Data only becomes valuable once it has been analysed, understood and used to inform decisions. This is where analytics comes into play.

Examples of the use of analytics and AI

Specific scenarios

1
Sales & Marketing
Let’s say you sell your company’s products via an online shop. Thanks to AI, you can easily identify the months with the highest sales and consider what measures you could take to optimise sales during the remaining months. The aim here is to increase sales – and thus the company’s profit – in a data-driven and sustainable manner.
2
Production
Does your business have production machinery that regularly breaks down due to sudden error messages, resulting in downtime? Machine learning enables you to predict maintenance cycles, so that maintenance can be scheduled in advance. This not only saves you from revenue losses caused by machine downtime but also allows you to set aside provisions for maintenance work in good time.
3
Logistics
A waste management company wishes to optimise its vehicles’ routes to save fuel. Thanks to GPS data collected by these vehicles over extended periods whilst on their rounds, these optimisations can be carried out.
4
HR
A company’s most important asset is its motivated, reliable and happy staff. With artificial intelligence, you can identify early signs that someone is considering leaving the company. Using historical data focusing on staff turnover, commonalities with existing staff are identified and conclusions drawn about the likely duration of their employment.

4 key areas of modern analytics

1
Business Intelligence

– Defining objectives

– Building a data foundation

2
KPI Management

– Developing key performance indicators

– Creating transparency

3
Dashboards

– Real-time analyses

4
Corporate planning

– Integrated management

1. What is Business Intelligence (BI)?

Business Intelligence encompasses methods and technologies for analysing business data. For example, software. The aim is to transform information into meaningful reports, key performance indicators and a basis for decision-making.

Benefits of Business Intelligence

1
Well-informed decisions
2
Centralised data repository
3
Transparent key performance indicators
4
Improved corporate management

2. What role does KPI management play in corporate management?

KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) enable the measurement of corporate objectives and provide transparency regarding the performance of key business areas. They form the basis for data-driven decision-making.

Daten dargestellt in 3D-Diagrammen und Formen
3. Why dashboards and reporting are crucial
Dashboards visualise complex data and provide a quick overview of key metrics. This enables trends to be identified at an early stage and measures to be implemented more swiftly.

4. Strategic business planning

By integrating financial, sales, production and planning data, organisations gain a consistent basis for decision-making and can better steer their objectives. All relevant business data is consolidated centrally, enabling coordinated planning across all departments.

How to develop a successful analytics strategy

1. Define business objectives
2. Analyse data sources
3. Develop a KPI system
4. Set up dashboards
5. Continuously optimise data

Challenges in analytics projects

– Ensuring data quality

– Integrating different systems

– Defining relevant KPIs

– Building acceptance within the organisation

How can we support you in achieving your business objectives?

1
BI Strategy Development
We begin with a holistic strategy, in which we get to know your business and your objectives and define the path forward together. Our focus is on providing you with exactly the information you really need, in the form of clear, insightful reports. Defining a unified data foundation (data warehouse, data fabric) is the cornerstone of success here. As part of the BI strategy (= Business Intelligence), we also define the right tool solution for you as required – whether that’s SAP, Microsoft or other technologies!
2
KPI Strategy Development
Based on the BI strategy and the available data, we can define the relevant key performance indicators (KPIs) that the dashboard should display for you. Together with you, we’ll work out the relevant KPIs to help your business make the leap into the future. Furthermore, professional KPI management plays a fundamental role in preventing misinterpretations and thus achieving the greatest possible effectiveness.
3
Planning design
Which planning scenarios are relevant to your business? We support you with our cross-sector experience across various planning scenarios. Whether it’s sales planning, cost centre planning, workforce planning or a combination of all three, the aim is to develop integrated business planning and management.
4
Information Design
The presentation of information should be structured in a consistent and standardised manner, whilst adhering to the desired layouts and guidelines. Whichever method of business communication you choose, we can prepare your data accordingly. We will provide you with a data catalogue containing all the key performance indicators and their descriptions that we have defined for your data solution. We support you in establishing a consistent, standardised presentation of information. Whether it’s IBCS or Hichert – we speak your language.
5
Storytelling & Dashboard Design
And finally, it’s all about letting your data speak for itself. We not only design visually appealing and functional dashboards, but also prioritise the user experience. In joint design thinking workshops, we define the basis for the dashboards and subsequently implement them in such a way that you can quickly extract the necessary information from the data displayed on the dashboard. Let our dashboards inform, entertain and tell you stories.
6
Microsoft Analytics
As part of a comprehensive BI strategy, the benefits of Microsoft products are indispensable. Although SAP is our core business, we understand the strengths of Microsoft products and know how to combine and utilise them effectively. Whether it’s big data, self-service BI, augmented analytics, dashboarding or management reporting: we help you extract insights and draw actionable conclusions from your data.

