BI Fundamentals

Core concepts, KPIs, and terminology for business intelligence.

79 posts in BI Fundamentals
Top 8 Call Center Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (and Why?)
BI Fundamentals

Top 8 Call Center Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (and Why?)

How do you know if your center is running smoothly and delivering a positive customer experience? That's where call center metrics come in. These...

6 min read
Top 15 Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (and Why)
BI Fundamentals

Top 15 Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (and Why)

Learning SEO is a multi-step process. You have to get a grasp on on-page, off-page, and technical elements, then turn your attention to actually measuring...

8 min read
Top 14 Sales Analytics Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (and Why)
BI Fundamentals

Top 14 Sales Analytics Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (and Why)

Especially in sales analytics, data is king. With so much information coming in every day (and every hour and every minute), though, it can be hard to...

8 min read
Top 8 Ed-Tech Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (and Why)?
BI Fundamentals

Top 8 Ed-Tech Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (and Why)?

Ed-tech is certainly one of the things we need to take a look nowadays to improve our way of living. Check out the metrics you need to watch out for.

6 min read
Top 10 Supply Chain Management Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (and Why)?
BI Fundamentals

Top 10 Supply Chain Management Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (and Why)?

Supply chain management is such a crucial factor in many businesses so it's important to measure metrics for growth and development. Learn more here.

6 min read
Top 10 Fleet Management Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (and Why)?
BI Fundamentals

Top 10 Fleet Management Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (and Why)?

Fleet management involves a lot of metrics to be monitored for smooth operations. Check out 10 of the most important metrics in this post.

6 min read
What Is A KPI? Benefits, Challenges, and Examples
BI Fundamentals

What Is A KPI? Benefits, Challenges, and Examples

The best KPIs will be unique and specific to your business. Before we get too far into how to create KPIs, let's first get a good definition of what they...

14 min read
Power BI: Everything You Need To Know About Microsoft Power BI Pricing
BI Fundamentals

Power BI: Everything You Need To Know About Microsoft Power BI Pricing

Power BI might be the perfect fit for some businesses, for others there might be some flaws. Often, one of those is pricing and in this article we dig...

15 min read
The Power of Data Visualization in IT Services Management (And How To Use Them Effectively)
BI Fundamentals

The Power of Data Visualization in IT Services Management (And How To Use Them Effectively)

Learn how to effectively use data visualization in IT service management with our comprehensive guide. Read more in this article.

11 min read
Top 10 YouTube Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (And Why)
BI Fundamentals

Top 10 YouTube Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (And Why)

YouTube metrics are a great way to get your data to come up with helpful plans and decisions for your company. Read more in this post.

7 min read
Top 10 Google Ads Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (and Why)
BI Fundamentals

Top 10 Google Ads Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (and Why)

Google Ads metrics help businesses make organized decisions for their companies in both short and long terms. Read this article to learn more.

7 min read
Top 9 Content Marketing Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (And Why)
BI Fundamentals

Top 9 Content Marketing Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (And Why)

Content marketing is essential for businesses to build relationships with their customers. Tracking these metrics will help you understand.

6 min read
Top 10 Facebook Ads Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (and Why)
BI Fundamentals

Top 10 Facebook Ads Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (and Why)

Checking your Facebook ads metrics can help you target the right audience with your paid advertisements. Read more in this informative post.

7 min read
Top 7 Website Analytics Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (and Why)
BI Fundamentals

Top 7 Website Analytics Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (and Why)

Check these website analytics metrics to ensure your company is heading to the right direction. Read more in this post for more.

8 min read
Top 10 Metrics for the Insurance Industry You Should Be Monitoring (and Why)
BI Fundamentals

Top 10 Metrics for the Insurance Industry You Should Be Monitoring (and Why)

Checking these 10 insurance industry metrics will keep your business in the right direction. Learn more about these metrics here.

7 min read
Top 7 Professional Service Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (and Why)
BI Fundamentals

Top 7 Professional Service Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (and Why)

Professional service requires to be monitored constantly for growth. These 7 metrics should be kept on watch. Read more here.

7 min read
Top 9 Metrics For The Agriculture Industry You Should Be Monitoring (And Why)
BI Fundamentals

Top 9 Metrics For The Agriculture Industry You Should Be Monitoring (And Why)

Knowing these metrics for the agriculture industry can help you manage your business evene better. Learn more about that here.

