March 2005 Archives

Microsoft Scientists Use Visualization to Bring Information to Life http://intelligence-architect.com/blog/2005/04/microsoft-scientists-use-visualization.html Microsoft Scientists Use Visualization to Bring Information to Life Researchers in the field of human-computer interaction show how innovative information visualization tools can transform the way business users, consumers and software developers process and organize today's ever-increasing amounts of data. PORTLAND, Ore. -- April 5, 2005 -- This week, computer scientists from Microsoft Research labs worldwide will share the results of more than 25 research papers at the CHI 2005 conference, a leading forum for the exchange of ideas and information about human-computer interaction (HCI) sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interactions (ACM SIGCHI). Three of the papers are Best Paper Award nominees. The bulk of the work presented by Microsoft Research focuses on the study of information visualization and can potentially change the way businesses, software developers and consumers process and organize information. The work is the result of collaboration with computer research scientists at more than 16 universities and several corporations from around the globe. At the event, Senior Microsoft Researcher Susan Dumais will be inducted into the CHI Academy for her substantial contribution to the study of HCI and the leadership role she has played in shaping that field. More information about Dumais is available in her profile at http://research.microsoft.com. Innovation That Builds on a Decade of Work in Information Visualization People today are inundated with information, from e-mail and instant messages to images, documents and search results. Scientists at Microsoft Research recognize that as technology continues to advance, giving people access to even more information, tools are needed to help users comprehend and process that information in order to identify what pieces of data are most important to them. Information visualization takes the digital bits of information stored on a computer, personal digital assistant (PDA) or Microsoft® Window Mobile (TM) -based Smartphone -- such as documents, Web pages, e-mail messages and schedules -- and displays them visually, rather than as text. This technology benefits users by exposing patterns and trends in the torrent of data they work with daily, so the most important information becomes automatically visible. "Information visualization is a hot topic today because computer system and graphics capabilities have reached a point where the visual representation of information can come to life," said George Robertson, senior researcher at Microsoft Research. "We can now experiment with information visualization technologies that we've been developing in the lab over the past 10 years and expand on them for the benefit of users and the research community." Microsoft Research studies have shown that information visualization can reduce the amount of time people spend deciphering which pieces of information are important, thus helping them be more productive. The technology has practical applications in numerous daily activities including managing e-mail, navigating information on small devices, and effectively organizing family events and communicating in the home. Visualization Tools Bring Useful Insights to Businesses, Consumers and Developers Information visualization tools will help businesses better manage the vast amounts of data they are accumulating on customers, products, employees, production requirements and more. The technology also is expected to change how information workers process e-mail1 by presenting it in a "glanceable" graphical manner that is nondisruptive, yet able to signify urgent and important communications. Ease-of-use improvements for mobile devices include tools for one-handed thumb navigation,2 more-effective browsing functions such as zooming and scrolling,3 and preservation of Web page layouts designed for viewing on a PC.4 Microsoft Research found that better preservation of page layout helped participants locate content in Web pages about 41 percent faster while having to scroll 51 percent less. For mobile workers, this translates to greater efficiency because they can quickly find information that is meaningful without having to scroll through multiple screens of text. Information visualization tools benefit software developers as well. Visualization technologies will simplify the viewing of schemas, making it possible for users to effectively focus on the most relevant items while de-emphasizing or removing items of no relevance for a particular interaction.5 Visual representation also will change how software developers and other information workers design timelines,6 because it allows users to specify the relative ordering and causality of events without specifying exact times or durations. These capabilities will help streamline the project development process by simplifying planning and execution. Microsoft researchers are also exploring the consumer applications of information visualization tools in the home, specifically, how to effectively keep families organized and connected. For example, they have developed a method of presenting digital photo collections in a visual manner that makes photo organization and retrieval significantly easier:7 study participants were able to find photos 45 percent faster in their personal photo collections averaging 4,000 items. Researchers also created an electronic "bulletin board" that allows family members to send text messages from their mobile devices to a centrally located message board displayed in the home.8 "To date, technology for the home has focused on entertainment and security systems, and the development of smart homes that know when to turn on the oven for dinner or provide automatic lighting," said Alex Taylor, a researcher with the Interactive Systems Group at Microsoft Research in Cambridge, England. "We're studying the real, day-to-day concerns of ordinary households, including how families interact, share information, prioritize their schedules and delegate responsibilities. Our goal is to develop in-home technologies that assist family members with tasks such as scheduling, bill paying and delegating household responsibilities, while accommodating the rich and diverse ways in which individual families organize their homes." Taylor's research into organizing the home is presented in the paper "Artful Systems in the Home," a Best Paper nominee at the conference. CHI 2005 Best Paper Award Nominees Three Microsoft Research papers are nominated for the Best Paper Award at the CHI 2005 conference. The Microsoft Research nominated papers are as follows: "Artful Systems in the Home" 9 introduces the idea of organizing systems in