Tableau Business Intelligence Multiple Data Sources and Meta Data
Data Sourcing options in Self service Business Intelligence
While there will normally be a primary data source such as an ERP system it is likely the this will not encompass all of the required data which the user will want to report on and analyses. There is normally a profusion of data sources, whether they are personal, such as an Excel workbook, or other business specific system such as a forecasting or budgeting system.
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ETL and Data Warehousing is not Self Service Business Intelligence
While a data warehouse and ETL tools will allow users to combine data from multiple sources this is not self service BI. The BI tool itself should encompass the ability to combine data on the fly.
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Meta data is helpful to Self Service BI
Meta Data, or data about data, simply put is the labels referring to the database field, the data type (string, numeric, date, datetime etc.). The meta data on many system is a standard shipped with an associated product such as an ERP system. It is unlikely that this description will be accurate in all cases, it is normal to change the use of some fields within system and having the ability to simply change the type and description of these fields within a BI system adds greatly to the ease of use of the system. While this is often achieved using a Data Warehouse this is again inconsistent with self service BI. The BI tool itself should have the ability to perform this task on the fly and make these changes.