Realising the benefits of ‘BI’

Posted on February 28, 2012 by admin

Having enjoyed 80 per cent year-on-year growth in 2011, LogiXML, the web-based business intelligence (BI) software specialist, is expanding its Partner Program in North America and Europe. According to Brett Jackson, CEO, LogiXML, the business intelligence and analytics market is large and continues to grow.

The code-free development environment of LogiXML’s flagship product, Logi Info, allows the rapid creation of analytic applications designed around business user needs, expanding BI usage across an entire organisation resulting in more value and more opportunities with each customer engagement. Additionally, LogiXML’s ‘bi-directional’ BI capability can deliver intelligent information applications that are integrated within customers’ daily operations.

Recently, LogiXML was positioned in the 2012 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Business Intelligence Platforms, where its products ranked among the highest for ease of use, overall product functionality, support, product quality, performance and customer experience. For more information on the LogiXML Partner Program, click here.

Comment: Changes in technology and in business practice over the last ten years have radically altered how we want to – and can – receive our business information. In recent decades, providing, storing and accessing business data has – traditionally – been the job of the IT department. This was initially the area of data warehousing and data mining. It was in the late 1990s that this sector became known as the business intelligence (BI) sector. Since then, this sector has experienced three major changes.

In the early years of this century, business reporting was key – but ‘reporting’ business data was via pieces of paper. Nowadays, ‘reporting’ has been overtaken by ‘analytics’ – done in different, more visual ways than a straight ‘report’.

The second major change relates to the data itself. Historically, data was contained in a relational database, such as Oracle, Microsoft SQL (Sequel Server) or Excel. These days, we’re seeing data contained in other systems, such as over the web via progams such as Salesforce (customer relationship management (CRM) software). There is even the growing practice of using new technology to store data in columnar databases, rather than relational databases.

Finally, there’s the self-service concept. Reporting and BI were the province of an organisation’s IT department but, as the workforce has become increasingly sophisticated in terms of data – and especially as more people want that analysed data delivered via mobile technology – so the actual consumer of that information wants to interact with the data and develop their own individualised reports. Moreover, as users surf the web, they want more sophisticated visuals along with richer interfaces and outputs.

This latter trend – towards self-service – has a potential impact on the BI market. While some BI products, such as IBM Cognos and SAP Business Objects, typically require IT specialists to operate them, anyone who needs to understand the data being used and who knows the location of that data can use products such as LogiXML’s which, with its web-based architecture, can – and does – deploy the Logi Info engine on any cloud technology, including Microsoft Cloud Azure and Amazon cloud.

Traditionally, organisations tend to possess a great deal of data which is kept – siloed – by its various departments. If this data was allowed to be analysed on an organisation-wide rather than a departmental basis, it could provide valuable insights into the organisation’s performance and its progress towards meeting its goals and objectives. Providing this is the – increasingly realised – benefit of BI.

Colin, the Giant African Land Snail, continues his charm offensive

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Bob

Colin, the Giant African Land Snail which the environmentally-friendly specialist collections, clearance and recycling company, Waste King, saved last year from being consigned to the ‘great green bin in the sky’ by one of its customers, has become both a teaching aid and a great hit with Sophie Dowling’s class at St Cuthbert Mayne School, Hemel Hempstead.

Last September, having read in a local newspaper about Colin’s last minute reprieve, Sophie, who teaches a Year 3 class at St Cuthbert Mayne School, asked Waste King if her school could ‘borrow’ the snail – and Waste King agreed. So the snail – named ‘Colin’, by the Waste King operatives who had been keeping him in a large glass tank and feeding him a diet of apples, bananas, lettuce and cucumber, with some added cuttlefish to provide some much needed calcium – went to stay at the school, in the care of some 30 seven year olds. He became an instant ‘hit’ with the children.

Waste King’s managing director, Glenn Currie, said: “Although all of us at Waste King are extremely fond of Colin, we couldn’t deny him the chance to see a bit more of the world and to make some new friends – which he has. Besides, it’s great that Colin can help the children develop their understanding of another aspect of looking after this planet: protecting the environment and the creatures that are so valuable in keeping it ‘healthy’.”

Children from Sophie's class with Colin the snail.

