Your BI architecture should fulfill these 6 requirements

A truly functioning BI architecture must be able to constantly change and adapt.

Above all, it is important that the architecture has sufficient reserves to be able to grow with the increasing volumes of data, i.e. adding new data sources must not lead to an overload of the system, but should generally enable a seamless transition - without any glaring performance problems that make life difficult for you and your colleagues.

A good architecture for business intelligence therefore has a modular structure so that interfaces and data sources can be easily expanded without having to set up the entire system from scratch. This saves time, money and nerves.

Another important point is the topic of automation, which a modern BI architecture should definitely cover to a high degree, because: If you continue to control the majority of your BI processes manually, you are exposing yourself to unnecessary risks and slowing down the growth of your company in the long term.

Your BI architecture should create the basis for data to be collected, stored, processed and analyzed fully automatically. The human factor assumes the control function in this constellation.

At the same time, the business intelligence architecture should ensure a high level of user-friendliness, comply with current security and data protection standards and ensure long-term use of the system.

A modern BI architecture should cover the following 6 functions in order to enable error-free, time-saving and promising data analysis in the long term:

Data collection

The first phase involves collecting all relevant data from CRM systems, ERP databases and other relevant interfaces and bundling them centrally.

Data integration

Once all the data has been collected, it needs to be put into a usable form. This is where the ETL process comes into play, extracting the data, then transforming it and finally loading it to where it is needed later. These steps can be completely automated, saving your IT teams a lot of time.

Data storage

Once the data has been processed, it is stored in a central location: The data warehouse. It acts as a huge storage location for all collected data so that it can be retrieved at any time. As a rule, the data is not worked with directly here, but specialized BI tools are used that interact with this data and process it further for analysis.

Data analysis

At this point, the data is ready for analysis processes. With the right analysis tools, you can now access the data as required and find answers to business-relevant questions using various analysis functions. In this way, the entire reporting process can be automated. However, manual queries are still possible.

Data distribution

This step is about ensuring that the analysis results are sent to the right people. Whether by automated e-mail, by embedding data in other applications or via centrally available dashboards: The system provides you with several options for data distribution as standard.

Reaction

The collected and processed information ultimately ends up on the desks of the decision-makers, who now have the basis for important decisions. Appealing visualizations ensure a clearly understandable presentation. Depending on the design of the system, it can even suggest suitable measures independently and thus speed up the decision-making process.

Better decision-making: Centralized data storage and analysis gives you clear, informed insights into your business processes.

Flexibility and scalability: Your architecture grows with your company and adapts effortlessly to changing requirements.

Time efficiency: Automated processes and the rapid availability of data save you valuable time.

Focus on the essentials: The high degree of automation gives you more time for your core tasks.

Cost reduction: A well-functioning BI architecture avoids inefficient working methods and redundant data preparation, which saves costs in the long term.

Promoting collaboration and transparency: A well-structured BI architecture supports the flow of information within the company and promotes better collaboration between departments. It creates a transparent understanding of the business data that is accessible to all stakeholders.

Proactive error detection: With a solid BI architecture, companies can not only analyze historical data, but also make proactive predictions. Early warning systems can help to identify problems before they escalate.

Start with a clear vision

Before you plunge into the jungle of BI tools, ask yourself a simple question: What do you actually want to achieve with the help of business intelligence? And specifically. Do you want to boost sales? Do you want to reduce your purchasing costs? Or do you want to optimize your production processes? This important point is often underestimated in practice. However, setting goals as precisely as possible is perhaps the most important step in constructing a functioning BI architecture. If you ignore this aspect, you may end up collecting the wrong data - and investing large sums of money in a bloated BI infrastructure that provides you with no added value.

Agility is the key - the model should grow with you

In practice, it happens all the time: Requirements change, which is why new data sources come into play - which means new questions suddenly arise. It is therefore crucial to choose a flexible structure that can be adapted without having to redesign the entire architecture. In other words, work with a flexible model, such as the data vault model or another modular system. This will not only give you more leeway, but will also keep you future-proof.

Make it easy for business users

An often overlooked aspect of BI projects: The business department. You need to make sure that it's not just the IT department that gets to grips with the new BI solution. It is absolutely crucial that your end users can access the information they need quickly and independently. That's why you should rely on self-service tools. This means that business users can run their own analyses and customize dashboards themselves without the need for IT support. This not only increases efficiency, but also promotes acceptance within the teams.

A strong BI architecture can not only raise your data strategy to a high level, but also give you the necessary scope to react quickly and flexibly to new requirements. But getting there is not always easy. It requires planning, foresight and, of course, the right support.

At Partake, we are experienced BI experts and have already helped numerous companies from a wide range of industries to launch customized business intelligence solutions.


In a free consultation, we will be happy to look at what a sensible BI architecture could look like for your company together with you.