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Archive for February, 2011

Inspiring Business Intelligence

By
Paul
Published: February 25, 2011Posted in: Business Intelligence, Events, IBIS, InfoBurst, InfoSol, Roambi, XcelsiusTags: , , , , , ,
Inspiring Business Intelligence

A few weeks ago I was participating in a career event at a State University where undergraduate students from both Business and I.T. schools were looking for internships with local businesses.  As they stopped by the InfoSol table, the number one question was “What do we do?”  This gave me the opportunity to talk about one of my favorite topics – Business Intelligence.  While most of them had heard of, or even studied, Business Intelligence as part of their courses, few appeared to understand its significance.

The table next to us was a major airline company and I used them as an example, citing that in the recent economic downturn, airlines had to make some tough choices in terms of reducing costs.  They needed to know which aircraft cost the most to maintain and which routes were the least profitable.   That information allowed them to make informed decisions about reducing aircraft and routes with minimal impact to their business and their customers.

I could see the lights go on in their young faces which encouraged me to tell my current favorite Business Intelligence story.

At last year’s InfoSol Business Intelligence Seminar (IBIS 2010), one of the winners of the prestigious Xcelsius Dashboard Awards was a manufacturing company from the Netherlands.  They explained that they were deploying a new manufacturing execution system and wanted to provide some engaging and compelling business intelligence from this system to both encourage usage and provide useful information that was previously unavailable across the company.  They decided to create a business intelligence user interface using Xcelsius.  It would provide in excess of 120 different metrics, deployed graphically and dynamically, about the different production line processes broken down to individual shift level.  The dashboard was dynamically refreshed through the unique intelligent caching mechanism from InfoSol and the impact of this application exceeded the expectations of this company.  For the first time, production, and issues encountered on the production line, was viewed by the entire company and the results were quite revealing.  The dashboard showed that one particular shift was measurably behind all the other shifts.  Since this was visible throughout the company, the workers on this particular shift felt they needed to do something about this and took it upon themselves to correct the issues and improve productivity so that they were on pace to do better than the other shifts. 

What a totally amazing side effect, but one that truly exemplifies not just the power, but the inspiration that can be derived from Business Intelligence.  It was with this example in mind that the theme of this year’s IBIS event “Inspiring Business Intelligence” was born.  There are so many fascinating and inspiring business intelligence stories like this and IBIS 2011 will be based on sharing some of these stories as well as offering an incredible line up of immersion boot camps, executive seminars, training workshops and specialized certification programs. 

IBIS is unique in so many ways as it goes beyond the regular SAP BusinessObjects training to teach best practices that go beyond the conventional ways of designing, developing and applying business intelligence.  The individuals leading these boot camps, seminars and workshops are not just teachers; they are highly experienced consultants, mentors and gurus in their field.

The knowledge transfer that occurs at IBIS is intense and the opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences unparalleled.

IBIS 2011 features hands-on immersion boot camps in Xcelsius, Web Intelligence, Crystal Reports and Xcelsius Data Caching.  The executive seminars cover best practices for success in business Intelligence projects, what’s new on BusinessObjects XI 4.0, and emerging business intelligence tools and technologies.  The main seminar is three full days and the registration is fully inclusive of four nights accommodations at the jaw dropping Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel on the southern California coast (inspirational in itself!).

New to IBIS this year are some very special certified boot camps which will be held on the Thursday and Friday directly after the main event.  These include the renowned FleXcelsius course from Centigon Solutions, teaching you how to create your own Flex components for Xcelsius.  The Roambi Black Belt certification and the InfoBurst Certified Expert (ICE) boot camps will also be offered. 

Most importantly, there will be the coveted Best Xcelsius Dashboard Awards, which are quickly becoming legendary.  The awards are open to everyone and the deadline for submitting your inspirational dashboard entry is April 15th.  You can enter your dashboard in one of the following four categories:

-          Best Business Dashboard

-          Most Innovative Dashboard

-          Most Valuable Dashboard

-          Most Xcellent Dashboard

To submit your dashboard entry, click here.

I know that some of the students who stopped by our table left inspired by what they heard about business intelligence just based on the slew of follow-up enquiries.  In fact we have invited two interns to join us starting today. 

I also know that anyone attending IBIS 2011 will undoubtedly leave more inspired about business intelligence than before they came – don’t miss out!

Register today – Early registration discount expires March 31st.

