Re: Canterbury Linux Users' Group monthly meeting reminder: Tuesday 10th March @ 7:30pm
Apologies for replying this late to this thread - however I personally intended attending next Tuesday to hear about this topic. Cheers, Roger Adrian Mageanu wrote: Hi, I received no confirmation of the booking so far, so I will take the hint and fade quietly in the background on this subject, leaving room for other topics. To those who showed interest, both on and (mostly) off list, I'm happy to continue to talk about this. Cheers, Adrian On Tue, 2009-03-03 at 07:44 +1300, Adrian Mageanu wrote: Yes, business intelligence.
Re: Canterbury Linux Users' Group monthly meeting reminder: Tuesday 10th March @ 7:30pm
Hi, I received no confirmation of the booking so far, so I will take the hint and fade quietly in the background on this subject, leaving room for other topics. To those who showed interest, both on and (mostly) off list, I'm happy to continue to talk about this. Cheers, Adrian On Tue, 2009-03-03 at 07:44 +1300, Adrian Mageanu wrote: > Yes, business intelligence. >
Re: Canterbury Linux Users' Group monthly meeting reminder: Tuesday 10th March @ 7:30pm
On Thursday 05 March 2009 13:08:59 Nick Rout wrote: > Perhaps if someone explained in plain language what this business > intelligence software is supposed to acheive, it might appear more > interesting. (Or not LOL) I wanted to ask that too but did not want to seem too ignorant. Rob
Re: Canterbury Linux Users' Group monthly meeting reminder: Tuesday 10th March @ 7:30pm
Point taken :) To use a metaphor, the concept of BI is similar to a "database in the sky" in which you plug a crystal globe that should give a glimpse into the future and answer all the questions you did or never asked. The description is less far-fetched than one might think. I'll explain shortly why and what type of FOSS projects you can use to make the concept a reality. The term Intelligence is borrowed from the military and is used to refer to the process of gathering and evaluating of information. In the business context this can be interpreted as gathering information about self and the surrounding business environment to evaluate one's commercial and economic context. How is this achieved? By measuring several parameter values that define the business processes, called key performance indicators - KPIs - and the influencing factors that determine these values. When you are interested only in the values of the KPIs, canned analysis reports are enough. For this reporting systems like Jasper or BIRT or any visual statistical project should do the job. These reports tell you how the business is doing. However, when you want to know the factors weighing in these values, using canned reports in not enough. You need to be able to click on the value and see its composition and formula and perform such operations like drilling, decomposing, dicing and slicing (and others) in the available data. In all these operations the visual element is paramount. These are so called BI Portals that include dynamic analysis reports, dashboards, scorecards and other BI appliances. For this Pentaho is the best in my opinion, but there are other projects easier to configure and maintain like OpenDX. All these reports tell a business what it can do, when and where, to have the most effective impact in improving the activity and profitability. In analysing the history of an activity, like sales for example, you may want to know product associations, groupings, and other characteristics that can be foreseen by projecting patterns discovered in the activity's history. For this there are Data Mining tools like Weka - NZ made - packaged by Pentaho in its BI suite, RapidMiner or any other machine learning application with visual output. This is useful to show what worked best and what didn't, and how is it likely to perform in the future. These three elements, Reporting, Dynamic Analysis and Data Mining, make the crystal globe I mentioned in the beginning. What follows is the elements of the "database-in-the-sky". All these KPIs are highly aggregated values and as such have to be supported by a type of data repository that can handle multiple summing and other operations on sets (tuples in multidimensional terminology) fast. This is the job of OLAP databases, of which Mondrian is the only business-grade project in the open source space I know of, but to be fair, Palo is not far behind. OLAP databases are usually fed from Data Warehouses, which are de-normalized databases that store the raw data. Here either MySQL or Postgresql are good choices. Ultimately the data in DWs is loaded from one or more operational applications - applications that serve the operations of the business, like OfBiz or SugarCRM, hence the classification - through a program called ETL, short for Extract, Transform and Load. Here Talend is the benchmark for this class of projects which also includes Camel, Palo ETL and ETL Integrator, just to name a few. Pretty much that's it, in a very simplistic way. Mind you, to have BI quality analysis, you don't always need all these programs. Disclaimer: All the programs mentioned here run on Linux. Some run only on Linux. Cheers, Adrian On Thu, 2009-03-05 at 13:08 +1300, Nick Rout wrote: > On Thu, Mar 5, 2009 at 12:28 PM, Adrian Mageanu > wrote: > > Hi, > > > > I can see that the enthusiasm is not too overwhelming for this subject, > > being only loosely related to Linux (David not included, we can talk > > about it off list) > > > > Nevertheless, in the absence of other topics, I can go ahead and do the > > talk, in which case I will need a confirmation for the booking. > > > > Otherwise I can quietly clear the scene to make room for other > > activities. > > > > In any case please let me know by tomorrow morning, on list preferable. > > > > Cheers, > > > > Adrian > > Perhaps if someone explained in plain language what this business > intelligence software is supposed to acheive, it might appear more > interesting. (Or not LOL)
