Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Business Intelligence refers to the use of Information Systems to enable raw data to be collated into information that can be reported, with the end goal of using this information to enhance the business decision-making process. Business Intelligence is enabled by making use of information that is complete, relevant, accurate, timely and accessible. There are currently a number of documented perspectives that can be used to gauge the value of Business Intelligence systems; however, from an overall business value perspective the most robust method would be to identify and analyse the most commonly identified factors that impact the value assigned to Business Intelligence Systems by a company, and the correlation of each of these factors to calculate the overall value. The importance of deriving a conceptual model, representing the major factors identified from literature and moderated by the quantitative research conducted, lies in its enabling companies and government bodies to assess the true value addition of Business Intelligence systems, and to understand the return on investment of these systems for organisations. In doing so, companies can justify or reject any further expenditure on Business Intelligence. The quantitative research for this thesis was conducted together with a project that was run between the University of the Western Cape and the Hochschule Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences in Germany. The research was conducted simultaneously across organisations in South Africa and Germany on the use of BI Systems and Corporate Performance Management. The respondents for the research were Chief Executive Officers, Chief Information Officers and Business Intelligence Managers in selected organisations. A Direct Oblimin-factor analysis was conducted on the online survey responses. The survey was conducted on a sample of approximately 1500 Business Intelligence specialists across South Africa and Germany; and 113 responses were gathered. The factor analysis reduced the key factors identified in the literature to a few major factors, namely: Information Quality, Management and Accessibility, Information Usage, and Knowledge-sharing Culture. Thereafter, a Structural-Equation-Modelling analysis was completed using the Partial-least-Squares method. The results indicate that there is a strong relationship between the factor-Information Quality, Management and Accessibility, and the Value of Business Intelligence. It was found that while there was no strong impact from Information Usage and Culture, there was a strong correlation between Information Usage and Culture and Information Quality, Management and Accessibility The research findings are significant for academic researchers, information technology experts, Business Intelligence specialists and Business Intelligence users. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by bringing together disparate factors that have been identified in academic journals; and assessing the relationship each has on the value of Business Intelligence, as well as the correlations that exist between these factors. From this, the final conceptual model was derived using factors that were identified and tested through the Factor Analysis and the PLS-SEM. The following conclusions can be drawn from the research: (1) The assurance of quality information in the form of complete, accurate, relevant and timeous information that is efficiently managed is the most paramount factor to an organisation deriving value from Business Intelligence systems; (2) information accessibility is key, in order to realise the value of Business Intelligence systems in organisations; and (3) Business Intelligence systems cannot add value to an organisation if a culture of information use and sharing is absent within that organisation. The derived model can be practically implemented as a checklist for organisations to assess Business Intelligence system investments as well as current implementations

Master's thesis is devoted to the actual topic of development and implementation of an innovative BI system in an enterprise. The aim of the research is creation and implementation of an adaptive software tools for data analysis and processing based on Open Source principles. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the creation of a unique methodology of integration of the adaptive software tools, taking into account the specifics of Russian production. Practical significance of the work consists in realization of integration of the new toolkit, its adaptation to the specific conditions and production requirements, as well as in improving the functionality of the information system of the enterprise. / Магистерская диссертация посвящена актуальной теме разработки и внедрения инновационной BI системы в предприятие. Целью исследования является создание и внедрение адаптивного программного инструментария на основе принципов Open Source. Научная новизна работы заключается в создании уникальной методики интеграции адаптивного программного инструментария, учитывающей специфику российского производства. Практическая значимость работы заключается в реализации интеграции нового инструментария, его адаптации под конкретные условия и требования производства, а также в улучшении функциональности информационной системы предприятия.

Att implementera ett beslutsstöd i en organisation är en resurskrävande och komplicerad uppgift där problem ofta uppstår. Syftet med denna studie är därför att identifiera de kritiska framgångsfaktorer som ideella organisationer bör ta hänsyn till när de implementerar ett beslutsstöd. Studien har genomförts med hjälp av intervjuer med ideella organisationer i välgörenhetssektorn. Erhållen empiri har analyserats utifrån Yeoh and Koronios Model of critical success factors for BI systems som ansats. Vår studie redogör hur och om Yeoh och Koronios (2010) faktorer har kommit att spela en betydande roll för de organisationer vi intervjuat. Resultatet av studien redovisar en uppsättning kritiska framgångsfaktorer vi lyckas identifiera i relation till vår ansats. Vi redovisar även vilka specifika framgångsfaktorer vi kunnat identifiera för ideella organisationer.

In today's corporate environment, where informed decision making is based on data, business intelligence (BI) systems are becoming an integral part of the effective functioning of industrial enterprises. Important tools in this area are both paid and free open source BI systems. Despite the variety of available solutions, Microsoft Excel remains a widely used data analysis tool among Russian manufacturers, due to its low entry barrier for non-IT specialists. Having the status of a universal BI platform, Excel provides capabilities for storing, manipulating, analyzing data and visualizing it. However, it does not have functionality for joint manipulation of data in real time by different users. The closed source code does not provide the ability to configure automatic data downloads from the enterprise, as well as simultaneous remote access to data. In this regard, a need was identified to develop a domestic analogue of Excel with additional tools based on an Open Source project, close to Excel in terms of the number of “tabular” functions familiar to users. / В условиях современной корпоративной среды, где принятие обоснованных решений основывается на данных, системы бизнес-анализа (BI) становятся неотъемлемой частью эффективного функционирования промышленных предприятий. Важными инструментами в этой области являются как платные, так и бесплатные open source BI системы. Несмотря на разнообразие доступных решений, Microsoft Excel остается широко распространенным средством анализа данных у российских производителей, благодаря его низкому порогу входа для не IT специалиста. Имея статус универсальной BI-платформы, Excel предоставляет возможности хранения, манипуляций, анализа данных и их визуализации. Однако не имеет функционала для совместных манипуляций данных в реальном времени разными пользователями. Закрытый исходный код не дает возможность настройки автоматической загрузки данных от предприятия, а также одновременный удаленный доступ к данным. В связи с этим была выявлена потребность в разработке отечественного аналога Excel с дополненными инструментами на основе Open Source проекта, приближенного к Excel по количеству привычных пользователям “табличным” функциям.