2009. The year BI becomes a bottom line application
Applications
The shift has been happening over the past couple of years from custom BI to application based BI. (see my DM Review article here ). The marketplace is mature enough to start to look at BI as an application similar to how ERP made that shift 10 years ago. So, instead of hearing about a custom data mart, the terminology is changing for functions such as “procure to pay”, “hire to retire”, etc.
An application based approach is much more understandable by business owners and should be more easily funded in the economic environment of 2009. I want to be clear that we are talking about “application based” not “application only” approach. Most organizations will still extend the out-of-the-box applications.
Bottom Line
BI will see a more focused approach to the bottom line of an organization. Areas such as spend management, hr optimization and financial planning will be some of the hottest areas of 2009. This does not preclude traditional top-line approaches for BI, but the bottom line focused projects will get to the front of the line for the funding.
This combination of will make 2009 the year of Bottom Line BI Applications.