Re: Canterbury Linux Users' Group monthly meeting reminder: Tuesday 10th March @ 7:30pm
On Thu, Mar 5, 2009 at 12:28 PM, Adrian Mageanu wrote: > Hi, > > I can see that the enthusiasm is not too overwhelming for this subject, > being only loosely related to Linux (David not included, we can talk > about it off list) > > Nevertheless, in the absence of other topics, I can go ahead and do the > talk, in which case I will need a confirmation for the booking. > > Otherwise I can quietly clear the scene to make room for other > activities. > > In any case please let me know by tomorrow morning, on list preferable. > > Cheers, > > Adrian Perhaps if someone explained in plain language what this business intelligence software is supposed to acheive, it might appear more interesting. (Or not LOL)
Re: Canterbury Linux Users' Group monthly meeting reminder: Tuesday 10th March @ 7:30pm
Hi, I can see that the enthusiasm is not too overwhelming for this subject, being only loosely related to Linux (David not included, we can talk about it off list) Nevertheless, in the absence of other topics, I can go ahead and do the talk, in which case I will need a confirmation for the booking. Otherwise I can quietly clear the scene to make room for other activities. In any case please let me know by tomorrow morning, on list preferable. Cheers, Adrian On Mon, 2009-03-02 at 23:15 +1300, Adrian Mageanu wrote: > Hi, > > I have received significant interest off list about the proposal I made > for a BI solution implementation using FOSS - both technical and > non-technical questions - so I could do a short talk, 30 to 45 minutes > top, about elements of BI and the role of Linux and FOSS in this space. > > Cheers, > > Adrian > > > > On Mon, 2009-03-02 at 22:12 +1300, Andrew Sands wrote: > > What: the Canterbury Linux Users' Group's monthly meeting (for March) > > > > When: 7:30 pm Tuesday March 10th 2009 > > > > Where: St Albans Community Resource Centre, 1047 Colombo Street. > > > > ~~ > > > > Canterbury Linux Users' Group monthly meeting > > > > Questions, comments and comparisons are encouraged (as always). > > > > Main Talk Topic: Unknown - (Feel free to contribute suggestions?) > > > > And/Or possibly followed by BoF: socializing > > > > Feel free to gather with like-minded souls to mull over a discussion topic > > of > > your own choosing. > > > > Also need a volunteer tea maker. > > > > > > > > -Andrew >
Re: Canterbury Linux Users' Group monthly meeting reminder: Tuesday 10th March @ 7:30pm
A word of caution to those thinking of using Pentaho suite: it is not suitable for a small businesses in the model promoted by the company. That model is the "classic" configuration for a BI component in an Enterprise Architecture - classic because during the history of DSS and BI projects this model has been proven to have the highest rate of success compared to other models, somewhere between 25% and 50% (Claudia Imhoff citing Gardner Group http://www.b-eye-network.com/blogs/imhoff/archives/2005/03/failure_of_data_1.php although in that article she disagrees with the figure, the commentaries tell another story). While first results with Pentaho or Mondrian may be impressive at first with an out-of-the-box configuration, it will become very costly very quickly as soon as something will change down the data flow in the operational applications, or the users will start asking for specific reports, and the cost of maintenance will immediately become prohibitive. If you think of starting towards the BI path, first make the most of what you already have. Most of business-grade open source applications, like OfBiz and SugarCRM, already have an Intelligence reporting module. Use that first and start with cleaning the data and make a habit to generate and input as much metadata (descriptors) as possible, beginning with time-stamping. Only when the existing analytical reports start loosing relevance or become too rigid, it is time to look at multidimensional reporting. Having said that, there are always exceptions and in some cases I might be wrong with this reasoning. Relation to Linux - everything I mentioned above runs better on Linux. HTH Adrian On Wed, 2009-03-04 at 00:03 +1300, Wesley Parish wrote: > FWIW, there's a copy of the complete (and FOSS) Pentaho Business Intelligence > suite on Caledonian at St Albans. It's about a cdrom's worth of files, and > it's free, so if anyone wants a copy, feel free to bring along a cdr for next > meeting and burn yourself a copy. > > Wesley Parish > > On Tuesday 03 March 2009 07:44, Adrian Mageanu wrote: > > Yes, business intelligence. > > > > On Tue, 2009-03-03 at 06:07 +1300, Robert Fisher wrote: > > > On Monday 02 March 2009 23:15:46 Adrian Mageanu wrote: > > > > Hi, > > > > > > > > I have received significant interest off list about the proposal I > > > > > > made > > > > > > > for a BI solution implementation using FOSS - both technical and > > > > non-technical questions - so I could do a short talk, 30 to 45 > > > > > > minutes > > > > > > > top, about elements of BI and the role of Linux and FOSS in this > > > > > > space. > > > > > > BI? > > > Business Intelligence? >
