Using Open Source Platforms for Business Intelligence: Avoid Pitfalls and Maximize ROI

Open Source BI solutions have many advantages over traditional proprietary software, from offering lower initial costs to more flexible support and integration options; but, until now, there has been no comprehensive guide to the complete offerings of the OS BI market. Writing for IT managers and business analysts without bias toward any BI suite, industry insider Lyndsay Wise covers the benefits and challenges of all available open source BI systems and tools, enabling readers to identify the solutions and technologies that best meet their business needs. Wise compares and contrasts types of OS BI and proprietary tools on the market, including Pentaho, Jaspersoft, RapidMiner, SpagoBI, BIRT, and many more. Real-world case studies and project templates clarify the steps involved in implementing open source BI, saving new users the time and trouble of developing their own solutions from scratch. For business managers who are hard pressed to indentify the best BI solutions and software for their companies, this book provides a practical guide to evaluating the ROI of open source versus traditional BI deployments.

The only book to provide complete coverage of all open source BI systems and tools specifically for business managers, without bias toward any OS BI suiteA practical, step-by-step guide to implementing OS BI solutions that maximize ROIComprehensive coverage of all open source systems and tools, including architectures, data integration, support, optimization, data mining, data warehousing, and interoperabilityCase studies and project templates enable readers to evaluate the benefits and tradeoffs of all OS BI options without having to spend time developing their own solutions from scratch

1. The differences between general OS and commercial open source
2. Commercial open source options
3. Implications for users
4. The business benefits and challenges of OS for BI
5. Selling a BI OS project to the business
6. Evaluating ROI and TCO
7. Developing a cost benefit analytics
8. Complementary solutions - OS DI, databases, etc.
9. Technical considerations
10. Integration and data preparation
11. Working within an OS environment
12. Development steps and considerations
13. Required skill sets
14. Challenges
15. Technical benefits