Data Intelligence Evolution

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

It is my view that a number of trends in 2012 is set to see the development of some advances in business intelligence in 2013. Databases have started to proliferate and many new entrants into data presentation have formed unique market offerings. Data visualization and data discovery are  growing in demand and are about to become a new technology product category. Web-based analytical tools are connecting to web-based data. And everything’s becoming mobile. This is the beginning of an acceleration of data intelligence in 2013.

These trends build upon the amazing developments of 2012. Databases proliferated, startups formed, visualization and data discovery became increasingly recognized as their own categories. Web-based analytics tools are connecting to web-based data. And everything’s mobile.

Here are some of the changes that are coming:

• Unstructured data will grow from a promising test into a mainstream analytical tool
• BI will, finally, find a happy home in the cloud.
• Visual analytic's will move from a polishing-prerogative to a business-imperative.
• True mobility, an age of analytic's where anyone anywhere with a question can use data and BI.
  

KEY BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE EVENTS FOR 2013

1. Proliferation of data stores.


Once upon a time, an organization had different types of data:  CRM, point of sale, email, and more. The rulers of that organization worked very hard and eventually got all their data into one fast  data warehouse…2013 is the year we will recognize this story as a fairy tale.  The organization that has all its data in one place does not exist. Moreover, why would you want to do it? Big data could be in places like Teradata and Hadoop. Transactional data might be in Oracle or SQL Server. The right data stores for the right data  and workload will be seen as one of the hallmarks of a great  IT organization, not a problem to be fixed.

2. Hadoop is real.

Back in 2008 and 2009 Hadoop was a science project. By 2010 and 2011 some forward-thinking organizations started doing proof-of-concepts with Hadoop. In 2012, we saw the emergence of many production-scale Hadoop implementations, as well as a crop of companies trying to address pain points in working with Hadoop. In 2013, Hadoop will finally break into the mainstream for working with large or unstructured data. It is also become more "right-time" for faster analytic's experience.

3. Self-reliance is the new self-service. 

Self-service BI is the idea that any business user can analyze the data they need to make a better decision. Self-reliance is the coming of age of that concept: it means business users have access to the right data, that the data is in a place and format  that they can use, and that they have the solutions that enable self-service analytics. When all this happens, people become  self-reliant with their business questions and IT can focus on providing the secure data and solutions to get them there. 

4. The value of text and other unstructured data is recognized.

One of the sub plots of the rise of Hadoop has been the rise of unstructured data. Emails, documents, web analytics and customer feedback have existed for years, but most organizations struggled enough to understand their structured data that unstructured data was left alone. In 2011 and 2012 we saw more techniques emerge to help people deal with unstructured data, not least of which is a place to put it (Hadoop). With the explosion of social data like Twitter and Facebook posts, text analysis becomes even more important. Expect to see a lot of  it in 2013. 

5. Could BI Grows Up.

Cloud business intelligence as your primary BI? No way! Not  in 2012, at least. There are cloud BI services, but with important limitations that have made it difficult to use the cloud as your primary analytics solution  In 2012 we expect to see the maturation of cloud BI, so that people can collaborate with data in the cloud. just like they collaborate on their sales force CRM or help desk data.

6. Visual analytics wins Best Picture.

For years visual analytics has been the Best Documentary of business intelligence: impressive, but for the intellectuals and not the mass audience. But people are finally beginning to realize that visual analytics helps anyone explore, understand and communicate with data. Its the star of business analytics, not a handy tool for scientists.


7. Forecasting and predictive analytics  become common. 

Much like visual analytics, forecasting used to be seen as the domain of the scientist. But everyone wants to know the future. Forecasting tools are maturing to help businesses identify emerging trends and make better plans. We expect forecasting and predictive analyses to become much more common as people use them to get more value from their data.  

8. Mobile BI moves up a weight class. 

Last year we predicted that Mobile BI would go mainstream—and it did. Now everyone from salespeople to insurance adjusters to shop floor managers use tablets to get data about their work right in the moment. To date mobile BI has been lightweight - involving the consumption of reports, with a bit of interactivity. But the tremendous value that people have seen in mobile BI is driving a trend for more ability to ask and answer questions.

9. Collaboration is not a feature,  it’s a reality. 

Business intelligence solutions have often talked up their collaboration features. In 2013, that’ll no longer be good enough. Collaboration must be at the root of any business intelligence implementation, because what is business intelligence but a shared experience of asking and answering questions about a business? In 2013, business will look for ways to involve people  all around their organization in working together to understand and solve problems. 

10. Pervasive analytics.

It has been talked about for years in terms of pervasive analytics. But now it is really here. There is a whole market of data that is outside of the market for BI. When we talk more about data, and less about software the we get to the crux of maximizing value.. Fast easy to use visual analytics is the key that will open the door to adoption and collaboration.