May 1, 2008
BI's Root of All Evil
BI tools and applications are always evolving. They are always adding new features, more functionality, better performance, etc. the list goes on and on.
But where is the user?
Many of them are screaming for less and continue to resort to their handy dandy Excel spreadsheet. They yearn for the familiar and come up with multiple creative ways to undermine some of the most sophisticated BI systems.
Users tend to be the root of all evil when it comes to software development. We say we want everything, we even reward feature rich products, but the truth is many of them just get in our way.
The problem with features is they sound good. It is kind of like a kid watching cartoons when the commercials come on, they want everything. Even things you know that they would never use or play with. BI audiences aren't that different. Everything sounds good, everything is a priority, everything is a must have for initial launch. If history is any teacher, then I think it is safe to say that it is just not true.
The most powerful engineering feats are the one’s we do not notice. The real power of engineers, designers, and developers is in turning something incredibly complex into something amazingly simple. The challenge is not to add new features but to add value and power to products without adding any complexity.
While I think most would agree with "less is more", it is a risky proposition. The BI market rewards feature rich products, until that changes it will be hard to buck the trend. But one can hope!!
Posted by Eleanor Taylor at 3:45 PM | Comments (0)
April 24, 2008
BI on the Web: Ajax and Rich Internet Applications
For a long time in BI there was always a trade-off between desktop and web applications. Now, with new Web 2.0 technologies and Rich Internet Applications (RIA), we no longer have to compromise. Just because we don't have to doesn't mean we don't. There is still an unbelievable amount of things that can be improved.
Too often these technologies are used to create some gee whiz wow factor to help sell the product and not enough time enhancing the interaction and making it easier to get things done. While BI makes leaps and bounds in terms of technology achievements, I still think it has a long way to go to serve its audience. Some products are better than others but if the market demanded and the vendors spent as much time focusing on how people use the products as it does on features, I think it would go along way to making BI ubiquitous. No longer would it be intuition or gut feel vs. the data because BI would be a much more natural extension for decision making.
Ajax is just one of many technologies that provides a more rich and engaging web experience. It can be used to transforms slow, static websites into dynamic, responsive applications that feel more like traditional desktop software. When designed and implemented correctly, Ajax sites can effectively improve usability and user acceptance.
A colleague, Brian Dillard, recently wrote a white paper on the subject entitle: Ajax Roadmap: How to transform your website without starting from scratch. His paper outlines techniques for leveraging Ajax, and demonstrates, through case studies and examples, when and where Ajax and interactivity enhancements can help. So many of his examples hit home with me and my frustration with on-line applications. I thought it was a great read and I hope you find it useful too.
I think the key is making sure that the technology enhances the user experience. I know I am biased but I think that is often where BI misses the point.
Eleanor Taylor is Marketing Director at Pathfinder Development. She can be reached at etaylor@pathf.com or visit www.pathf.com
Posted by Eleanor Taylor at 2:45 PM | Comments (0)
April 17, 2008
BI and Social Networking
As I witness the surge of Facebook, the increase of LinkedIn connections I make or the people following me on Twitter I can't help but wonder if these social networking applications would be a good metaphor for BI.
Think about the profile pages on each of these applications. I am presented with relevant information about all my connections and any changes that have taken place. I hate to admit how many birthdays I might have missed without Facebook!!
What if BI behaved more like its social networking cousin? After all, BI is all about relationships in the data. What if I could see all of the relevant changes that took place in the data I was interested in or following. What if I could see what people like me were doing with the data, what reports or parameters they were following? What it I could easily annotate and send email from the same application? Wouldn't that make things more seamless and easier? I think it would be an interesting experiment.
Lot's of companies are using mechanisms like Facebook as internal portals. Why? Because it's fast, it's easy, and the generation entering the workforce is very adept at using such applications.
Why not do the same for BI? Maybe it is already taking place? Know of any BI applications that leverage the power of social network? I would love to hear your thoughts and find out more if it works or not.
Eleanor Taylor is Marketing Director at Pathfinder Development. She can be reached at etaylor@pathf.com or visit www.pathf.com
Posted by Eleanor Taylor at 11:00 PM | Comments (0)
April 11, 2008
BI and Agile Principals
From the Agile Manifesto
We follow these principles:Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer
through early and continuous delivery
of valuable software.Welcome changing requirements, even late in
development. Agile processes harness change for
the customer's competitive advantage.Deliver working software frequently, from a
couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a
preference to the shorter timescale.Business people and developers must work
together daily throughout the project.Build projects around motivated individuals.
Give them the environment and support they need,
and trust them to get the job done.The most efficient and effective method of
conveying information to and within a development
team is face-to-face conversation.Working software is the primary measure of progress.
Agile processes promote sustainable development.
The sponsors, developers, and users should be able
to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.Continuous attention to technical excellence
and good design enhances agility.Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount
of work not done--is essential.The best architectures, requirements, and designs
emerge from self-organizing teams.At regular intervals, the team reflects on how
to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts
its behavior accordingly.
These principles would be useful for any project, especially BI. Many may read these and think, "of course, everyone does that, it's common sense" but we all know that common sense is not common practice. While these are just words, I find that it is powerful to have a set of declared and shared tenets for any project that is created by the team responsible. Agile provides a great starting and lots of food for thought.
Remember, if BI was easy, everyone would be making better decisions, but clearly that is not the case. I believe Agile best practices can help streamline BI efforts and help deliver better applications that are easier to use.
Your thoughts?
Eleanor Taylor is Marketing Director at Pathfinder Development. She can be reached at etaylor@pathf.com or visit www.pathf.com
Posted by Eleanor Taylor at 3:45 PM | Comments (2)
