4-page Case Study - Posted 12/18/2006
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Delivering Business Intelligence with Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
”By adding DSP to the Microsoft BI stack we were able to customize Web Parts . . . giving our employees in-depth information and key metrics, making it possible for them to directly act on the information now available.”
Lei Fu Vice President of Business Applications
Business Challenge
LendingTree is a relatively young and profitable company progressing at a rapid pace in a highly competitive, very dynamic economic environment. As the company matures, the need for tracking and measuring results becomes increasingly important in order to maintain the company’s competitive advantage. Lei Fu , Vice President of Business Applications summarizes by saying, “we are striving for quicker access to information that the business can act upon.”
The Information Services team targeted two fundamental segments of the business, Operations and Sales, for their phase I implementation of the Microsoft and Decision Support Panel (DSP) Business Intelligence (BI) Solution. If data discrepancies emerge in these departments, the ability for the business to make accurate and appropriate decisions is impaired. Clear and accurate measures are necessary to provide decision makers with the information needed to act faster than the competition.
The industry and economic environment in which LendingTree competes and operates presents the biggest challenge for the company. Changes in economic policies and daily fluctuations of interest rates, as well as, the resulting media coverage are part of the day-to-day business of LendingTree.
Solution
Business Applications and Information Services looked at possible solutions considering both cost and effectiveness. LendingTree implemented a Microsoft solution that included Decision Support Panel’s DSP Portal Edition BI Portal Solution. The products included are as follows: Microsoft SQL Server 2005, SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services, SQL Server 2005 Integration Services, Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server 2003, Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 and DSP Portal Edition 4.3, as well as, Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003.
The Microsoft/DSP solution provides LendingTree with a secure, reliable BI platform. The DSP Portal and customizable Web Parts compliment Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server and enable LendingTree to leverage its existing Intranet portal. DSP Portal integrates disparate data from multiple sources through the power of Microsoft SQL Server, making it possible to visualize, analyze, interact, and share live business data.
LendingTree participated in Microsoft’s Technology Adoption Program for SQL Server 2005. Participation in this program provided direct access to the Microsoft SQL Server product team, facilitating early adoption and deployment of the product. Implementation took seven months. The learning curve at project launch was a swift three months. The developers found the transition to be easy due to the familiar developer paradigm and the consistent look and feel of Microsoft products. DSP Portal also gives LendingTree’s BI professionals and developers the ability to use wizard driven technology to create and customize dashboards and scorecards without extensive programming.
The Results
LendingTree has optimized its business on carefully selected metrics. These metrics are of the utmost importance to LendingTree’s executives as well as the company’s information workers. The Microsoft/DSP Solution delivers the ability to adapt quickly and focus on different metrics depending on external market conditions. In addition, the information is easy to consume. Quick time to implement, a cost effective solution and ease of use for the business were central to the successful deployment.
The solution went live July 2006. The company has already seen tremendous value in the solution implemented. The BI Portal provides a unified and integrated view of the business. Reports are no longer two-dimensional; rather business users can view and slice the data in a way that is relevant to them. Ultimately, the Microsoft/DSP solution has not only changed how LendingTree manages their business but, also, how the business thinks. The overall cost effectiveness and quick time to implement along with the short learning curve and easy transition for information workers have fully justified the project.
Microsoft Office System The Microsoft Office System is the business world’s chosen environment for information workers, providing the programs, servers, and services that help them succeed by transforming information into business results. For more information about the Microsoft Office System, go to www.microsoft.com/office.
For more information about Office PerformancePoint Server 2007, go to www.microsoft.com/performancepoint.
