Advantages / benefits BI

An important advantage is that all relevant information is centrally stored in one place. This gives decision-makers a complete overview of their area of responsibility or - at the highest aggregation level - of the entire company. Business Intelligence systems support not only the operative business, but also strategic planning and corporate management.

Not every business software is able to present data in a decision-oriented way. A business intelligence system compresses complex information from different sources and pulls out all the stops in graphical terms. Important key figures and overviews appear, for example, as tachometers, charts or traffic lights in well-assorted business cockpits.

There are many situations in everyday business that require quick decisions. A business intelligence system contains countless data from which relevant information can be filtered out with a few simple steps - without the support of the IT department or external service providers. The highly condensed key figures support controlling and thus business decisions.

Routine activities also place a burden on employees in controlling. With the help of a business intelligence system, standard processes - for example, periodic reports - can be largely automated. This leaves more time for detailed analyses, controlling and strategic planning.

As important as controlling is, it should not be an end in itself. As in other areas of the company, the question of cost-effectiveness also arises here. Most costs are caused by high manual effort or rigid reporting structures. With automatic processes, independent updating of evaluations and flexible structures, Business Intelligence reduces the costs of reporting.

Business Intelligence systems create scope for market, customer or risk analyses. The broader information base allows market opportunities to be identified, customers to be served in a more targeted manner or avoidable risks to be avoided. Aspects that all have a positive effect on sales and profit development.

They can be easily adapted to different requirements, for example to cover the information needs and authorizations of different departments.

Business Intelligence systems are specially designed for the analysis of complex data sets. Numbers can be easily tracked and new evaluations can be created effortlessly. This promotes the controlling culture in the company and avoids "gut decisions".

In order to become familiar with the reporting system of an ERP system, training courses lasting several days are often required. Thanks to clear structures and efficient processes, the effort required for a business intelligence system is reduced to just a few hours.