Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing Drive smarter decisions DOWNLOAD

Enterprise information systems built to handle day-to-day operations don’t automatically produce one version of the truth, nor do they deliver analysis and insight, especially when those systems have been cobbled together through mergers and acquisitions in a patchwork of legacy technologies. A large company can spend millions on a data warehousing solution, only to spend millions more on manual number-crunching in an attempt to extract useful guidance from them.

Deloitte’s Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing services are designed to provide the strategic advice companies need in support of their efforts to manage data from disparate sources and convert it into consistent, actionable information that can drive competitive advantage. We help companies make the most of their valuable data resources through effective use of the right technology, backed by a clear vision and strong executive sponsorship. This approach allows specific functional areas such as finance, supply chain, human resources, sales and marketing and customer service to uniformly interact with each other in response to organizational issues and opportunities. Learn more about the offering.

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Meet our people

• Nimitt Desai, Principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP

Related offerings

• Application Management Services – Information Management
• Deloitte Analytics
• Enterprise Content Management
• Enterprise Data Management

Learn more about the offering

Turning data into a strategic weapon
Companies that master business intelligence understand that effective business intelligence and data warehousing (BI/DW) solutions can generate significant cost savings, but the real value comes in improved decision making. So in addition to focusing on cost reduction, leading companies treat information as a strategic asset – and plan accordingly.

Because applications and business requirements are constantly changing, a BI/DW architecture must be able to scale and adapt easily. With the right building blocks, companies can create information management (IM) environments that are coherent and scalable.

How we can help

Deloitte’s Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing services are designed to provide the strategic advice companies need in support of their efforts to manage data from disparate sources and convert it into consistent, actionable information that can drive competitive advantage. We help companies make the most of their valuable data resources through effective use of the right technology, backed by a clear vision and strong executive sponsorship. This approach allows specific functional areas, such as finance, supply chain, human resources, sales and marketing and customer service to uniformly interact with each other in response to organizational issues and opportunities.

Our BI/DW professionals have a broad set of capabilities that involve reporting applications, portals, information delivery and basic and advanced analytics – all grounded in a deep understanding of business issues that drive the industries and sectors we serve. Consequently, we have the scale, scope and capabilities to help companies in their efforts to address their most complex information management challenges. Our services support companies in the following areas:

Enterprise Information Management Strategy (EIMS)

• Strategies that improve value from information assets
• Information roadmaps and readiness assessments

Business Intelligence (BI)

• Reporting, monitoring and measuring business performance

Enterprise Data Warehouses and Datamarts (EDW/DM)

• Harnessing information to deliver intelligence for faster decision-making

Extract, Transform and Load (ETL) for BI/DW Solutions

• Large-scale, timely movement of information sourced from disparate platforms
• Correctly designed integration hubs that typically support compliance activities

Analytics and Data Mining (A/DM)

• Enablement of mathematical algorithms that detect patterns and trends in data
• Creation of statistical and analytical models via data enrichment

Structured Search (SS)

• Enablement of information delivery to the desktop via search engines
• Provision of information across the Internet or intranet

Bottom-line benefits

• Maintain timely, accurate and more consistent information
• Make more informed decision making
• Reduce risk through improved compliance and financial reporting
• Reduce cost of managing information — including Information Technology costs and manual processing

Five ways to get more value now

Strive for better, not just cheaper. Recent studies show IM initiatives that seek to use information as a strategic weapon — rather than focusing only on cost reduction — are almost twice as likely to produce high quality information and insight.

Look beyond cost savings. Improved decision making does provide cost savings in addition to other benefits, but those savings can be hard to quantify in a business case. Create an initial information strategy to help align the business requirements with any technology gaps – and a plan for closing them.

Design an architecture that can adapt to changes. Source applications and business requirements are constantly changing. The hardware, software and application architecture for BI must have the flexibility to adapt to these changes with minimal effort. They must also be scalable to accommodate fluctuations in demand. The required capabilities should be designed into the architecture from the beginning.

Develop a business information model (BIM). A BIM for the enterprise is the glue that holds everything together – the information needed to manage the business. It can provide important insight into high impact process areas where information management may be essential for business continuity and differentiation.

Actively manage resistance and conflict. Shared tools and data can create conflict over ownership, service levels and security. Establish strong executive sponsorship. Set up a governing council to resolve issues, generate consensus and communicate with stakeholders. Provide training to help improvements stick.

Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing in action

• Risk scoring of delinquent accounts enabled a state government to focus collection efforts where they would be most effective.
• One BI solution provided a state government an automated dashboard that summarized key performance indicators for better decision-making and long-term planning.
• A new state-wide reporting system made it possible for a state agency’s employees to improve efficiency by gaining secure access to enterprise financial data.

As used in this document, “Deloitte” means Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting.