Gartner Says More than 25 Percent of Critical Data Used in Large Corporations is Flawed.

Business Editors

STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 13, 2004

New Gartner Strategic Planning Report Provides Key Guidance, Insights

and Recommendations for Successful Business Intelligence Strategies

Many major companies are making important decisions routinely on remarkably inaccurate data, according to Gartner Inc. The research firm estimates that more than 25 percent of critical data within Fortune 1,000 businesses will continue to be inaccurate or incomplete through 2007.

"Most enterprises don't fathom the magnitude of the impact that data quality problems can have," said Ted Friedman, principal analyst for Gartner. "These problems cause wasted labor and lost productivity that directly affect profitability."

Moreover, the majority of large enterprises continue to reach for ineffective technology solutions even after they identify data quality problems, he said. These ineffective solutions often include priority spending programs for advanced business intelligence and customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities. These programs fail, in large part, because the poor quality of underlying data is not recognized or addressed.

Many enterprises simply look to technology they can buy to resolve data quality problems without first focusing on people and business processes, Friedman said. "Throwing technology at data quality issues usually doesn't solve the problem and won't yield positive long-term results," he said.

Friedman said enterprises also should examine organizational approaches and methodologies to improve data quality. They must also engage the active participation of people who use the technology to achieve business objectives, not just technology staff. "If the IT group is the only organization that actively works and focuses on the issue, the business's ability to achieve data quality goals will be severely limited," Friedman said. "The greatest success in managing data quality comes from engaging both business users and the IT organization."

These findings are among the information contained in Gartner's new Strategic Planning Report, "Using Business Intelligence to Gain a Competitive Edge: Unleashing the Power of Data Analysis to Boost Corporate Performance." The report provides comprehensive guidance on the implementation plans and best practices that enterprises need to develop successful business intelligence and data-warehousing strategies. This 266-page report features 17 fact- and advice-filled chapters; three appendices providing business intelligence case studies, software vendor evaluations and a glossary of terms; and 109 figures, including three "Magic Quadrant" vendor evaluations.

Topics addressed in this report include:

-- Critical business intelligence trends and technologies, and

the keys to successful business intelligence strategies

-- Best practices for managing data quality and defining

effective business metrics

-- Building an optimal data warehouse infrastructure to support

strategic business intelligence efforts

-- Measuring and achieving a return on investment from business

intelligence and data warehouse implementations

-- Best practices for corporate governance and compliance

management

The Gartner business intelligence report (ISBN 0-9741571-1-2) is priced at $1,295. The report is an offering from the Gartner Strategic Planning Report Series, a eight-volume series from Gartner Press that provides buyers with comprehensive reference guides on topics of critical interest to today's business and IT executives.

For information about purchasing the report or others in the Strategic Planning Report Series, visit www.gartnerpress.com/reports. Other Strategic Planning Reports available for purchase cover the following topics: data center; mobile/wireless; customer relationship management; application integration and Web services; outsourcing; enterprise security; and asset management.

About Gartner

Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT and ITB) is the leading provider of research and analysis on the global information technology industry. Gartner serves more than 10,000 clients, including chief information officers and other senior IT executives in corporations and government agencies, as well as technology companies and the investment community. The Company focuses on delivering objective, in-depth analysis and actionable advice to enable clients to make more informed business and technology decisions. The Company's businesses consist of Gartner Intelligence, research and events for IT professionals; Gartner Executive Programs, membership programs and peer networking services; and Gartner Consulting, customized engagements with a specific emphasis on outsourcing and IT management. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, and has 3,700 associates, including more than 1,000 research analysts and consultants, in more than 75 locations worldwide. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.