The City of Richardson, a suburb of Dallas with over 100,000 residents and 5,000 businesses, was looking to extend its successful BI strategy by making vital data instantly accessible to different types of city workers in the field via their mobile devices. The city had previously employed Information Builders’ WebFOCUS BI platform to support activities such as accounting and budgeting, revenue management, human resources, and court docket management. The challenge was to expand its reporting and analysis capabilities to reach those employees in the field via their mobile devices.

CONAGUA, Mexico’s National Water Commission, was tasked with overseeing water amounts, quality, use, and conservation. The commission needed a business intelligence (BI) platform that could transform raw data about water resources into useful information to help public decision-makers do their jobs. Initially, all information was compiled in hardcopy format, and only later transferred into digital format. The commission had statistical and geographical databases in place, but they were updated manually. Over the years the range and depth of subjects, as well as the sheer volume of information, grew exponentially, making data management and verification more of a challenge.

Covidien UK, a leading provider of innovative healthcare products, faced the challenge of delivering daily operational business intelligence to its 300 field-based sales staff in a cost-effective manner. The company needed a solution that would allow its sales staff to interrogate data without the need for extensive training and support. The challenge was compounded by the fact that Covidien UK has over 2,000 customers and an annual turnover approaching £150 million, making the volume of data to be managed and analyzed substantial. Furthermore, the company's growth through acquisitions over the past ten years meant that new data sources needed to be integrated quickly and easily into core business reports.

Dealertrack, the largest online credit application network in the U.S., lacked modern reporting, analytics, and data visualization capabilities in its flagship Dealer Management System (DMS). The software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution included numerous built-in reports, but customers lacked parameterized reporting options and were not able to create reports from scratch. They only had rudimentary tools for visualizing business data in charts, graphs, and dashboards. These deficiencies led Dealertrack to purchase Information Builders’ industry-leading WebFOCUS business intelligence (BI) and analytics software. Dealertrack evaluated nearly a dozen BI products before selecting WebFOCUS. After a careful analysis, it determined that the WebFOCUS architecture is ideal for SaaS and cloud deployments since it is based on a highly scalable reporting server that is accessible from any web browser, with no special software required at the dealerships.

DuPont, a global innovator with a complex IT infrastructure, sought to renew its corporate extranet, DuPont Direct, to make it easier for B2B users to do business with them. The challenge was to improve the infrastructure for an e-commerce application that enables web users to create and place orders, check order status, make queries, and check accounts in real time, all via a secure, high-performance environment. However, integrating these complex ERP systems with e-commerce applications often leads to labor-intensive coding projects and ongoing manual updates. DuPont IT infrastructure experts reviewed various types of integration software to connect its Sun Microsystems application server environment to its SAP R/3 applications.

Erie Insurance, a multi-line insurance provider, was looking to execute on the new CEO’s vision to make more strategic use of data to improve organizational performance. The CEO, Terrence W. Cavanaugh, wanted to enable users to better leverage the wealth of data the company maintained. His goal was to deploy a series of internal and external dashboards that would support decision-making and deliver information across all levels of the business. The challenge was to create a web-based reporting environment that would allow thousands of authorized employees to monitor approximately 75 key performance indicators (KPIs) across critical domains such as customers, finance, service productivity, human resources, and distribution.

Farm Bureau Insurance, a leading insurer in Tennessee, was faced with a significant challenge in 2011 when two devastating storms resulted in a year's worth of claims in just two months. The company's existing reporting processes were cumbersome and could not provide the real-time data, drill-down functionality, and ad hoc capabilities that managers required to effectively handle the situation. The company needed better access to data and improved reporting capabilities for a clearer view into its operational performance and financial metrics. The turmoil from these unexpected events became the driving force for Farm Bureau Insurance to gain a clearer view into its operational performance and financial metrics.