Comment: No one would want to condone the needless destruction of creatures – well except for the cat from three doors down the road who likes to stalk the birds in my garden. She’s living on borrowed time, I can tell you – so it’s heartening to see a company like Waste King living up to its promise to recycle as many as possible of the materials (and creatures) it collects. In this case, Colin’s good fortune – to be rescued by Waste King – is having an unexpected positive spin-off in that he’s helping to teach children about the need to take care of our environment and all the creatures that live in it (even – and it pains me to say this – my neighbours’ cat).

Mobile learning English iPhone application

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Bob

goFLUENT, a lprovider of business English via distance learning, has launched a Business English Training iPhone App. This App, which has been approved by Apple and is now available on Apple’s App Store (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gofluent-elearning/id484994915?ls=1&mt=8), is the mobile version of goFLUENT’s e-learning portal for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users.

Christophe Ferrandou, CEO of goFLUENT, commented: “With more smartphones being sold every three months than computers, mobile learning is not only growing in popularity but it’s beginning to overtake other forms of e-learning as the most popular technology-delivered learning mechanism. Learning & development departments in large organisations need to offer their employees a mobile learning solution that’s far more than merely using a browser on a mobile phone. Through this delivery technology, they’re looking for a new approach to learning. Mobile learning can offer great value to learners because it can connect employees to the knowledge and expertise they need, when and where they need it.”

Robert de Ocampo, Marketing Director of goFLUENT, added: “This will not only allow students even further flexibility to learn as and when they want to but it will also enable them to use our learning materials as performance support tools too – to provide linguistic reminders as and when they need it.”

The new goFLUENT mobile app for iPhones includes regularly updated news videos relating to, among others: Economics, Energy, Finance, Healthcare, Lifestyle and Technology. As with all other goFLUENT English language learning materials, these videos are used as tools to help students learn English. goFLUENT does this by:

Assigning each video a ‘level’, corresponding to the content’s degree of difficulty for those learning English
Providing subtitles to the videos, in order to aid comprehension for the students
Creating a vocabulary list, highlighting and defining difficult words in the video
Highlighting a grammar point used in the video ,to help learners review useful grammar rules
Providing a quiz to help learners check their comprehension of the video – particularly of the main ideas contained in the video, along with some selected words which are intended to help students build their vocabulary of English.

Christophe Ferrandou, of goFLUENT.

Comment: This is yet another example of e-learning materials migrating to ‘mobile’. It appears to be only a matter of time – and not a lot of time at that – before more learning materials will be available and accessed via a mobile device rather than, say, a desktop PC (especially true if you include e-book readers as ‘mobile learning devices’).

Waste King’s weapon is environmental friendliness – and professionalism…

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Bob

Andy Cattigan (left) and Glenn Currie, of Waste King.

Customers choose to use Waste King – the specialist collections, clearance and recycling company – primarily because of its environmental friendliness in guaranteeing to recycle at least 85 per cent of all the waste that Waste King collects. In reality, the figure is now over 90 per cent.

A recent survey of Waste King’s customers rated the company’s environmental friendliness marginally ahead of its professionalism. Efficiency and overall value for money were other key reasons given for using Waste King’s services. Joint fourth on this list of characteristics were that the Waste King service is efficient and that its operatives are polite, friendly and helpful.

The survey was carried out at the end of 2011 and asked 50 Waste King customers, drawn from ‘private’ (as opposed to commercial) customers, to rate the characteristics that best described their experience of Waste King’s service.

Waste King’s managing director, Glenn Currie, commented: “As a relatively young business – only some five years old – it’s encouraging that customers are already strongly associating our brand with environmental friendliness, professionalism, efficiency and value for money.”

Comment: Not only does ‘nobody expect the Spanish Inquisition’ – as Monty Python fans habitually remind us – but maybe nobody genuinely expects their corporate branding and company policies to be generally believed.

Waste King should be delighted that, within five years of starting up, its brand – and what it signifies – is both well-known and generally accepted.

Invisible idiot

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Bob

Someone – in the early days of technology – put the English proverb ‘out of sight, out of mind’ into a mainframe-housed forerunner of Google Translate. The idea was that the proverb would be translated into Russian and then back into English to prove that the software worked correctly. The result of the computer’s deliberations was: ‘Invisible idiot’.

