Business solutions with [TIS]

A business intelligence solution
for time calculation and forecasting

[TIS] covers classical business intelligence tasks, particularly

• Merging data from the most diverse sources
  According to Seufert and Schäfer (2004), two-thirds of the underlying data for business planning is generated in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. The remaining information comes from other subsystems. For time related planning, this proportion is even higher because many systems in this area are not part of ERP (e.g. operative personnel planning, Automatic Call Distribution systems – in call centres).
  Simultaneously, these systems deliver times in a wide range of formats and designs. Appropriate tools for conversion are required.
• Correcting and consolidating data
  This includes spotting missing data, input errors, etc. and mechanisms for handling incomplete databases.
• Flexible evaluation and report generation
  Allows users to easily create their own reports, to use the appropriate automatisms for their generation and distribution, and to tailor reports according to their needs using drill-down or aggregation. This allows both the adoption of newer standard reports and also explorative data analysis to be supported.

The special feature of Time Intelligence Solutions is that the software provides specific functions for handling time and time related data in all these areas. The main differences are:

• Classical business intelligence solutions work primarily using hierarchical aggregations (e.g. workplace – department – company; days – weeks – year). In addition to hierarchical aggregations, different convolutions in the time dimensions are required for making time period calculations (e.g. personnel required at 8:00, 8:15… on different Mondays) and constructive aggregations are required on top of that. Such convolutions can additionally be made with specific attributes (e.g. according to the type of day – bridging days, bank holidays, training days).
  
  
• Classical business intelligence solutions – insofar as the calculations can support them at all – work with a very small amount of arithmetical and statistical functions. [TIS] offers additional functionalities for
  
  • supporting time calculations such as the compilation of time data that records the duration of an event in data sets, specifying how many events took place at a particular time period.
  • acquiring the semantics of time data in the computational logic in a simple manner.
  • acquiring additional functions for forecast and analysis (e.g. probability of the simultaneous deployment of n-telephone agents in a call centre).
    
    
• Classical business intelligence solutions generally work with simple graphics. [TIS] has good adaptable graphics for presenting times and time data in a detailed manner.
  
  
• Classical business intelligence solutions generally work with relatively simple evaluations. The evaluations and forecasts supported by [TIS] typically include a large number of conversions, selections and calculations. Therefore, [TIS] must support the definition and management of complex computation trees in such a way that it is easily comprehensible and adaptable for the user.