the home through the use of calendars, paper notes, to-do lists and more. It discusses general implications for designing information technology for the home and accommodating the rich and diverse ways in which people organize their homes. "AppLens and LaunchTile: Two Designs for One-Handed Thumb Use on Small Devices" 2 focuses on interfaces designed to support one-handed thumb navigation of mobile devices. AppLens and LaunchTile work with a traditional cell phone keypad as well as a PDA-style device with a touch-sensitive display. "Snap-and-Go: Helping Users Align Objects without the Modality of Traditional Snapping" 10 covers snapping, a widely used technique that helps users position graphical objects precisely. Snap-and-go simplifies the user interface by eliminating the need for deactivation, introducing snapping to application scenarios in which traditional snapping is inapplicable. The 23rd annual CHI conference runs through Thursday, April 7, at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. More information about CHI 2005 can be found at http://www.chi2005.org. About Microsoft Research Founded in 1991, Microsoft Research is dedicated to conducting both basic and applied research in computer science and software engineering. Its goals are to enhance the user experience on computing devices, reduce the cost of writing and maintaining software, and invent novel computing technologies. Researchers focus on more than 55 areas of computing and collaborate with leading academic, government and industry researchers to advance the state of the art in such areas as graphics, speech recognition, user-interface research, natural language processing, programming tools and methodologies, operating systems and networking, and the mathematical sciences. Microsoft Research employs more than 700 people in six labs located in Redmond, Wash.; San Francisco; Silicon Valley, Calif.; Cambridge, England; Beijing; and Bangalore, India. More information can be found at http://www.research.microsoft.com. About Microsoft Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. 1 "Info-Lotus: A Peripheral Visualization for Email Notification," Leizhong Zhang, Microsoft Research Asia (China); Nan Tu, Tsinghua University (China); David Vronay, Microsoft Research Asia (China); April 2005 2 "AppLens and LaunchTile: Two Designs for One-Handed Thumb Use on Small Devices," Amy K. Karlson, University of Maryland (U.S.); Benjamin B. Bederson, University of Maryland (U.S.); John SanGiovanni, Microsoft Research (U.S.); April 2005 3 "Learning User Interest for Image Browsing on Small-Form-Factor Devices," Xing Xie, Microsoft Research Asia (China); Hao Liu, Chinese University of Hong Kong (China); Simon Goumaz, Microsoft Research Asia (China); Wei-Ying Ma, Microsoft Research Asia (China); April 2005 4 "Summary Thumbnails: Readable Overviews for Small Screen Web Browsers," Heidi Lam, University of British Columbia (Canada); Patrick Baudisch, Microsoft Research (U.S.); April 2005 5 "Visualization of Mappings Between Schemas," George G. Robertson, Microsoft Research (U.S.); Mary P. Czerwinski, Microsoft Research (U.S.); John E. Churchill, Microsoft Research (U.S.); April 2005 6 "Flexible Timeline User Interface Using Constraints," Kazutaka Kurihara, University of Tokyo (Japan); David Vronay, Microsoft Research Asia (China); Takeo Igarashi, University of Tokyo (Japan); April 2005 7 "Time Quilt: Scaling up Zoomable Photo Browsers for Large, Unstructured Photo Collections," David Huynh, MIT CSAIL (U.S.); Steven Drucker, Patrick Baudisch, Curtis Wong, Microsoft Research (U.S.); April 2005 8 "TxtBoard: From Text-to-Person to Text-to-Home," Kenton O'Hara, Richard Harper, Microsoft Research Cambridge (U.K.); Axel Unger, IDEO (Germany); James Wilkes, Bill Sharpe, Marcel Jansen, The Appliance Studio University Gate (U.K.); April 2005 9 "Artful Systems in the Home," Alex S. Taylor, Microsoft Research (U.K.); Laurel Swan, Brunel University (U.K.); April 2005 10 "Snap-and-Go: Helping Users Align Objects without the Modality of Traditional Snapping," Patrick Baudisch, Microsoft Research (U.S.); Edward Cutrell, Microsoft Research (U.S.); Ken Hinckley, Microsoft Research (U.S.); Adam Eversole, Microsoft Research (U.S.); April 2005

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Forbes.com: Harvard Rejects Those Who Saw Admissions: "Associated Press Harvard Rejects Those Who Saw Admissions 03.08.2005, 10:15 AM Associated Press Harvard Rejects Those Who Saw Admissions 03.08.2005, 10:15 AM Harvard Business School will reject 119 applicants who followed a hacker's instructions and peeked into the school's admission site to see if they had been accepted, the school's dean said. "This behavior is unethical at best - a serious breach of trust that cannot be countered by rationalization," Kim Clark said in a statement Monday. "Any applicant found to have done so will not be admitted to this school." An unknown hacker posted instructions last week on a BusinessWeek online message board on how to view the status of their applications. Applicants to at least six business schools took advantage of the instructions, although most got only blank screens. Though some Harvard applicants did find information on their application status, school officials stressed that any decision wasn't final until March 30. Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business has already said it will reject those proven to have tried to peek at their files. Other business schools, including MIT's Sloan School of Management, Stanford's Graduate School of Business, Duke's Fuqua School of Business and Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business, have not said if they will reject applications. All of the schools use ApplyYourself, an online application and notification program made by a Fairfax, Va., company. The company has said applicants could access only their own admissions records. Some school administrators have said they're reacting cautiously while they investigate specifically who tried to access the admissions files. A spouse or parent, for example, may have had access to the password and personal identification numbers given to an applicant. But Clark told The Boston Globe that applicants were responsible for information that allowed them on the school's Web site, regardless of who accessed it. Sanford Kreisberg of Cambridge Essay Service, which helps students apply to elite U.S. business schools, said he thought Harvard was overreacting. He said some applicants may had inadvertently tried to access the files, without realizing they were looking for confidential information, after they were e-mailed directions from other students who had copied them from the BusinessWeek message board. "What they did was stupid, but that's all it was," Kreisberg said. "This seems needlessly harsh and rigid."