The time has now arrived when this English proverb could be applied to this year’s Learning Technologies event in London’s Olympia. Yet, even now, the website holding the 39 presentations made at this year’s Learning Technologies conference is still ‘live’ – at http://dpcloud.co/v3/enterprise/learningtech/

In terms of ‘views’, the runaway winner – so far – is Steve Wheeler, Associate Professor of Learning Technology, Plymouth University, whose presentation on ‘digital learning futures’ has racked up an impressive 1,100 or so views. Next – a long way behind – comes Professor Stephen Heppell, CEO of Heppell.net (231 views), who also spoke on a ‘conceptual’ topic: ‘third millennium learning – dealing with the certainty of uncertainty’. Third on the popularity list comes Ray Kurzweil, who spoke on ‘the web within us: when minds and machines become one’ (120 views).

Presentations that don’t fall into the ‘science fiction’ genre seem to have fared less well. For example, the presentation by Nigel Paine – who was awarded the Colin Corder lifetime achievement trophy at the recent Learning Awards dinner in London – on ‘fully exploiting your organisation’s potential for learning’ has only garnered 20 views; while the presentation by a previous Colin Corder winner, Laura Overton (‘how L&D can lead on business agility) has tempted a mere 14 viewers so far. At least Donald Clark – another well-established thought leader in the learning technologies space – has not lost his pulling power. His presentation on ‘peer learning – why instructors need to get out of the way’ has pulled a comparatively creditable but still tiny 27 viewers.

Bringing up the rear, in terms of presentation popularity, is Jon Ingham, of Strategic HCM – well, someone has to – whose talk entitled ‘L&D can benefit from being part of HR’ has only attracted four viewings.

How can a conference which was – rightly – the talk of the learning technologies community only a few weeks ago be consigned to history so completely and so soon? The thoughts encapsulated in the presentations have not yet been superseded – especially, those that speculated about future learning needs and learning technology solutions.

Was this event really an excuse for temporary entertainment rather than permanent enlightenment?

Maybe the more immediate pressure to continue making a living – with all that that entails – in these challenging times has taken pride of place once again. So, despite the ‘buzz’ that the show created – with outbursts of optimism occurring periodically throughout the show’s two days – it’s very much back to ‘business as usual’ for the UK economy, with learning technologies returning to its business role as an ‘invisible idiot’.

European Maritime Safety Agency further extends its use of learning technologies

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Bob

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal, is one of the 28 Agencies of the European Union. It was founded in 2002 with the aim of reducing the risk of maritime accidents, marine pollution from ships and the loss of human lives at sea by helping to enforce the pertinent EU legislation.

EMSA has asked eXact learning solutions to deliver a new four year work plan to increase technological innovation in its distance learning program. The relationship between the two organisations began in 2007, when EMSA selected eXact learning solutions to implement a project which produced hundreds of learning objects, packaged into 13 e-learning modules, on Port State Control. Developed with eXact learning solutions’ LCMS platform and delivered with the Plateau Systems’ – now SuccessFactors’ – LMS to over 1,000 Port State Control Officers (PSCOs) all around Europe, the first project was so successful in terms of learning retention among the students, as well as cost savings in travel time, that it encouraged EMSA to launch another four year program, this time adding additional contents and innovation.

The first work program resulted in a large amount of learning content – addressing key maritime security items such as hull construction, radio, engine and safety equipment, as well as fire protection.

The new four year work program will see eXact learning solutions maintaining the existing modules via a fully-customised version of its eXact LCMS content lifecycle management solution, as well producing new modules. In addition, eXact learning solutions will run pilots on delivering these learning materials via mobile learning. It will also work on an innovative taxonomy-based content classification process for workflow and competency development support, named Maritime Taxonomies & Competencies Horizons (MATCH). The new learning content, along with the preliminary results of the MATCH outcomes, are expected in the second half of 2012.

Comment: It’s always encouraging to find organisations – especially in these economically challenging days – investing enthusiastically in learning/ training.

In the aftermath of the capsizing of the ‘Costa Concordia’ cruise liner off the coast of Italy in January this year, commentators suggested that the accident was a function of poor training. In these situations, training is an easy target. Whether or not the quantity and quality of training is really to blame may be debatable but the total cost – in human lives if nothing else – would be even higher if no training was ever done.

Hopefully, EMSA will continue to invest in these learning materials – especially in delivering them via mobile devices, since these would seem appropriate for an industry whose workers are rarely static and ‘office bound’.

Ten items to recycle rather than send to landfill

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Bob

In a further bid to reduce the pressure on landfill sites, Waste King – the environmentally-friendly specialist collections, clearance and recycling company – has published a list of ten items which are recyclable but are, commonly, sent to landfill. Waste King’s managing director, Glenn Currie, said: “Waste King guarantees to recycle at least 85 per cent of all the waste it collects and, for example, over the last four weeks, we’ve separated 23 tons of wood from mixed loads. If we hadn’t separated this wood, it would have gone to landfill but now it can be recycled, reducing the need to cut down even more trees and allowing 23 tons of materials that aren’t able to be recycled to go to landfill in its place.”