Data Science with Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Grafik, die künstliche Intelligenz darstellt
How artificial intelligence is transforming data analysis
Machine learning and artificial intelligence make it possible to identify patterns in large volumes of data and make predictions. This enables companies to optimise processes and identify trends at an early stage.
Machine learning has been on everyone’s lips for several years now. And it is businesses, in particular, that stand to benefit most from it – to better understand their customers and staff, to optimise business processes, or even to boost sales. The possibilities are vast, and our clients’ objectives are individual and specific. Machine learning and artificial intelligence are on the rise and will continue to be so in the coming years. The opportunities this presents are enormous. Machine learning essentially means that machines collect vast amounts of valuable data using various programmes. Patterns can then be identified within this data, leading to forward-looking forecasts for your business. Applying artificial intelligence correctly in this context can therefore yield enormous benefits for businesses. Using the following use cases, we would like to demonstrate the revolutionary feats that artificial intelligence is already capable of achieving for us today:

Clemens Stadler, LoB Manager Analytics & Planning

“Innovative ERP systems such as SAP S/4HANA, cloud solutions, machine learning and AI present the analytics department with new challenges, but also open up new opportunities. More than ever before, modern technologies enable us to support users … so that our customers can focus on their core business. Modern reporting and fully integrated planning enable our customers to gain the insights and findings necessary for business success, growth and strategic corporate management at any time.”
The value of data will continue to rise in the near future, driven by ongoing digitalisation and the revolutionary developments brought about by AI. At this stage, we can only speculate as to what forecasts and insights these will provide for businesses in a few years’ time. But one thing we can guarantee: we are open to any change and look forward to continually mastering new challenges in the field of data analysis for our clients. If you, too, need support with collecting, analysing, interpreting and presenting your data, please do not hesitate to contact us!

FAQs – Frequently asked questions on analytics and planning

What is Business Intelligence?

Business Intelligence (BI) encompasses methods and technologies for analysing business data. The aim is to transform information from various sources into meaningful reports, key performance indicators and a basis for decision-making.

What is data analytics?

Data analytics refers to the systematic analysis of data to identify patterns, correlations and trends. Companies use data analytics to make informed decisions and optimise processes.

What are the benefits of analytics?

Data analysis creates transparency, improves the quality of decision-making and helps companies identify opportunities and risks at an early stage. It also enables processes to be organised more efficiently and resources to be allocated in a more targeted manner.

Why are KPIs important?

KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) make it possible to measure the success of business objectives. They enable an objective assessment of processes and support data-driven business management.

What is the difference between reporting and analytics?

Reporting presents existing data and key figures in a clear and organised manner and answers the question ‘What has happened?’. Analytics goes one step further and analyses causes, correlations and future trends.

Which role do dashboards play?

Dashboards visualise key performance indicators and information at a glance. They help to identify trends at an early stage and make informed decisions more quickly.

How is artificial intelligence used in data analysis?

Artificial intelligence automatically analyses large volumes of data and identifies patterns that are difficult to detect using traditional methods. This enables forecasts to be improved and processes to be optimised.

Which data sources can be analysed?

Analytics solutions can consolidate and analyse data from ERP systems, CRM applications, production facilities, financial systems, online shops and many other sources.

Which organisations can benefit from Business Intelligence?

Business Intelligence is suitable for organisations of all sizes that wish to make data-driven decisions. BI is particularly valuable for organisations with complex processes or large volumes of data.

How do you get started with an analytics strategy, and how is it implemented?

The first step is always to hold an independent consultation with experts to clarify the extent to which analytics is suitable for your business. During the implementation process, the first step is to define business objectives and relevant metrics, as well as KPIs. Subsequently, data sources within the organisation are analysed; where necessary, new data sources are set up; a central database is established; and suitable dashboards and reports are developed, designed to assist with decision-making in business planning.