“BI” short for business intelligence is nothing new. In my 11 years working in the BI industry, I have gone from having to explain it at cocktail parties with glazed stares to eyes lighting up when I explain BI is simply reports and excel spreadsheets (yes, I sometimes have to mention Excel!) to measure sales. Occasionally, I get someone that I can talk about gauges and treemaps with but it is rather the exception than the rule. The understanding and need for BI has increased dramatically in these years. Those that grew up with EIS, decision support systems, cockpit as dashboards and Howard Dresner as their hero know that BI has come a long way. Stories about companies using BI have grown from a general operational reporting story to ones that talk about doctors using BI in real-time to track disease outbreaks or dashboards being used to show how donated medical supplies are being distributed in disaster-ridden areas.
So what are the interesting tales of BI usage these days? Too often, it has become less about the user and more about the ROI on BI. Let’s hear from you, the user. Share how you have used BI and what it’s used for. I’ll begin with my abbreviated story.
My BI career began as a marketing consultant using “BusinessObjects.” “I” used BI as a database marketing consultant to create customer segments and formulate campaigns based on their predictive scores. Yes…not that interesting is it? So, what is your “I used BI for” story? The challenge is on for you to tell your story.
Yes, this is a REAL challenge sponsored by SAP. This storytelling challenge will begin at the stroke of midnight on April 9th and end on April 27th. It is simple and (hopefully) fun. Tell your “I” story. Perhaps your story might begin with…
“I” used BI for “i”nnovation – share how you using BI differently or
“I” used BI for maximum “i”mpact – share how this had an impact on your business, different people and you
“I” used BI for confirming your “i”ntuition - share how BI confirms what you already know
“I” used an “i”ntegrated BI suite – share how your used all the BI tools known to mankind!
So what do you get for telling your story?
Well, other than sharing your experiences with your peers and being recognized for the BI genius that you are…SAP will attempt to make this interesting for you. How about…
The first 15 submissions will receive the latest Geoffrey Moore book – Escape Velocity
· 3 storyteller(s) with the most “likes” will have an option to choose between
o A SAPPHIRE invitation to Orlando on May 14-16 to tell his/her story in person* OR
o A pass to TechEd 2012 Oct 15-19th
How do you tell the story?
- Create a blog on SCN to tell your story (use BI Platform space)
- You can also create a 2-3 minute video of your story (get creative!) and post it on YouTube and share that link in your blog
- Not mandatory but it would be compelling to share any sample reports, dashboards that you have (company permitting)
It’s as simple as that. Tell us your “I” story. We want this to be about you. Share and let the community see and learn. And help put the “I” back into BI. Now find out about the contest rules and instructions below.
* Winner must agree to present their story at SAPPHIRE or TechEd
Contest Rules - a Must Read!
THE “I” in BI CHALLENGE OFFICIAL RULES
PARTICIPATION: No purchase necessary to enter or win. By entering the Contest, you (the “Entrant”) agree to be bound by all of the Terms and Conditions set forth herein.
The “I” in “BI” Challenge (“Contest”) begins at 12:01 AM Eastern Time (“ET”) on April 9, 2012 and ends at 11:59 PM (ET) on April 27, 2012 (“Contest Entry Submission Period”).
ELIGIBILITY: Contest is open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who have reached the age of majority in their state of residence, except residents of the states of Vermont and North Dakota. Employees of SAP America, Inc. (“Sponsor”), YouTube, Inc. (“YouTube”), its respective subsidiaries, parent, affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies, and their immediate family members (defined as parents, children, siblings and their respective spouses) and/or those living in the same household (whether or not related) and any person in any way affiliated with or related to government entities, government officials or any other person or entity in the public sector are not eligible to enter or win. Contest governed by U.S. law. Void in VT, ND and where prohibited by law. Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations.
SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:
a. Create a blog on SCN using the BI platform space
b. Tag your blog with “BI” or BI related words for everyone to read
c. Include any videos or examples of reports, dashboards in your blog
d. Submit your story/blog on the SCN by 11:59 PM ET April 27th 2012
VIDEO REQUIREMENTS (optional):
e. The maximum file size for any video file uploaded is 20 MB.
f. Video file(s) submitted must be provided in one of the following file formats: avi, mov, wmv, mpeg, mp4, mpeg2, dv, 3gp, 3g2, mpeg4 or mpg.
g. Video should be three (3) minutes or less in length telling how you use BI.
h. Post the video to YouTube and either include the link or embed the video in your SCN blog.