7 min read
Top 8 Veterinary Practice Metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
BI Fundamentals

Top 8 Veterinary Practice Metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

These eight metrics and KPIs will keep your veterinary clinic thriving all year long. Find out more about these metrics here.

7 min read
6 KPIs and Metrics You Need to Know About the Logistics and Shipping Industry (and Why)
BI Fundamentals

6 KPIs and Metrics You Need to Know About the Logistics and Shipping Industry (and Why)

The logistics and shipping industry can be a bit hard to manage. Here are six KPIs and metrics you can use to monitor your company.

5 min read
What Is an OKR? Benefits, Challenges, and Examples
BI Fundamentals

What Is an OKR? Benefits, Challenges, and Examples

An OKR can help you see the figures in a much more innovative way, and it can really help your business. Read more here.

6 min read
6 Hospitality Industry Metrics You Need to Know (and Why)
BI Fundamentals

6 Hospitality Industry Metrics You Need to Know (and Why)

Keeping track of these key hospitality industry metrics can help you identify the lacking parts in your business and work on it.

6 min read
Top 4 Work From Home Metrics To Track Team Productivity (And Why?)
BI Fundamentals

Top 4 Work From Home Metrics To Track Team Productivity (And Why?)

It can be hard to measure productivity in remote work. Here are 4 work from home metrics you can use to measure productivity.

7 min read
Top 10 Accounting Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (And Why)
BI Fundamentals

Top 10 Accounting Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (And Why)

Keep an eye on these ten accounting metrics to monitor if your business is doing well, or you need to do something about it. Click here to know more.

7 min read
Data Warehouse vs Data Lake: What’s the Difference?
BI Fundamentals

Data Warehouse vs Data Lake: What’s the Difference?

Knowing what a data warehouse vs. data lake is would make the difference for most businesses. Learn more about their differences here.

7 min read
Top 9 Metrics for eCommerce You Should Monitor (And Why)
BI Fundamentals

Top 9 Metrics for eCommerce You Should Monitor (And Why)

There are metrics that e-commerce business owners should monitor for their success. Find out what those are here, and why we should keep an eye on these.

8 min read
Top 6 Customer Support Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (And Why)
BI Fundamentals

Top 6 Customer Support Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (And Why)

The best way for a company to determine its customer support performance is by tracking metrics. In this article we cover the Top 6 customer support...

6 min read
Chartio Was Acquired, What Are the Top Chartio Alternatives (5 + 1 Bonus)?
BI Fundamentals

Chartio Was Acquired, What Are the Top Chartio Alternatives (5 + 1 Bonus)?

Atlassian acquired Chartio and announced the product is going away next year. So, what next? We outline 5 alternatives plus one bonus option (Hint:...

7 min read
Guide to Business Intelligence Scheduled Reports (Types, Issues, and Best Practices)
BI Fundamentals

Guide to Business Intelligence Scheduled Reports (Types, Issues, and Best Practices)

Web based reports have become the norm for many BI tools but just as important is the ability to schedule those reports. In this article we discuss the...

6 min read
What Is An Entity Relationship Diagram? (And How Does It Impact Business Intelligence)
BI Fundamentals

What Is An Entity Relationship Diagram? (And How Does It Impact Business Intelligence)

You may have heard of the term, Entity Relationship Diagram or ERD, and wondered how that impacted business reporting. In this article we try to explain...

6 min read
Top 5 BI & Reporting Tools for Amazon Redshift (Plus 1 Bonus Option)
BI Fundamentals

Top 5 BI & Reporting Tools for Amazon Redshift (Plus 1 Bonus Option)

In this article, we're taking a deeper look at the top five BI and reporting tools available for Amazon Redshift and which may be best for you.

8 min read
What is Dremio (And How Can It Be Used in Business Intelligence)?
BI Fundamentals

What is Dremio (And How Can It Be Used in Business Intelligence)?

In this article, learn about Dremio, its pros and cons, and how it can be leveraged for business intelligence in your organization.

7 min read
Without Context Data Is Useless (and Why You’re Overpaying for BI Tools)
BI Fundamentals

Without Context Data Is Useless (and Why You’re Overpaying for BI Tools)

You can better implement your context data and business intelligence efforts by first understanding how data, information, and intelligence work together.

