Morgan Benjamin’s new BI reporting tool simplifies complex data with visual presentation to assist the decision-making process

Reading, 18 November 2008.  Business intelligence consultancy Morgan Benjamin (www.morganbenjamin.co.uk) has brought a webpage 'look and feel' to business intelligence (BI) reports with the launch of MB Dashboard.  The new product, which has been developed specifically for Cognos 8 BI, gives users fast access to relevant information in a format that is easy to interpret.  The objective is to bring speed and clarity to the decision-making process for all levels of management regardless of technical competence.

MB Dashboard has been designed to tackle the issue of reports becoming over-complex and difficult to understand because organisations are becoming increasingly data-rich.  It combines information from various corporate systems and translates it into visual formats including graphs, maps and charts, all of which enable users to 'drill down' for further analysis and clarification.

Marketing company MRM Worldwide uses MB Dashboard for several clients in its Data and Analytics division to deliver Business Intelligence reporting.  Ian Skinner, Head of Analytical Development at MRM said, “The report templates are incredibly visual.  They bring clarity to the decision making process for all levels of management and allow us to insert any kind of data visualisation into our dashboard reports.  We process and analyse complex customer databases for our clients and are always looking to provide actionable insight. This approach is priceless allowing our clients data to be viewed in an easy to understand format.”

Russell Facey, business development director at Morgan Benjamin, comments:  “Extracting relevant information from complicated spreadsheets is time-consuming and increases the margin for error.  MB Dashboard brings a visual simplicity to complex reports, giving business users information at their fingertips in order to de-clutter the decision-making process.”

MB Dashboard combines sophisticated reporting and analysis with a graphical user interface (GUI) developed by a graphic designer.  Business-critical information is therefore presented in a way that is visually attractive, interactive and easy to understand.  Organisations can select from a range of templates that enable reports to be customised with specifics such as their corporate colours, branding and logo.

Key features include:

•   Multiple templates and colour schemes
•   Pop up and transition facilities
•   Ability to create branded reports
•   Animated KPI’s
•   Data driven ticker
•   Seamlessly links with existing reports, cubes, data sources and studios (Report Studio, Analysis Studio, Query Studio)
•   Zoom functionality
•   Ability to add comments
•   Additional advice offered on modelling data to enhance speed of dashboards
•   Training tailored for advanced Report Studio development

Many organisations are under increasing pressure to justify technology budgets, as well as align IT with the overall business objectives.  Facey explains:  “The IT department can bring added value to its role of storing and integrating data by making it easy to access, analyse and interpret by the business user.  MB Dashboard is a response to this need.  But it goes one step further and also helps organisations to produce bespoke reports with a corporate identity that are intended to become a vital part of the boardroom reporting itinerary.”

MB Dashboard links seamlessly with existing reports, cubes and data sources.  It is quick and easy to implement, and offers an affordable way for organisations of any size to monitor, measure and manage corporate performance.

MB Dashboard follows the development of MB Context, which Morgan Benjamin launched in 2007 to provide human insight to data held in Cognos reports.

Technical Requirements: Cognos 8

Supported databases: Oracle 9i, SQL Server 2000, SQL Server 2005, IBM DB2

Availability: August 2008

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About Morgan Benjamin
Morgan Benjamin is a new breed of independent consultancy providing specialist advisory, implementation and support services across Business Intelligence and enterprise data management.  Its holistic and innovative approach combines business engagement with an extensive understanding of data and Business Intelligence systems. The result empowers its clients to transform data into precise intelligence that drives competitive-edge decision making and enhances performance.

About MRM Worldwide
MRM Worldwide is an internationally recognised Marketing Agency.   Our Data & Analytics group is focused on helping clients execute, analyse and optimise marketing campaigns.    Through the integration of marketing  strategy, database management and analytics, MRM ensures timely, relevant and impactful communications are delivered direct to our clients  target audiences. MRM turns data into a competitive advantage to help clients reach their marketing goals.
www.participationmarketing.co.uk