Business Intelligence Tools

data visualisation

Turns raw data into clear visuals like charts and graphs to help users quickly spot trends

Online analytical processing tools (OLAP)

Allows users to explore data from multiple angles (e.g., by time, product, region) using cube-based structures

Portals

Provide a single web interface where users can access and interact with data from various systems

Data analysis and reporting tools

Generate detailed reports by querying and combining data from different source

Data-mining tools

Use statistical methods and machine learning to discover patterns, trends, and business opportunities

Data warehouse

centralized system that collects, cleans, integrates, and stores data from multiple sources (like sales, inventory, and customer systems), often in near-real time.

Data warehouse is foundation of BI because

Integrates data from business operations in near real-time for use in tools like Microsoft, Oracle, IBM/Cognos, and Teradata.

Data visualisation tools

Tableau, MS Power BI, QlikView

OLAP tools

IBM/Cognos, BusinessObjects, Oracle, Microsoft

Portal tools

Oracle Portal, Actuate, Microsoft, SAP

Data analysis and reporting tools

Microsoft Reporting Services, MicroStrategy, SAS WebReportStudio

Data minibg tools

SAP, Teradata, MicroStrategy, MS Analytics Services