"This readable, practical book helps business people quickly understand what business intelligence is, how it works, where it's used, and why and when to use itall illustrated by real case studies, not just theory." Nigel Pendse Author of The OLAP Report www.olapreport.comSo much information, so little time. All too often, business data is hard to get at and usethus slowing decision-making to a crawl. This insightful book illustrates how organizations can make better, faster decisions about their customers, partners, and operations by turning mountains of data into valuable business information that's always at the fingertips of decision makers. You'll learn what's involved in using business intelligence to bring together information, people, and technology to create successful business strategiesand how to execute those strategies with confidence. Topics covered include:THE BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE MINDSET: Discover the basics behind business intelligence, such as how it's defined, why and how to use it in your organization, and what characteristics, components, and general architecture most business intelligence solutions share.THE CASE FOR BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE: Read how world leaders in finance, manufacturing, and retail have successfully implemented business intelligence solutions and see what benefits they have reaped.THE PRACTICE OF BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE: Find out what's involved in implementing a business intelligence solution in your organization, including how to identify your business intelligence opportunities, what decisions you must make to get a business intelligence project going, and what to do to sustain the momentum so that you can continue to make sense of all the data you gather.