If the Spreadsheet works, then sure, that's your BI tool. Probably does the job for many small business users.<br>I've yet to test the OpenOffice3, but the last version was clunky for tasks that involved connecting to DBs, permissions, parameters. <br>
I could do most, but it was slow and involved writing up documentation on what's possible and not, by way of experimentation, along with detailed instructions for a frustrated user. <br><br>Nick<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">
On Mon, Dec 1, 2008 at 2:33 PM, Adam Tauno Williams <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:awilliam@whitemice.org" target="_self">awilliam@whitemice.org</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div>On Mon, 2008-12-01 at 13:20 -0500, nick wrote:<br>
> My simple definition: Tool that converts data into information, useful<br>
> for business management.<br>
<br>
</div>So then, that's a spreadsheet?<br>
<br>
I've been as baffled by this category of software as the other poster.<br>
Some BI tools seem to be SOA, others ETL, some CRM, and still others<br>
little more than extremely complicated report builders. And I develop<br>
in the "groupware" space, so I'm used to very soggy definitions; the BI<br>
people got us groupware people completely beat.<br>
<div><br>
> > I while ago when I was at a grlug meeting some asked me if they were<br>
> > any open source business intelligence software. I just ran across<br>
> > Pentaho. I don't known if it is any good.<br>
> ><br>
> > <a href="http://www.pentaho.com/" target="_self">http://www.pentaho.com/</a><br>
> What exactly is "business intelligence", as a tool? What does a BI<br>
> app seek to accomplish?<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
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