Data Business Glossary

Data Business Glossary

Data Business Glossary

Data Analysis and Business Intelligence

Data Analysis and Business Intelligence

Data Analysis and Business Intelligence

Business Intelligence (BI)

Business Intelligence encompasses the strategies and technologies used to analyze business information, providing historical, current, and predictive views of operations to support better decision-making.

Business Intelligence encompasses the strategies and technologies used to analyze business information, providing historical, current, and predictive views of operations to support better decision-making.

Business Intelligence encompasses the strategies and technologies used to analyze business information, providing historical, current, and predictive views of operations to support better decision-making.

Business Advantage:

Business Advantage:

Business Advantage:

Effective BI transforms raw data into actionable insights. Organizations with mature BI capabilities typically improve operational efficiency by 15-25%, identify revenue opportunities worth 10-15% of current business, and make faster, more confident decisions that create competitive advantage in rapidly changing
markets.

Effective BI transforms raw data into actionable insights. Organizations with mature BI capabilities typically improve operational efficiency by 15-25%, identify revenue opportunities worth 10-15% of current business, and make faster, more confident decisions that create competitive advantage in rapidly changing
markets.

Effective BI transforms raw data into actionable insights. Organizations with mature BI capabilities typically improve operational efficiency by 15-25%, identify revenue opportunities worth 10-15% of current business, and make faster, more confident decisions that create competitive advantage in rapidly changing
markets.

Data Analytics

Data analytics is the process of examining datasets to draw conclusions about the information they contain, increasingly with specialized systems and software.

Business Advantage:

Analytics turns your data from a record of what happened into a guide for what to do next. Companies with strong analytics capabilities typically outperform peers by 5-6% in productivity and profitability, identify cost reduction opportunities of 15-25%, and develop more innovative products and services by understanding unmet customer needs.

Descriptive Analytics

Descriptive analytics examines what has happened in the past, using historical data to identify patterns and create context for business performance.

Business Advantage:

Good descriptive analytics establishes the baseline for improvement. Organizations effectively using descriptive analytics typically reduce report creation time by 40-60%, eliminate disagreements about "what really happened," and create a shared factual foundation that aligns teams around common goals and
challenges.

Diagnostic
Analytics

Diagnostic Analytics

Diagnostic analytics focuses on understanding why something happened, drilling deeper into data to identify the causes of events and behaviors.

Diagnostic analytics focuses on understanding why something happened, drilling deeper into data to identify the causes of events and behaviors.

Diagnostic analytics focuses on understanding why something happened, drilling deeper into data to identify the causes of events and behaviors.

Business Advantage:

Business Advantage:

Business Advantage:

Diagnostic capabilities prevent repeated mistakes and help replicate successes. Businesses using diagnostic analytics typically reduce problem recurrence by 30-50%, improve the effectiveness of interventions by addressing root causes rather than symptoms, and develop institutional learning that creates cumulative performance improvements over time.

Diagnostic capabilities prevent repeated mistakes and help replicate successes. Businesses using diagnostic analytics typically reduce problem recurrence by 30-50%, improve the effectiveness of interventions by addressing root causes rather than symptoms, and develop institutional learning that creates cumulative performance improvements over time.

Diagnostic capabilities prevent repeated mistakes and help replicate successes. Businesses using diagnostic analytics typically reduce problem recurrence by 30-50%, improve the effectiveness of interventions by addressing root causes rather than symptoms, and develop institutional learning that creates cumulative performance improvements over time.

Predictive
Analytics

Predictive Analytics

Predictive analytics uses historical data, statistical algorithms, and machine learning techniques to identify the likelihood of future outcomes.

Predictive analytics uses historical data, statistical algorithms, and machine learning techniques to identify the likelihood of future outcomes.

Predictive analytics uses historical data, statistical algorithms, and machine learning techniques to identify the likelihood of future outcomes.

Business Advantage:

Business Advantage:

Business Advantage:

Predictive insights allow you to get ahead of problems and opportunities. Companies with predictive capabilities typically reduce inventory costs by 15-25% through better demand forecasting, increase marketing ROI by 10-30% through more precise targeting, and identify at-risk customers early enough to prevent 20-40% of would-be churn.

