Find out what to improve and in what order
The audit covers technology and the way the organization works with data. We interview business owners and review the infrastructure, sources, models, data pipelines, reports, permissions, and costs. We distinguish problems that require a small change from those that require a redesign or migration.
The result is a report containing the diagnosis, recommendations, and sequence of actions. The organization receives a basis for deciding what to fix, develop, migrate, and leave unchanged. For a standardized first step, see the BI Optimization Assessment.
When an audit is the right starting point
- users do not trust reports or compare conflicting results;
- reports are slow, refreshes fail, or development takes too long;
- license or cloud costs rise without a clear connection to usage;
- the environment evolved in stages and lacks a shared architecture or clear accountability;
- the company is considering a migration but does not have a reliable inventory.
For manual data preparation, see DataFlow. The complete service offering is available under Data & BI.
Why conduct a BI audit?
A Business Intelligence audit provides a multilevel assessment of the organization’s reporting environment. It supports improvements to current reporting processes, the evaluation of new analytics areas, and better system performance. The audit compares the analytics needs of the departments using reports with the capabilities of the current BI environment. On this basis, we identify whether and how the environment should be developed or reduced, addressing the collected requirements while achieving the highest cost efficiency in infrastructure maintenance.
Benefits of the audit
- The organization receives a report on the current state of its BI environment.
- The organization receives recommendations, action points, and an implementation roadmap explaining the benefits of each stage.
- The recommendations address cost efficiency, including whether all tools in the technology stack are justified, how cloud database resources that generate recurring costs are used, and whether work required to maintain reports can be automated.
Audit scope
The audit covers distinct areas of the BI environment. Its tool assessment focuses on the technologies used in the company, their characteristics, and technical capabilities. We review the report development process from data acquisition through ETL and database storage to the construction of views and reports. At each point, we assess how quickly changes can be introduced, whether database responsiveness supports fast report creation and use, and where competency bottlenecks could slow down the development and business teams involved in the environment.
Review of existing BI solutions
We assess whether the existing tools meet the organization's current and future needs, taking its development roadmap into account and verifying whether the environment can scale. We recommend an optimal selection of components and licenses for the existing software and identify technologies that can replace several current tools by consolidating their functions. We also consider free and open-source technologies when license costs are not justified.
Analysis of data processing
This step focuses on optimizing data warehouse loading and reporting processes. Moving procedures between environments affects cloud database costs and execution time. Sometimes the data refresh window is limited—for example, to two hours between new records becoming available and the reports being expected. Even with large data volumes, appropriate optimization significantly reduces processing time.
Evaluation of data quality and sources
Data quality and availability in source systems are inseparable from the processing methods described above. We assess dataset completeness, verify that mappings support the required metrics, and evaluate how data is acquired from sources, including the connectors used, their performance potential, and their limitations.
Assessment of reporting availability and performance
We assess access to existing reports and how quickly new ones can be created. We determine whether business users can create reports independently and, if not, whether they should have that capability. When developer support is required, we identify obstacles in the development process and recommend improvements.
Identification of end-user needs and expectations
A key nontechnical part of the audit is an extensive interview with business users, who are best placed to identify the BI environment's strengths and weaknesses. They do not see the environment as a platform composed of specific applications in the way administrators and developers do. They see it as a source of information that enables their daily work in an often rapidly changing setting. They can also identify information that would open new opportunities and support growth in new areas.
Audit methodology and deliverables
Methodology
Our BI environment audits have three stages. First, we identify reporting and data availability needs in the BI environment. Second, we review the infrastructure and determine whether the current reporting products meet all business requirements. Third, we present the findings and recommendations.
Meetings with key stakeholders, documentation gathering, and understanding business goals
We interview the people responsible for defining reporting needs and the primary report users. The goal is to understand these needs, gather the required documentation, and reach people and departments that do not currently use the BI environment but perform a significant amount of repetitive work in spreadsheets.
Review of infrastructure, resources, processes, and data
The analysis stage focuses on the infrastructure. We assess the environment’s overall efficiency, including data security and permissions. We also review individual components, including server health and computing capacity. We examine processes and identify problems in reports and communication. Finally, we assess data quality, delivery, and source connection methods, including data delivery speed and report availability.
Presentation of findings, recommendations, and corrective actions
The final stage is an audit report with recommendations for improving the environment. Performance can often be improved at a low cost through changes to processes or tool administration. We meet with key stakeholders to discuss the report, explain why improvements are needed, recommend corrective actions, and outline the expected benefits.
Maximize efficiency and reduce costs
A BI environment audit is not merely an opportunity to implement new tools. Above all, it is a way to maximize the performance of current solutions while reducing their maintenance costs. Without a detailed analysis, an organization can easily invest in expensive, oversized cloud solutions that appear effective despite their high costs. Optimizing the existing environment reduces current expenses and prevents unnecessary future costs.
The audit also provides specific recommendations for the quality, performance, and security of the BI environment. A complete implementation roadmap explains the benefits and costs of the proposed changes. The organization receives support in technology, team competency development, and long-term cooperation.
Optimize the BI environment and make informed investments that create tangible business benefits. Start the audit today.