5min. reading time
Author: Ruxandra Ionescu
Self Service Business Intelligence! Have you already heard about it?
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As part of their organizational structure, companies consists of departments. Each of these departments carries out defined activities that further support business processes. This creates data from various specialist areas, which must be processed in order to create information and, subsequently, knowledge. This should help the managing director to make decisive decisions for his company. This amount of data is usually managed by IT specialists. Analysts of the respective departments are therefore forced to contact IT specialists for data queries. This procedure creates an extended communication path and is associated with an increased workload. Self Service Business Intelligence or SSBI comes into play to reduce this workload and other stressful factors to a minimum.
What is Self Service Business Intelligence?
Self Service Business Intelligence enables specialist users of a department to process data independently and generate independent analyzes without having to burden the IT department. This type of BI tool has been in existence since 2010 and is increasingly used in the areas of controlling, accounting, marketing and sales, etc. In order to guarantee autonomous work, the SSBI must also be designed accordingly. It is important to have access to department-specific data by expanding an optimal data warehouse, a BI program and the appropriate reporting tools. The dashboard should be graphically appealing and user-friendly, so that it leads to simple use of the addressees.
Why is Self Service Business Intelligence used in companies?
The difference between the use of a classic BI program and self-service business intelligence lies in the independence of the skilled worker in querying data from the data warehouse and being able to process it into a report without accepting any performance claims from the IT department. With regard to the use of a classic BI solution, it turns out to be too complex for the simple department employee, so that intensive training is required, which in turn can lead to delays in work processes and financial expenses. It can therefore be assumed that classic BI solutions are more likely to be used by professionals who provide the desired data. Therefore, there is an accumulation of large amounts of data from different areas of the company, which takes a long time to process. A faster evaluation of the data therefore seems impossible. Self-Service Business Intelligence is supposed to remedy this by providing for a simplification of the use, so that even more department personnel can use it independently without having to pull the IT department aside.
Advantages of Self Service Business Intelligence
Autonomous working through a simplified system
As already mentioned, SSBI offers employees without in-depth technical know-how easier access to the processing of relevant data and the preparation of any evaluations. This saves a lot of time because the user can easily access department-specific data without having to travel through the additional communication path to the IT department. Even generating reports takes significantly less time than using conventional software.
Relief for the IT department
Furthermore, staff from the IT department also benefit from the implementation of Self Service Business Intelligence, since they can focus on more complex issues through the relief and thus a more efficient workflow is guaranteed.
Higher decision agility through timely information
Another point is that through the use of SSBI, decision-making guidelines and measures in a company are based on timely information, since real-time data is processed here. Developments can be monitored more easily so that action can be taken as quickly as possible.
Disadvantages of Self Service Business Intelligence and how to fix them
Disadvantage: Potential users could be intimidated by the system
Even if SSBI offers the user a simplified type of data processing, this must also be brought closer to the employee in the form of training. The problem here is that many potential users shy away from new programs in advance and have to slowly approach them. In some cases, employees may not be willing to use this type of support program because it would involve learning.
Measure: Show user-friendliness and functionality
It could prove to be advantageous to demonstrate the user-friendliness of a self-service business intelligence in the first place, so that the first barriers can be broken down in order to subsequently create a balance between user-friendliness and functionality. Furthermore, there is a more harmonious interaction between the respective departments, since the SSBI makes it easier to share and process information together.
Disadvantage: poor data quality due to incorrect data loading
Another aspect that is considered is data quality. The implementation of the SSBI simplifies the integration of different data records from different departments. Here, the accurate input of department-specific data is of the utmost importance in order to be able to work with correct data. The area of ​​responsibility for maintaining data quality still lies with the IT department.
Measure: Integration of warning systems
In order to avoid this problem as far as possible, a warning system integrated into the SSBI would be of great importance, which detects incorrect data records at an early stage and draws the user’s attention to them.
Disadvantage: misuse of personal data
The aspect of correct access and use of data, especially personal data, should not be neglected. The simpler handling of self-service and the simplified access to different data can lead to misuse of the intended purpose.
Measures: Implementation of access rules in the SSBI
It would be advisable to set up access rules in the SSBI system so that there can be no violations of the data protection regulation.
What does self service mean at Caduceus?
Caduceus is an all-round self-service business intelligence tool that, thanks to its diverse functionality, makes it easier for users to work autonomously. It is one of the pioneers of real-time monitoring, i.e. the processing of timely data, so that decisions can be made more accurately and more quickly. In addition, Caduceus is very easy to implement in the company’s internal system by using the most common interfaces.
Another plus would be the scalability of the SSBI solution Caduceus. Just as entrepreneurial procedures and processes change over time, so do their data and information. Accordingly, Caduceus can intervene by adapting to the circumstances.
Cooperation between departments can also be significantly simplified by using Caduceus. Users from different departments can access different data so that analyzes can be carried out simultaneously. An advantageous factor is that there is no misuse of data, since Caduceus has integrated authorization rules in the system.
In general, the integration of warning systems with SSBI solutions is advisable, since this gives users a high degree of security with regard to the reliability of the data fed in, and that is exactly what Caduceus offers. By automatically recording data from monitored systems, Caduceus guarantees a reduction in error rates.
Conclusion
Self Service Business Intelligence solutions have their advantages and disadvantages. It is important here that user friendliness and functionality harmonize. By implementing an SSBI, department employees can easily query data without having to burden IT specialists. In addition, certain workflows can be finalized more easily and quickly because departments can work together more. Warning systems and authorization clauses are the top priority, so that both the data quality and the intended use of the data are correct.
