Microsoft® Business Intelligence For Dummies®

Chapter 12. Setting Your BI Goals and Implementation Plan

In This Chapter

• Creating the goals for your BI implementation

• Picking the best method to get BI up and running

• Defining your implementation plan

It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link in the chain can be handled at a time.

—Winston Churchill

In my experience as a consultant, I've found that technology is a double-edged sword: It can make great business processes extraordinary — or turn poor business processes into impassable hurdles. Doing BI right is more than just buying computers and software. If technological solutions aren't implemented in the correct way — turned from concepts into real tools that provide real benefits for your specific situation — they can make your business perform worse than it would if you went back to pen and paper.

In one vital respect, implementing a BI system is just like getting any high-tech solution up and running: The more knowledge you have about the topic when you start, the more likely you are to succeed. Of course, that sword also has two edges: Software vendors and consultants can tell you a lot, but as they get wind of a new opportunity to sell their wares and services (that's you, starting your journey toward business intelligence), they'll tend to overwhelm you with whiz-bang slideshow presentations and promises of amazing success. Pretty soon your head is buzzing like a bug around a dazzling light — but watch out: Ineffective implementation can turn into that light into a ...