Predictive insights allow you to get ahead of problems and opportunities. Companies with predictive capabilities typically reduce inventory costs by 15-25% through better demand forecasting, increase marketing ROI by 10-30% through more precise targeting, and identify at-risk customers early enough to prevent 20-40% of would-be churn.

Predictive insights allow you to get ahead of problems and opportunities. Companies with predictive capabilities typically reduce inventory costs by 15-25% through better demand forecasting, increase marketing ROI by 10-30% through more precise targeting, and identify at-risk customers early enough to prevent 20-40% of would-be churn.

Prescriptive Analytics

Prescriptive analytics goes beyond predicting future outcomes to suggest actions you should take to achieve optimal results.

Business Advantage:

Prescriptive approaches take the guesswork out of decisionmaking. Organizations using prescriptive analytics typically optimize pricing to increase margins by 3-8%, improve resource allocation efficiency by 15-30%, and make complex trade-off decisions with confidence by quantifying the expected outcomes of different options.

Data Visualization

Data visualization is the graphical representation of information and data using visual elements like charts, graphs, and maps to communicate relationships and patterns clearly and efficiently.

Business Advantage:

Effective visualizations make insights accessible to everyone. Businesses with strong visualization practices typically accelerate decision-making by 30-50%, increase the adoption of data-driven approaches across the organization, and identify patterns and outliers that would remain hidden in traditional reports and
spreadsheets.

Dashboard

A dashboard is a visual display of the most important information needed to achieve objectives, consolidated and arranged on a single screen for at-a-glance monitoring.

A dashboard is a visual display of the most important information needed to achieve objectives, consolidated and arranged on a single screen for at-a-glance monitoring.

A dashboard is a visual display of the most important information needed to achieve objectives, consolidated and arranged on a single screen for at-a-glance monitoring.

Business Advantage:

Business Advantage:

Business Advantage:

Well-designed dashboards focus attention on what matters most. Organizations using strategic dashboards typically reduce meeting time spent reviewing status by 40-60%, improve accountability through transparent performance tracking,
and enable faster course corrections when metrics start trending in the wrong direction.

Well-designed dashboards focus attention on what matters most. Organizations using strategic dashboards typically reduce meeting time spent reviewing status by 40-60%, improve accountability through transparent performance tracking,
and enable faster course corrections when metrics start trending in the wrong direction.

Well-designed dashboards focus attention on what matters most. Organizations using strategic dashboards typically reduce meeting time spent reviewing status by 40-60%, improve accountability through transparent performance tracking,
and enable faster course corrections when metrics start trending in the wrong direction.

KPI
(Key Performance
Indicator)

KPI
(Key Performance Indicator)

KPI
(Key Performance Indicator)

A KPI is a measurable value that demonstrates how effectively a company is achieving key business objectives, providing focus for strategic and operational improvement.

A KPI is a measurable value that demonstrates how effectively a company is achieving key business objectives, providing focus for strategic and operational improvement.

A KPI is a measurable value that demonstrates how effectively a company is achieving key business objectives, providing focus for strategic and operational improvement.

Business Advantage:

Business Advantage:

Business Advantage:

Clear KPIs align efforts across the organization. Companies with well-defined KPIs typically improve strategic execution by 20-30%, increase employee engagement by connecting individual contributions to company success, and make more objective resource allocation decisions based on what demonstrably drives results.

Clear KPIs align efforts across the organization. Companies with well-defined KPIs typically improve strategic execution by 20-30%, increase employee engagement by connecting individual contributions to company success, and make more objective resource allocation decisions based on what demonstrably drives results.

Clear KPIs align efforts across the organization. Companies with well-defined KPIs typically improve strategic execution by 20-30%, increase employee engagement by connecting individual contributions to company success, and make more objective resource allocation decisions based on what demonstrably drives results.

Metric

Metric is a quantifiable measure used to track and assess the status of a specific business process, providing a basis for comparison and objective evaluation.

