Business intelligence (BI) is an important tool for aiding expansion and growth, with the majority of teams using BI to create dashboards and reports that provide general company information and assist in analysis. However, many companies are facing increased workloads and challenges finding qualified BI professionals, with over half of managers stating a lack of quality candidates as their biggest recruitment issue. Microsoft continues to be the dominant vendor for BI tools and dashboards, while reporting and analysis remains the top priority, though predictive analysis and big data are growing areas of focus.

1. BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
2016 MARKET TRENDS
YOUR GUIDE TO CURRENT TRENDS IN BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
We surveyed over 700 senior Business Intelligence (BI) professionals working across the UK on current and future BI use in their
organisation. The results reveal that nearly 76% of teams frequently use BI as an input in decision making, yet six in ten employers
struggled to find qualified BI professionals in the last 12 months.
As the market continues to improve, we are seeing the number of roles surge above the number of available professionals, making it
more important than ever for BI managers to highlight the benefits of their organisation to secure and retain talent.
TRENDS IN 2016
Although there are several emerging BI vendors in the marketplace, the survey revealed that Microsoft continues to be the primary
tool across the UK. The next most used vendor is SAP Business Objects (18%), followed by Oracle (14%).
The majority of professionals reported that Microsoft was also their main reporting dashboard platform, followed by Qlikview
(16%) and SAP Business Objects (15%).
Self-Service BI - Business users and analysts have more access
to self-service tools to prepare and utilise data
Mobile BI - The mobile economy demands that services be
equipped to handle continuous geographic changes
Cloud BI - Customers want access to data in a simple, adaptable
and accessible format
Advanced Analytics - The simplification of BI has enabled
advanced analytics and data discovery to be placed in the hands
of everyday business people
MICROSOFT
TIBCO
IBM
ORACLE
SAS
SAP BUSINESS
OBJECTS
TABLEAU
QLIKVIEW
MICROSOFT
ORACLE
SAP BUSINESS
OBJECTS
52%
1%
9%
14%
LESS
THAN
6%
18%
12%
16%
45%
12%
15%
BI VENDORS BY USAGE LEADING DASHBOARD PLATFORMS
Say mobile BI will be
key for professionals
4 10OUT
OF
WWW.ROBERTWALTERS.CO.UK/TECHNOLOGY
PREDICTED TOP BI TRENDS FOR 2016

2. %
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
1. Dashboard 78%
2. Enterprise reporting 54%
3. Cloud BI/ On Demand BI 32%
4. Self Service BI 56%
5. Advanced Analytics 53%
6. Visualisation & Data Discovery 49%
7. Mobile BI 36%
8. Operational Analytics 46%1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
HOW DO YOU PLAN TO USE BI IN 2016?
Although nearly 77% of professionals stated they often use BI as an input for decision making, only 1 in 4 spend more than 10%
of their IT budget on it.
Nearly a third of hiring managers stated that their BI budget has not changed from 2015, and almost 40% said the change was less
than 10%. A further 8% stated their BI budget has decreased despite an increase in workload.
Less than 1% – 15%
Between 1-5% – 35%
Between 5-10% – 25%
More than 10% – 25%
WHAT IS YOUR BI PRIORITY? 2015 VS 2016
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
PERFORMANCE
MANAGEMENT
REPORTING
AND ANALYSIS
EASIER TO USE
SOFTWARE
DATA
INTEGRATION
DATA
MINING
BIG
DATA
COST
SAVINGS
PREDICTIVE
ANALYSIS
A MORE INTUITIVE
SOFTWARE
OTHER
20152016
10% 7%
40% 46%
4% 7%
12% 18%
4% 3%
11% 8%
3% 3%
12% 4%
1% 4% 3% 0%
Reporting and analysis continues to be a main BI priority, a trend expected to continue throughout 2016. BI managers are
increasingly utilising BI for predictive analysis and big data to help promote business growth.
NEARLY
40%
of professionals stated that their
main BI priority is reporting and
analysis
WHAT PERCENT OF YOUR BUDGET IS SPENT ON BI?
The demand for skilled BI and analytics professionals in
2016 is continuing to grow across the UK. Employers will
need a streamlined recruitment process and competitive
market salaries to ensure they secure the best talent.
Alex Taylor, Senior Consultant
WWW.ROBERTWALTERS.CO.UK/TECHNOLOGY
BI is an extremely important
tool to aid expansion and
growth. The majority of
teams are using BI to create
daily dashboards that
provide general information
about a company, along
with assisting in reporting
and analysis.

3. With many companies looking to expand and work smarter, BI managers are facing significant workload increases across their team.
54% of hiring managers stated they would look to hire a contract resource to combat this increased workload, with 33% looking to hire
permanent talent.
RECRUITMENT HIGHLIGHTS 2016
COMBATTING INCREASES IN WORKLOAD
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
HIRE A CONTRACT
RESOURCE
HIRE A PERMANENT
RESOURCE
INCREASE WORKLOAD
AMONGST EXISTING TEAM
OUTSOURCE WORK TO
EXTERNAL PROVIDER
20152016
54% 54%
33% 31% 23% 29% 20% 19%
Whilst 87% of BI managers would hire professionals to combat work load increases, many are finding it hard to source talent with the skills
and experience they need. Nearly 60% of those surveyed said their biggest recruitment challenge in the last 12 months is the lack of quality
candidates. This makes it imperative that hiring managers shorten the recruitment process and consider additional benefits to attract and
retain top professionals.
CHALLENGES TO FINDING TALENT
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
LACK OF QUALITY
CANDIDATES
MEETING SALARY OR
DRY RATE EXPECTATIONS
COST OF RECRUITING/
HIRING BUDGET
LENGTH OF TIME
TO RECRUIT
20152016
57% 48%
17% 30%
14% 15% 12% 8%
0
0
Midlands
Dawn May
T: 0121 260 2520
E: dawn.may@robertwalters.com
For more information, or to have a confidential discussion about your BI and IT needs please contact:
North
Alex Taylor
T: 0161 214 7426
E: alex.taylor@robertwalters.com
London & South East
Tom Chambers
T: 0207 509 8863
E: tom.chambers@robertwalters.com
WWW.ROBERTWALTERS.CO.UK/TECHNOLOGY
57%
of BI managers state a
lack of quality candidates
as their biggest recruitment
challenge

4. www.robertwalters.co.uk/technology
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