All Business Intelligence questions

• Why Should I Care About BI?
  I have been reading about the importance of modeling in the BI space. Can you explain why a C-level executive or plant manager would care about how the data is structured?

• BI vs. Other Enterprise Software Analytics
  Hi, I have read somewhere that CRM, ERP and SCM prepare data for BI. In other words they are considered as data sources for BI. But, some outputs of BI are the same as CRM, ERP or SCM. It seems that they are seamless! For instance, when you extract information to understand the profiles of your customers in BI, it is the same as CRM. Isn't it?! I cannot recognize the differences between BI and systems like CRM, ERP and SCM. Does BI make these systems working better (CRM and something else)? How? Is BPM (Business performance Management) the next step of BI? Thanks and best regards.

• Product Tracking
  I'm IT student working on my senior project. I've been tasked to find the best way to track manufacturing tools and mylars through the company. My initial idea is to use RFIDs as much as possible and possible use bar codes for the other items. Any suggestion on the smart questions to ask of the company and eventually the RFID/bar code companies?

• Where Lean & Small Intersect
  What products would you include in a short list of ERP software for a $10 million manufacturing company that intends to move to a lean manufacturing philosophy?

• Meaningful Manufacturing Metrics
  Hi Jane, There are many solutions that provide productivity metrics regarding manufacturing processes and equipments (such as OEE). What metrics should manufacturers be using to help them understand manufacturing labor productivity, labor effectiveness and labor scheduling effectiveness? Also, what types of automation solutions can provide this? Are there any studies, cases or books about this subject that might be helpful? Thank you!

• Inside outsourcing
  What has been the impact of greater outsourcing to Asia Pac on BI best practices?

• Counting the results
  What kind of improvements are companies getting, and in what part of their business, as the result of an initiative to improve their BI and performance management capabilities?

• How to leverage business intelligence
  What are the most important changes that you see in terms of BI best practices and technologies, that result in the most immediate payback?