Business Intelligence is necessary for small business, and doesn’t need to be confusing. When I started my career in Business Intelligence, only big companies with big IT budgets and large IT departments dared an implementation. Nearly twenty years later, lots of technological changes and advancements have transpired. Everyone knows about these changes, they’re relatively obvious; from low cost high power computers to mobilization, to social media and more... tech is broad reaching and prolific. Much like the realization of the mid 1990’s that a business must be on the web, to be taken seriously and compete, the same realization is being made by small businesses with respect to Business Intelligence. Although technology and marketing has made it possible for small business to seriously consider a Business Intelligence solution, the sheer number of options and confusing buzzwords and claims can confound even the most tech-savvy CEO or CFO. I have witnessed more misdirected, m

Passing Parameters to a Scripted DataSet;or any DataSet for that matter The first time I heard the phrase "parameter binding to a data set" cold chills shot down my spine. I was thrust right back into my first OO Programming Class, where concepts like "pointers", "polymorphism" and others were thrown around like we were all just born to understand these abstract descriptions. Why not call it something simpler... like Parameter "place-holder" or "access point" ? Using the word "parameter binding" just makes it sound more complicated than it has to be. ...Maybe that's the idea? We are talking about nerdy techie types after all. That said, I will try to make sure I don't needlessly try to impress with my cryptic verbage. So, here it goes. If you are both new to BIRT and have to use a scripted source the way IBM’s Maximo implementations do, you might not know where to begin right off the bat. I will break it down into sm

The Better Pathway to a Successful Business Intelligence Implementation. Like Raw Chicken, Raw Data is NOT usually good for you: More and more companies are jumping on the Big Data, Data Analytics, Data Mining, Data Science, Data-Driven bandwagon(s). Nothing like stating the obvious, but I made reference to the first five "Data" buzzwords I hear throughout the course of any given day. Why only five? After all, there are plenty more "Data" buzzwords out there... and lets not forget "Analytics"!    The point is, that it's no secret that businesses recognize what they need to stay in business; Data! Actually it is my belief that data in an unto itself is not inherently good. Consuming raw data, much like consuming raw chicken is not all that good for you. In fact trying to consume it raw is likely to produce sick behavior at best and could lead to the death of your business.  Business Intelligence is a mind-set: As companies go, I hav

How to create a Histogram with BIRT You'll find my example and post on the Actuate Developer Forum .

Working while traveling?   So, I've been referring to myself as a sort of Digital Gypsy for a few years now. Until this past year, this was not a completely accurate statement. I had a condo, home base, paid property taxes; what ever would constitute as "normal everyday American" typical living. Enter, moving onto the sailboat and just leaving the rented condo behind for someone else to worry about, and taking off! So how do you maintain enough stability, without loosing freedom? To maintain a place to receive paychecks, paper correspondence, and simply ensure that you have the things necessary to provide a prospective client that you're not a vagabond, get a mail service. We use St. Brendan's Isle mail service (http://sbimailservice.com) another service if you'd like to comparison shop, is Mail Forwarding Services in Oregon (http://www.mailforwardingservices.com). Having these services even if you have a permanent home address is wonderful for anyone wh