8 min read
What is Predictive Analytics (And Can Your Business Use It)?
BI Fundamentals

What is Predictive Analytics (And Can Your Business Use It)?

What exactly is predictive analytics? Is it a worthwhile investment? What are the prerequisites for adopting and implementing predictive analytics? Read...

6 min read
Top 6 Reasons To Look For An Alternative To Domo
BI Fundamentals

Top 6 Reasons To Look For An Alternative To Domo

A few of the things we’ve learned about Domo from customers who have either used them or gone through the research process with them lead us to caution...

3 min read
What Is the SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) Query Designer?
BI Fundamentals

What Is the SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) Query Designer?

The SQL Query Designer is an important part of the data administrator’s toolkit. But it's not perfect for your end users. We break down what it is, who...

6 min read
Artificial Intelligence vs Business Intelligence (What's the Difference)?
BI Fundamentals

Artificial Intelligence vs Business Intelligence (What's the Difference)?

But what exactly sets business intelligence apart from artificial intelligence? Are they mutually exclusive? In this article we explore the concepts.

6 min read
5 Ways to Improve Project Management with Business Intelligence
BI Fundamentals

5 Ways to Improve Project Management with Business Intelligence

Recently, we were working alongside a professional services consulting firm, and they had one burning question: “How can BI improve our project...

5 min read
5 Top Reasons to Look for An Alternative to Power BI
BI Fundamentals

5 Top Reasons to Look for An Alternative to Power BI

There are many reasons an organization may look for an alternative to Microsoft Power BI. In this article we list the main reasons.

7 min read
What Is A Semantic Layer, And What Does It Do?
BI Fundamentals

What Is A Semantic Layer, And What Does It Do?

What is a semantic layer (and why is it important to business intelligence)? In this guide we go into the details, the benefits, and how DashboardFox...

5 min read
How Much Does Domo Cost? (Everything We Know About Domo Pricing)
BI Fundamentals

How Much Does Domo Cost? (Everything We Know About Domo Pricing)

Although the pricing isn’t currently available on Domo’s website, we’ve been able to speak with some customers over the last couple of years. In this...

3 min read
5 Top Reasons To Look For An Alternative To Sisense
BI Fundamentals

5 Top Reasons To Look For An Alternative To Sisense

Sisense offers some great features and benefits for the right users, but as with most platforms, it’s not right for everyone. Here are a few reasons that...

8 min read
Tableau Ends Perpetual Licensing (But There’s Still DashboardFox)
BI Fundamentals

Tableau Ends Perpetual Licensing (But There’s Still DashboardFox)

Perpetual Licensing is dead. At least according to Tableau. But DashboardFox is keeping the concept of no-subscription, one-time fee BI software alive.

3 min read
What’s The Difference Between Data Science And Data Analytics?
BI Fundamentals

What’s The Difference Between Data Science And Data Analytics?

When it comes to data science and data analytics, people often act as though they produce the same information. While they do work well together, each...

5 min read
All About Heat Maps: What, When, and Why
BI Fundamentals

All About Heat Maps: What, When, and Why

In this guide, we’ll be covering everything you need to know about heat maps and when you should consider using one for your business intelligence plans.

6 min read
6 Sales Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (And Why)
BI Fundamentals

6 Sales Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (And Why)

Here are six of the most important sales metrics that you need to know about.

6 min read
5 Reasons to Look for an Alternative to Tableau
BI Fundamentals

5 Reasons to Look for an Alternative to Tableau

Tableau is one of the most powerful BI tools avialble, but it doesn’t work for everyone. Let’s go over some of the top reasons why organizations might be...

8 min read
What is Visual SQL (Pros and Cons)?
BI Fundamentals

What is Visual SQL (Pros and Cons)?

Visual SQL is a term being used more these days, but what exactly does it mean? We break down the good and the bad in this article.

6 min read
Top Reasons Small Businesses Avoid Business Intelligence Software
BI Fundamentals

Top Reasons Small Businesses Avoid Business Intelligence Software

In this article, we discuss what business intelligence is and why our smaller economic organizations are hesitant to adopt them.

