To achieve a complete picture of the business environment, and make the best decisions, middle managers must have access to Business Intelligence (BI). Access to an integrated organizational knowledge base allows middle manager to make better day-to-day decisions at the department level, and to provide educated advice to senior managers. To achieve this vision, the organization must understand the relationship among the various business components and select a Business Intelligence (BI) tool that will be easily accessible to middle managers, no matter where they reside in the enterprise, and flexible enough to meet the reporting needs of each department.

No matter the size of the enterprise, access to critical business information and integrated reporting is important to market success. Small to medium sized enterprises (SME) should not discount the importance of Business Intelligence (BI). Most SME business owners make decisions based on a best guess or on their perception of business stability, and even if the owner understands the value of a Business Intelligence (BI) system, he/she believes the value of such a system is not worth the investment expense. In truth, the SME does not have to empty its coffers to purchase a large, overwhelming system. Some new Business Intelligence (BI) products offer web based, and even hosted services without the expense of installation and maintenance, making sophisticated Business.

Business Intelligence (BI) resides in many corners of the enterprise, and even outside the walls of the enterprise. BI is hidden in industry publications, staff knowledge, market research, sales data, project schedules, spreadsheets and packaged and legacy software applications. Without a true and complete picture of all available business intelligence, an enterprise cannot effectively plan for success or appropriately leverage a Business Intelligence (BI) system.

Reporting has been of significance to businesses by providing a platform for users to get immediate access to business information by using simple analysis. However, Business Intelligence (BI) caters to strategic, tactical and operational needs; providing a platform for complete, comprehensive performance management for today’s global, competitive businesses. This paper discusses the comparisons between standard reports and BI in terms of functionality, capability, architecture, process and management benefits.

Spreadsheets have been used by small and mid-size organizations to satisfy their demands for analysis, to give them a competitive advantage. But the concern for business confidence in spreadsheet data and results is a challenge. Today, competitive companies realize the importance and impact of Business Intelligence as the next biggest business related focus area to equip organizations for a competitive future. This paper discusses the merits of BI versus spreadsheets in today’s global changing scenario.

Adopting traditional Business Intelligence Tools and Solutions, organizations have been able to have valuable insights on past activities and results. However, with Operational Business Intelligence that is different from standard strategic and tactical BI existing in most organizations; promptness of information and data is established. This paper discusses the appropriateness and merits of Operational BI for timeliness and accuracy of business decisions for improving operational efficiency and results.

Commercial Open Source Business Intelligence (COSBI) is making the rounds for open source Business Intelligence. However, COSBI has its significant demerits as compared to Proprietary Business Intelligence, and it has still a long way to compete with the Business Intelligence (BI) markets. This paper discusses the comparisons between COSBI and Proprietary BI.