Siemens Energy, a division of Siemens AG, is a leading supplier of products, services, and solutions for power generation plants. The company's Replacement Parts and Fleet Services division faced a significant challenge in accurately forecasting the availability of essential replacement parts. These parts have complex delivery schedules, long lead times, and are of tremendous value to power plant operations. The sales reps had difficulty forecasting the availability of these parts, which could lead to a standstill of an entire plant and cause significant financial loss. The division used an SAP R/3 enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to manage orders and requisitions. However, the sales reps needed a more efficient way to examine sales orders and monitor the supply chain to ensure timely delivery of parts.

Utz Quality Foods, a large privately held snack food company, was facing the challenge of creating an enterprise-wide analytics strategy to support its rapid growth through both organic growth and mergers and acquisitions. The company needed to deploy real-time analytics to speed up decision-making and empower business units to take control of their data. They also needed to unlock clean, high-quality information via self-service dashboards, InfoApps, and other analytics assets. The company was looking for a way to increase efficiency and better compete with larger snack food companies.

The American Alliance of Creditor Attorneys (AACA) was facing a challenge in promptly identifying and addressing problems with law firms or debt portfolios. It would sometimes take as long as six months to uncover an account languishing in a non-suit status or waiting on documents. These delays hindered the ability of the firm’s attorneys to make adjustments to their collection efforts. As a result, they were unable to negotiate payments or move accounts to judgment as quickly as possible. The inability for clients and law firms to access current account information on post charged-off consumer debt was delaying critical collection activities.

Bantierra, a Spanish savings bank, wanted to improve its reporting and business intelligence (BI) capabilities to closely monitor operational activities, improve customer satisfaction, and mitigate churn. They needed a system that could easily share information with all business units and commercial branch managers. Decision-makers throughout the Bantierra network needed greater visibility into customer activities, employee actions, and outreach activities so they could provide superior customer service and respond quickly to new opportunities.

Case Paper, a paper converter and merchant serving the printing and packaging industry, was facing challenges in accessing and utilizing data from IBM System i systems and other sources. The company needed better analytic capabilities for its entrepreneurial operating system management methodology. The company was relying heavily on Excel to get valuable information out of these systems. This process became even more cumbersome once newer versions of Excel were introduced, discontinuing many of the reporting features employees were utilizing. It would take developers as long as six months to merge the needed data from various IBM System i databases and create reports. Running those reports tied systems up for as long as an hour, preventing staff from efficiently processing transactions or entering data.

DataGen, a subsidiary of the Healthcare Association of New York State, sought to help its clients understand the cost implications of changes in financial policy in the healthcare industry. Previously, DataGen’s clients used Microsoft Excel and SharePoint to generate and deliver reports. However, as data changed, it took hours to update report templates and upload them to a SharePoint portal for DataGen’s growing client base. The Microsoft-based solution lacked scalability, adaptability, and had only rudimentary self-service analytic tools for business users.

DST Systems, a leading provider of strategic advisory services, transformative technologies, and operations outsourcing services to the financial and healthcare industries, was seeking to enhance their analytics capabilities. The company's leadership wanted to acquire a complete BI platform and formulate a comprehensive data management strategy. The existing software solutions from IBM and Oracle were not meeting DST's business needs. As data and analytics became progressively more important to the services DST provides to its clients, senior managers needed a data management and analytics platform that could take the company to the next level. They needed a solution that could leverage its existing IT resources, applications, and security models.

As Empire Airlines grew and its operation became more complex, senior managers saw the need to acquire a software platform for business intelligence (BI), analytics, and reporting. The ideal product would be a hardware platform that could support several virtual environments, including BI and analytics, e-mail, a domain controller, and a terminal server to support workers at remote locations. The company also owns Empire Aerospace, which provides heavy maintenance services to the airline industry, and Empire Unmanned, which provides unmanned aerial surveillance and analysis services for agriculture and other industries. The company provides air cargo services in 18 states and operates an inter-island passenger service for Hawaiian Airlines. One of Empire Airlines first inquiries was with Scale Computing. Melanie Ellingson, director of IT at Empire Airlines, liked Scale’s HC3 Virtualization Platform, a “datacenterin-a-box” with server, storage and virtualization integrated into a single appliance. Best of all, the appliance included WebFOCUS Business User Edition.

