Welcome to the BeyeNETWORK Energy Channel, dedicated to application of business intelligence (BI) across the whole spectrum of the energy industry - from E&P through to retail.

Oil and gas companies are increasing their usage of business intelligence to help them find and extract fuel in increasingly challenging environments. Due to escalating extraction costs that are forcing a greater emphasis on operational efficiency, companies in the energy industry now require more sophisticated data integration and analytics. The utility industry is also facing huge change with the introduction of smart meters and smart grids. This, combined with regulatory and environmental demands, means that harnessing and exploiting huge volumes of consumption data is now a key business priority.

The energy sector is a really exciting area right now, and I look forward to engaging with you on the BeyeNETWORK. Please send any questions/comments to me at jose.jimenez@hp.com.

Welcome to the Insurance Channel of the UK Business Intelligence Network. In addition to the other resources in this channel, my regular series of articles will discuss the challenges and, occasionally, solutions, that are specific to the use of business intelligence (BI) in insurance in the UK. It will examine the uses to which an insurance BI system can be put in order to bring real, tangible benefit to its users and determine the specialist information that directors, managers and underwriters require to satisfy the authorities’ stringent requirements, make the right decisions and dissect the fickle insurance marketplace to find competitive, profitable business. Drawing on my recent experiences of shepherding a complex BI system into production, I will mostly focus on the analytical problems rather than the technical ones, although, as we shall see, the two are sometimes indivisible.

Welcome to the Manufacturing Channel of the BeyeNETWORK.

This channel provides insights into how state-of-the-art business intelligence (BI), supported by an enterprise data warehouse, can enable manufacturers and logistics companies to achieve major operational improvements and enhanced financial results. Most of the results cited have actually been achieved by leading manufacturers, distributors and logistic companies.

My articles in this channel will provide an overview, functionality and scope of the recommended business intelligence environment, and the contents of the requisite enterprise data warehouse. I will also define thirty major areas of operational improvement for a typical large company. The benefits will be quantified as a percentage of revenues, with calculations that can easily be adapted to individual companies. Specific examples of BI interactive analytics will be provided to help achieve these benefits. Many best practices, a recommended governance approach, and organization to assure success will also be included.

The information provided via this channel is based on my experience with a best-practice implementation at a major global manufacturer, combined with experience gained consulting with about 400 companies and governmental organizations.

An interactive or collaborative approach is welcome. Questions or input should be sent to almesserli@q.com.

Welcome to the Retail Channel of the Business Intelligence Network, dedicated to coverage of the business issues facing today's retail industry, and the usage of data warehousing and information technology in addressing those challenges. On a monthly basis, my articles will highlight best practices and case studies in retail business intelligence (BI) and data warehousing.

I welcome your thoughts, questions, comments and suggestions on improving the relevancy and impact of the Retail Channel. For comments, feedback or questions please e-mail me at dan.ross@claraview.com.