Enterprise Business Intelligence
The Enterprise Business Intelligence (BI) initiative exists to enable County departments to make data-driven decisions in service to the community. In partnership with our colleagues, we are enhancing the analytic capabilities and capacity of the organization. As a result, the County’s 130 data analysts, across departments, will spend more of their time conducting analysis than collecting and organizing data.
Within Multnomah County - and public sector organizations in general - the demand for access to quality data is driven by increasingly complex social, economic, political and environmental pressures. Within this landscape, we want to:
- Make smarter, collaborative data-driven decisions
- Deliver more effective results more efficiently
- Demonstrate accountability with limited resources
Business Analytics is a set of technologies, skills, and practices that can be leveraged to help achieve and influence our organization’s desired outcomes. To support this intent, our Enterprise Business Intelligence initiative focuses on five primary areas:
- Data Mart Data: Creating “ready to report” datasets, importing and combining data from dozens of sources.
- Data Visualization: Utilizing the “best in the industry” data visualization tools through Tableau Server and Tableau Desktop.
- Individualized Training: Providing foundation training for departmental Data Analysts in SQL, Google Sheets and Tableau, while also supporting their work through automated software installations and updates.
- Data Governance: Implementing processes to enable a data-driven organization, by (a) clearing obstacles for Analysts, (b) creating processes that educate and reassure data trustees, and (c) providing security and transparency.
- Self-Service: Creating technical solutions and processes that empower users in our departments to do their own analysis.
Through this more systematic and collaborative approach we expect to see data-driven decision making explode in comparison to the more limited, labor intensive processes of the past.
