Shadow BI: Friend or Foe?

Shadow BI applications are those developed and managed by non-BI professionals.  They are usually the result of business user frustrations with central BI applications, and typically lack desirable BI features. Commonly, these standalone reporting devices are built in Excel or in an Access Database and lack security, data validation rules and input from other divisions within the company.

Ben Rossi appropriately explains in this article that shadow BI applications are not the enemy.  They can provide an organization with significant insight regarding what is lacking in their enterprise solution, and may actually be essential components of streamlining company-wide BI processes.  The key to a successful implementation, however, is the full involvement of the central BI team in the system-wide adoption of such an application.

A thorough assessment of all BI applications within your firm, including shadow BI applications, is the best way to determine what your organization needs to streamline reporting efforts.  It ispossible that a shadow BI application can offer a long-term solution for an organization if implemented appropriately.  However, it is more likely that while a shadow BI project may be a sufficient short-term solution to an individual obstacle, an enterprise BI solution will be healthier for the entire organization.