Business Intelligence (BI) refers to the technologies, processes, and practices used to collect, integrate, analyse, and present business information to support organisational decision-making. BI systems transform raw operational data into structured, accessible insights — through reports, dashboards, and analytical tools — that enable managers and analysts to monitor performance, identify trends, and evaluate options. Business intelligence encompasses both the technical infrastructure (data warehouses, ETL processes, reporting tools) and the analytical processes that operate on it.
Why This Matters
Business intelligence is the infrastructure layer that makes management information accessible, scalable, and consistent across an organisation. Without a BI capability, organisations rely on manual data extraction and ad hoc analysis — a process that is slow, error-prone, and dependent on individual expertise. A well-implemented BI environment enables self-service access to governed data, standardised metrics accessible to all authorised users, and the analytical foundation needed to build more sophisticated capabilities over time.
Where This Fits
This term sits within the BI & AI area of Performance & Control.
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