily designed for the company’s systems. These preprogrammed templates are easily integrated into existing system architectures, but preconfigured and highly specific templates can be written for business scenarios that are not covered by the best practice solutions.
Both large and small organisations can benefit from best practices solutions as they roll out their BI implementations for alpha-level projects or for worldwide rollouts of various business suite applications or software tools. The best scenario for the use of BI is when a company needs to create a readily-defined process flow for any corporate circumstances. Best practices involve a through description of all processes as well as all needed content that can be launched on a business system for rapid deployment.
Building block methodology is employed to assure smooth integration into all BI products and services. The building blocks hold configurations as well as the necessary tools and documents for rapid installation of individual modules into the businesses system. Building blocks provide a structure for speedy, intuitive and error-free deployment of data packages into any industry. Each building block can be further modified to address the needs of any complex scenario. With best practices, all data evaluation and implantation is seamless and error-free, with the correct decisions being carried over from design to implantation phase.
Get the best Business Intelligence services in South Africa
Finding the best business intelligence (BI) services in South Africa is dependent on a number of factors. BI ensures that a company remains focused on assisting clients by analysing both internal and external data in order to create further value in all areas of the business. A deeper understanding of company procedures, business decisions, financial organisation and regulatory compliance is the backbone of BI.
Getting the best service is wholly dependent on which modules of BI the company is looking to integrate into its daily workflow. Services that a business may require include data mining, data warehousing; information strategy and information analytics.
South African BI services, such as Intellient, an EOH company, will help a company in determining which new venues of revenue it can explore, by unmasking hidden opportunities through detailed reports. BI services allow any business to examine its ROI, or return on investment. This not only applies to new business, but to the existing ones as BI digs deep into the factors which influence new and old clients alike: BI understands customer relationship and customer intelligence thanks to unrivalled data comprehension.
Regulatory guidelines in both the government and commercial sector have a stringent set of compliance that must be followed. BI enables quicker task-solving and intuitive decision making at all levels of business, whether it be the tactical, operational or strategic levels.
Other services that will ensure the best deliverable results include:
Analytics services
On a microscopic level, pick apart the companies decision making abilities and adjust strategies according to the data harvested from the BI systems. What information needs to go where, and to whom must it be delivered to? Analytics services are the path to success.
Business Intelligence Diagnostics
Asses the current needs of the companies BI capabilities and identify opportunities before the competition does. For the company that lacks momentum, BI diagnostics can create a cohesive management model for driven decision making.
BI services are innovative and customisable for any system – with South Africa being in the enviable position of being home to some of the top BI development teams in the world.
How the right Business Intelligence tools can help you succeed
Usage of the incorrect business intelligence (BI) tools can adversely affect the scope and performance of any project. For any budget, from a small-scale operation to a diversified multinational company, there are a set of tools that can assist a company in realising its BI goals. Such tools include:
Excel
For the uninitiated, BI is a series of data that is collated in order to gather a predictive view of a business, as well as to dig down into the running of said business in minute detail. For this reason, Excel remains as one of the most popular BI tools. Simply put, Excel is used because it is the most cost-effective solution for a number of businesses. Excel spreadsheets are also a common format that can be opened and edited in any number of applications for ease of use; it also includes most of the functions needed to display data in a simple, yet logical form. Excels downside is that it is severely limited in function and when the time comes to migrate to a dedicated OLAP (online analytical processing) tool, the excel spreadsheets will easily integrate with most software solutions.
Reporting Tools
Both commercial and custom-built reporting are used (if the company is willing to invest the capital) in order to create, schedule and run reports for various functions of the business. Whichever reporting tool is used, it must have the capability for scheduling and distribution, as many reporting managers will simply ignore the complex (yet helpful) add-ons and concentrate on their monthly or weekly reporting requirements. The tool must be customizable in order to create workarounds for easier paths to success, and to make the work of the analyst endlessly easier. Cross-exporting from OLAP tools to Excel and back is a must-have feature.
Data Mining
This contributes directly to the return on investment, as prospects can be ‘predicted’ through a series of sophisticated methodology. These predictive models can become rather cumbersome, so it is best to keep each one sectioned off per department. Data mining ensures that the correct clients are contacted with the information that is most pertinent for them.
BI is a way of life, and a financial boon for any business – therefore, it is crucial to utilise any tools in the best way possible in order to maximise the company’s return on investment.
