Business Intelligence Definition

Business intelligence (BI) utilizes software and technology to help companies improve decision-making through actionable data.

BI leverages internal, external, historical, and real-time data sources to create visualizations and reports that assist organizational stakeholders as they drive objectives and chart short-term and long-term strategies .

To generate effective BI, companies combine analytics, data mining, data management, data visualization, and other tools to produce holistic insights. Business intelligence helps a company stay competitive, increase revenue, and improve operational efficiency.