As is known to all, Business Intelligence (BI) is a broad category of applications and technologies for gathering, storing, analyzing, and providing access to data to help enterprise users make better business decisions. BI applications include the activities of decision support systems (DSS), query and reporting, online analytical processing (OLAP), statistical analysis, forecasting, and data mining.

 

The purpose of BI is to support better business decision making. Thus, BI is also described as a DSS. Sometimes, BI is used interchangeably with briefing books, report and query tools and executive information systems. In general, BI systems are data-driven DSS.

BI applications can be:

• Mission-critical and integral to an enterprise's operations or occasional to meet a special requirement
• Enterprise-wide or local to one division, department, or project
• Centrally initiated or driven by user demand

In order to promote the dissemination of business intelligence (BI) knowledge and training a lot of talents on business intelligence, as well as heighten the competitive advantage of Chinese enterprises in current business environment, Tenly Software Incorporated (Shanghai) and Center for Forecasting Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) co-organize the international Summer School on Business Intelligence.