Enclara Pharmacia, a Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) for the hospice and palliative care industry, was formed with the goal of minimizing the cost of palliative care drugs for end-of-life patients and addressing the clinical, financial, and regulatory challenges faced by the hospice sector. One of the major challenges was the lack of real-time data on medication costs and utilization trends. Hospice executives needed this data to manage their expenses effectively. The old reporting platform used by Enclara Pharmacia produced static reports that didn't allow hospices to analyze or visualize their data. This lack of transparency and flexibility was a significant issue. Furthermore, pharmacy expenses are one of the largest material cost drivers for hospices, making it crucial to align expenditures with a high standard of care.

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control Company, a leading developer and manufacturer of advanced missile, rocket, and space systems, faced a challenge of providing users of a variety of diverse information systems with a standard, self-service way to obtain financial and operational data. The company had various types of software applications, and many different reporting systems had evolved over time. The company attempted to achieve consistent reporting standards throughout the enterprise with a third-party client/server reporting application, but with limited success. The user interface was not satisfactory, the output from the application was not up to the mark, and the licensing costs associated with moving it to the Web were prohibitive.

The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) was facing challenges in increasing the efficiency of fraud detection, foster care, disaster recovery, and other reporting initiatives within the state’s social services department. The department was struggling with disparate IT systems that were developed with different standards and data structures, making the administration of programs and provision of benefits difficult, slow, and resource-intensive. Additionally, the department was grappling with fraud in its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program (SNAP) and Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), which was costing the state significant amounts of money. The department also needed a more efficient way to place children in foster homes that met their needs and were close to their schools and families.

Loyola University Chicago, the nation’s largest Jesuit University, needed analytic tools that could simultaneously access Oracle, Lawson, and other data formats. They also needed to convert more than 800 financial reports created with Crystal Reports to a more modern, interactive format. The university was looking for BI tools that make it easy to sort, summarize, filter, and display data based on pre-selected variables, and to visualize that data in a variety of formats. The university's first major BI project required linking data from several sources: student data from a PeopleSoft for Education application, financial data from a Lawson Financial Management application; a Sakai grading scale application; and proprietary information from the university’s Library, Housing, and Admissions databases.

The Ministry of Public Administration of Mexico (MPA) was facing a challenge of low quality in public works projects related to roads, schools, parks, and other public facilities. The agency needed a more comprehensive way to audit and control public works projects. They decided to create a business intelligence (BI) and data integration environment that could link several public information systems, create a consolidated and trusted source of project information, and present results on demand through interactive reports and dashboards. The goal was to improve the services and facilities available to citizens.

Orange County, Florida, faced the challenge of collecting, analyzing, and disseminating data from multiple sources to ensure efficiency in government processes and provide essential government information to the public. The county aimed to reduce the cost of providing government services. The county's IT environment had to manage a wide range of services, from managing the region’s 911 fire and rescue call system to implementing security systems at the Department of Corrections. The county's 911 service alone processes approximately 1.5 million calls each year. Government offices handle more than two billion e-mail messages and 33,000 public records requests each year. The county also had to manage information systems for public safety, criminal justice, and public works as well as for an immense convention center, a thriving life science research park, and one of the largest radio systems in the country.

Securex, a Belgium-based provider of social-services management, helps small and medium-sized companies with payroll, HR, and other social-management tasks. The complex structure of Belgium’s legal and social services makes it difficult for companies to keep up-to-date with continually changing personnel and payroll requirements. Large organizations typically employ in-house specialists to stay on top of the changes. But for smaller enterprises and independent contractors, maintaining compliance with government payroll regulations involves navigating through a bureaucratic maze. This difficulty supplies a burgeoning market for Securex, a provider of social-services management based in Belgium that helps small and medium-sized companies. Securex currently has 26,000 clients, and 73 percent of its customer base consists of companies with fewer than five workers.