Sustainability from the “Loco Gringo”

By
Paul
Published: February 22, 2011Posted in: Business Intelligence, Costa Rica 2011, Paul Blogs on BITags: ,
Sustainability from the “Loco Gringo”

Esperanza, Costa Rica – February 4th, 2011

I am in the middle of a tropical rain forest halfway up an incredibly tall and steep mountain.  My feet are slipping so I grab a nearby branch as sharp thorns dig into my palm.  I pull my hand away sharply and place my other hand on the ground to break my fall but I quickly pull that back as I feel sharp stings.  I look at one hand covered in blood and the other covered in biting red ants.  The temperature is in the 90’s with high humidity but the jungle canopy keeps the strongest rays of the sun at bay.  Every piece of my clothing is dripping in sweat.  My calf muscles are burning from the climb and I feel a mixture of extreme fatigue and numbness come over my whole body.  Ahead of me, three Costa Rican natives are cutting a path with machetes.  It was a smart move not to give me one as I would definitely have cut off one of my appendages by now!

Climbing the jungle

Not only are those guys climbing but they are constantly swinging and chopping through dense jungle.  They pause and look down at the “Loco Gringo” as they call me.  I smile and they shake their heads and laugh.  They laugh because we are only about half way up with another hour of climbing ahead.  They laugh because my brother who lives in Costa Rica stopped thirty minutes earlier unable to go further and they are just waiting for me to do the same.

I look at a log in front of me and see pieces of leaves moving across it as though they had legs.  I realize these are ants carrying those objects that are over twenty times larger than themselves.  I follow the trail with my eyes and see many, many different lines of ants of all sizes and colors industriously working away, climbing vertically as well as horizontally.  Inspired by these remarkable insects, I picked myself up carrying my backpack which is about one twentieth of my size and weight and headed on.

I start to pay more attention to the incredible rain forest ecosystem around me.  I see dead tree trunks further decomposed by termites, leaves underfoot turning to mulch, crawling and flying insects everywhere and new growth all around.  I realize that this rain forest is totally self-sustainable.

Sustainability has become a major initiative being undertaken by many corporations today.  For the larger companies, specific goals have been set to reduce their carbon footprint over the coming years.  The three main areas of focus are Reduce, Reuse and Recycle – in that order.

Business Intelligence has been playing a vital role in both identifying areas where sustainability actions can be made as well as monitoring and measuring the overall results.

Almost three years ago, InfoSol introduced its Green Services offering consulting and knowledge transfer options remotely.  This saves on all the carbon emissions attributable to travel and accommodations.  Not only is this more sustainable but it saves on employee travel time and these savings are passed on to the clients by the services themselves being less expensive.  In addition, InfoSol pays for the planting of a tree for every hour of Green Services purchased which has resulted in thousands more trees being planted.

The “Loco Gringo” did make it all the way up (about 2.5 hours of climbing) unaided and much to the surprise of my colleagues.  Now, coming down was something else.  My spectacular falls really gave those Howler Monkeys something to howl about!

INFOSOL a silver sponsor at SAP Innovate Better Summit

By
Yolande
Published: February 21, 2011Posted in: EventsTags:
INFOSOL a silver sponsor at SAP Innovate Better Summit

INFOSOL will participate at the upcoming SAP Innovate Better Summit on March 22, 2011 at the Arizona Biltmore.  Below is the SAP invitation to this event.  

INNOVATE BETTER SUMMIT
Join us in Phoenix on March 22, 2011

You are constantly being asked to innovate, to do more with less, to reduce complexity, and to stand out from the competition. What is your strategy to get there? 

 Register Today 

Grow. Innovate. Simplify

Whether your organization is large or small, learn strategies for becoming more informed, mobile customer-focused, socially connected and innovative.  With sessions and content that are specific to your interests, this is an event where you can: 

  •  
    • Discover new technology from visionary SAP executives
    • See how world-class organizations are using business analytics and deploying mobility in all aspects of their operations.
    • Learn from successful, growing companies the best practices that are crucial to supporting your growth strategies
    • Connect with key partners in SAP’s ecosystem to turn your visions into realities
    • Network with SAP subject matter experts, colleagues and your peers

There is no cost for attending the Innovate Better Summit in Phoenix, but space is limited and will fill up quickly.  Advanced registration is required.  Register today!

Agenda

10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Guest Arrival and Registration

10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Welcome and Introductions

11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Opening Session:  Leveraging Innovation to Transform Business in 2011
Featured Speaker:  Rob Strickland  (confirmed)
Former SVP, CIO, T-Mobile, Member, SAP IEAC

11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Opening Session:  Mobilizing Your Enterprise
Featured Speaker:  Dan Mahowald
VP, Enterprise Mobility, SAP

12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Opening Session:  SAP Runs SAP – Sustainability Innovations at SAP
Featured Speaker:  Peter Graf
Chief Sustainability Officer, SAP

12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch and Networking

1:00 p.m. – 1:20 p.m.
Special Session with Gold Sponsor, Deloitte

1:20 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Breakout Tracks*

4:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Open Q&A
Featured Speaker: Kevin Knierem
Vice President, SAP America