Business Advantage:

Carefully chosen metrics drive behavior change. Organizations with thoughtful metric selection typically focus employee efforts on activities that create the most value, reduce gaming of performance systems by measuring balanced outcomes, and create a culture of continuous improvement through regular
performance feedback.

Report

A report is a document that presents information in an organized format for a specific audience and purpose, often using both text and graphics to communicate findings.

Business Advantage:

Well-crafted reports drive action rather than just conveying information. Businesses with effective reporting practices typically reduce decision delays by 30-50%, improve cross-functional alignment through shared understanding, and create accountability structures that ensure insights translate into execution.

Scorecard

A scorecard is a performance measurement tool that compares actual performance against strategic goals, often using a balanced set of financial and non-financial metrics.

A scorecard is a performance measurement tool that compares actual performance against strategic goals, often using a balanced set of financial and non-financial metrics.

A scorecard is a performance measurement tool that compares actual performance against strategic goals, often using a balanced set of financial and non-financial metrics.

Business Advantage:

Business Advantage:

Business Advantage:

Comprehensive scorecards prevent over-optimization of single metrics at the expense of overall health. Companies using balanced scorecards typically make more sustainable growth decisions, maintain better long-term customer relationships by not sacrificing service for short-term gains, and create more resilient business models by monitoring leading indicators across multiple dimensions.

Comprehensive scorecards prevent over-optimization of single metrics at the expense of overall health. Companies using balanced scorecards typically make more sustainable growth decisions, maintain better long-term customer relationships by not sacrificing service for short-term gains, and create more resilient business models by monitoring leading indicators across multiple dimensions.

Comprehensive scorecards prevent over-optimization of single metrics at the expense of overall health. Companies using balanced scorecards typically make more sustainable growth decisions, maintain better long-term customer relationships by not sacrificing service for short-term gains, and create more resilient business models by monitoring leading indicators across multiple dimensions.

OLAP
(Online Analytical
Processing)

OLAP
(Online Analytical Processing)

OLAP
(Online Analytical Processing)

OLAP is a technology that enables analysts to extract and view data from different points of view, supporting complex analysis and ad hoc queries with rapid execution time.

OLAP is a technology that enables analysts to extract and view data from different points of view, supporting complex analysis and ad hoc queries with rapid execution time.

OLAP is a technology that enables analysts to extract and view data from different points of view, supporting complex analysis and ad hoc queries with rapid execution time.

Business Advantage:

Business Advantage:

Business Advantage:

OLAP capabilities dramatically accelerate complex analysis. Organizations using OLAP typically reduce analysis time for multidimensional questions by 70-90%, enable business users to explore data relationships without technical assistance, and identify cross-functional opportunities that remain hidden in departmental silos.

OLAP capabilities dramatically accelerate complex analysis. Organizations using OLAP typically reduce analysis time for multidimensional questions by 70-90%, enable business users to explore data relationships without technical assistance, and identify cross-functional opportunities that remain hidden in departmental silos.

OLAP capabilities dramatically accelerate complex analysis. Organizations using OLAP typically reduce analysis time for multidimensional questions by 70-90%, enable business users to explore data relationships without technical assistance, and identify cross-functional opportunities that remain hidden in departmental silos.

Ad Hoc Analysis

Ad hoc analysis refers to a specific analytical process designed to answer a single, specific business question, created as needed rather than as part of regular reporting.

Business Advantage:

Ad hoc capabilities allow you to investigate emerging questions without delay. Businesses with strong ad hoc analysis capabilities typically respond to market changes 40-60% faster, answer executive questions during meetings rather than days later, and create a more agile decision culture that adapts quickly to new information.

Self-Service Analytics

Self-service analytics encompasses tools and platforms that enable business users to access and work with corporate data even without extensive technical knowledge or IT assistance.

Business Advantage:

Self-service approaches democratize data access across your organization. Companies with self-service analytics typically reduce the reporting backlog for IT teams by 40-60%, accelerate time-to-insight by eliminating request queues, and empower front-line employees to solve problems using data rather than just escalating them.