Re: Canterbury Linux Users' Group monthly meeting reminder: Tuesday 10th March @ 7:30pm
Adrian, > I have received significant interest off list about the proposal I made > for a BI solution implementation using FOSS - both technical and > non-technical questions - so I could do a short talk, 30 to 45 minutes > top, about elements of BI and the role of Linux and FOSS in this space. I'm keen to hear about this. -- Later David Kirk
Re: Canterbury Linux Users' Group monthly meeting reminder: Tuesday 10th March @ 7:30pm
FWIW, there's a copy of the complete (and FOSS) Pentaho Business Intelligence suite on Caledonian at St Albans. It's about a cdrom's worth of files, and it's free, so if anyone wants a copy, feel free to bring along a cdr for next meeting and burn yourself a copy. Wesley Parish On Tuesday 03 March 2009 07:44, Adrian Mageanu wrote: > Yes, business intelligence. > > On Tue, 2009-03-03 at 06:07 +1300, Robert Fisher wrote: > > On Monday 02 March 2009 23:15:46 Adrian Mageanu wrote: > > > Hi, > > > > > > I have received significant interest off list about the proposal I > > > > made > > > > > for a BI solution implementation using FOSS - both technical and > > > non-technical questions - so I could do a short talk, 30 to 45 > > > > minutes > > > > > top, about elements of BI and the role of Linux and FOSS in this > > > > space. > > > > BI? > > Business Intelligence? -- Clinersterton beademung, with all of love - RIP James Blish - Gaul is quartered into three halves. Things which are impossible are equal to each other. Guerrilla warfare means up to their monkey tricks. Extracts from "Schoolboy Howlers" - the collective wisdom of the foolish. - Mau e ki, he aha te mea nui? You ask, what is the most important thing? Maku e ki, he tangata, he tangata, he tangata. I reply, it is people, it is people, it is people.
Re: Canterbury Linux Users' Group monthly meeting reminder: Tuesday 10th March @ 7:30pm
Yes, business intelligence. On Tue, 2009-03-03 at 06:07 +1300, Robert Fisher wrote: > On Monday 02 March 2009 23:15:46 Adrian Mageanu wrote: > > Hi, > > > > I have received significant interest off list about the proposal I > made > > for a BI solution implementation using FOSS - both technical and > > non-technical questions - so I could do a short talk, 30 to 45 > minutes > > top, about elements of BI and the role of Linux and FOSS in this > space. > > > BI? > Business Intelligence? > > >
Re: Canterbury Linux Users' Group monthly meeting reminder: Tuesday 10th March @ 7:30pm
On Monday 02 March 2009 23:15:46 Adrian Mageanu wrote: > Hi, > > I have received significant interest off list about the proposal I made > for a BI solution implementation using FOSS - both technical and > non-technical questions - so I could do a short talk, 30 to 45 minutes > top, about elements of BI and the role of Linux and FOSS in this space. > BI? Business Intelligence?
Re: Canterbury Linux Users' Group monthly meeting reminder: Tuesday 10th March @ 7:30pm
Hi, I have received significant interest off list about the proposal I made for a BI solution implementation using FOSS - both technical and non-technical questions - so I could do a short talk, 30 to 45 minutes top, about elements of BI and the role of Linux and FOSS in this space. Cheers, Adrian On Mon, 2009-03-02 at 22:12 +1300, Andrew Sands wrote: > What: the Canterbury Linux Users' Group's monthly meeting (for March) > > When: 7:30 pm Tuesday March 10th 2009 > > Where: St Albans Community Resource Centre, 1047 Colombo Street. > > ~~ > > Canterbury Linux Users' Group monthly meeting > > Questions, comments and comparisons are encouraged (as always). > > Main Talk Topic: Unknown - (Feel free to contribute suggestions?) > > And/Or possibly followed by BoF: socializing > > Feel free to gather with like-minded souls to mull over a discussion topic of > your own choosing. > > Also need a volunteer tea maker. > > > > -Andrew
Canterbury Linux Users' Group monthly meeting reminder: Tuesday 10th March @ 7:30pm
What: the Canterbury Linux Users' Group's monthly meeting (for March) When: 7:30 pm Tuesday March 10th 2009 Where: St Albans Community Resource Centre, 1047 Colombo Street. ~~ Canterbury Linux Users' Group monthly meeting Questions, comments and comparisons are encouraged (as always). Main Talk Topic: Unknown - (Feel free to contribute suggestions?) And/Or possibly followed by BoF: socializing Feel free to gather with like-minded souls to mull over a discussion topic of your own choosing. Also need a volunteer tea maker. -Andrew
