Predictive analytics should not replace expert opinion, it should supplement it. Expert opinion is more accurate for short-term plans and unforeseen anomalies while predictive analytics is better for determining correlation across performance indicators, longer term forecasting, and what-if scenario modeling. << MORE >>

Last week I did a webcast for the IBM Cognos Innovation Center on the topic of BI ROI. The focus was on how to build a strong ROI case in the face of budget constriction. What was refreshing was that when surveyed many respondents said they are still able to justify BI investment based on the intangible values it brings to the organization << MORE >>

In a previous entry I wrote that one of the pushbacks on using predictive analytics in the planning process is that business users think their "expert opinion" is more accurate than a statistical algorithm. Well, this week Information Builders issued a press release predicting the World Series winner based on the analysis of 40 years of historical data. << MORE >>

Would your predictive analytics software have been able to forecast the abismal performance of baseball closers? << MORE >>

This week Bruce Springsteen is setting up shop for 5 straight nights at the Meadowlands at the age of 60. Coincidentally, this week Guy Haddleton is jumping back into the ring with a new planning product (called Anaplan) which was unveiled this week at DEMOfall 09 ,almost 20 years after he founded Adaytum.<< MORE >>

IBM Cognos Express includes planning, analytics, and BI "all-in-one". This is not just a repackaging of several products to create a mid-market "solution". << MORE >>

I have been asked by the IBM Cognos Innovation Center for Performance Management (ICPM) to develop a webcast series on building the case for continued funding and expansion of Business Intelligence initiatives during this difficult economy.<< MORE >>

Predictive analytics remains the black box of performance management but maybe that is changing.<< MORE >>

Why am I pushing a quick marriage on NetSuite and Adaptive Planning? There is no need for a long engagement for these two SaaS vendors.<< MORE >>

This is a question that many clients ask. "Should SaaS be part of my BI (and PM) strategy?" When I answer yes, the obvious next question is "how?" << MORE >>