ERP’s role in providing visibility across functions and departments is where there is seemingly a strong connection with BI.
Business intelligence (BI) is a broad category of applications and technologies for gathering, storing, analysing, and providing access to data to help enterprise users make better business decisions.
ERP software is multi-module application software that integrates activities across functional departments, from product planning, parts purchasing, inventory control, product distribution, to order tracking. ERP software may include application modules for the finance, accounting and human resources aspects of a business.
So why do we need both?
ERP systems are known to produce a lot of data but not a lot of information. Data is facts and statistics where is information is data which is converted to knowledge; it’s interpreted data. BI facilitates the transformation of data to information.
Businesses are operating at an accelerated pace today forcing the need for speed in decision making but decision makers are also forced to work with an increasing amount of data.
In 2009 Aberdeen’s annual report revealed that 32% of those SME’s that have implemented their solution have extended their solution with BI or some analytical tool. Of all the SME’s surveyed, 31% had invested in some sort of BI or analytical tool, of which 51% had no ERP.
Both BI and ERP individually bring value to a business, but when married together the two produce a synergy by which the total value exceeds the sum of the parts.
As an SME the ideal solution is SAP Business One designed specifically to meet the needs of SMEs which can be integrated with Crystal reports.
The SAP Business One application together with the Crystal Reports offering from the SAP Business Objects portfolio, delivers compelling reporting functionality and information access to small businesses. With these offerings small businesses can get up to date intelligence to drive decision making.
To find out more visit: http://www.sap.com/solutions/sap-crystal-solutions/index.epx
Intelligent Information Systems are an SAP Gold Partner, delivering SAP Business One and Crystal Solutions. To find out more visit: www.beabetterbusiness.net
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