5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Networking Reception

*Breakout Tracks – Topics

Breakout 1: Enabling Financial Excellence

  •  
    • Industry Trends Driving Change in Financial Organizations
    • SAP Solutions that Enable Financial Excellence
    • SAP Roadmap for the Finance Line of Business
    • Performance Management and Risk & Compliance 

Breakout 2: Innovations: How SAP Technology is Poised to Change the Game in 2011

  •  
    • Latest Trends in Business Intelligence including
    • Business Analytics and Mobile BI
    • Critical success factors for data governance implementations
    • In-memory and data acceleration
    • Strategic Workforce Planning
    • Accelerating deployments with packaged analytic applications

Breakout 3: Energy Management

  •  
    • Energy Reduction Strategies to Drive Profitability
    • Enabling Energy Management
    • Driving Energy Management Strategy with Technology Innovations
    • Panel Discussion: Imperatives for Successful Energy Management

We hope we will see you there.

Regards,

SAP Americas

BI Hats

By
Paul
Published: February 15, 2011Posted in: Business Intelligence, Costa Rica 2011, Paul Blogs on BITags: , , , ,
BI Hats

Puntarenas, Costa Rica – February 3rd, 2011

Exactly one week after being in a major snow storm in Philadelphia, I find myself boarding a ferry in Puntarenas, Costa Rica in 97 degree heat.  I am on my way to visit my brother who currently is in the middle of the jungle in the Nicoya Peninsula.

I see a man wearing over 20 hats on his head that he is trying to sell.  I think to myself that this is quite a good way to advertise yourself because he looks ridiculous and people cannot help but stop and look at him.  Of course, I did look and he immediately saw the moment of hesitation in my eyes and pounced.  I had to buy one, it was only $6 – what a bargain!

 It also made me think about the multiple hats that many of us have to wear working in the field of business intelligence which includes so many facets including data warehouse design and creation, ETL (Extraction, Transformation and Load), data quality, universe views, reports and dashboards.  While larger corporations and entities may have different people assigned to the individual tasks, most organizations will expect business intelligence personnel to do many or sometimes all of these tasks.  Some actually have experience that allows them to take on all of the responsibilities but they often end up like the man in Costa Rica, wearing all those hats and looking somewhat strange as they try to do it all.

There are definitely advantages in specializing in the different disciplines, not least of which is that you will need dedicated expertise in them that covers both the business and the technical side of the area.  To be a truly effective business intelligence report designer and developer for the finance department, you need to understand finance processes for finance, the finance data and the business intelligence tools.

As business intelligence becomes more and more significant in every organization, it might be worth thinking about getting more people to wear those different BI hats.

Leading Zeros in Xcelsius – Tech Tip

By
Roxanne
Published: February 7, 2011Posted in: Business Intelligence, Tech Tips, Xcelsius End UserTags: , , , , , ,
Leading Zeros in Xcelsius – Tech Tip

What can I do if Xcelsius is chopping off the leading zero’s in my order numbers?

This question comes up often when I’m teaching an Xcelsius training class.  Often enough that I’ve decided to discuss the solution here in a tech tip on our blog.

This scenario can happen with different data sources (XML, Live Office, Qaaws) when a number string is interpreted by Xcelsius to be numbers rather than string data.  As many people have tried, it is not enough to format the cells as text in the Excel spreadsheet of Xcelsius.  We need to use a trick to add those leading zeros back in. 

For example, say my Order numbers are all 3 digit numbers (for simplicity sake).  My order numbers are loaded into Column D, but then converted to their proper 3 digit format in Column F with the use of the Length formula in Excel, LEN.  By simply combining an if statement and the Length function to determine the length of a value, we can add the appropriate number of zero’s in front of a value, and voila, properly formatted Order numbers! 

See example below:

using the LEN function in Excel

IBIS 2011 registration is now open

By
Yolande
Published: February 2, 2011Posted in: Business Intelligence, EventsTags: , , ,
IBIS 2011 registration is now open

Registration is now open… for IBIS 2011: INSPIRED BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE, June 19 – 24.

We believe that Business Intelligence is changing our lives in so many amazing ways.  It inspires companies, institutions and people to make timely decisions with confidence and is one of the most exciting happenings on the planet right now.

InfoSol is inspired to see beyond your data by using Business Intelligence to its ultimate effectiveness.

The SAP BusinessObjects suite of solutions delivers the most leading edge and powerful business intelligence solutions in the marketplace and INFOSOL’S BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE SEMINAR (IBIS),  is the most effective forum for learning how to use these solutions in new and inspirational ways.

IBIS 2011 offers an incredible line-up.  Hands-on  PreSeminar workshops, immersion training boot camps, executive seminars … visit the IBIS 2011 website.  You can view conference details and register.