Chapter 6. Reporting and BI

Usually, BI/Reporting is considered as an afterthought in ERP implementations. However, this is one of the most important outcomes of the project. Executives will be looking for reports to run their business.

Oftentimes, the business asks, "Where is my report"? And the answer that they get is, "Data is there…". That's not enough; you need to deliver reports or information in a form that the business can use. It's not uncommon to hear business leaders complain, "We are flying blind" due to the lack of reports or accuracy of reports. With cut-throat competition against low-margin businesses, it's important to have real-time visibility of the business for the respective business owners to react quickly in the changing business environment.

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

• Gathering BI and reporting requirements
• The many reporting tools available
• Mapping reports and identifying gaps
• Custom...