The five top BI resolutions at a glance:

Resolution 1: BI Use Cases – Data Quality meets Quantity
On many companies’ wish lists is BI for the masses – the many potential users in an organization that currently do not have access to the information they need to make fact-based decisions. Countless businesses are using BI systems that only extend to a small group of power-users, when in practice, everyone from the C-level down is making decisions that affect company performance on a daily basis. Determining how far down to roll out your BI solution should be high on the list of resolutions to ensure that your company gets the maximum benefit from its BI systems.

Resolution 2: Collaboration Tools – the Key to Success
Companies often have to fight their way through reams of reports of very different quality. At the same time, there is usually no verified information on whether the reports are up to date, used frequently, or viewed as “quality” by users. Collaborative BI solutions allow users to search for information, comment on it, ask for enhancements, and share it with co-workers. And IT staff appreciate the statistics these solutions generate about report usage. Collaboration when it comes to BI is about adding value to existing information and using it to the company’s advantage.

Resolution 3: Form Follows Function
Unfortunately, many businesses still frequently make the mistake of deploying reporting systems based solely on technical requirements. A user interface is then popped over the application and users are left to cope with an often unfriendly frontend, making self-service difficult. To make BI more convenient for users, one resolution for 2012 should be: attach more value to the frontend, which is what most BI users see, keeping true to the maxim “form follows function.” The best way of doing this is to ask BI users directly what information they need and how they would like it presented. The adoption rate of your BI system is sure to rise once the frontend is considered as important as the backend.

Resolution 4: Mobilize BI
As the mobile workforce grows, BI solutions for smartphones and tablets are becoming more important. While some companies dive right in and deploy mobile BI without a clear strategy, we recommend that they take some time to think about which user groups will benefit from mobile BI access, how to present existing reports and dashboards in a compact and easily digestible format for mobile devices, and how to keep the data safe from third parties while users are on the go.

Resolution 5: Tame Data Streams
The need for information often arises with little notice and has to be delivered quickly. Unfortunately, many BI systems were not originally designed to operate at the speed of business today. Users will no longer accept performance issues, slow information delivery, or an irritating proliferation of quick fixes. Companies should make a resolution to develop a long-term BI concept that involves the reduction of unstructured data – for example, by employing enterprise data warehouses.

“IT-supported process optimization remains one of the most important goals in the business environment, next to cost reductions,” explained Achim Röhe, VP Professional Services at arcplan. “All companies want to utilize their existing systems better, and these five recommendations are a good place to start realizing enormous improvements from investments they have already made. If companies follow our BI resolutions, they will improve their BI by leaps and bounds in 2012.”

The two new interfaces include Infor PM10 and the PowerOLAP business performance management solution developed by Paris Technologies. Combined with the user-friendly web pivoting, users benefit from faster running solutions and greater efficiency of their applications.

User Friendly Web Pivoting

By applying an innovative concept for the intelligent use of existing meta data, arcplan Enterprise 6.6 allows for efficient web pivoting. Users of the BI platform from arcplan can analyze their data online in a web browser by generating new views for quick and simple ad-hoc analysis. By changing data dimensions, all relevant business data can be viewed under various aspects, which allows for focused analysis.Critical development can be quickly identified, speeding decision making processes in business operations.

New Interface to PowerOLAP from Paris Technologies

arcplan Enterprise 6.6 includes a completely new interface to PowerOLAP®, the innovative multidimensional database server of arcplan partner Paris Technologies. Customers of arcplan now have the option to extend their business intelligence, analysis, and planning solutions to include PowerOLAP. Users gain access to an analysis platform with in-memory properties that enables high-performance data retrieval. In return, users of PowerOLAP gain access to an integrated solution where arcplan Enterprise® serves as the front end.

Improved Planning thanks to Direct Re-Writing of Data in SAP BI-Integrated Planning

The new version comes with an “in series” direct interface to SAP BI-IP. SAP BI-IP is a planning tool for developing comprehensive planning scenarios, and is fully integrated into the SAP NetWeaver BI solution.

Running arcplan in conjunction with SAP BI-IP means gaining access via BEx queries and direct re-writing of data to SAP InfoCubes. Customized planning reports and models can be implemented directly with arcplan while taking full advantage of SAP BI-IP functions. The arcplan solution includes a range of options for designing intuitive user interfaces, and allows for customized commenting. The easy integration and optimized support of workflow and process logic (e.g. release processes, notifications, etc.) assist users in completing their planning tasks efficiently. In addition, arcplan can be integrated into SAP NetWeaver portals, using LDAP single sign-on (SSO).

Apart from these two new connectivities, users of the new release 6.6 are also provided with direct access to the Infor PM 10 performance management suite, which is the successor of MIS ALEA.l This makes arcplan Enterprise the most comprehensive solution in the industry, as it supports more than 25 data sources.

Optimized Integration in Excel by means of Excel Layout Support

The latest version of the BI platform also provides a new grid interface in the arcplan Application Designer, which enables arcplan objects in Excel environments. The WYSISWYG (what you see is what you get) functionality of the arcplan Application Designer makes application development easy, while its grid interface caters for the simultaneous provision of business information in both the browser and the well-known Excel environment.

”With arcplan Enterprise 6.6, we follow our product strategy as regards user-friendliness, performance and interoperability”, explains Roland Hoelscher, CTO of arcplan. “For the future, we want to further expand our position as the provider of the most flexible and easiest to deploy BI platform in the market.”

arcplan Enterprise 6.6 also includes a number of new functions for the dynamic generation and analysis of XML documents and an optimized bookmarking concept. The solution also supports data distribution in IBM Cognos TM 1.

Within the framework of the agreement, Cyber BI has committed to generating software sales revenues totaling several million euros to be spread over the three-year duration of the contract. Alongside its in-house sales team, Cyber BI is rapidly building a network of strong strategic partnerships across the country, both with systems integrators and within key vertical sectors such as the tobacco industry and utilities. The company has significant expertise in the development and implementation of complex analytic applications for large corporations, including SAP R/3 and SAP BW in the manufacturing, telecommunications, government and retail sectors.

As master distributor, Cyber BI is also being tasked with ensuring first class service to existing and future arcplan customers in China as well as to its network of partners. Today, arcplan Enterprise is being used by major corporations there including Siemens China, Hongta Tobacco – China’s largest and most influential producer of tobacco – and BMW Brilliance, a joint venture between Germany’s premium carmaker BMW and the Shenyang-based vehicle manufacturer Brilliance China Automotive Holdings.

“China is a fast-paced market with enormous promise in the Analytics and BI arena. With Cyber BI as our master distributor, we’re very excited about the invaluable contribution they’re making to driving arcplan’s sales revenues in China while boosting our brand visibility there,” commented Oliver Deistler, Manager Business Development & Channels at arcplan. “This distributorship agreement also underlines the vital role that strategic international partnerships play in the growth of our business. It is another important step towards arcplan achieving a significant penetration of all the major markets around the globe.”