People may not know all the new and effective ways to use analytics tools or the business intelligence it delivers. That was one of the more interesting observations at the TIBCO/Spotfire User Group event for pharmaceutical and biotech research users. More than 50 people assembled in Cambridge, Mass. to hear how companies like Novartis are simplifying work flows, accelerating research and simplifying complex data analysis.Features such as ‘heat mapping’ to show the majority of details in a data set and visualization that quickly recognizes outliers. Other new ideas such as the ‘slider’ that simplifies comparisons and an even broader range of illustrations, graphs and tables are also part of the 3.1 release. Business intelligence has never been easier — but it can be a challenge to explain.
Bernhard Rohde has been a Spotfire user since 1999 and told of his experience at Novartis. “It can be intimidating, so we use wizards or ‘can do’ scenarios to introduce the capabilities,” he said.
He suggests looking at ‘how nice it would be’ if data from local and database sources could be coordinated — and then explain slowly how to bring the concept to life. IT managers can also see who is using particular applications, data sources and software. Then ask users how they might use specific features like the new slider or predictive tools in Spotfire 3.1.
You might find the ideas are already bubbling up and all your people need answered is the “How?” question. Fortunately, you’ll have the solution.
