BI Requirements Checklist - M87systems

1 BI Requirements Checklist M87systems Corporation Page 1 The BI Requirements Checklist is designed to provide a framework for gathering user Requirements for BI technology. The framework covers, not only the obvious BI functions, but also the follow-up actions a user may need to perform, with the information gathered using the BI technology. In some cases, normal Office automation tools, may be the answer, but applets or macros may be required to help with integration. The Checklist is divided into various major sections with individual points. Points are accompanied by descriptions to help clarify the question being asked. Once your users have completed the Checklist , you will have an overall understanding of what they perceive their needs to be, to support their business activities.

2 Follow the data gathering with an analysis of the responses, grouping the answers into: Nice to Have rating totals 1 to 4 Good to Have rating totals 5 to 7 Must Have rating totals 8 to 10 Not Required rating total of 0 It should be noted that no single product, can fulfill all the items on the Checklist . BI solutions are a collection of tools that are used to satisfy the business Requirements . Users from different areas will have different Requirements . Marketing people will have a need for segmentation, while financial users will have a need for specific financial calculations. Your data gathering should account for the diversity of Requirements by business function, and job function.

3 BI Requirements Checklist M87systems Corporation Page 1 Name: _____ Department: _____ Position: _____ Telephone: _____ Email: _____ Requirement Description Rating 1 to 10 Data Inquiry Simple Ad Hoc real time inquiry The ability to enter and execute a query retrieving information, containing information having, simple sums, counts and averages, grouped by specified values. Computed Columns The ability to have columns of information that are calculated and not stored. Prompted Ad Hoc inquiries The ability to execute predefined inquiries, which prompt you for constraints, but always retrieve the same columns of information Scheduled data extracts The ability to have queries executed at predetermined times, or related to business events.

4 External Sources of Information The ability to integrate information from outside the Data Warehouse. Examples: Spreadsheets Files from outside sources, vendors, suppliers, catalogs Files external to the Data Warehouse such as VSAM files, IMS databases, flat files, other databases. BI Requirements Checklist M87systems Corporation Page 2 Requirement Description Rating 1 to 10 Data Inquiry Import information for personal use The ability import inquiries into P/C based packages for further analysis. Examples: Import into a spreadsheet Import into a personal database Retrieve small amounts of information A few hundred rows of information, which may fit comfortably into a spreadsheet Retrieve large amounts of information A few thousand, or more rows of information, not likely to fit comfortably into a spreadsheet.

5 May be stored in a personal database for further analysis. Use Summary Information Information that is aggregated to pre-determined levels. Example: Product sales by region and time Use Detail Information Information captured at the detail level, perhaps at a transaction level. BI Requirements Checklist M87systems Corporation Page 3 Requirement Description Rating 1 to 10 Data Manipulation Workgroup Databases The ability to extract information for local storage and further analysis Custom Forms Presentation The ability to view and update information using a custom form Spreadsheet View The ability to view information in a row and column format Interactive Updates The ability to change information in real time Batch Updates The ability to store changes for processing later Data Warehouse Write Back The ability to have changes made put back into the Data Warehouse.

6 Requirement Description Rating 1 to 10 Data Analysis Forecasting Budgeting Time Series Analysis The ability to perform a time based analysis Business Modeling/What If scenarios The ability to create models to reflect possible outcomes. Goal Seeking The ability to define a desired goal, and have various factors evaluated to achieve that goal. Regression Analysis The ability to analyze how different variables affect an outcome, and use that data to predict outcomes for other data series. Statistical Functions Use simple and advanced statistical functions, like skew and variance. Financial Functions Use financial functions like IRR and NPV Segmentation The ability to define groups based on a criteria, and then re-use that group for further analysis.

7 BI Requirements Checklist M87systems Corporation Page 4 Requirement Description Rating 1 to 10 Reporting Report Types Columnar Information listed in columns by column heading Cross Tab or Pivoted Information listed in Columns, but data values can form column headings Banded Information listed in horizontal bands, with each band having it s own content and possibly spanning multiple lines. Aggregation Having the ability to create totals, and sum duplicate rows of information Computed Columns The ability to have columns of information that are calculated from queried data. Complex Calculations The ability to have complex calculations Examples: Percent of Total Rolling Sums Period Comparisons Drill Up and Drill Down The ability to view information at a specific level, and drill to other levels of information on a selected value.

8 Example: Drill Country ->Region ->District. Mixed Text and Graphics The ability to produce reports that contain both text and graphics Cosmetic Control The ability to control fonts, bolding, or display report data in specialized forms Database Publishing The ability to create documents that are driven by report data. Examples: Product Catalogs Exception Reporting The ability to produce reports that only report on specific business problems. Examples: Product Sales drop by 10% Customers having Late Payments Controlled Calculations The ability to control the calculations used, so that everyone uses the same formulas. Report Templates The ability to create report layouts that server as starting points for creating custom reports Prompted Reports The ability to create reports that prompt you for content and constraints.

9 Reporting Preferences The ability to set preferences for constraints, or content. BI Requirements Checklist M87systems Corporation Page 5 Requirement Description Rating 1 to 10 Graphics Chart Types Pie Bar Stacked Bar Line High/Low Radar Area Histograms Other Combination The ability to mix chart types on a single chart. Example: A Bar chart having a Line Chart superimposed on it. 2D 2 Dimension Charts for Data Analysis 3D 3 Dimension Charts for presentation Multiple Scales The ability to have multiple scales displayed for different data series. Split Scales The ability to have scales change their range to reflect vastly different data series Median Line The ability to place a line showing the median for comparison purposes Custom text Placement The ability to randomly place text for annotation purposes Slide Shows The ability to create slide shows for presentation purposes Custom Drawing The ability to perform drawing functions to adjust the look of a graphic.

10 Or create new objects Maps The ability to create geographical diagrams Clip Art Chart Templates The ability to create templates for common chart generation Automatic Update The ability for charts to automatically reflect new information when the data changes. BI Requirements Checklist M87systems Corporation Page 6 Requirement Description Rating 1 to 10 Data Security Database level The ability to protect access to the database in general Table level The ability to protect which tables of information can be accessed Field Level The ability to protect which fields on a table can be viewed Example: HR can see employee personal information, but others cannot.