Every few years we hear about a “silver bullet” that will allow organizations to become more data driven. These include local area networks, ERP systems, cloud computing, and in-memory databases. Four years ago, Blockchain was going to solve all IT…
Our data show that BI achievement always remains at levels below those set in BI objectives. This BI objectives-achievements (OA) gap in large part reflects that BI objectives should represent aspirational or stretch goals (while remaining realistic). The challenge for…
Despite all the hoopla surrounding it at conferences, in the press, and on social media, data literacy in recent years shows no significant improvement in the percentage of organizations successfully applying and getting value from it. Now is the time…
External consulting services — system integrators (SIs) and consultants — typically represent 14 percent of total BI budgets. Our latest data show expected increased use of SIs and consultants in the second half of 2023, along with notable year-over-year increases…
For years, many people expected data storytelling to take off in terms of who is doing it and their success rate. But the numbers and percentages remain under 50 percent, still a minority group. Why is that? Breaking down the…
When applied to business, the application of analytics commonly associates with better decision making, increasing profits, reducing expenses, growing revenue, improving customer satisfaction, enabling compliance and reducing risk, or enhancing competitive positioning. As challenges posed by external forces—especially economic ones—make…
The “enterprise” aspect of enterprise performance management (EPM) means that planning, modeling, and analytics capabilities should work closely together across domains to provide a holistic way of managing performance for the entire organization. However, our research indicates not enough “enterprise”…
Economic forces push many organizations to re-examine and reprioritize their BI initiatives. The increased cost of capital now raises the bar on what expected return from BI investments needs to be, deferring or canceling many lower-return projects, and escalating those…
Part of a research series that previously analyzed our data on the impact of external forces by BI success and organization size (see the Research Insights “Successful BI Initiatives Better Mitigate the Impact of External Forces” and “Leverage Organization Size…
Deriving value from business intelligence (BI) requires taking known technologies, processes, and human skills, aligning them to business practices and objectives, and leveraging data to inform decision making for smarter and better business results. Making this a reality never has…
Many organizations continue to perceive and use embedded BI highly. However, reported current use of embedded BI declined slowly from its high of 53 percent in 2017. Its perceived importance sits below the all-time high level reported in 2018. Despite…
The arrival of generative AI seems to have caught many organizations off guard, uncertain of how to deal with the many implications of interacting with this new technology in an enterprise setting. Some prominent financial-services firms have imposed outright bans…
During a roundtable discussion on the subject of “Toward a Modern Analytical Architecture and Technology Stack” during our most recent Real BI Conference, the chief data officer (CDO) of a technology company shared a recurring observation of general bias toward…
Retailers show a notable resiliency and adaptability through and beyond impacts stemming from COVID-19. Well before the pandemic, they adapted to evolving consumer preferences with increased online delivery infrastructure and omni-channel experiences, including social marketing and engagement. Demand for online…
This research examines our data on external forces by two variables: organization size and the passage of time. Survey respondents provided current perceptions when surveyed (3Q/4Q22) as well as future expectations (in 12 and 24 months). The data show that…
To many observers, the role of chief data officer (CDO) seems to have suddenly leapt onto the roster of executive ranks. While the notion of the CDO goes back perhaps two decades, our research finds the “suddenness” perception holds true:…
If you struggle with data privacy, you are not alone. Most of us spend quite a bit of our time on the Internet, which, by its very nature, is quite open. When we are on it, or in it, we…
Six key external forces—economic uncertainty, the COVID-19 pandemic, the labor market, regulatory compliance, geopolitical instability, and supply-chain issues—likely will continue to affect the business cycle longer and more intensely than many executives and managers expect. For the first time in…
Young organizations (that is, operating for less than five years) consider enterprise performance management (EPM) an important technology. They rate its importance similarly overall to perceptions by older organizations. However, young organizations report lower EPM adoption compared to all older…
As chief data officer (CDO) job activities and responsibilities become evident in real-world CDO appointments, the question arises of how “business-oriented” vs. “technology-oriented” a CDO should be. While the answer is clearly “both,” some confusion has arisen, in part because…
