Business Intelligence For Dummies

- Introduction

Part I: Introduction and Basics
- Chapter 1: Understanding Business Intelligence
- Chapter 2: Fitting BI with Other Technology Disciplines
- Chapter 3: Meeting the BI Challenge

Part II: Business Intelligence User Models
- Chapter 4: Basic Reporting and Querying
- Chapter 5: OLAP: Online Analytical Processing
- Chapter 6: Dashboards and Briefing Books
- Chapter 7: Advanced / Emerging BI Technologies

Part III: The BI Lifecycle
- Chapter 8: The BI Big Picture
- Chapter 9: Human Factors in BI Implementations
- Chapter 10: Taking a Closer Look at BI Strategy
- Chapter 11: Building a Solid BI Architecture and Roadmap

Part IV: Implementing BI
- Chapter 12: Building the BI Project Plan
- Chapter 13: Collecting User Requirements
- Chapter 14: BI Design and Development
- Chapter 15: The Day After: Maintenance and Enhancement

Part V: BI and Technology
- Chapter 16: BI Target Databases: Data Warehouses, Marts, and Stores
- Chapter 17: BI Products and Vendors

Part VI: The Part of Tens
- Chapter 18: Ten Keys to BI Success
- Chapter 19: Ten BI Risks (and How to Overcome Them)
- Chapter 20: Ten Keys to Gathering Good BI Requirements
- Chapter 21: Ten Secrets to a Successful BI Deployment
- Chapter 22: Ten Secrets to a Healthy BI Environment
- Chapter 23: Ten Signs That Your BI Environment Is at Risk

- Index

Swain Scheps is Manager of Business Analysis at Brierley + Partners, Inc. and a technology veteran making his first foray into the world of book authoring. He wrote the masterpiece resting in your hands with a great deal of input and inspiration from BI guru and fellow For Dummies author Alan R. Simon.

In the late 1990's Swain, along with most people reading this book, had his dot-com boom-to-bust experience with a company called... well, that's not really important now is it. (Anyone interested in buying some slightly underwater stock options should contact the publisher immediately.) After that there were consulting stints at Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, and Best Crossmark developing sales support applications and reporting tools. As of this writing, Swain basks under the fluorescent lights of Brierley, a technology company whose specialty is building customer relationship and loyalty management systems for retailers. The author has had the opportunity to learn from the very best as Brierley also provides unparalleled business intelligence and analytics services for its clients.

Swain lives in Dallas, Texas with wife Nancy and a mere four dogs. He writes about more than just technology; his work has appeared in Fodor's travel guide books, military history magazines, and even another For Dummies book.