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Jahangir Karimi

This is the fourth course in the Data Warehouse for Business Intelligence specialization. Ideally, the courses should be taken in sequence. Effectively and efficiently mining data is the very center of any modern business’s competitive strategy, and a data warehouse is a core component of this data mining. The ability to quickly look back at early trends and have the accurate data – properly formatted – is essential to good decision making. By enabling this historical overview, a data warehouse allows decision makers to learn from past trends and challenges. In essence, the benefit of a data warehouse is continuous improvement.

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This is the fourth course in the Data Warehouse for Business Intelligence specialization. Ideally, the courses should be taken in sequence. Effectively and efficiently mining data is the very center of any modern business’s competitive strategy, and a data warehouse is a core component of this data mining. The ability to quickly look back at early trends and have the accurate data – properly formatted – is essential to good decision making. By enabling this historical overview, a data warehouse allows decision makers to learn from past trends and challenges. In essence, the benefit of a data warehouse is continuous improvement.

By the end of the course, you will be able to enhance Conformity And Quality of Data by gaining the knowledge and skills for using data warehouses for business intelligence purposes and for working as a business intelligence developer. You’ll have the opportunity to work with large data sets in a data warehouse environment and will learn the use of MicroStrategy's Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) and Visualization capabilities to create visualizations and dashboards.

The course gives an overview of how business intelligence technologies can support decision making across any number of business sectors. These technologies have had a profound impact on corporate strategy, performance, and competitiveness and broadly encompass decision support systems, business intelligence systems, and visual analytics. Modules are organized around the business intelligence concepts, tools, and applications, and the use of data warehouse for business reporting and online analytical processing, for creating visualizations and dashboards, and for business performance management and descriptive analytics.

This course is intended for business and computer science university students, IT professionals, program managers, business analysts and anyone with career interests in business intelligence.

In order to be successful in this course, you should have either completed Course 3 of the Data Warehousing for Business Intelligence Specialization or have some prior experience with data visualization and document management.

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What's inside

Syllabus

Decision Making and Decision Support Systems
Module 1 explains the role of computerized support for decision-making and its importance. It starts by identifying the different types of decisions managers face, and the process through which they make decisions. It then focuses on decision-making styles, the four stages of Simon’s decision-making process, and common strategies and approaches of decision-makers. In the next two lessons, you will learn the role of Decision Support Systems (DSS), understand their main components, the various DSS types and classifications, and how DSS has changed over time. Finally, in lesson 4, we focus on how DSS supports each phase of decision-making and summarize the evolution of DSS applications, and how they have changed over time. I recommend that you go to Ready Made DSS sites and use some of the DSS that are listed for various types of decisions. You will need to install MicroStrategy Desktop to analyze three stand-alone offline dashboards in a peer-evaluated exercise.
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Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Covers DSS and BI, which are core skills for IT professionals
Emphasizes common BI tools and applications
Focuses on practical skills through hands-on exercises with MicroStrategy
Experienced instructors who are recognized for their work in data warehousing
Taught by Jahangir Karimi
Requires prior knowledge of data visualization and document management

