Query and Reporting Tools
There is a spectrum of BI tools. OLAP tools use dynamic drill up/drill down functionality. Power users require static charts, data maps, tables, formatting capabilities, and ad-hoc query and reporting functionality. These reports became standard at some point in time.
Depending on the user group’s needs, BI tools consist of two kinds: query and reporting.
Those who develop reports are called developers, and very much interact with query tools, even though UI tools are also used for development. Power users generally interact with data through visual tools, whether static or dynamic. However, there is a common layer in which end users are skilled in and/or want ad-hoc query analysis for finding new patterns or reports; e.g., users may require query tools to query data sources and create a report, such as an invoice. These data sources could be internal or external.
Business operations reporting requires different capabilities. Users can also use these tools for management reporting. The tools related to management reporting generally do not come with query tools. Business users require a user interface with good pixel quality and good color combinations for dashboards. There is a semantic layer in reporting tools that is used for aggregation, normalization and create a business logic.
While developers create any kind of reports, they need the capability to access data warehouses, data marts, or external data. They also require query tools or UI tools. However, users of management reports need to connect to existing databases, including legacy databases.
All major vendors provide tools capable of both query and management reporting. These delivery mechanisms include web, email, and applications. Figure 7-3 demonstrates the relationship of information width and depth with the management hierarchy.
Figure 7-3. Information hierarchy
As the responsibility in the management ladder increases, the width of information required across departments and domains increases. The number of summarized key performance indicators (KPIs) needed across domains increases, while the number of KPIs needed per department decreases. However, as you go lower in the hierarchy of the organization, the number of KPIs increases, and they are in much more detail and of finer granularity.