Agile BI

I’ve read various posts on agile BI and which methodologies would best suit this type of approach. In some instances it’s a really good idea and others, not. Today I got to experience a new type of agile BI. Let me set the scene.

I’ve been pretty busy lately building POCs so when a new one came by one of our Account Executives decided to help me out by building it himself (Schneeberger likes this). We had a good model to start with and building out the reports would also not be too hectic.

The client feedback session was setup for 09:00 this morning and let’s just say that our model wasn’t working as expected. So at 07:45 I was trying to fix the model while the AE was building out some reports. We left for the client at 08:15 leaving me some time to finish off the reports in the car. Well we hit another road block when the AE’s VM blue-screened on the way there. At 08:40 I started loading the client’s data into the model (using my bosses SUV boot as a desk) on my VM. The data completed loading as we sat down in front of the client. Could this really be happening?

It ends up the client is not too interested in the model but more in the reports that can be created from it. So off I go building out reports in Excel 2010 and the client is loving it. Now that’s what I call Agile BI!

I believe there was a fair amount of luck involved but it also confirmed that the BI model we are using is really solid. Testament to all the hard work that has been put in to accelerate BI implementations.

Read Full Post »

First in line for the iPad 2

Much to my surprise the iPad 2 was released in South Africa on Friday, along with very attractive pricing options.  Now, I’ve been waiting to get an iPad for some time and wasn’t going to miss out on the opportunity.

I called all the launch stores and noticed that the iStore on Sandton Drive was the only one to open at 07:30am. To guarantee myself one of the devices I left home real early and was there at 03:55am. After spending quite a bit of time explaining to the security guards why I was there that early, they finally gave in and opened the gate. I was the first person for an hour before the second chap arrived. Let me also add that it was 3 degrees outside which was not that pleasant.

So, 07:30 arrived and there were a lot of people queuing up (behind me of course 🙂 ). The Apple staff were really well organised and handed everyone numbers and also allowed you to pick your specific model based on availability. I went for the top of the range 64GB, Wi-Fi & 3G along with one of those magnetic covers. The wait was extended by another hour and a half as national sales could only kick-off at 09:00am. Come on! Anyways, at 09:05am I had the iPad 2 in my hands and the 5 hour stint was over.

I believe the device is miles ahead of any of the other slates in the market right now. I can’t wait to explore the business intelligence capabilities as one of our products, Strategy Companion Analyzer, has just released their beta mobile version.

Here are some pics of the event and device.

Read Full Post »