“While Waste King is working hard to reduce the amount it sends to landfill, everyone can do their bit to ensure that only non-recyclable materials go to landfill,” commented Andy Cattigan, Currie’s Waste King co-director. “A great way to do this is to make a conscious effort to recycle ten types of material that often find their way to landfill sites.”

These ten common materials that are recyclable are:

1: Glass containers can be recycled into new glass containers over and over again. Recycled glass is also energy efficient since the process consumes 40% less energy than new production.

2: Paper – from newspaper to cardboard boxes, junk mail to grocery bags, recycling paper products helps in energy conservation, water efficiency and air quality. Every ton of recycled paper reduces the production of virgin paper and energy use by 4000 kilowatts, water use by 7000 gallons, and pollution by 60 pounds. The extra 17 trees are an added bonus!

3: Plastic bottles comprise over 10% of our landfills. So recycling plastic containers is an important step to helping reducing the waste going to landfill.

4: Aluminium cans take over 500 years to deteriorate – so recycling them is a less polluting option than putting them into landfill.

5: Steel is recycled more than aluminium, paper and glass combined, since thousands of food products are sold in steel cans.

6: Dry cell batteries are used by the million in modern Western society. Each of these contains mercury, which is highly toxic.

7: E-waste. Computers, mobile phones and TVs use non-renewable resources to produce and may release hazardous substances into the environment if they are disposed improperly.

8: Motor oil is another item that can be recycled. A quart of motor oil can contaminate 2m gallons of clean water if not disposed of properly. A truly recyclable product, motor oil can be refined again and again.

9: Leaves, grass clippingsand other garden waste – which, of course, Nature designed to be recycled.

Andy Cattigan (left) and Glenn Currie, of Waste King.

10: ‘Packaging’ comprises a third of all landfills. The more ‘things’ we buy, the more packaging we generate. Choosing products with minimal recyclable packaging will help to reduce damaging our environment.

London Borough solves parking enforcement problems

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Bob

Islington Council is using LogiXML (www.logixml.com) business intelligence software to trim resources as well as increase ticketing and revenue while improving customer service – and value for money for ratepayers. The Council has reduced contract costs, reduced staff overhead and improved customer relations within the first few months of using Logi Info, the business intelligence (BI) software solution from LogiXML.

Before using Logi Info, Islington Council’s parking enforcement system was not providing the overview of operations or providing meaningful real-time information. Generating information that would optimise processes was choked by large amounts of data from disparate sources. Live reporting was available but caused massive technical issues and it did not feature write-back capabilities to data sources and stored procedures. In addition, managers, operatives and the Council’s civil enforcement officers (CEOs) – the people who issue parking tickets – did not have mobile access to reports in the field. They could only access the front end of the system.

John Galsworthy, head of parking and business service at Islington Council, said: “Our systems were good for running day-to-day processes, but we needed greater insights. Being a local authority, we need technology that is cost effective, scalable, and easy to use. Additionally, all technology must integrate with rather than replicate data. Corporately, we have Business Objects and Cognos, but development was too expensive, complex, impractical, and time consuming for our application to make them viable. We considered all the BI vendors on the Gartner Magic Quadrant for BI and selected LogiXML because it was the simplest to use, was conveniently priced, had the lowest ongoing cost overhead and was able give us a level of integration that was better than we needed.”

The reporting system now scans 2.5 million records in only 1.6 seconds. Previously, similar queries required eight hours with the embedded Crystal reports. Additionally, Islington parking enforcement managers can now see the activity of all CEOs in real time. Customisable dashboards integrate with Google Earth Enterprise and include real-time parking performance, live ticket issuing and the whereabouts of the CEOs.

Logi Info includes the ability to access individual parking tickets, analyse CCTV evidence to judge if complaints are justified, view the history of individual vehicles and drivers, query the system (to find addresses for those receiving tickets), and issue immediate responses. This settles cases effectively, improves customer service and saves money – whereas cancelling unwarranted tickets used to cause problems because of the high administrative cost involved as well as the number of innocent – but angry – motorists.

