Reporting, analysis, and visualization can all seem like the same thing—and they certainly all serve similar goals. So what are the real differences?
- Reports can address a variety of business needs, can be personalized and targeted, and can be easily distributed via many means. They can be adapted to run from different data sources as well, making them very flexible.
Traditionally, reports, even when presented on screen, have come from a paper based world and reflect this in their relative limitations in dimensions and interactions. B.I. report elements on the other hand can exploit the capabilities of a web page to be resized, and to scroll elements within it. Hyperlinks within a report provide drill down capabilities that far surpass the single dimensional inheritance of the paper format ancestry of the traditional report..
- Dashboards translate complex information into high‐impact, at‐a‐glance displays and exploit this multi-dimensional capability. They’re more intuitive than reports, and help keep decision makers aligned with organizational goals. Dashboards help you spot problems more quickly, making them better daily‐use tools.
- Analysis lets you explore information from across the business, and helps you dig deeper to discover the “why” behind what you’re seeing on a report or a dashboard. In distinction from traditional paper based reporting, the interactive nature of B.I systems means that starting from these you can move – “drill down” - through summary information to deeper‐level information, and model “what‐if” scenarios to help find the right action for improvement.
Is Business Intelligence vs Simple Reporting