ASSIGNMENT 1 FRONT SHEET

Qualification BTEC Level 5 HND Diploma in Computing

Unit number and title Unit 14: Business Intelligence

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P1 P2 M1 M2 D1 D2

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❒ Summative Feedback: ❒ Resubmission Feedback:

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Report

Student: Nguyen Van Hieu

Instructor: Hoang Nhu Vinh

Class: GCD0819

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Table contents

P1. Examine, using examples, the terms ‘Business Process’ and ‘Supporting Processes’ .......................... 11
A. Business Process and Supporting Process .......................................................................................................... 11
B. What‟s Business Process Management? ............................................................................................................. 14
C. Business Process Management & Notation ......................................................................................................... 16
1. BPMN? ......................................................................................................................................................... 16
2. BPMN model ................................................................................................................................................. 16
D. Business Model Canvas .................................................................................................................................... 17
E. Business Process Mapping ................................................................................................................................ 19
P2. Compare the types of support available for business decision-making at varying levels within an
organization ................................................................................................................................................ 21
M1. Differentiate between unstructured and semi-structured data within an organization ........................ 25
M2. Justify, with specific examples, the key features of business intelligence functionality. ...................... 27
A. What is Business Intelligence (BI)? ................................................................................................................... 27
B. Benefits of BI .................................................................................................................................................. 27
C. The main features of BI ................................................................................................................................... 28
1. Data Source ................................................................................................................................................. 28
2. Data Warehouse ........................................................................................................................................... 29
3. Integrating Server......................................................................................................................................... 29
4. Analysis Server ............................................................................................................................................. 29

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 5. Reporting Server........................................................................................................................................... 29
6. Data Mining .................................................................................................................................................. 29
7. Data Presentation ......................................................................................................................................... 30
D. Data Warehouse .............................................................................................................................................. 30
1. Data Source Layer ........................................................................................................................................ 31
2. ETL Layer ..................................................................................................................................................... 31
3. Staging Area................................................................................................................................................. 31
4. Data Storage Layer ....................................................................................................................................... 31
5. Data Logic Layer ........................................................................................................................................... 31
6. Data Presentation Layer ................................................................................................................................ 31
7. Metadata Layer............................................................................................................................................. 31
8. System Operations Layer ............................................................................................................................... 32

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Table of table
Table 1: Compare Business Process and Support Process………………………………………………………………11

Table 2: Compare types of support available for business decision-making……………………………………….22

Table 3: Characteristics of Information Processing Systems…………………………………………………………..24

Table 4: Compare unstructured data and Semi-structured data………………………………………………………25

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Table of figure
Figure 1: BPM Lifecycle…………………………………………………………………………………………………………15

Figure 2: Business Model Canvas of IVYE Business……………………………………………………………………..18

Figure 3: Supporting Process Map……………………………………………………………………………………………19

Figure 4: Business Process of IVYE…………………………………………………………………………………………..20

Figure 5: Four major types of information system on Business………………………………………………………21

Figure 6: Variety of tools BI……………………………………………………………………………………………………27

Figure 7: The main features of BI…………………………………………………………………………………………….28

Figure 8: The overall architecture of the data warehouse system…………………………………………………..30

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Summary
IVYE is a new fashion brand for just 1-2 years. IVYE focuses on designing and selling all kinds of clothing and accessories
for women of all ages.

To be competitive in the industry, a business strategy is needed to help companies optimize business processes and best
decisions.

Assigned:

 Research on business processes and general decision support processes

 Evaluate the use of applications and organizational data for processes

 Understand the key features of smart business and compare the types of support for decision making at different

levels

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Introduction
Businesses realize that they can only succeed when they can manage and operate businesses more efficiently and
ensure the highest efficiency. In particular, a new fashion brand like IVYE has to manage and operate effectively as soon
as possible.

Therefore, BI (Business Intelligence) is a solution that provides an overview of the organization's activities from the past
to the present as well as future predictions applied in many fields.

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P1. Examine, using examples, the terms „Business Process‟ and „Supporting Processes‟

A. Business Process and Supporting Process

Business Process Support Process

Definition A business process is a series of steps Activity or function that supports the
performed by a group of stakeholders day-to-day operations of an
to achieve a concrete goal. These organization, such as accounting,
steps are often repeated many times, communications, maintenance, sales
sometimes by multiple users and
ideally in a standardized and optimized
way. A business process can be
manual or automated. If manual, the
process is achieved without the aid of
automation or assisting technology. If
automated, a technology aid has been
put into place which assists users in
implementing the process in a more
accurate, standardized or optimized
manner.

A business process can often be

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 visualized as a flowchart or workflow
of logical steps

Characteristics Scope: Starting point and end point for Support primary processes, often by
the series of steps. managing resources and/or
infrastructure required by primary

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Purpose: Overall objective or reason
why the process is performed.
Steps: Actions performed by operators.
processes
Differentiator is that support processes
do not directly deliver

Sequence: Order in which steps are

performed.