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Reviews summary

Core bi concepts and microstrategy

According to learners, this course offers a good introduction to core business intelligence concepts and decision support systems. Many appreciate the opportunity for hands-on practice using MicroStrategy for data visualization, dashboard design, and analysis, finding it valuable for gaining practical skills. Reviewers note that while the conceptual content is strong, some find the MicroStrategy software setup and exercises challenging, requiring troubleshooting. The course is seen as a solid foundation, particularly when taken as part of the specialization, though the quality of peer evaluations can be inconsistent. Overall, it's viewed as a beneficial step for those entering or advancing in the BI field.
Best taken after prerequisite courses.
"Taking this after completing the previous courses in the specialization felt like the logical progression."
"The course clearly builds on concepts introduced in earlier modules of the series."
"Some concepts might be challenging if you haven't taken the prerequisite course or have prior BI knowledge."
Gain practical skills with MicroStrategy.
"I appreciated the opportunity to practice using MicroStrategy; it was very helpful for me."
"The hands-on exercises with the BI tool were the most valuable part."
"Getting real experience working with MicroStrategy datasets and creating dashboards felt highly relevant."
Covers essential BI and DSS concepts.
"The lectures provided a very clear understanding of key BI and DSS principles that are fundamental."
"I gained a solid theoretical foundation before diving into the tool which was very helpful."
"The course content on decision-making processes and BI architecture was well-structured and informative."
Quality of feedback from peers varies.
"Getting useful feedback from the peer-graded assignments was quite inconsistent for me."
"I found the peer review process unreliable and sometimes frustrating to navigate."
"The quality of grading when depending solely on peers felt like a potential concern."
Setup and use of the tool can be difficult.
"I had significant difficulty installing and configuring the MicroStrategy software on my machine."
"Troubleshooting MicroStrategy problems took a lot of time away from learning the concepts."
"Accessing the tool, especially cloud versions mentioned by others, sometimes presented technical hurdles."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Business Intelligence Concepts, Tools, and Applications with these activities:
Participate in a Study Group
Strengthens your understanding of the core concepts through discussions and collaboration.
Show steps
  • Find a study group or create your own.
  • Meet regularly to discuss the course material, share insights, and work through problems together.
Review Statistics and Probability Concepts
Strengthens your foundational knowledge in statistics and probability, making it easier to grasp data warehousing concepts.
Browse courses on Probability
Show steps
  • Go over your notes or textbooks on statistics and probability.
  • Solve practice problems to test your understanding.
Review 'Building Data Warehouse for Business Intelligence' by W.H. Inmon
Provides a solid foundation in data warehouse design and construction principles.
Show steps
  • Read Chapters 1-5 to understand the core concepts of data warehousing.
  • Work through the exercises at the end of each chapter to reinforce your understanding.
  • Create a mind map of the key concepts covered in the book.
Nine other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all 12 activities
Organize Course Materials and Notes
Improves your ability to locate and review important information, aiding in knowledge retention.
Show steps
  • Gather all course materials, including lecture notes, assignments, and presentations.
  • Create a system for organizing the materials logically.
  • Regularly review and update your organized materials.
Read 'Data Warehousing Fundamentals: A Practical Guide for Implementing, Extracting, and Querying Data' by Jawad Noor
Provides a comprehensive introduction to data warehousing concepts like data modeling and data organization, helping you to build a solid foundation in data warehousing.
Show steps
  • Read the introduction and chapter summaries to get an overview of the book.
  • Go through the chapters on data modeling and data organization thoroughly.
  • Complete the practice exercises and quizzes at the end of each chapter to test your understanding.
Solve Data Warehousing Practice Questions
Strengthens your problem-solving skills and reinforces your understanding of data warehousing concepts.
Show steps
  • Find practice questions related to data warehousing online or in textbooks.
  • Attempt to solve the questions on your own without looking at the solutions.
  • Check your answers against the solutions and identify areas where you need improvement.
Complete Data Visualization Practice Exercises
Enhances your ability to create effective data visualizations using Tableau.
Browse courses on Data Visualization
Show steps
  • Download the Tableau Public software.
  • Complete the Tableau tutorial.
  • Find a dataset and create a visualization that tells a story.
Follow a Course on Data Warehouse Design and Implementation
Provides structured learning and expert guidance to deepen your understanding of data warehouse design and implementation.
Show steps
  • Find an online or in-person course that covers data warehouse design and implementation.
  • Enroll in the course and follow the lessons and assignments.
  • Complete the course and apply the concepts to your own data warehousing projects.
Read 'The Data Warehouse Toolkit: The Complete Guide to Dimensional Modeling' by Ralph Kimball and Margy Ross
Provides insights into dimensional modeling techniques and best practices, enhancing your ability to design effective data warehouses.
Show steps
  • Read the introduction and chapter summaries to gain an overview of the book.
  • Focus on the chapters that cover dimensional modeling concepts and techniques.
  • Work through the examples and exercises provided in the book.
Build a Data Warehouse for a Small Business
Develops your practical skills in data warehousing and helps you apply your theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios.
Show steps
  • Define the business requirements for the data warehouse.
  • Design the data warehouse schema.
  • Extract, transform, and load (ETL) data into the data warehouse.
  • Create reports and dashboards to visualize and analyze the data.
Build a Dashboard for a Business Case
Provides hands-on experience in designing and building a dashboard that meets specific business requirements.
Browse courses on Business Intelligence
Show steps
  • Identify the business case and define the target audience for the dashboard.
  • Gather the necessary data and prepare it for analysis.
  • Design the dashboard layout and select appropriate visualizations.
  • Develop the dashboard using a BI tool such as Tableau or Power BI.
  • Present the dashboard to stakeholders and gather feedback.
Develop a Tutorial on Data Warehousing Concepts
Enhances your understanding of data warehousing by explaining the concepts to others.
Show steps
  • Identify the key concepts of data warehousing that you want to cover.
  • Create an outline for your tutorial.
  • Write the content of the tutorial in a clear and concise manner.