6 min read
Tableau Public: Pros and Cons (Straight Talk Review)
BI Fundamentals

Tableau Public: Pros and Cons (Straight Talk Review)

In this article, we’re going to take a look at Tableau’s free offering, Tableau Public, and discuss the pros and cons of its usage for small and medium...

8 min read
Best 5 Alternatives to Sisense (Plus 1 Bonus Option)
BI Fundamentals

Best 5 Alternatives to Sisense (Plus 1 Bonus Option)

Sisense may make a lot of sense for certain users – larger enterprises or businesses with huge amounts of data to process. But be sure you’re fully aware...

10 min read
What's The Difference Between Dashboards And Reports? ( And Which Do You Need?)
BI Fundamentals

What's The Difference Between Dashboards And Reports? ( And Which Do You Need?)

You may be wondering why is the question of dashboards or reports even a thing? It’s helpful to know the key differences between dashboards and reports...

7 min read
4 Hospital Industry Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (And Why)
BI Fundamentals

4 Hospital Industry Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (And Why)

This article highlights four essential and easily-trackable metrics for the hospital industry. For each metric, you will understand its importance...

5 min read
5 Top Reasons to Look for An Alternative to Crystal Reports
BI Fundamentals

5 Top Reasons to Look for An Alternative to Crystal Reports

While Crystal Reports remains a reliable, functional piece of software, it's no longer the right tool for many. There are several reasons this might be...

8 min read
Everything You Need To Know About Tableau Server Pricing
BI Fundamentals

Everything You Need To Know About Tableau Server Pricing

Tableau takes a “cafeteria-style” approach to pricing, allowing users to choose options. In this article, we break it down and make it easy to understand.

9 min read
What Is Self Service Business Intelligence (And Is It Right For Your Business)?
BI Fundamentals

What Is Self Service Business Intelligence (And Is It Right For Your Business)?

You must be wondering what’s the difference between self-service and traditional business intelligence. In this post, we’ll get into that and demystify it...

7 min read
Best 5 Alternatives To Microsoft Power BI (Plus 1 Bonus Option)
BI Fundamentals

Best 5 Alternatives To Microsoft Power BI (Plus 1 Bonus Option)

The downsides to Microsoft products may have many companies seeking a Power BI alternative and asking, is it possible to replace Power BI? Who are some of...

9 min read
4 Essential Customer Onboarding Metrics and KPIs You Should Monitor (And Why)
BI Fundamentals

4 Essential Customer Onboarding Metrics and KPIs You Should Monitor (And Why)

This article gives a list of four essential metrics to track to determine whether your customer onboarding is successful. While no two businesses are...

6 min read
5 Reasons To Move Your Data Out Of Excel And Into A Database
BI Fundamentals

5 Reasons To Move Your Data Out Of Excel And Into A Database

Here are 5 reasons you should consider swapping your trusty spreadsheet for a database.

6 min read
[Checklist] How To Know When You’re Overspending on Business Intelligence Software
BI Fundamentals

[Checklist] How To Know When You’re Overspending on Business Intelligence Software

Here are five signs you’re spending more on business intelligence than you should be. If more than one or two sound familiar, it might be time to switch...

5 min read
What’s the Difference Between Business Intelligence and Business Analytics?
BI Fundamentals

What’s the Difference Between Business Intelligence and Business Analytics?

Business Analytics, or BA, and Business Intelligence, or BI, each of these has specific tools and methodologies for making sense of the data that you...

5 min read
Best Dashboard and Reporting Options for BMC ITSM Remedy
BI Fundamentals

Best Dashboard and Reporting Options for BMC ITSM Remedy

We’ve coupled our industry experience with knowledge we’ve gained through talking with consumers and compiled this list of top dashboard and reporting...

12 min read
Best 5 Alternatives To Crystal Reports (Plus 1 Bonus Option)
BI Fundamentals

Best 5 Alternatives To Crystal Reports (Plus 1 Bonus Option)

What are some of the alternatives to Crystal Reports? Here we take a look at five, plus we have one bonus option to take a look at below.

8 min read
5 Higher Education Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (And Why)
BI Fundamentals

5 Higher Education Metrics You Should Be Monitoring (And Why)

Tracking key performance indicators the right way will help you achieve your overall goals. For higher education institutions, we cover some of the big...