Operators: Individuals that perform the

steps.

Outcome: A specific result, product or

state.

Customer: Next process, requestor, or

end-user of the outcome.
 Manage Finance (including
Example  Administration
costing)
 Banking
 Manage Information Systems
 Manufacturing
 Manage Purchase, Stores
 Operations
 Manage R&D and Design
 Procurement
 Manage Quality Systems
 Sales & Operations Planning
 Information Technology

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  Information Security
 Customer Service
 Infrastructure
 Asset Management
 Performance Management
 Marketing
 Sales

Goal  Identify all of the business Support processes do not directly

processes, at a high-level create products or services but are
 Define the type of data (in a necessary to facilitate or assist the
high-level) that will be execution of operating or management
maintained in the processes processes.
Table 1: Compare Business Process and Support Process

B. What’s Business Process Management?

Business process management (BPM) is a discipline in operations management in which people use various
methods to discover, model, analyze, measure, improve, optimize, and automate business processes.[1] BPM
focuses on improving corporate performance by managing business processes.[2] Any combination of
methods used to manage a company's business processes is BPM.[3] Processes can be structured and
repeatable or unstructured and variable. Though not required, enabling technologies are often used with
BPM.[1]

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It can be differentiated from program management in that program management is concerned with managing
a group of inter-dependent projects. From another viewpoint, process management includes program
management. In project management, process management is the use of a repeatable process to improve
the outcome of the project.[4]

(Wikipedia, n.d.)

Figure 1: BPM Lifecycle

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C. Business Process Management & Notation
1. BPMN?
Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) is a standard for business process modeling that
provides a graphical notation for specifying business processes in a Business Process Diagram (BPD),[2]
based on a flowcharting technique very similar to activity diagrams from Unified Modeling Language
(UML).[3] The objective of BPMN is to support business process management, for both technical users
and business users, by providing a notation that is intuitive to business users, yet able to represent
complex process semantics. The BPMN specification also provides a mapping between the graphics of
the notation and the underlying constructs of execution languages, particularly Business Process
Execution Language (BPEL).[4]

The primary goal of BPMN is to provide a standard notation readily understandable by all business
stakeholders. These include the business analysts who create and refine the processes, the technical
developers responsible for implementing them, and the business managers who monitor and manage
them. Consequently, BPMN serves as a common language, bridging the communication gap that
frequently occurs between business process design and implementation.

(Wikipedia, n.d.)

2. BPMN model
 ACTIVITY
 A generic term for work that company performs
 Can be atomic or compound
 Produce output or results from input

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  ACTOR
 (ROLE of)
 Participant in or responsible of activities
 EVENT
 Something that “happens” during the course of a process
 Which affects the flow of the process and
 Usually has a cause (trigger) or an impact (result)
 FLOW
 Control used to show the order (the sequence) that activities will be performed in a process
 Can show the messages between activities (or business entities) that send and receive them

 GATEWAY
 Used to control the divergence and convergence of flow
 Determines traditional decisions, as well as the forking, merging, and joining of paths
 PARTNERS
 External business entities or people which cooperate in inter-organizational processes
D. Business Model Canvas

Business Model Canvas is a strategic management and lean startup template for developing new or
documenting existing business models.[1][2] It is a visual chart with elements describing a firm's or product's
value proposition, infrastructure, customers, and finances.[3] It assists firms in aligning their activities by
illustrating potential trade-offs.

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The Business Model Canvas was initially proposed by Alexander Osterwalder[4] based on his earlier work on
Business Model Ontology.[5] Since the release of Osterwalder's work in 2008, new canvases for specific
niches have appeared.

(Wikipedia, n.d.)

Figure 2: Business Model Canvas of IVYE Business

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E. Business Process Mapping
Business process mapping refers to activities involved in defining what a business entity does, who is
responsible, to what standard a business process should be completed, and how the success of a business
process can be determined.
The main purpose behind business process mapping is to assist organizations in becoming more effective. A
clear and detailed business process map or diagram allows outside firms to come in and look at whether or
not improvements can be made to the current process.

Business process mapping takes a specific objective and helps to measure and compare that objective
alongside the entire organization's objectives to make sure that all processes are aligned with the company's
values and capabilities.

Figure 3: Supporting Process Map

Figure 3 is the process of supporting women's clothing or accessories. If there is a problem with the product
after use, it may require staff to review the product and the support process takes place as above.

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 Figure 4: Business Process of IVYE
Figure 4 above shows that this process will start from customers who visit the website or IVYE application on
the mobile device. With mobile apps or websites, customers can easily order products.

