Microsoft Business Intelligence (BI) solutions for media companies help to provide decision makers and working teams with the business insight they need to respond quickly to changes in audience demand and business needs. These solutions are based on the Microsoft Business Intelligence platform, adding industry-specific Extraction, Transformation and Loading (ETL) modules, data cubes, reports, and dashboards which are available from Microsoft partners.
Microsoft BI solutions offer some unique capabilities which are important for media applications:
- Analytical data can be viewed at the same time and through the same Web-based user interfaces as the content (images, audio, video), making audience reach analysis of competing TV programs easier, and more effective.
- Real-time updates and animated graphs are enabled through the use of Rich Internet Application technology.
- For creating custom reports, performing ad-hoc analysis and visualizing dependencies, a set of powerful yet familiar tools is available – SQL Report Builder, Excel, and ProClarity.
- Available integration with Enterprise Resource Planning and Customer Relationship Management systems helps you to get started quickly.
- The seamless integration with Microsoft Office System helps to close the loop from planning, tracking, and analysis to taking corrective action.
Benefits
- Familiar, intuitive user interfaces, accessible through standard Web browsers
- Powerful tools for ad-hoc analysis, custom reports, and visualization of dependencies
- Access to analytical data and rich media content through one UI
- Available industry-specific solutions from partners speed deployment and reduce cost and risk
Microsoft has published a Solution Framework for Business Intelligence in Media on Codeplex, an open source platform. The framework demonstrates the use of the Microsoft BI platform in media scenarios. In its first release, the solution framework addresses the business intelligence needs of a broadcasting organization.
Tracks crucial data around user behavior, machine performance, usability, and media experience quality across both online and offline content. The data can then be forwarded to a wide variety of web analytics providers in addition to private analytics services, a step that is seamlessly integrated into the design environment of Microsoft Expression Blend. The analytics framework also supports A/B testing, enabling designers to correlate design changes to business results.