Originally BI was used only by the IT department, with IT users creating reports and statistics in order to generate leads and solutions for other departments. Traditional BI consisted of delivering information, through semantic layers and query existing repositories, implemented from the top down. Data is often only available as isolated discrete queries, with relationships between data not being maintained. Traditional BI followed a linear predefined path causing many new insights to be hidden within the data. In order for a new question to be asked the user would need to re alter the application layer. This type of structure created many limitations with users finding the system to be time consuming and expensive to implement and run.

In today’s society, technology has become a part of everyday life with business users becoming interested in having more control in the collecting and analysing of their data. Frustrated users wanted the same ease of use in the office systems that they had in their personal life, without the limitations of traditional BI. Slowly new companies offering a different version of BI surfaced. This new type of platform is called Data Discovery.

Data Discovery

Data Discovery (DD) offers a decision making platform for all users rather than traditional BI’s delivery of data. Data discovery gives control back to the business user, allowing each individual the chance to explore and understand the information available to them. IT no longer needs to feed out reports, instead DD offers highly interactive and graphical user interfaces that are easy to use with real time results. Business users are able to create, modify, mash up and share their data helping them to make better informed decisions.

Data Discovery gives individuals the opportunity to ask and answer their own stream of questions and follow their own path of insight. Featuring in memory technology, associations are maintained between all data fields, using tools similar to the apps they are already familiar with. All associations are stored generically against entire data sets, ready to answer any business question as it comes up without requiring any customisation. Data from all tables is always available in context and ready to answer the next business question. It is a more ‘self-service’ approach to reporting and analysis, transforming everyone into a highly informed business analyst. It replaces the traditional IT role with support and enablement.

Business Discovery Platforms enable insight for everyone with zero wait analysis. Users are able to share knowledge through dashboards and collaborative apps. The app-like models enable a social experience with users being able to access apps from any device, tailored for mobile access – laptops, tablets android phones. This enables faster decision making, anywhere, anytime.

Users are therefore able to make better informed decisions, collaborating and solving business problems with the click of a button. Data Discovery virtually eliminates the problems and complexity plaguing traditional slow disk-based BI tools that deliver little more than static pre-packaged data.

Eureka Solutions is a software company focused on enabling organisations to operate more profitably by ensuring they have the right information when they need it and where they need it. We are very passionate about Data Discovery and believe that it is important to all business users in being productive and success to the business.