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 P2. Compare the types of support available for business decision-making at varying levels
within an organization

Figure 5: Four major types of information system on Business

Looking at Figure 5 above, decisions are made at all levels. Therefore, based on Figure 5 it can be seen that it is
important to understand what kind of decision the support system decides to support.

And below is a table to understand more about the information system

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 Operational Level Systems Management Level Systems Strategic Level Systems

TPS DSS MIS ESS

 TPS helps organizations An interactive information Create reports regularly or Response the information
Purpose / businesses implement system that provides custom reports in the form needs of senior executives
and / or monitor daily information, models, and summary of the organization's (strategies), to strategic
activities (transactions). data processing tools that internal performance or planning and control
 Transaction data support semi-structured and efficiency contribution of
collection and storage unstructured decision- trading objects (customers
system; can control making processes and suppliers level)
decisions made as part
of the transaction
 Use at the operational
level
 Automation of repetitive
information processing
activities; increase
processing speed,
increase accuracy;
greater performance

 A transaction process A decision support system MIS is the use of information  An Executive Support
Definition system (TPS) is an (DSS) is a computerized technology, people, and System (ESS) is
information processing information system used to business processes to record, software that allows
system for business support decision-making in store and process data to users to transform
transactions involving an organization or a produce information that enterprise data into
the collection, business. A DSS lets users decision makers can use to quickly accessible and
modification and sift through and analyze make day to day decisions. executive-level
retrieval of all massive amounts of data, reports, such as those

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 transaction data. and compile information used by billing,
Characteristics of a TPS that can be used to solve accounting and
include performance, problems and make better staffing departments.
reliability and decisions. An ESS enhances
consistency. decision making for
 TPS is also known as executives.
transaction processing
or real-time processing.  ESS is also known as
Executive Information
System (EIS).
Advantages The advantage is that usually  Time savings  Provide relevant  Filters data for
transaction processing is really  Enhance information for management
fast, it takes up usually a few effectiveness facilitating planning  Improves to tracking
seconds, however, if there a  Improve and timely control information
lot of files in queue, the time interpersonal  Data is available in  Offers efficiency to
taken to process data might communication summarized form decision makers
take a long time. Another  Competitive which minimize
advantage is that it makes the advantage information loading
process of booking fairer as  Cost reduction  Ease in measuring
files are processed in order in  Increase decision performance helps in
which they had been queued. maker satisfaction encouraging
 Promote learning decentralization in an
 Increase organization
organizational control  Improve coordination
as all departments are
aware of course of
 Action or any change
in plan

Disadvantages (e.g. ticket booking) The  Monetary cost  Require constant  Difficult to keep
disadvantage is that there is a  Overemphasize monitoring of sensitive current data
chance of double booking. decision making data  May lead to less

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 Also, transaction processing  Assumption of  Security issues like reliable and insecure
systems need to use direct relevance hacking always prevail data
access files, serial access  Transfer of power  Quality of output  Small companies may
media such as magnetic tape  Unanticipated effects depends on quality of encounter excessive
cannot be used.  Obscuring input costs for
responsibility  Implementation of MIS implementation
 False belief in is costly as requires  Too detailed Oriented
objectivity hardware, software
 Status reduction and training of human
 Information overload resources
Table 2: Compare types of support available for business decision-making

Type of System Information Inputs Processing Information Outputs Users

ESS Aggregate data; external; Graphic; simulations; Projection; responses to Senior managers
internal interactive queries

DSS Low-volume data or Interactive; simulations; Special reports; decision Professionals; staff
massive database analysis analyses; responses to managers
optimized for data queries
analysis; analytic models
and data analysis tools

MIS Summary transaction Routine reports; simple Summary and exception Middle managers
data; high-volume data; models; low-level reports
simple models analysis

TPS Transactions; events Sorting; listing; Detailed reports; lists; Operations personal;
merging; updating summaries supervisors
Table 3: Characteristics of Information Processing Systems

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 M1. Differentiate between unstructured and semi-structured data within an organization

Unstructured Semi-structured

Who Senior Managers Middle Managers

What Unstructured data is a data that is which is not Semi-structured data is information that does
organized in a pre-defined manner or does not not reside in a rational database but that have
have a pre-defined data model, thus it is not a some organizational properties that make it
good fit for a mainstream relational database easier to analyze.

When Unstructured data, there are alternative platforms With some process, you can store them in the
for storing and managing, it is increasingly relation database (it could be very hard for
prevalent in IT systems and is used by some kind of semi-structured data), but Semi-
organizations in a variety of business intelligence structured exist to ease space. Example: XML
and analytics applications. data.

Example: Word, PDF, Text, Media logs.

Where Management-level system Strategic-level system

Why Why does unstructured data matter? Since 80% of Why does unstructured data matter? Since:
data that organizations see and process daily is
 Support for nested or hierarchical data

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 unstructured, businesses must adapt to handle the often simplifies data models
increasing stores of unstructured data. representing complex relationships
between entities.
 Support for lists of objects simplifies
data models by avoiding messy
translations of lists into a relational data
model.

