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The Division needed a BI solution that could consolidate data from a variety of sources into one, accurate version of the truth. Previously, financial and human resource data resided in disparate legacy systems and Excel spreadsheets created and maintained across the State. Since the Division is planning to transition some of these older legacy systems to a new enterprise-wide IT infrastructure, they needed a solution that was flexible enough to straddle all systems and applications.

"The BusinessObjects XI Release 2 was the solution that best met our business requirements," said Kim Garnero, director at the Division of Finance for the State of Alaska. "Business Objects provides the core BI capabilities we needed -- reporting, query, and analysis -- and combines it with a backend that ensures our data is absolutely current, correct, and secure. We're looking forward to increased visibility of our information for management purposes, as well as efficiency in our operations."

After conducting a competitive search, the evaluation committee chose BusinessObjects XI Release 2 over other BI vendors. The Division of Finance will use Web Intelligence to provide authorized employees with customizable, self-service reporting capabilities. Web Intelligence, the leading web-based query and analysis solution, increases the organization's transparency and enables managers to gain real-time visibility into their operations. For example, a state manager can monitor their budget on a daily basis so they know exactly where their finances stand.

The Division of Finance is also looking forward to a faster reporting process. Previously, it took staff hundreds of hours to create and maintain human resources reports. Managers had to spend time each day updating a report that indicated vacancy by position.
With BusinessObjects XI Release 2 these reports can be scheduled and automatically generated, which will save time and improve accuracy.

The Division of Finance also selected Business Objects because its EIM solutions are seamlessly integrated with the BusinessObjects XI Release 2 platform. The Division needed to ensure that they could consolidate data from disparate sources that went back as far as 1990.

These data sources needed to be pulled into one, consistent version of the truth, which the Division recognized was the first step to creating a successful BI deployment. The Division will use BusinessObjects Data Integrator to bring together information from statewide systems for accounting, payroll, and human resources.
BusinessObjects Metadata Manager will allow data to be traced back to its source to ensure its accuracy and resolve any discrepancies.

"Public sector customers continue to embrace BusinessObjects XI Release 2 for its simplicity and superior functionality," said Jay Johnson, vice president of the Government Business Unit at Business Objects. "With increased pressure on state and local agencies to run like businesses, these organizations need business intelligence solutions that allow all employees to take an active role in improving performance. As the State of Alaska has recognized, trustworthy data is the foundation to any successful BI strategy. That's why so many public agencies are choosing Business Objects EIM solutions as the first step in their BI deployments."