Analyze easily, manage securely

The perfect balance between agility and governance thanks to managed self-service BI

Business intelligence (BI) promotes a data-driven corporate culture and is therefore an indispensable part of a modern organization. While, on the one hand, centralized control by a data analytics department has proven effective, the demand for decentralized, flexible solutions is also increasing. This is where the Managed Self-Service BI approach comes in.

The way in which companies integrate BI into their existing structures can be very different in practice and poses challenges for many, especially large, organizations. The topic of business intelligence can be handled centrally by a data analytics department or responsibility can be given to the individual specialist departments, i.e. absorbed decentrally. The latter approach is also often referred to as self-service BI. The specialist departments are enabled to access company data without direct support from the IT department, to analyze it and to generate reports independently.

Managed Self-Service BI combines the advantages of both principles with the aim of creating an optimal balance between the autonomy and empowerment of specialist departments and the necessary control by the IT department when analyzing company data.

What is managed self-service BI? Definition and characteristics‍

Managed Self-Service (MSS) BI combines the strengths of the centralized and decentralized BI approach. It allows specialist departments to create their own reports and analyses using flexible BI tools such as Power BI, Tableau or Qlik. At the same time, a central IT department remains responsible for providing the underlying data models, data quality, and governance structures.

The new distribution of roles between IT and specialist departments‍

At MSS BI, the IT department and specialist departments work closely together. IT provides the infrastructure and central data models that provide a consistent and secure data basis. The specialist departments have access to these models and can independently create analyses and reports using the BI tools. One example of this is the use of central datasets in Power BI that are maintained by the IT department. Business departments can access this model and create dashboards or reports that meet their specific needs without losing control of the data base.

benefits

Balancing flexibility and control
Business departments are given the freedom to carry out analyses independently, while the IT department maintains central control over the data structure and quality.

Governance and security
By providing central data models, security guidelines and governance standards can also be met in a self-service model.

Increasing efficiency
MSS BI reduces dependency on the IT department. This results in faster decision-making processes without sacrificing the quality or security of the data.
Managed self-service BI combines the strengths of the centralized and decentralized BI approach.

Managed self-service BI combines the strengths of the centralized and decentralized BI approach.

challenges

Ensuring data quality and consistency
Since specialist departments have more freedom in data analysis, IT must regularly maintain and update central data models.

Clear distribution of roles
A successful implementation of MSS BI requires clear agreements and a clear separation of responsibilities between the IT department and the specialist departments.

End user training
Comprehensive training is required for specialist departments to be able to use BI tools effectively. Users must understand the functions of the tools and at the same time master the basics of data analysis and interpretation.

A “monitoring dashboard” enables the IT department to always monitor the use of the BI tool.

Practical guide: In 4 pillars for successful managed self-service BI

‍A practical example describes how, together with our customer, we have laid the foundation for an MSS-BI approach in the organization. Our customer's goal was to enable specialist departments to create their own data analyses, relieve the internal IT department, and also comply with data governance guidelines. The implementation consists of several coordinated pillars, which take into account both technical and organizational aspects.

1. Technical implementation and data security‍

Technical implementation generally depends heavily on the architecture and the tools used by the customer. An important component is the technical illustration of the authorization concept, which ensures data security and determines who can access which data. In addition, the specialist departments were provided with CI-compliant templates, which enable teams to design their reports and analyses visually consistently and professionally. A “monitoring dashboard” enables the IT department to always monitor the use of the BI tool. This provides information on the intensity and method of using the tools and reports.

2. Organization, structure and data governance‍

The implementation of MSS BI requires not only technical implementation, but also the creation of organizational foundations. The introduction of clear data governance is key here. Processes, roles and clear responsibilities must be defined to ensure that all employees handle the available data responsibly and use it correctly. Setting up a Power BI community within the company can stimulate exchange between employees and continuous improvement of the use of the BI tool. This promotes a culture of knowledge exchange and ensures that BI tools are not only technically implemented, but are actually integrated into everyday working life.

3. Enablement: Training for specialist departments

‍In addition to setting up an ongoing exchange platform, it is of central importance to initially enable employees of the specialist departments to use the BI tool correctly. For this purpose, we have designed individual training courses with our customer, in which employees, depending on their role and requirements, are taught the basics as well as advanced content. At the same time, the employees' existing skill level is determined and compared with the requirements. This is how we ensure that everyone receives exactly the support they need. Only after successful completion of internal training in the BI tool is the employee assigned a license to ensure conscious use of the technology.

4. Monitoring and scaling in the company‍

While the use of BI tools is constantly being expanded, we are constantly optimizing monitoring to see how well the tools are being accepted by the various departments over time. The introduction of the new approach was initially tested in a pilot phase with selected departments. During this pilot phase, the concept was tested under real conditions and any adjustments could be made before it was rolled out throughout the company. As part of the MSS BI approach, together with our customer, we have created a solution that sustainably supports data-based decisions throughout the company. This project is therefore characterized by digital transformation by giving employees greater autonomy and efficiency when dealing with data.

This article was first published in our magazine data! Issue 02/24. Read it now for free!

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