Travel and Transport, one of the largest travel management companies in the world, faced a significant challenge in gaining visibility into employee travel spending. The company lacked a single source of truth for both major travel purchases and incidental expenses. This lack of visibility made it difficult for travel managers to track major purchases such as airfare, car rentals, and hotels, as well as incidental spending on parking, taxis, baggage, meals, Internet charges, and many other items. The company needed a solution that could combine travel management information, credit card data, expense data, and financial/budget information into a big data repository that reveals an entire travel program for a company.

Siemens Energy, a leading supplier of energy technology, was facing a challenge in managing the construction of combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plants. The data required for project management in the planning and construction phases of such complex projects was dispersed over several IT systems and manually generated reports. This made it difficult to recognize changes ahead of time. Siemens Energy needed a solution that could quickly retrieve data from various sources, monitor it, and make it available to project managers in a form they could quickly assess and use as a basis for decisions.

U.S. Bank, the sixth largest commercial bank in the United States, needed to deploy a comprehensive Business Intelligence (BI) environment that could serve the reporting needs of dozens of divisions, hundreds of developers, and hundreds of thousands of users. The bank required a solution that could streamline access to corporate data, establish a BI competency center to train users, and make BI software readily available to both users and developers. The bank also needed a secure and pervasive reporting environment that could be integrated into the core activities and business processes at the bank, positively impacting both employees and customers.

The Universidad Europea de Madrid (UEM) is a private higher education institution with a full range of degrees and expert courses in a variety of disciplines. The university was facing a challenge to efficiently extract and analyze institutional data so administrators can implement corrective measures and control key management variables. The faculty and staff required access to current financial and operational information to keep administrative costs down, align academic initiatives with strategic objectives, and streamline many facets of the operation. For an educational institution, the ability to quickly and effectively analyze student, administrative, and financial data can translate into significant improvements in enrollment numbers, student performance, and fiscal efficiency. With these goals in mind, UEM set in motion an Information Systems Master Plan that uses Information Builders’ WebFOCUS BI platform to create analytic applications for key decision-makers throughout the campus.

Visteon Corporation, a leading global automotive supplier, was facing the challenge of streamlining the retrieval of critical data from a variety of ERP systems, legacy environments, and disparate databases for business users. The company was using four different enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems in North America, each creating distinct types of data. Users previously had to log in to each system, gather the data they required, and then manually combine it to generate reports. This process was time-consuming and inefficient. Additionally, the company wanted to create new types of financial reports for employees and supply chain partners.

WESCO International Distribution, a large, geographically dispersed company with 350 warehouses, 6,000 employees, 200,000 products, and more than 130,000 business customers worldwide, faced the challenge of centralizing decision-making and rolling up information in a timely manner. The company's aging information systems were due for an upgrade as they were not user-friendly and required assistance from professional analysts to execute many of the reports. Furthermore, the complex reporting infrastructure required database administrators to follow a tedious process to prepare the data for reporting, which took a significant amount of time. The company needed a Web-based solution that could automatically roll up and distribute reports to users in any format.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) had been collecting data on criminal activity for many years. However, it relied upon a manual process of sifting through 13 disparate data sources to analyze crime statistics, identify trends, and model resource allocations. This made it difficult to make sense of all the information. Users typically had to run multiple queries to be able to drill into the data and answer specific questions. CMPD command staff recognized the need for improvement and sought funding through an Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Homeland Security Grant. The goal was not only to enable command staff and dispatchers to easily run reports, but also to push information out to officers in real time.

RCM Brain needed a flexible analytics solution with comprehensive data management, data visualization, and predictive analytics capabilities that could be embedded into a larger software platform. The revenue cycle management (RCM) process that medical providers use to track revenue from patient visits is complex and error-prone, leading to high administrative costs and revenue leakage. RCM data is spread among various systems, making it difficult to create comprehensive reports. The challenge was to automate this process and reduce the costs associated with inaccurate medical claims.