ADDITIONAL ENTRY SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: Once you submit your blog on the SCN (“Entry Submission”), it is final and may not be modified or edited. No Entry Submission will be returned or acknowledged. Please note the following: Your story or video may contain more than one person, costumes, props, original music written and produced by Entrant and/or musical instruments, provided Entry Submission has complied with all other requirements in these Official Rules. Entries that contain inappropriate content, including but not limited to vulgarity, obscenity, lewd, pornographic or violent material, or materials which promote violence or which disparage Sponsor or any other person or entity, contain trademarked or copyrighted material will be disqualified at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Use of any of the following elements, including without limitation: speech/voiceovers, music, lyrics, video, stills, visuals, or other materials that are not original, in the public domain, or downloaded from the Website may result in disqualification of the Entry Submission, in Sponsor's sole discretion. The person named on the entry form associated with the Entry Submission will be deemed the Entrant. In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of an Entrant, the dispute will be resolved in favor of the individual who is the "authorized e-mail account holder" of the e-mail address provided when the Entry Submission was submitted. "Authorized email account holder" is defined as the natural person assigned an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization (i.e., business, education institution) responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address. If any group of individuals elects to collaborate on an Entry Submission, they are required to designate one (1) representative to enter the Contest and accept any potential winner notification/required documents, including 1099 Form, on behalf of the group. Neither Sponsor nor its respective parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies are liable for any disputes between collaborators related to an Entry Submission.
CONDITIONS OF ENTRY SUBMISSION: As conditions of Entry Submission into this Contest, and by uploading and entering an Entry Submission, Entrant warrants and represents that the Entry Submission (a) is original and has been legally created; (b) does not infringe the intellectual property, privacy or publicity rights or any other legal or moral rights of any third party; (c) has not been entered in or won previous contests or awards; and (d) has not been published or distributed previously in any media. Entrant represents that he/she owns all rights to his/her Entry Submission, including, without limitation, the copyrights in the performance contained therein. Entrant further represents and warrants that the Entrant has obtained permission from each person whose name, image, likeness or voice is included in the Entry Submission and that such person(s) have granted Entrant all necessary rights to use the person's likeness as described in these Official Rules, and that Entrant can make written copies of such printed permissions available to the Sponsor upon request. If the likeness of a minor is included, such grant of rights must include written permission from the minor's parent or legal guardian authorizing the use of the minor's likeness on behalf of the minor. By uploading a Entry Submission, Entrant irrevocably grants Sponsor and its affiliates, legal representatives, assigns, agents and licensees, the unconditional and perpetual right and permission to reproduce, encode, edit, store, record, distribute, merchandise, license, sublicense, adapt and/or modify, copy, transmit, publish, post, broadcast, display, publicly perform, adapt, exhibit and/or otherwise use or reuse (without limitation as to when or to the number of times used), the Entrant's Entry Submission, including, but not limited to, the recording and the performances contained therein (in each case, as submitted or as edited/modified in any way by the Sponsor, in its sole discretion), as well as, except where prohibited by law, to use Entrant's name, prize won (if Entrant is a confirmed winner), hometown, likeness, photograph, voice, address (city and state) and biographical information, and/or statements regarding his/her participation in this Contest (with or without using the Entrant's name) in any and all media without limitation as to time or territory, and without additional compensation or approval from the Entrant or any other party. Entrant waives intellectual property rights, privacy/publicity rights or other legal or moral rights that might preclude the Sponsor's use of the Entry Submission, and agrees not to sue or assert any claim against the Sponsor for the use of the Entry Submission or Entrant's likeness or statements. Entrant agrees to indemnify and hold Sponsor, its promotional and advertising agencies and their respective affiliates, officers, directors, agents, co-branders or other partners, and any of their employees (collectively, the "Indemnitees"), harmless from any and all claims, damages, expenses, costs (including reasonable attorneys' fees) and liabilities (including settlements), brought or asserted by any third party against any of the Indemnitees due to or arising out of the Entrant's Entry Submission, or the Entrant's conduct in creating a Entry Submission or otherwise in connection with this Contest, including but not limited to claims for trademark infringement, copyright infringement; violation of an individual’s right of publicity or right of privacy; or defamation. Entrant further agrees to release Sponsor and Indemnities from any and all claims that any advertising subsequently produced, presented, and/or prepared by or on behalf of Sponsor infringes Entrant's rights with regard to any elements, characters or ideas contained in any Entry Submission. Any posting of Entry Submission does not deem your entry submission a winner or correlate to the score given to your Entry Submission in the Contest. Entrants agree to abide by these Official Rules and the judge’s decisions, which are final and binding in all respects.