Comment: No one likes getting a parking ticket. So, if some BI software can prevent – or substantially reduce – mistakes being made, it’s got to be a step in the right direction. Moreover, producing value for money for ratepayers is always a welcome thing.

Book Review (number 2)

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Bob

Clive Shepherd.

This book review is also available on the http://www.trainingjournal.com/feature/articles-features-digital-learning-content-a-designers-guide/ Training Journal website.

Digital learning content – a designer’s guide

By Clive Shepherd

Published by: Onlignment

ISBN 978-1-4710-2920-2

Clive Shepherd’s new book argues that there is now so much learning content available in a variety of forms – especially via the internet – that those who want the learning materials they create to be both noticed and used must develop some key competencies in learning design. Intriguingly, although the book can be read in a ‘conventional’ linear way, its 19 chapters can also be read independently because they make no assumptions about their readers’ prior knowledge.

The first nine chapters introduce key concepts, principles and processes in learning design. The next eight chapters provide practical guides to particular forms of learning content. The book concludes by exploring some of the standards that can be used to measure a learning designer’s success.

Having outlined the four strategies of learning content – exposition, instruction, guided discovery and exploration – in chapter one, Shepherd goes on to discuss, among other things, the three tiers of the content pyramid (formal, rapid and user-generated responses); a formal process for design and development (analysis; concept; outline design; prototype; project plan; script; development; testing; implementation; evaluation and maintenance) and the universal principles of learning design.

When it comes to offering some learning content guides, Shepherd explores the designer’s basic toolkit but also examines creating learning podcasts, slideshows, screencasts, learning scenarios, videos, tutorials and quizzes. There’s even a chapter on creating reference information and one which seeks to answer the question, ‘what does exemplary digital learning content look like?’

As expected, this book does what it sets out to do. Authored by a well-practised master in the craft of learning design, the book has no problem in succeeding at this fundamental and important level. Clive Shepherd is a skilled writer as well as a learning designer and ably presents the concepts, principles and processes of the learning designer’s trade in a logical and memorable way.

In today’s brave new world of learning design where subject matter experts vie with professional teachers and trainers to take on the challenging role of ‘learning designer’, this book should have a great deal to offer as a readable, accessible, simple reference tool.

By Bob Little

Book Review

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Bob

This book review is also available on the http://www.trainingjournal.com/feature/articles-features-seconds-away-from-outstanding-leadership/ Training Journal website.

Seconds Away From… Outstanding Leadership

By Molly Harvey

Published by: Infinite Ideas Limited

ISBN 978-1-906821-78-4

Having run leadership programmes around the world for almost 20 years, Molly Harvey has now distilled her wisdom into this book. She believes that many of today’s challenges stem, at least in part, from a leadership that is ill-prepared to deal with the current complexity of a fast changing world. The old systems of power are crumbling and organisations are looking for a new kind of leadership. The new ‘outstanding leader’ leads with courage, vision, imagination and heart – and must be real, honest and transparent, claims Harvey.

Her book contains six main chapters – corresponding to the six steps to becoming an outstanding leader, Chapter one looks at self-leadership and how to deal with things day-to-day. The next few chapters discuss what it takes to be an outstanding leader and the final chapter focuses on action and what actions leaders need to take every day. Each chapter contains tips and ideas, along with ‘points to ponder’ and an ‘actions list’.

In identifying the key components of an outstanding leader, Harvey highlights: presence; rituals; discipline; ‘trust the inner satnav’; collaboration, and focused action. In essence, her advice about ‘presence’ is: Show up and be yourself; discover what you are here to do and dedicate your life to it; remember everywhere you go your presence leaves a resonance behind; your mind is a double mirror of your outer and inner worlds; live on your own terms, not on those of someone else, and presence has a radiance and inspires people with hope.

The rest of the book contains inspirational and didactic stories, along with concise pieces of wise advice – most of which applies equally to those who want to lead as those who are happy to be led.

Having rightly advocated the benefit of ‘sweating the details’ in chapter two, the book would have benefitted by ‘tighter’ editing. For example, page 101 contains a summary of chapter five – not four – and the summary of chapter six on page 122, breaks with convention and the book’s own style by calling it ‘chapter 6’, not ‘chapter six’.

That minor point aside, this book does, indeed, contain a great deal of wisdom. It is set out in a simple, readable and thought-provoking way. There is little doubt that, read with understanding, this book should inspire and energise a new generation of leaders. Realism suggests, however, that the weak links in this chain are the readers’ understanding and interpretation of the book’s contents.