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Abstract
Background: Business intelligence (BI) tools are generally associated with organisations that have resources to purchase and implement these tools. Evidences abound regarding the correlation between BI tools and improved business decision-making. This study’s unit of analysis is affordability as a feature of IBM Cognos making it suitable for small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).Objective: The research aim was to identify the fundamental features of IBM Cognos which would address decision-making needs of SMEs. The objective was to determine the significance of BI tool features by means of identifying affordable features suitable for SMEs’ decision-making.Method: Quantitative research design and a deductive approach were best suited for assessing the fundamental features of IBM Cognos for SMEs’ decision-making needs. The signification framework variables, such as presumed, prized and perceived value of BI tool features, werequantified and measured using statistical analysis tools. A non-probability convenience sampling technique was used with a sample size of 200, that is, 80 BI consultants, 60 SME BI developers and 60 SME managers.Results: Affordable key features of BI tools in the context of SMEs’ business decision-making include consistency and comfort, intuitive interface, avoiding impulsivity, cost effectiveness, availability of information, best programmed visualisations, reporting quickly and easily and financial decision-making.Conclusion: The signification framework’s presumed, prized and perceived value indicators link affordable BI tool features to the consistency of the decision-making process and present an alternative view of affordability. An intuitive interface relates to convenience and ease of authoring content, designing, building and securing reports to the SME, which helps inimproving consistent decision-making.
Highlights
The affordability of business intelligence (BI) tools is generally considered in terms of licence cost, hardware, implementation, maintenance, support, training, hardware and hosting fees in the event of cloud-based solutions.Comparisons regarding different BI tools, such as Tableau, Microsoft BI, Qlik Sense, Oracle OBIEE, QlikView, SQL Server, MicroStrategy and Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services abound
A total of 25 questions were asked from the participants and three variables were used: small- and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs)’s decision-making needs, IBM Cognos BI tool features and BI tool affordability
The main discovery from the literature review was that consistency is key to SMEs’ decision-making and SMEs require BI tool intuitive interface
Summary
The affordability of business intelligence (BI) tools is generally considered in terms of licence cost, hardware, implementation, maintenance, support, training, hardware and hosting fees in the event of cloud-based solutions.Comparisons regarding different BI tools, such as Tableau, Microsoft BI, Qlik Sense, Oracle OBIEE, QlikView, SQL Server, MicroStrategy and Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services abound. This study was not aimed at adding yet another comparison of these tools; instead, it addressed the research gap in terms of the significance of affordability as a feature of a specific BI tool, IBM Cognos. Significance is measured by means of comparing the perceived, presumed, predicted, prized and produced value of the tool for small- and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs). In this manner, the study challenges the general definition of affordability by means of applying an information and knowledge management signification framework. This study’s unit of analysis is affordability as a feature of IBM Cognos making it suitable for small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
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