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That’s not BI

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A pair of officials in double-breasted suits arrived at a New York school for a meeting with the principal. On their way to his office, a young student excitedly offered to demonstrate his skill at computer programming.

In a story told in 1984 by Nicholas Negroponte, I heard echoes of today’s business intelligence industry.

The boy had taught himself to program. The two visitors watched as he zipped through one thing after another on the computer, explaining everything. At one point, he couldn’t remember how to do something and flipped through a manual. He found the answer, and finished the code.… Read the rest “That’s not BI”

Perfect BI tool is one that people actually use

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The perfect BI tool is one that people actually use, says Frank Buytendijk. He’s found one.

It’s a Nike chip he puts in his running shoe. It collects data on distance and time. It makes a game of running.

“I hate sports,” he said. He’s stocky. “[The chip] is perfect because it makes the boring exciting.”

His new 10 kilometers-a-day jogging habit had been well established when one morning he came home early. His wife asked, “Is it raining?” No, his battery had run down. Without the data, there was no point to running.

In his Monday morning presentation at the TDWI conference in Chicago — the best TDWI keynote I’ve ever heard — he used just two slides.… Read the rest “Perfect BI tool is one that people actually use”