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Evolution of BI and Its Relationship with Decision Support systems (DSS)
The term BI was coined by the Gartner Group in the mid-1990s. However, the concept has evolved since 1970s through introduction of MIS reporting, Executive Information Systems (EIS), OLAP (online analytical processing), data and text mining, artificial intelligence and machine learning, dashboards , data visualization and yet to be seen tools and techniques. Basically, BI is an evolution of DSS.
BI is very closely related to DSS (Decision Support systems) because BI evolved from DSS. Basically, BI has an executive and strategy orientation , especially in its BPM and dashboard components, while DSS is oriented towards analysts and middle managers. Although different views exist, we believe that these systems are not, at present, the same. We believe the following:
BI = DSS + heavy data mining + BPM + dashboards + heavy use of AI in business decisions
Why Use a BI/DSS Service?
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To provide accurate information when needed, including a real-time view of the corporate performance and its parts
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For faster and more accurate reporting, Improved decision making, Improved customer service, and Increased revenue
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To close the gap between the current performance of an organization and its desired performance
How to Get Started:
Choose the four major components from vendors
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a data warehouse (e.g., from Teradata)
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a set of tools for business analytics(e.g., Excel), Report Writers, Data Mining tools, etc.
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business performance management (BPM) tools for monitoring and analyzing performance
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a user interface with dashboard capabilities
Note: You can choose individual solutions from different vendors or select a package (e.g., SAS, Oracle BI, IBM Cognos)
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