Amid all of the predictions and hypothesis about the future of BI in 2015, my favourite developing trend is the convergence of Big Data and Business Intelligence. Three things we saw in 2014 are driving this: 1. The Hortonworks … [Continue reading]
Fix packs are not the most exciting topic to blog about, but they are a crucial part of any successful enterprise software implementation. On August 14, 2014, Cognos BI 10.2.1 Fix Pack 4 became available. As far as I can tell, this fix pack contains … [Continue reading]
With the commoditization of GPS chips, location analytics, geospatial analysis and location intelligence have become desired features in business intelligence solutions. Everyone and everything that is mobile can be tracked. Location data is easier … [Continue reading]
What are Dynamic Cubes? Dynamic Cubes are a new feature released with IBM Cognos BI version 10.2. It extends to OLAP the Dynamic Query Mode (DQM) functionality that was introduced with Cognos 10.1. Dynamic Cubes are based on ROLAP … [Continue reading]
Outside the IT department, data is not an area of business that traditionally received much attention, let alone its own strategy. Usually data comes under the scrutiny of management when a crisis hits: Conflicting or erroneous numbers are … [Continue reading]
This month has seen a flurry of articles published about Facebook turning 10. From the beginning, I always likened Facebook to AOL: a place in cyberspace that for many is synonymous with the internet. Facebook has remained very accessible to … [Continue reading]
Keeping Up with the Quants Your guide to understanding and using analytics Thomas H. Davenport and Jinho Kim Harvard Business Review Press Copyright 2013 ISBN: 978-1-4221-8725-8 This book is a gentle introduction to using analytics in … [Continue reading]
When I was a solopreneur, it always nagged at me that I was never able to solve the classic consultant's dilemma: how to balance selling my services with actually delivering them to paying clients. I have read and heard suggestions that independent … [Continue reading]
In Ottawa, of course! Everywhere you look there is that well recognized Canada logo on a sign in front of a gigantic building full of civil servants. However, the Canadian federal government is not a monolithic entity: it is made up of three distinct … [Continue reading]
In the city of Ottawa and the surrounding area (a.k.a. the National Capital Region or NCC), the Canadian federal government has an outsized economic presence. My current employer earns more revenue from the feds than any other client, as a consultant … [Continue reading]