Where should BI live within a university? Is it a Business thing, a Planning thing, an IT thing or something else entirely?

Of course there is more than a little bit of politics involved here. My personal view is that these days, BI is an IT thing but only in an organisation where IT is an informed, innovative, agile and responsible partner of the business itself. The days of the old-fashioned IT department, viewed as a overhead for everyone else to absorb are long gone in the commercial world but the impression at least still lingers in the public sector.

Forget traditional roles, what are the basic steps associated with rolling out BI content?

• Requirements gathering, negotiation and definition
• Designing the dimensional solution
• ETL and associated database activities
• Modelling and publishing the physical warehouse for BI
• Developing reporting and analysis
• Marketing, evangelising and training

Aside from the last one, aren’t these all IT activities? Don’t these all require skills present in any IT shop? Isn’t this what we do best?

A very high profile customer calls at the BI door. The VC and every other executive needs the content produced, the PVC’s, the faculty heads, the school heads, the administrative directors, they all rely on this information.

I say BI belongs in IT organisations, but modern IT organisations where IT is a strategic partner that is actively engaged in shaping and executing strategy, advising and guiding and not worrying too much about tradition.