Microsoft Business Intelligence Highlights
March 11, 2011
The push of search and content processing vendors into business intelligence continues. Not surprisingly, Microsoft is in this mini-trend as well.
The Microsoft Developer Network blog has published a “Business Intelligence Recap of 2010.” The article is a top 10 countdown of things to be thankful for. This passage caught my attention:
“One of the key highlights of SharePoint 2010, from my point of view of course, is the integration of PPS into SharePoint 2010, and the slew of new capabilities it now offers. A SharePoint service, PPS gains the scalability and reliability of SharePoint, while enabling rich new business intelligence applications and deployments.”
One can make a case that many enterprise software applications can deliver business intelligence. Is this a fair characterization of a system that shows where cost overruns occur, what supplier delivers parts that consistently meet specifications, or permit a search across email?
We have on this page a Silverlight download, a soccer player, a video, and a couple of cartoons. There are ads and headlines like “one demand sessions” and “business intelligence is here. Does this information define business intelligence? I am still confused.
The problem with business intelligence is similar to the problem with knowledge management. The terms really don’t mean anything unless the vendor makes quite specific statements about functions and features, use cases, and data management services.
My view is that as vendors, including Microsoft, struggle to find a pitch that generates leads, we will have to accept the explanation of what is essentially a content management system or a run-of-the-mill search and retrieval system as something other than what it is.
Marketing is necessary, but when any enterprise software can deliver information and data that could help a person make an informed decision, the phrase “business intelligence” is almost as meaningless as the phrase “enterprise search”.
We will have to live with words and phrases that have no specific meaning for the duration. Perhaps one reason enterprise software is dogged with a reputation for cost overruns and user dissatisfaction is that no one knows that the system is supposed to do? When installed, users realize it does not address user needs. With everyone distracted and in a hurry, defining exactly what is needed and figuring out the optimal solution is, in many cases, just not a very good use of time. Those Facebook messages and the crises that some face every hour are more important than figuring out details. Just my opinion.
Stephen E Arnold, March 11, 2011
Freebie
Comments
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
