Business Success Seminar - Business Intelligence CANCELLED

Description

The Chamber's next Business Success Seminar will focus on: Business Intelligence and GIS Mapping.

Business Intelligence
Most businesses have volumes of important data about their products and services, sales and customers, operations, inputs and suppliers. However, some businesses find it difficult to see data in a way that owners, executives, and managers can use to guide decision making – the data are buried in the depths of the business and the computer applications and databases it relies upon. Business intelligence (BI) tools help bring data about the business to the surface and make it visible in ways that lead to insight.

 

While BI tools can help a business understand data acquired as part of commercial, market, or competitive intelligence activities, these tools at heart are not commercial intelligence tools per se, despite their name. Business intelligence tools are also much more available than is commonly realized – pivot tables and pivot charts in Microsoft Excel constitute entry-level business intelligence tools. The use of business intelligence tools allow more flexible and timely views into data than is possible by examining routine reports from databases.

 

This workshop will introduce attendees to BI concepts and techniques, and will provide sample datasets prior to the seminar so that attendees can follow along on their own computers using Microsoft Excel should they wish.

 

Topics will include:

• What is business intelligence?
• How can BI techniques benefit my business?
• What are important BI tools, both free and commercial, that can help me get started?
• How can I start using BI in my current information flows?
• What data are best candidates for analysis using BI tools?
• Example walkthrough: Ploughman will go through a BI analysis using example data (to be shared) using Microsoft Excel

This workshop will be led by Ploughman Analytics, a consulting firm in Champaign with substantial expertise in innovative business intelligence techniques.

The cost to attend is $79 for Chamber members and $99 for non-members. Refunds will not be given for cancellations, although substitutions of individuals can be made.

To register, contact Caryn at caryni@champaigncounty.org or call 217.359.1791.

This seminar is brought to you by Ploughman Analytics and the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce.