What is Business Intelligence?

There has been growing corporate interest in business intelligence (BI) as a path to reduced costs, improved service quality, and better decision-making processes. However, while BI has existed for years, it has difficulties reaching what specialists in the field consider its full potential. In this paper, the authors examine disparities in how the constructs of business intelligence are defined and understood, which may impede an understanding of what BI represents to business leaders and researchers. The main objective of this study is to clearly understand this emerging concept of BI. In this regard, the authors analyze articles from the scientific and professional literature to have a comprehensive understanding of business intelligence as both a product and a process. This research proposes a global overview of the conceptual foundations of BI, which can help companies understand their BI initiative and leverage them to the strategic level. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-0279-3.ch005