The application of a Business Intelligence tool for strategic planning in a higher education institution: a case study of the University of the Witwatersrand

This article presents a discussion on the importance of business intelligence (BI) and the role that a specific BI tool, Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition, plays in the strategic decision-making processes in an organisation. The University of the Witwatersrand, often referred to as Wits, was used as a case study. The main objective of a business intelligence tool is to improve the quality and timeliness of the input of data to the organisational decision-making process. The quality of the data, which is an organisational asset, is therefore of the utmost importance. Approaches for the identification of business intelligence from corporate information and knowledge management were also assessed. A questionnaire was administered among key informants within the university in order to address some of the pertinent issues at higher education institutions. In addition, the role of a data warehouse within the business intelligence framework was presented. The paper itself covers a wide range of disciplines from information technology, knowledge management to decision sciences. The article also presents a proposed framework to be used in line with the best practices in the implementation of business intelligence solutions.