"A Report Tool on Every Desktop" ??

"Democratization of Data" is the Business Intelligence (BI) catch phrase of the hour.  The idea that data should be accessible at every organizational level for faster and better decision making independent of technical acumen appears desirable and should give companies an advantage in the fast-paced world in which they compete.  Additionally, BI projects are notoriously long and expensive so spreading that cost over as many employees as possible increases the return on investment.  That all sounds great in theory but I question the feasibility of this scenario in the real world.

It has been my experience that while middle management is quick to complain about their information challenges and the speed at which they receive information, they still don't want to be responsible for getting it for themselves.  Who would be their scapegoat?  Furthermore, if a pivot table in Excel intimidates them (and you know it does!) they really don't think they can understand how to use your new, simple, point and click analysis tool.

I realize I'm generalizing A LOT.  I'm sure there are some who would love to have access to BI tools and be self-sufficient.  I also don't mean to cast those who don't feel this way in a totally negative light.  I guess I question why those who rely on analysts now don't do their own reporting.  Is it really because it takes someone technical to compile this information for them?  Is that really the only hurdle and the 'democratization of data' is going to solve the problem?  I don’t think so.

I have worked with many people over the years in different departments who dedicated hours upon hours to printing reports from transactional systems then keying that information into a spreadsheet so they could get the information they needed.  Yes - when I discovered this I found ways to automate or help them with the process but the point is they felt responsible for getting this information and they were going to get it anyway they could.  These people will embrace self-service BI.  Those others who hounded me for data and couldn't even transpose a few columns in a spreadsheet without my help will not.  Frankly I would have loved to have some of these tools available way-back-when just to make my life easier. 

I also question if a "report tool on every desktop" is right for business.  Most businesses pay managers and above to consume information not compile it.  Should businesses pay an executive $75-$100 per hour or more to build reports?  Don't get me wrong, I readily see the benefit of decision makers being able to slice and dice on the fly but it takes technical people and analysts working in the background to make that doable in the seconds it should take.  Execs should be directing the company and making decisions.

Although this post could be construed as a mini-rant, I do love the idea that our tools are getting easier to use and hope that helps to expand true BI.