Data Shadow Systems

August 19, 2014

The Shadow Knows! The Pros and Cons of Shadow Systems

DM Radio, Thursday August 21 3:00 EST When business pros can’t get the functionality they really want from IT, they often go rogue. That’s where shadow […]
July 21, 2014

Design a business intelligence system properly — for business users

What are some common mistakes that business intelligence managers and architects make when planning and designing a business intelligence system? BI managers and architects generally do […]
May 22, 2014

Cloud Apps are the new Data Shadow Systems

CIOs are expressing a concern about shadow IT in the “2014 State of the CIO Survey,” CIO Magazine, January 2014. Approximately half feel it is a […]
March 5, 2014

Why Spreadmart Awareness Pays Dividends – Thursday, 3PM DM Radio

I’ll be part of a DM Radio broadcast Thursday March 6, 3PM EST Program Description: Keep It Real: Why Spreadmart Awareness Pays Dividends The most pervasive […]
January 29, 2014

Spreadsheets vs. Analytical Nirvana

This post is part of a series on trends that highlight the two worlds of BI: the world where, according to industry pundits and vendors, enlightened […]
July 17, 2012

Riding herd on Excel BI use isn’t easy, but it’s necessary

I am interviewed in the article below by Alan Earls. Eradicating the use of Excel in business intelligence applications turned out to be a pipe dream in […]
June 26, 2012

The Scourge of Data Silos

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” [1] Over the years there have been many technology waves related to the design, development and […]
January 18, 2012

BI’s Dirty Secrets – Why Business People are Addicted to Spreadsheets

Microsoft Excel spreadsheets are the top BI tool of choice. That choking sound you hear is vendors and IT people reacting viscerally when they confront this […]
January 13, 2012

BI’s Dirty Secrets

The overwhelming amount of articles, seminars, white papers and product announcements on big data, predictive analytics, cloud and mobile business intelligence might make you think that […]
June 10, 2010

Save Time and Money by Replacing Spreadmarts

Recent TDWI research found that business analysts in a typical firm spend two days a week creating spreadmarts, costing organizations at least $780,000 a year.1 This […]
December 9, 2009

The Battle for the Status Quo

It’s a vicious battle. No, I am not talking about the partisan wars between the Democrats and Republicans, but this battle also impedes progress. Nor am […]
May 29, 2009

People, Process and Politics – We All Hate Data Silos, So Why do They Happen?

Why are data silos so prevalent when we really ought to know better? We know that it’s risky to have inconsistent data. We strive for the […]
April 3, 2009

More than just “The Usual Suspects” – Doing Due Diligence for DW and BI Tools

The publishing of Gartner’s Magic Quadrants or Forrester’s Waves is eagerly awaited by vendors in many IT categories, particularly those who scope in the “top” quadrant […]
January 12, 2009

Podcast: BI tools vs. Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets

According to a recent survey, many users are still using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets to analyze and report on corporate data. These same users also spend much […]
September 16, 2008

Finding Business Value in Data Warehousing/Business Intelligence During Tough Times

How are you spending your IT budget these days? The stock market is down, housing prices are down, the cost of everything including food and oil […]
January 24, 2008

Dealing with Spreadmarts: Strategies for Migrating to a Managed BI Environment

I recently co-authored with Wayne Eckerson of TDWI the Best Practices Report and webinar: "Dealing with Spreadmarts: Strategies for Migrating to a Managed BI Environment." Anyone […]
September 28, 2007

TDWI Spreadmart Research Report

I’m working with Wayne Eckerson (Director, TDWI Research,  The Data Warehousing Institute) on their new Best Practices Research report, "Strategies for Managing Spreadmarts and Integrating with […]
May 29, 2007

Ouch! Get Ready — Spreadsheets Are Here To Stay For Business Intelligence

I’m not the only one who thinks that Microsoft Excel spreadsheets are here to stay. (See Microsoft Excel: The King of BI.) In "Ouch! Get Ready […]
November 15, 2006

Oracle User Group Survey: Achieving End-to-End Business Intelligence

It was interesting to read a recent article from DMReview.com “OAUG Survey Reveals Three Out of Four Enterprises Using Oracle Applications Still Use Spreadsheets for Business […]
June 12, 2006

Data Shadow Systems Today, CPM Tomorrow

Earlier this year, at the 2006 Gartner Business Intelligence Conference, I heard a market prediction that made me wonder if industry-watchers are focusing too far into the […]
May 10, 2006

The Data Shadow System Conundrum

As Martha Stewart would say, getting information into the hands of business users is a “good thing.” Every enterprise needs to provide accurate, timely information for […]
March 12, 2006

BI systems: Data shadow systems pros and cons

Business groups are empowered by knowledge — and knowledge comes, in part, from having access to accurate and timely information. It is generally up to IT […]
April 28, 2005

Microsoft Excel: The king of BI

The current king of business intelligence (BI) tools is Microsoft Excel. Microsoft states that there are over 150 million Excel users, with many of them using […]