Career center

Learners who complete Business Intelligence Concepts, Tools, and Applications will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Business Intelligence Analyst
Business Intelligence Analysts are expected to be able to understand and use business intelligence platforms and to be able to create and deploy business intelligence systems. This course focuses on the technical, business, and analytical skills that are necessary for a career in business intelligence.
Business Analyst
Business Analysts need to know how to use business intelligence to help analyze business problems and create solutions. This course gives an overview of business intelligence concepts, tools, and applications.
Data Visualization Engineer
Designing visually appealing and easy to understand dashboards is an essential part of a Data Visualization Engineer's job. This course teaches the fundamentals of creating data visualizations and dashboards.
Data Mining Analyst
Data Mining Analysts and other data analysts need to be able to use business intelligence tools to collect and mine data in order to inform their work. This course can help Data Mining Analysts become more effective by teaching how to use business intelligence tools to work with data.
Business Performance Management Analyst
Business Performance Management (BPM) Analysts need to know about business intelligence systems. This course provides an overview of BPM and how organizations use business intelligence to develop performance management systems.
Product Manager
Product Managers are responsible for ensuring their product solves the problems of their target audience. Understanding how data can be used to gain insights into product usage and user behavior can be a key skill for Product Managers and can be acquired through a course like this one.
Software Engineer
Software Engineers, especially those specializing in business intelligence or data, may find this course useful for understanding business intelligence concepts such as BI maturity and strategy.
Quantitative Analyst
Quantitative Analysts are expected to know how to use data to inform business decisions. Understanding how to use business intelligence tools to do so may be a useful skill.
Database Administrator (DBA)
The ability to use data warehouses to help with business intelligence is essential for Database Administrators who are working as a part of a business that has business intelligence initiatives. This course can help build a foundation for DBAs interested in expanding into business intelligence.
Data Architect
Data Architects need to be able to determine the business purpose for data warehouses and to create database schemas that are used by BI systems. This course covers the theoretical foundations and knowledge for implementing data warehouses for BI purposes and may therefore be useful to Data Architects.
IT Manager
IT Managers are responsible for business intelligence systems. This course covers the concepts, tools, and applications that apply to business intelligence and may be useful for an IT Manager.
Management Consultant
Management Consultants need to understand the potential and limitations of business intelligence as a tool for helping companies with various projects. This course may be useful for learning about business intelligence systems and how they can be used to support decision making.
Data Scientist
Data Scientists need to understand the topics in this course as part of their foundational knowledge; this course may help build the necessary foundation for the more advanced analysis and modeling that Data Scientists engage in.
Financial Analyst
Financial Analysts might find this course useful for understanding how business intelligence is used in business.

Reading list

We've selected 13 books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Business Intelligence Concepts, Tools, and Applications.
Must-read for anyone who is involved in the design or implementation of a data warehouse. It provides a step-by-step guide to dimensional modeling, which is the most common data modeling technique used in data warehousing.
Provides a comprehensive overview of business intelligence and data mining concepts and applications. It is written in a clear and concise style, and it is packed with real-world examples and case studies.
Provides a comprehensive overview of data analytics concepts and applications. It is written in a clear and concise style, and it is packed with real-world examples and case studies.
Comprehensive guide to Power BI, another popular data visualization tool. It covers all aspects of Power BI, from basic data visualization to advanced topics such as data modeling and machine learning.
Comprehensive guide to Six Sigma, a popular quality improvement methodology. It covers all aspects of Six Sigma, from basic concepts to advanced topics such as design for Six Sigma and statistical process control.
Provides a practical guide to artificial intelligence for business professionals. It covers the basics of AI, as well as more advanced topics such as machine learning and deep learning.
Provides a roadmap for business leaders who are looking to digitally transform their organizations. It covers the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation, as well as the best practices for implementing a successful digital transformation strategy.
Provides a glimpse into the future of business intelligence. It covers the latest trends and technologies in BI, as well as the challenges and opportunities that businesses will face in the years to come.
Provides a practical introduction to data visualization. It covers the basics of data visualization, as well as more advanced topics such as interactive data visualization and data visualization for the web.
Provides a comprehensive overview of business performance management concepts and practices. It covers the entire BPM lifecycle, from planning and measurement to analysis and improvement.
Classic in the field of performance measurement. It provides a comprehensive overview of the theory and practice of performance measurement.
Must-read for anyone who is interested in using the balanced scorecard to measure and improve organizational performance.

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