How It extremely flexible and there is absence of It is more flexible than structured data but less
schema. than flexible than unstructured data.
Table 4: Compare unstructured data and Semi-structured data

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 M2. Justify, with specific examples, the key features of business intelligence functionality.

A. What is Business Intelligence (BI)?

Business Intelligence (BI) is a technology process / system that allows analysis and expression of information to
help managers and users of organizations make appropriate business decisions.

Figure 6: Variety of tools BI

BI includes a variety of tools, applications and methods that allow organizations to gather information from internal
and external sources; getting ready for analysis; develop and run queries against data; Create reports, dashboards
and data visualization to provide analytical results for users and decision makers.

B. Benefits of BI

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 Potential benefits of BI include speeding up and improving decision making, optimizing business processes,
improving operational efficiency, bringing in new revenue and gaining many competitive advantages in terms of
business joint than the opponent. BI systems can help businesses identify market trends and identify business
problems that need attention.
C. The main features of BI

Figure 7: The main features of BI

1. Data Source
As a raw database (usually a relational database) from various sources such as business applications such as
Human Resource Management (HRM), Customer relationship management (CRM), sales software, commercial
websites electronic…
Can be any database management system like MySQL, Oracle, MSSQL, DB2, ...

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 Often designed according to relational database model but also can be big data, non-relational data (such as
social networks, NoSQL)
2. Data Warehouse
As the database is designed in a different model from the usual Transaction Processing (OLTP is the design of
the Database for regular reading and writing, the amount of data for each reading is low) and the data storage
site long-term data of the organization.

DWH data can only be read, not used to record or update by normal applications, it is only updated / written by
ETL (Extract Transform Load) tool, which converts data from Data Sources into Data Warehouse.

3. Integrating Server
Responsible for operating the ETL tool to convert data from Data Sources to Data Warehouse
4. Analysis Server
Responsible for executing blocks designed based on data dimensions and professional knowledge
Cube is responsible for receiving input from DWH and executing according to the predefined business to return
the result.
5. Reporting Server
Execute reports with output received from Analysis Server.
Where administrators centralize web-based reports, these reports can be attached to web applications, or
applications
6. Data Mining

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 It is the process of extracting processed data information (in accordance with the specific requirements of the
business) from the Data Warehouse and then combining it with algorithms to make (or predict) decisions that
are conducive to the economic business.
This is an important process in BI, usually a business wants to use the BI solution often attached to Data
Mining.
7. Data Presentation
Create reports and graphs from the data mining process to serve the needs of end users.
D. Data Warehouse

Figure 8: The overall architecture of the data warehouse system

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1. Data Source Layer

Input data for DWH can include many different sources and in different formats such as a relational database, a
text file, an XML file or from the user's service access history ..

2. ETL Layer

Take data extraction, transform data from source and put into DWH system.

3. Staging Area

Here the redundant data fields follow the standard of each data source and transfer to DWH or Data mart.

4. Data Storage Layer

This is the place to store data after it has been omitted and standardized

5. Data Logic Layer

The rules of the business will be saved here. They do not affect the data stored in DW but will affect the forms as
reported later.

6. Data Presentation Layer

This class takes care of "exporting" useful information to users such as a business table or graphical report on the
web, automatically created and sent email reports, etc.

7. Metadata Layer

This will store data information in DWH.

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8. System Operations Layer

Save information about the operation of the DWH system such as the status of the ETL process, the productivity of
the system and save the access history of users.

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References
1. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3197/1dd2ffca02ea79f247aa2aa43400733aad95.pdf
2. https://selecthub.com/business-intelligence/list-bi-capabilities/?fbclid=IwAR1iNcSdTGSVbosxVLrqxkNRco-
r1HqpRNRY62olcV6ywJRI1eavonW3PxQ
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unstructured_data?fbclid=IwAR1iNcSdTGSVbosxVLrqxkNRco-
r1HqpRNRY62olcV6ywJRI1eavonW3PxQ
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-
structured_data?fbclid=IwAR1oNNfnqqD1w4gC_KjP4uknusb6nYMioPo795pzS3cfBx18LudRIF9dV7A
5. https://www.slideshare.net/VNgcHiu1/chng-4-h-thng-thng-tin-t-chc-theo-cp-bc-qun-
l?fbclid=IwAR06gHiHYMMQzbBb_ntO_9ZE4fyVIMhhRxudarm9ycqf7vn4C2NGm9fIvoY
6. https://paginas.fe.up.pt/~acbrito/laudon/ch2/chpt2-
1main.htm?fbclid=IwAR1rPAG91nfszWchVBJU9c1MxGJkL0PmPhI5odohtsfdY7U-PfH8R3a_kiM

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