IN THIS MONTH’S COLUMN, we will discuss business intelligence (BI) software. If it sounds complicated, don’t worry. It’s actually really simple! Business intelligence software utilizes data from your existing system, whether it is a database application or a simple Excel spreadsheet. This software can take the data you already have and unleash the potential of your business.
These types of tools allow agriculture business owners to analyze their operations at a high level, graphically, and then drill down on the data with a simple click of the mouse. Many companies in agriculture, both large and small, already use these types of tools.
Imagine having a gas gauge on your computer screen with all the areas of your business you want monitor. If the gauge turns red, then you are alerted to investigate what is happening. Dimensional Insight, Microsoft, and Izenda are a just a few vendors that offer BI software to help run your operations. Listed below are a few benefits of BI, so check it out …
• Easy to use — Dashboard Gauge Reporting with “drill down” for the details
• Allows you to focus on your business without the technical know-how
• Set it up one time and then it automatically updates from your system
• Available on the Web or stored on your computer
CREDIT
column by RICK MONTNEY
BIO: Rick Montney is the vice president of ProPak Software. His extensive experience spans over 35 years in business information systems technologies with previous employment with Exxon Office Systems, Information & Computing Services, and IBM. For the past 20 years, his focus has been on agricultural software technologies.
Posted May 15, 2012
