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In the higher education sector, a number of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are playing a leading role in promoting sustainable initiatives. Effectively managing these initiatives however can be a complex task and requires data and information from multiple aspects of operations. In an HEI, operating sustainably means ensuring financial sustainability, social sustainability, environmental sustainability and educational sustainability. In order to manage sustainability effectively, HEIs require an integrated tool that can provide information on all areas of sustainability. HEIs face a number of challenges in effectively managing sustainability information, such as siloed data and information, and poor sharing and communication of information. Business Intelligence (BI) can assist in overcoming many of the challenges faced by organisations in effectively managing strategic sustainability information. This study investigates both the constraints to effective sustainability information management and the challenges of BI. A BI framework to support effective strategic sustainability information management is proposed. Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) is one such HEI, which is affected by the challenges of managing strategic sustainability information. NMMU is therefore used as a case study in this research. A BI solution, Sustainable BI, was developed based on the proposed framework. The main goal of sustainable BI is to provide strategic management at NMMU with a tool that can provide integrated sustainability information that can assist in overcoming the challenges in effectively managing strategic sustainability information. Sustainable BI was evaluated by strategic management at NMMU who are responsible for managing sustainability at NMMU. The evaluation took place through a usability study. The study revealed to what extent Sustainable BI could effectively manage strategic sustainability information at NMMU. The BI framework was iteratively improved on based on the results of the evaluations. The contributions from this study are a model for sustainability management, a BI Framework to support strategic sustainability information management and a BI solution, Sustainable BI.

Mobile apps are very popular and widely used to collect data. However, traditional web development tools like .Net and J2EE take a generic approach to such applications that leads to high code complexity and poor quality assurance. At the same time, Business Intelligence (BI) portals and dashboards provide interactive reports that allow one to flexibly explore, analyze, and visualize data. However, they are usually defined independently of the applications which are the source of the data. As a result, complex ETL (Extract, Transfer, and Load data) processes are required to integrate and transform data for reporting. We propose an application framework that flexibly integrates mobile apps and BI dashboards. We implemented three different versions of the framework and conducted case studies using two different health care applications to evaluate the framework. They demonstrated the potential to develop BI applications that integrate mobile forms data with less effort, less complexity, more consistency, and better ease of use. More importantly, the application framework provided the ability to seamlessly integrate data collection and reporting in a single mobile app. The final version of the application framework, QuickForms 3.0, is now published as an open source project, and a growing community of developers are now using the framework to build a wide variety of mobile apps.

The main task of this diploma paper was to evaluate the product "Microsoft Office Performance Server 2007" in terms of its usability for creating web dashboards. During the work, theoretical bases for the area of creating dashboards have been formed, suitable methodics for evaluating the product have been proposed and last but not least, some exemplary data have also been processed. The work can therefore be divided into two parts: theoretical and practical. In the beginning of the first part, the diploma paper introduces the most important facts from the areas of Business Intelligence a Corporate Performance Management. These facts are the most important starting points when creating dashboards. Following in this part is the dashboard technology itself. The analysis of current evaluating criteria for creating dashboards, and the creation of new criteria are the most important points of this diploma paper. The introduced criteria and their way of use have been designed concerning the various conditions and presumptions in organizations where the application of a dashboard is considered. The last chapter of the theoretical part then introduces the product "Microsoft Office Performance Point Server 2007". In the practical part of the paper, particular data is processed into a dashboard using the mentioned tool. The data used are data of a fictive firm which are used in the teaching subject Business Intelligence at the Economic University in Prague. The process of work with PPS 2007 is described rather in detail. This work can therefore be potentionally put to use also as a case study. In the conclusion, PPS 2007 is evaluated using the proposed criteria, whereas verbal commentary is added to each evaluation. For potential organizations which consider purchasing the product, conditions are added under which the purchase is recommendable.

This thesis examines various alternatives of XML technology utilization in the SAS system, particularly in its BI reporting area. It describes methods for importing and processing data stored in XML format. Especially, it is focused on exporting data in the form of XML documents. In the first part, selected XML-based technologies and specifications are described briefly. Next, there is general description of the SAS system and its BI solution. Following, the essential part of the thesis provides detailed analysis of XML processing alternatives and comparison of their suitability for use in different situations according to current requirements. The thesis also considers possible extension of SAS reporting via third-party tools, which can be achieved using XML. In the final chapters, new reporting-related procedures are proposed in order to extend basic SAS facilities, namely for use with MS Office tools. These procedures are then applied on real-world data proving their practical usability.

Enterprise Resource Planning systems are large source of information usable for management decision--making. However, these data are often kept in incomprehensible form for common user. Especially for support of management decision--making was developed set of processes and technologies called Business Intelligence. With its tools are created comprehensible analysis. On practical example there is shown that Business Intelligence tools can be easily used for generating entry data for multi--criterial evaluation of variants. Methods of multi--criterial evaluation of variants are applied to solve the problem of a company that is forced to close some of its stores due to financial loss.

M.A. / Managers have an important and prominent role in an organisation. As decision-makers they hold the authority and responsibility to act on the available information. As leaders, they set examples and promote a culture of information sharing and collaboration. As strategists, they ensure that information policies are well aligned with the organisation's mission. One of the greatest challenges facing an organisation is to understand how the external environment is changing, what the changes mean, and how the organisation can best respond to the new provisos. The process of learning about the external environment is environmental scanning, i.e. the art of gathering and interpreting information about the environment enabling the organisation to have the knowledge to develop effective courses of action. The goal of information management is thus to harness information resources and information capabilities to enable the organisation to learn and adapt in an ever-changing environment. Key information processes will be assessed with reference to special problems of managing each process. At the same time the opportunity for change would be highlighted by combining an understanding of information use behaviours with a more flexible, user centred design of information services and systems. Competitive intelligence on the other hand is the systematic process of gathering and analysing information about the activities of competitors and general business trends to further the organisation’s goals. All definitions point toward creating knowledge from openly available information by use of a systematic process involving planning, collection, analysis, communication and management which result in decision-maker action. While competitive intelligence incorporates knowledge management processes of collecting and storing knowledge, competitive intelligence definitions discuss the actual analysis of the gathered information. Key factors for success of information management in organisations reinforce the need for the integration of business strategy and information. The key factors are the relationships with customers and suppliers; flatter management structures and better use of resources; training and quality and environmental issues. Each of these factors rests on information, its use, creation, storage and dissemination. A process approach to information management supports the integration of business strategy and information. The calls for integration come from at least three different communities: information management, information systems and management. Successful companies are those that adapt to and shape their environments. They do so by using and creating information in a process of continuous improvement and innovation. Key factors for success in organisations reinforce the need for integration of business strategy and information. Managers in firms see their success as dependent on their organisation's ability to accommodate and manage change and to respond to changes in their environments. The study concludes with a case study of Pyromet Technologies showing that it is possible to have an integrated strategic information management model incorporating all three variables successfully.

The inspiration of the thesis stands on general insufficient condition of the presentation of financial management and state budget for the public sector of the Czech Republic. Thesis deals with the presentation of selected accounting and financial information from the system CSÚIS and using selected open source BI technology for this purpose. The input is a data extract from the central state accounting information system (CSÚIS), which contains accounting records and financial statements of public entities. Logical data model created by using data obtained is followed by the proposed budget options data analysis and accounting at both the state and at a particular entity level. The next phase of work trying to implement the project requirements of open source Business Intelligence technologies (OSBI). The work includes market analysis of OSBI, and chooses the most appropriate tool to build the new presentation of state financial and accounting data.