That old saying "water, water, everywhere; but not a drop to drink" could be the best way to describe our current business intelligence conundrum. Businesses are being inundated with data, but much of it is the wrong data, it's not timely, and it's not getting to the right end users that need it.
I recently helped develop and authored a survey for the Oracle Applications User Group (OAUG) which dug into data overload and other issues and opportunities around BI and corporate performance management. The study was administered by Unisphere Research and underwritten by Cognos, and is available for download here from the Cognos site. (Registration required.)
The study found that a paradox exists in most organizations today. Decision-makers are overwhelmed by information overload, but at the same time, there isn't enough of the right information available. Ninety-one percent of companies said that almost all or at least some of their decision-making was stymied by a lack of complete information. Yet, three out of four also report they suffer from "information overload."
Companies are now capable of capturing the details of every minute transaction and event that occurs within their walls. The issue is, however, being to identify and separate out the pieces of data that have the most value -- sort of like looking for a piece of straw in a haystack. Add to this the fact that most end-users do not have access to the latest BI tools, and still have to go through IT or other departments. The majority of respondents to the OAUG survey report that it takes more than three to five days to get a report out of IT.
Overall, the survey found, fewer than 10 percent of employees have access to BI and corporate performance management tools and software.
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