DATA ACCESS AND DATA QUALITY CHALLENGES OF SELF-SERVICE BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

Self-service Business Intelligence (SSBI) is an upcoming trend that allows non-technical casual users to use BI in a self-reliant manner without the support of technical power users. Many organisations struggle to utilize the potential of SSBI and experience data-related and user-related SSBI implemen- tations challenges. This study aimed at exploring data-related SSBI challenges by conducting and analysing a total of 30 qualitative interviews with 5 BI consultants and 10 customer representatives involved in 2 SSBI implementation project teams. Analysis of the interviews revealed five challenges related to “Access and use of data” and four challenges related to “Data quality” that differ consid- erably from SSBI challenges commonly discussed in literature. Awareness of these challenges can help practitioners to avoid unnecessary obstacles when implementing and using SSBI. They can also guide SSBI researchers to simplify the implementation process of SSBI

A Multicase Study of Critical Success Factors of Self-Service Business Intelligence Initiatives

Information technology (IT) managers have sparse information on the critical success factors (CSFs) needed for self-service business intelligence (SSBI) initiatives among casual users. The purpose of this qualitative, multicase study was to describe Business Intelligence (BI) experts’ views on the CSFs needed for self-service BI initiatives among casual users in the post-implementation stage. To meet this purpose, a multicase study design was used to collect data from a purposeful sample of 10 BI experts. Semistructured interviews, archival data, and reflective field notes drove the credibility of the multicase study’s findings through data triangulation. Two conceptual models framed this study: Lennerholt et al.’s concept of SSBI implementation challenges of self-reliant users and Yeoh and Koronios’s framework of business intelligence success. Fifteen themes emerged from the data analysis (textual data and cross-case synthesis), with five coding categories grounded in the conceptual framework: (a) effective BI-skills for the casual user, (b) SSBI education/training skills for casual users, (c) IT managers’ challenges for empowering casual users in SSBI, (d) nature of a successful SSBI-initiative, and (e) CSFs for BI systems implementation. IT managers can empower casual users by applying CSFs to develop SSBI tools to support successful competitive performance. In the immediate and uncertain, post-COVID-19 business environment, driven by competing with analytics, this study may contribute to positive social change by supporting IT managers in developing effective SSBI training protocols, as one point of stability, to empower casual users and improve an organization\u27s competitive advantage