What you need to know about Oracle Hyperion business intelligence
Hyperion Solutions Corp. was acquired by Oracle in early 2007; this was a clever tactic for Oracle and caused them to become the number one solution for all business intelligence (BI) system requirements. As Oracle stated back in 2007, it was their goal to become the premier business intelligence and corporate performance management (CPM) leader in a burgeoning market; now in 2010, Oracles predications have resonated true. Oracle focused on building the core infrastructure that is required for a successful BI, with the acquisition of Hyperion giving them the push they needed to layer analytical applications on the backbone of their data management technologies.
The Oracle Hyperion BI is an enterprise based data model, which sticks to conformed dimensions for true cross-functional configurations. This applies to all sectors of the business such as marketing, operations, HR, finance and so on. The addition of Hyperion delivers an interactive dashboard with intuitive navigation and a more channeled workflow.
Oracle Hyperion BI delivers unrivaled support key areas of the business, with analytics tools that are prebuilt with a featured set of KPI’s (key performance indicators), as well as various metrics and decisive workflows. BI from Oracle Hyperion allows companies to save money, integrate informed decisions into their workflow, measure the performance of its employees and streamline expenditure by tracking the fiscal performance of various departments and the projects they are involved in.
Once a firm is able to both manage and track its most well-performing campaigns, then a new level of effectiveness can easily be reached. The most esteemed cliental can be segmented into various metrics for further performance measurement. The complete picture can be generated, with new data being effortlessly integrated into the BI systems for further insight into the company’s performance. There is no better way to measure a company’s performance on every level, then with Oracle Hyperion business intelligence.
Why Business Intelligence matters now more than ever
With business intelligence (BI), a detailed report of a company’s financial standings, as well as customer relationships and overall operational functions are accurately portrayed thanks to advanced software.
BI matters, simply because the bigger picture can finally be seen, by pulling the company apart at the macular level and expanding each core function for further understanding. An organization is placed under a microscope and put into focus until each function is clearly visible, such as over-committal to massive projects that are well outside of projected budgets.
Being able to dig deep into the corporation’s figures and determine expenditure versus actual costs allows the business to view all financial activities in the exact context they are required to be in. This expenditure can be measured against any current progress and expected progress, this in turn creates forecasting models for various sections of the company. Minimise risk and plan ahead without blindly following uniformed statistics.
When BI combines with Corporate Performance Management (CPM) a true model of performance excellence can be mapped out. Companies need to be in the know, and being in the know means running the correct campaigns at the correct time. With BI, customer relationships can be analyzed and promotions run prior to a rival opposition’s efforts. BI leads to the stages of CPM that incorporates budgeting, implementation, project monitoring and other venues for improvement.
The quality of data is of utmost importance and collated data must be both precise and accurate. BI relies on accurate data collection from various systems; therefore any erroneous data can become a barrier to project success. Tools are required to piece together a BI project, but without user intervention even the most successful tools will lead to project failure. Live or die by this rule: data must always be captured correctly.
The quality of captured date is of extreme importance, and many BI project managers have a saying that goes, ‘If garbage goes in, garbage comes out’. Quality always matters and will assist the business as it expands its circle of trust within the business intelligence project groups. Do not postpone BI integration into any company, as the time and money spent will lead to a calmer economic climate for any company.
Tips to avoiding Business Intelligence project failures
With business intelligence (BI) projects, it is prudent to avoid pitfalls that may potentially lead to disastrous situations. More often than not, it is not the software to blame as user error can circumvent even the most foolproof of systems. Learn from the mistakes of others and strengthen your project internally before errors rear their nasty head. The top failures and how to solve them include:
A lack of a technological roadmap
Multiple projects will be strung together in order to create a cohesive system – therefore you must have the architecture in place which becomes your roadmap that can ascertain how each part of the project will contribute to the BI project as a whole. A lack of a roadmap creates chaos, which can lead to a frenzy of reporting databases.
Project Mentality Shortfall
You cannot build a singular BI application, the success of the project is wholly determined on the users who build an environment which other business users can employ for suitable project decisions. As each part of the application is built, that piece of the project must be able to reprocess itself for various stages of the project. Templates must be created for data models and compliance must be ensured in order to meet the required standards and procedures.
Data Quality Procedures
The community who will pour their hours into this project must be assured that the data in the BI systems is first-rate; this can be achieved with metrics that accurately measures the quality of all warehoused data. With concise information measured to exacting standards, the BI systems teams will have the confidence they need to input the critical data.
A need for Audit controls
Once a project goes live and does not measure up to the projected data, failure is sure to follow in its wake. Always consider the project as ‘live’ and measure the numbers against projected performance levels with various auditing tools. Dissimilar figures versus real-life expectations can then be explained with a history trail of thorough auditing.
If a pitfall is detected always stop, reassess the situation and follow the best course to success – it can soften the impact of project collapse and lead to possible success.
