Any aspiring BI Application Designers/Developers out there?  How well do you understand the principles of good graph and table design?  Take this 10 question quiz from Stephen Few to find out.
 
http://www.perceptualedge.com/files/GraphDesignIQ.html

A constant challenge of implementing new technology is the time-to-productivity of its users. In the corporate arena this is exacerbated by the remoteness that technology enables. Be it Blackberry or internet café, two users of the same system can be - quite literally – a world apart. But there is solution. It’s called Communities of Practice. And they are popping up in BI-savvy organizations everywhere.

Many user-defined and driven groups emerged first on their own. Users developed methods for sharing both practical and applied knowledge gained through their information systems. Today, however, smart companies are latching on to the concept to the betterment of organizational performance. These structured communities increase the availability of and access to new information. And they continuously push best practices through the organization – whether they originate from the top down or bottom up. What’s more, these groups are enabling companies to leverage there information systems investments at an unprecedented pace.

The University of Michigan offers a best practice example of an organization that’s embraced Communities of Practice. The University developed a Business Intelligence strategy in 2004 when it recognized the far reaching implications of BI on the growth of the University. Like a lot of large and complex organizations, U of M wanted to ensure that its policy and visioning center – its central office - was in sync with the parts of the organization actually carrying out its mission.

A BI Leadership Center was created to establish BI as a core process that would bridge the efforts of the University’s central office, its individual colleges and the work of the Michigan Administrative Information Services (MAIS). MAIS was charged with creating, implementing, driving and supporting BI as a strategic component of the University.

Recently, MAIS announced its 2008 BI program with a series of events designed to teach the University’s information workers how to leverage data and learn from others on campus. The program includes a calendar of events anchored at a central information portal that is accessible to select users. Integral to this year’s program is a roster of lessons learned from last year’s program.

BlueGranite recommends this type of approach to its clients, and can help develop a Community of Practice for Business Intelligence within our client’s organizations.  The key is finding  a  champion within each department  or team . They should be excited about the new tools, a quick learner with computer technology, and willing to teach others and share. Organizations will find new levels of performance and success as team members uncover ways to use  Business Intelligence in their day-to-day approach to their job.

I’m a big fan of ProClarity, both the people and the product.  In 2004 I attended the ProClarity conference in Sun Valley, Idaho and met several of its development, sales, and partner team members.  As a long-standing partner with Microsoft, I was enthusiastic when the company purchased ProClarity in 2006.  

A few months ago in May 2007 I attended the first annual Microsoft Business Intelligence Conference in Seattle, followed by a trip to Denver for the annual Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference the second week of July 2007.  Both events gave me insight into the plans Microsoft has for its business intelligence offerings, including ProClarity and its role in the new PerformancePoint platform.

There is some confusion in the market right now about the exact plans that Microsoft has for ProClarity and PerformancePoint.  Here’s what I have learned from the conferences and various Microsoft business intelligence team members about the state of ProClarity today and its role in the new PerformancePoint 2007 platform:

·         ProClarity Analytics 6.3 will be included as a separate component with the PerformancePoint 2007 platform, scheduled to launch in early this fall.  Purchasing PerformancePoint 2007 will provide full access to the ProClarity Analytics 6.3 family of products.

·         Anyone who owns ProClarity Analytics today AND has an up-to-date support agreement in place will receive PerformancePoint at no additional charge.

·         PerformancePoint itself will include very basic analytics functionality, and any heavy lifting will be done in ProClarity Web Standard, Web Professional, or Desktop as it is today.  

·         PerformancePoint is mainly the next evolution of Business Scorecard Manager, and it includes a new set of forecasting and budgeting components previously known as Biz#. 

With these statements in mind, I decided to focus my Windows Live Space site on helping business users get the most out of ProClarity 6.3 since it’s the most powerful analytics tool Microsoft has to offer.  My goal is to upload ideas and examples on how to use ProClarity to solve real-world business problems.

I welcome your comments, ideas, and suggestions.    

Matt