Using Open Source Platforms for Business Intelligence
Avoid Pitfalls and Maximize ROI
- 1st Edition - September 17, 2012
- Author: Lyndsay Wise
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 4 1 5 8 1 1 - 5
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 4 1 5 8 7 6 - 4
Open Source BI solutions have many advantages over traditional proprietary software, from offering lower initial costs to more flexible support and integration options; but, un… Read more
Open Source BI solutions have many advantages over traditional proprietary software, from offering lower initial costs to more flexible support and integration options; but, until now, there has been no comprehensive guide to the complete offerings of the OS BI market. Writing for IT managers and business analysts without bias toward any BI suite, industry insider Lyndsay Wise covers the benefits and challenges of all available open source BI systems and tools, enabling readers to identify the solutions and technologies that best meet their business needs. Wise compares and contrasts types of OS BI and proprietary tools on the market, including Pentaho, Jaspersoft, RapidMiner, SpagoBI, BIRT, and many more. Real-world case studies and project templates clarify the steps involved in implementing open source BI, saving new users the time and trouble of developing their own solutions from scratch. For business managers who are hard pressed to indentify the best BI solutions and software for their companies, this book provides a practical guide to evaluating the ROI of open source versus traditional BI deployments.
- The only book to provide complete coverage of all open source BI systems and tools specifically for business managers, without bias toward any OS BI suite
- A practical, step-by-step guide to implementing OS BI solutions that maximize ROI
- Comprehensive coverage of all open source systems and tools, including architectures, data integration, support, optimization, data mining, data warehousing, and interoperability
- Case studies and project templates enable readers to evaluate the benefits and tradeoffs of all OS BI options without having to spend time developing their own solutions from scratch
Business Analysts, Program Managers, Project Managers, IT Managers, CFO/CTOs
Dedication
Acknowledgments
SECTION 1: Introduction and market overview
Chapter 1. Introducing BI
Why is there a need for this book?
What to expect in this book
An introduction to BI
The components of business intelligence
Chapter 2. OS overview
Why understanding OS matters
A historical look at the broader OS market
The general appeal of OS
The OS market specifically
Personal thoughts about OS expansion
Chapter 3. The convergence of OS and BI
OSBI gaining popularity
The expansion of OS offerings and positioning
The unique fit of OSBI and its effects on the broader market landscape
Breakdown of OSBI technology
General considerations for organizations
Chapter 4. A look at the OSBI market
Introduction
The OSBI market – a general overview
Traditional OS communities
Adopting OSBI
Why OS?
OSBI transition and the expansion of OSBI into BI
OSBI within the OS market
Where OSBI solutions will/should be in the future
Implications for businesses
SECTION 2: A deeper look at OSBI
Chapter 5. The increasing popularity of OS
A look at BI drivers
Putting it all together
Chapter 6. The differences between general OS and commercial offerings
Understanding different OS models
Looking at community and commercial OS models
OSBI models
Looking at the community/commercial focus in the broader market
The drivers of commercial OS for BI
The bottom line
Chapter 7. Business benefits and challenges of OS for BI
How business and IT approach BI
The relationship between business and IT
Are benefits and challenges different or similar for business and IT worldviews?
A look at OSBI benefits
Business benefits – a wrap-up
A look at OSBI challenges
What all of this means for business justification
SECTION 3: BI strategies for success – tying in OS adoption with BI success
Chapter 8. The strategy behind BI adoption
Adopting BI
Why these factors matter
Why choose OS
Why go traditional
Takeaways
Chapter 9. Implications for users
A practical guide to selecting OS
Business factors of adoption
Technical factors
Considerations
Checklist for software selection and implementation
SECTION 4: Justifying OSBI projects
Chapter 10. Selling an OSBI project to the business
A closer look at ways of selling OSBI
Community OSBI adoption
Commercial after community
Commercial for the first time
New to BI
BI expansion
Rip and replace
Embedded applications
Sorting out the different models and what it means to business units
Why sell to the business
Selling framework
The bottom line for OSBI adoption in organizations
Chapter 11. Evaluating ROI and TCO
Developing valid definitions of ROI and TCO
Total cost of ownership
ROI and TCO similarities and differences
Why ROI and TCO are important to software selection
Developing an evaluation framework for your OSBI project
Putting everything together
What is time to value?
A look at long-term ROI and TCO
Chapter 12. Developing a cost-benefit analysis for OSBI: A practical look at ROI and TCO calculations
General TCO/ROI models – a look at what exists in the market
Applying these models to ROI for OSBI
Evaluating TCO for OSBI
ROI and TCO calculations
Looking at commercial versus community offerings
SECTION 5: Understanding the technology behind business value
Chapter 13. A look at technical considerations
How do technical considerations help with the evaluation process?
Evaluating the current IT infrastructure
Looking at data integration
Disparate data sources
Database technologies and what the differences mean in terms of end-user delivery
Takeaways
Chapter 14. Understanding integration and data preparation
Looking at the components of BI
Why organizations should consider complementary offerings
Integration
Expansion
Evaluating the current BI environment
A brief look at Hadoop
Integrating OSBI with traditional offerings
The reality of the market
Chapter 15. Working within an OS environment
Introduction to developers
A word about Java
Development within a community OS environment
Development within a commercial OS environment
Free software access without source code
Support available to developers
Community involvement and vendor differences
Collaboration with other developers
Participating in vendor software development
Upgrades, bug fixes, and the list goes on
Looking ahead at developer requirements
Chapter 16. Required skillsets
Technical skills
Java Programming
IT project management
Network and database optimization
Metrics and analytics development
Data modeling
Data integration
Business skills
Business requirements
Business unit interrelationships
Business sponsor
Business rules expertise
Navigating the political maze
Tying it all together
Chapter 17. Technical benefits and challenges
Expanding on the differences in technical versus business benefits and challenges
A look at the technical benefits of OSBI adoption
What about commercial OS and free software trials?
The issue of support and proprietary limitations
Weighing the benefits against the challenges
Understanding technical challenges
What types of challenges exist?
Understanding the real benefits and challenges of software development
SECTION 6: Takeaways/recommendations
Chapter 18. Getting started: A checklist for OSBI readiness
Business considerations
Technical considerations
Putting all the pieces together
Important OS factors
Can do with or without
General conclusion
Index
- Edition: 1
- Published: September 17, 2012
- Language: English
LW
Lyndsay Wise
Lyndsay Wise is the President and Founder of WiseAnalytics, an independent analyst firm and consultancy specializing in business intelligence for small and mid-sized organizations. For more than ten years, she has assisted clients in business systems analysis, software selection, and implementation of enterprise applications. Lyndsay conducts regular research studies, consults, writes articles and speaks about how to implement a successful BI approach and improving the value of business intelligence within organizations.
Affiliations and expertise
President and Founder of WiseAnalytics, Toronto, CANADARead Using Open Source Platforms for Business Intelligence on ScienceDirect