Cornerstone Solutions®

Cornerstone – The Solution for Data Analytics, Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing.


 

What Business Benefits will I realise through implementing Cornerstone Solutions®?

Here are some examples of the business benefits that can be realised:

  • Get valuable data insight for decision making
  • Gain a ‘joined up’ view of your company data
  • Leverage business process areas together
  • Turn your raw data into usable information
  • Share information across your business
  • Realise clean quality assured data
  • Get business analytics, ad hoc reporting, dashboarding and much more

Why ‘Cornerstone’?

 

A cornerstone is the stone that forms the base of a corner of a building that joins two walls. It is the first stone to be laid down and on which everything else is built. Some purchase a business intelligence or database platform and believe that they have a business intelligence system. They do not. In fact what they have are components of the overall BI system. A full BI system considers everything from source data through to data analytics. This complexity usually brings with it numerous challenges and some challenges can be problematic. Now solutions are ‘acts’ or ‘ways’ to answer problems. Cornerstone Solution® is a systematised strategic framework and set of methods that enable business intelligence services to successfully meet the challenges. By applying a ‘stop hit’ philosophy many issues can be contained before they fully manifest.

What is a Cornerstone Solution®?

A Cornerstone Solution® is a systematised strategic framework of methodologies that are an enabler to successful BI delivery innovated by BI System Builders (BISB). When a full set of business intelligence services are deployed they form a full business intelligence solution known as an end to end BI solution. Cornerstone Solutions® are end to end BI solutions.

They consist of four components including strategy, architecture, controls and delivery.

Strategy

It is fully possibly and quite common to utilise parts of the Cornerstone Solution® as stand alone modules such as data modelling or building analytics. However, if the BI system is ‘greenfield’ i.e. new, then it is important to start with strategy. A strong business intelligence strategy is the first component to success. 

Architecture

Cornerstone Solution® uses comprehensive architecture to design business intelligence systems. Architecture is a discipline that is easily missed when it comes to business intelligence yet few would attempt to build a house without comprehensive architectural plans in place first.

Controls

Cornerstone Solution® utilises a series of services that act as controls. These form the process and governance and planning aspects that are critical to a successful business intelligence system.

Delivery 

Strategy and architecture exist to enable a successful business intelligence system and the system needs building. It is this building that we refer to as delivery. The delivery system of Cornerstone Solution® is all about building and testing successfully. This covers everything from cleaning and loading data through data modelling to building analytics.

Data Analytics

Data analytics, aka business analytics, statistical analytics, or predictive analytics as they are often referred to are usually the end game of  business intelligence. Providing data analytics that use clean, quality assured, joined up data are a major objective of the Cornerstone Solution®.

Business Intelligence Competency Centre

Most clients will want to protect and grow their business intelligence investment by establishing a centre of excellence (CoE) often referred to as a Business Intelligence Competency Centre (BICC). We have advised large global companies on BICC strategy and process. The BICC is the optimum way to role our and maintain your business intelligence initiative and Cornerstone Solution® includes methods for providing this capability.

 

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