Reflections on 2009

 By Laura Madsen        Business Intelligence

If there was ever a year that wasn’t for BI it would be 2009. There were no major shake-ups, significant product innovations or out-of-the blue mergers. It is understandable, considering the marketplace we are all working in.

There have been a few bright spots, while retail took a major hit healthcare picked up the pace. The financial markets realized that they could operate more efficiently with better information (clearly categorized under ‘too little too late’) and a continued focus on data quality has made for some interesting blog posts (try ocdqblog.com).

So, where does this leave us? What long-term impact will 2009 have on our industry? I am not a gambler, as a matter of fact I believe the lottery is a tax for people that don’t understand math, but if I were a betting person I would bet on:

1. A continued focus on healthcare BI. Yes, it is my specialty, but it also happens to be where most of the action is. Healthcare up to this point has been a bit of a laggard in BI maturity but I think 2010 will show it making leaps. In general, I anticipate that there will be more interest in Industry-Specific BI.
2. Back to Basics: because 2009 was the year that wasn’t there has been some lost knowledge. I have heard it described as a regression in knowledge of what it takes to get BI done. Good BI continues to be elusive, and bad BI is really expensive, so the focus for 2010 will be data quality, governance and getting information in the right hands.
3. A few more shake ups. 2009 did show us which vendors are stable, which ones know what they are doing and those vendors that didn’t bring it dropped off the map. The good news is that the BI products are getting better and better.

For me, as I go boldly into 2010, I will try to remember when BI was exciting, and for myself I will try to reignite the passion I once felt for this industry and the thrill I got every time I helped someone make an informed decision.

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