JUDGING: Entry Submissions will be judged by other SCN members. Entry Submissions with the reatest number of likes for a blog will be deemed the winner(s).
NOTIFICATION: Winners will be notified on or about April 30, 2012 by email, mail and/or telephone. All winners are required to complete, sign, notarize and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release of Liability and Publicity Release (where permissible by law) (collectively “Affidavit”) within seven (7) days of date specified on notification. Failure to comply within this time deadline will result in disqualification and the contestant with the next highest score, according to the judging criteria set forth in these Official Rules will be notified. If a winner cannot be contacted, or if Affidavit/Release is returned as undeliverable or if a winner cannot accept or receive prize for any reason, or any non-compliance with these Official Rules, the prize will be forfeited and awarded to the contestant with the next highest score. Winner Prizes will be awarded within thirty (30) days after receipt and verification of completed Affidavit.
RELEASES: By entering this Contest, Entrants agree to release Sponsors and their parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, their advertising and promotion agencies, all businesses involved in the development or execution of this Contest as well as their respective employees, officers, representatives, shareholders, directors and agents of each (collectively “Releasees”), from all liability, claims or actions of any kind whatsoever, including injuries, damages or losses of any kind to persons and/or property which may be sustained in connection with either directly or indirectly, the awarding, receipt, ownership, use or misuse of any prize awarded here or participation in the Contest or any prize related activities, including but not limited to traveling to or from any prize related activity. Sponsors are not responsible if Contest cannot take place or if any prize cannot be awarded due to travel cancellations, delays or interruptions due to acts of God, acts of war, natural disasters, weather or acts of terrorism. Sponsors are not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing of the offer, administration of the Contest or in the announcement of the prizes.
GENERAL: Sponsor is not responsible for problems uploading or downloading any Contest related information from the website or for any other technical malfunctions of electronic equipment, computer on-line systems, servers, or providers, computer hardware or software failures, phone lines, failure of any electronic Entry Submission to be received by Sponsor on account of technical problems, traffic, congestion on the internet or the website, or any other technical problems related to web site entries including telecommunication miscommunication or failure, and failed, lost, delayed, incomplete, garbled or misdirected communications which may limit a contestant’s ability to participate in this Contest. If applicable, mass entries or entries generated by a script, robot, macro or use of automated devices will be disqualified. Sponsor reserves the right to modify, suspend or terminate the Contest in the event it becomes infected by a computer virus or is otherwise technically impaired, and to cancel or suspend the Contest in its entirety should tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or other causes beyond Sponsor’s control corrupt the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper play of the Contest. If this is the case, the Winners will be determined from among all eligible entries received prior to cancellation. In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of the contestant submitting an online entry submission, the entry submission will be deemed to be submitted by the holder of the e-mail account. Sponsor reserves the right at their sole discretion to disqualify any individual they find to be tampering with the entry submission process or the operation of this Contest or web site or to be acting in violation of the Contest Official Rules.
Legal Warning: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN individual, whether or not an ENTRANT, TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE, destroy, tamper or vandalize this WEB SITE OR interfere with the OPERATION OF THE CONTEST, IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS and THE SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES and diligently pursue all remedies against ANY SUCH individual TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
CONFIDENTIALITY: By entering you may be contacted by Sponsor with future promotional offers. Information provided by you to participate in this Contest is subject to Sponsor’s privacy policy located at http://www.sap.com/about/company/legal/privacy.epx.To opt-out from receiving such communications please see the privacy policy.
SPONSOR: SAP America, Inc., 3999 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square, PA 19073.
