The key to a successful BI project is thorough planning, just like any IT project. The initial assessment should focus on identifying the KPIs required across the organization and auditing the data sources that need to be accessed, both structured and unstructured. Next, specify the required formats, devices, users, and timeframes.
BI is not a commodity, as each organization has unique needs and data sources, resulting in a nearly infinite number of possibilities.
A data warehouse is essential for a successful BI project. It provides a central repository for all disparate data across the organization, enabling sophisticated analytical tools, such as Microsoft Power BI, to be used.
According to a recent MSDynamicsWorld report, "Bringing in specialists can save time and money when building a data warehouse, while also increasing the chances of successfully completing the BI project."
A data warehouse not only assimilates different data sources, but also enables comparisons across systems, applications, and time, providing insights into business performance. It also simplifies the development of effective reports in existing company architectures, as any commercial reporting tool can be used to deliver good reports and UI dashboards.
Noah Kluge, Armanino, says, "
PrecisionPoint data warehouse is an essential part of the solution for all of our Dynamics AX and Dynamics NAV customers, enabling us to rapidly deliver results to multiple lines of business, including sales, operations, marketing, and finance."
Your BI project should provide users with a single version of the truth, reconciled and integrated data. How many projects can truly say that? A good data warehouse can deliver on this promise, and when productized for your ERP, it can save months of work. Time to availability is critical for most organizations, and the ability to trust your reports, like many of your peers, is essential. So why wouldn't you?
Contact us today to discuss your requirements in more detail.