5 min read
What’s the Difference Between Quantitative and Qualitative Data?
BI Fundamentals

What’s the Difference Between Quantitative and Qualitative Data?

So when it comes to qualitative vs quantitative data, what’s the difference and how do you get hold of it? And what’s the best way to use each data type...

5 min read
Selecting A BI Tool: [Checklist] How To Avoid The Pitfalls of Buying Business Intelligence Software
BI Fundamentals

Selecting A BI Tool: [Checklist] How To Avoid The Pitfalls of Buying Business Intelligence Software

  Here at DashboardFox, we work with a lot of customers who are in the market to buy business intelligence (BI) software. We see customers who are at...

7 min read
Everything You Need to Know About the Real Cost of Microsoft Power BI
BI Fundamentals

Everything You Need to Know About the Real Cost of Microsoft Power BI

In this guide, we’ll be exploring the hidden costs of Microsoft Power BI, as well as some of the negatives of Power BI to consider.

5 min read
What is Big Data and Do I Have It?
BI Fundamentals

What is Big Data and Do I Have It?

Not exactly sure what big data is? You’ve got plenty of company. At 5000fish we’re frequently asked “What is big data?” and “Is DashboardFox a big data...

7 min read
Definitive Guide: How to Choose the Right Data Visualization For Your Use Case
BI Fundamentals

Definitive Guide: How to Choose the Right Data Visualization For Your Use Case

Let’s dive in and explore how to determine the right data visualizations for any purpose your business has.

11 min read
The Top 6 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Channel Partner Management
BI Fundamentals

The Top 6 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Channel Partner Management

In today’s business environment, it is critical for businesses to have a robust network of partners in order to grow and scale. These partners include...

5 min read
11 Email Marketing Metrics You Should Monitor (And Why)
BI Fundamentals

11 Email Marketing Metrics You Should Monitor (And Why)

We have gathered together the top 11 email metrics that you might want to consider when conducting your next marketing campaign

5 min read
Best Executive Dashboard for ServiceNow
BI Fundamentals

Best Executive Dashboard for ServiceNow

ServiceNow is recognized as a leading enterprise IT Cloud company that offers a variety of Cloud-based products to help automate and manage IT service...

5 min read
What Is A Concurrent Session License? (And Why It May Be Best For You)
BI Fundamentals

What Is A Concurrent Session License? (And Why It May Be Best For You)

Concurrent session licenses are the easiest way to get reports and data for your entire team. However, we wanted to discuss some of the reasons you may...

5 min read
Pros and Cons of Data Visualizations
BI Fundamentals

Pros and Cons of Data Visualizations

Data visualization is a critical tool for decision-makers across every business sector and size. But there are pros and cons to data visualizations if you...

4 min read
4 Steps to Creating an Effective Dashboard
BI Fundamentals

4 Steps to Creating an Effective Dashboard

If you’re considering using a business dashboard to gain insights, improve processes and take your organization to the next level, you need to know not...

4 min read
What is Operational Intelligence?
BI Fundamentals

What is Operational Intelligence?

Let’s dive into what operational intelligence is, its benefits, its difficulties, and where you can get awesome Operational Intelligence (OI) tech.

5 min read
Big Data Vs Business Intelligence: What’s the Difference?
BI Fundamentals

Big Data Vs Business Intelligence: What’s the Difference?

How easy is it to get lost in all the jargon that abounds in the business world? One might say easy as pie … but only if one is referring to eating pie...

5 min read
5 Human Resources (HR) Metrics You Should be Monitoring (And Why)
BI Fundamentals

5 Human Resources (HR) Metrics You Should be Monitoring (And Why)

There are many HR metrics that may suit your business’ initiatives, and below you will find 5 useful favorites that you should be familiar with.

5 min read
The Top 7 Data Visualization Tools (Plus 1 Bonus Option)
BI Fundamentals

The Top 7 Data Visualization Tools (Plus 1 Bonus Option)

In this article, we’re taking a look at the top seven data visualization tools to help you better understand your options.

9 min read
Spreadsheets vs Databases (What's the Difference)?
BI Fundamentals

Spreadsheets vs Databases (What's the Difference)?

While there are similarities between spreadsheets and databases, ultimately, spreadsheets and databases are significantly different tools with different...

6 min read
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