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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 (1)
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)
April 9, 2008
BI and The Agile Manifesto
Are you familiar with the Agile Manifesto?
I guess I must be a bit behind the times because I was just introduced to Agile in until late 2007 and it was created in 2001.
In my defense, I was familiar with some of the related methodologies like Extreme Programming and Pragmatic Programing but Agile, as a whole and as a way of developing software, was new to me.
As a BI veteran, I wish I had been familiar with Agile long ago. It would have made my life easier and produced much better BI tools and applications. Why? Because it follows these four basic tenets:
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
Sounds like a great way to look at BI. BI, at its very core, is about getting the right information, to the right people at the right time. It sounds simple but clearly it is not.
The number one BI requirement is understanding of your target audience, their needs and goals. How they interact with your BI application or tool is key to your success. Having working prototypes, versus a boat load of documentation, no matter how good or well written, garners much better feedback and helps mitigate risks and unforeseen issues. Collaboration is vital in BI projects and is crucial for keeping projects on course and ensuring that the requirements are correctly interpreted and reflected in the applications. Lastly, I can think of no other technology that needs the ability to respond to change more than BI. BI is all about change. For BI to deliver on its promise of competitive advantage, it needs to provide the best tools and information needed to make better decisions.
As someone trained in waterfall development practices transitioning to Agile was very different. For those of you that may be looking for a different way to develop software, I recommend taking a look at Agile. Like anything else, there is no one size fits all or cookie cutter approach, but I am certain there are aspects of Agile that will help improve your current user centered design and development practices.
In the short six months I have been exposed to Agile, I have been impressed with the results. I wish I was introduced to Agile sooner!!
Visit www.agilemanifesto.org for more information.
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)