Federal anti-terrorism regulations are requiring financial institutions to rapidly deploy sweeping new financial reporting mechanisms that have executives throughout the banking industry deeply concerned, as evidenced by a recent letter to the US Treasury Department by a group of 28 banking industry groups. As reported by industry experts, the effort of banks to comply is "undermined" by a lack of clarity by the government as the new laws are drafted. Fincen, the Federal Crimes Enforcement Unit, manages the new financial reporting mandates. The new requirements have "teeth" -- in the past several years there have been five criminal enforcement actions against banks for failing to comply with laws to combat money laundering. Clearly there are strong parallels between business intelligence and datamining activities on the private sector side, and the intelligence gathering objectives of Fincen, which is essentially driving to create a national suspect transaction ODS from the nation's thousands of commercial banks - an enormous challenge on both sides of the equation. But it is an open question whether a bureaucratic organizational culture will have the nimble speed necessary to intercept emerging techniques for funding terrorism. And as anyone who has developed a data warehouse knows, the key foundation in long-term effectiveness is the thoughtful specification and design of the base ODS transaction store which contains all of the potentially relevant financial data. But it seems that Fincen has not clearly articulated what this design is or should be. About Fincen. In its own words, Fincen: "...is the largest overt collector of financial intelligence in the United States. The information we collect is highly valuable in combating terrorism and investigating money laundering and other financial crime. We mine data collected under the Bank Secrecy Act as well as law enforcement, commercial, and other intelligence to follow the money trails of terrorists and other criminals and to identify networks of people and accounts engaged in unlawful activity. To enhance the value of our efforts to combat terrorism and money laundering, we seek to broaden the types of data available to our analysts. To make better use of our resources, we also aim to focus the analytic resources of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network on complex investigative case support and assessments of terrorist financing and money laundering threats." Here are excerpts from Fincen strategic objectives for FY 2006-8. Note the strong links to web services and data warehousing / BI / data mining disciplines: Strategic Objective 4.1. Accelerate the secure flow of financial information from the industries subject to Bank Secrecy Act requirements to the law enforcement agencies that use it to prevent, detect, and prosecute financial crime, including terrorist financing; and to the regulators who must assess the adequacy of that information as well as oversee Bank Secrecy Act compliance. 4.1.1 Move aggressively to implement and enhance BSA Direct, a major initiative that will provide secure, user-friendly, web-based tools for accessing, analyzing, and filing Bank Secrecy Act data. 4.1.2 Provide the technology, education, and support needed to accommodate e-filing of 90% of Bank Secrecy Act reports by FY 2009. (Don- web service) 4.1.3 Increase the number of law enforcement agencies and regulators accessing Bank Secrecy Act data through our web-based technology. 4.1.4 Maintain strict controls, appropriate training, enhanced outreach and guidance, and a robust audit program to ensure that Bank Secrecy Act data are accessed, disseminated, and used in accordance with applicable legal requirements. 4.1.5 Enhance processes for networking law enforcement and intelligence agencies investigating the same subjects and for getting feedback on the usefulness of networking activity. Strategic Objective 4.2 Enhance communications between the government and the financial industry to ensure expeditious notification to law enforcement of possible terrorist or other illegal activity. 4.2.1 Improve the information-sharing established between law enforcement and the financial industry under Section 314 (a) of the USA PATRIOT Act. 4.2.2 Seek innovative, faster, and more efficient technical channels for dialog between government and the financial industry. Measuring Success. Success will be measured by the increase in users accessing Bank Secrecy Act data though our web-based technology, an increase in the number of BSA forms filed through electronic means, and evaluation of government-industry information exchange programs. In CY 2005, Fincen is developing guidelines for all this. The effort will be massive - there are at least a half-billion international wire transfers a year totaling trillions of dollars, and Fincen new requirements will likely total several hundred million records across the industry. In order for Fincen to accomplish this objective, it faces the daunting task of collecting an enormous store of financial data from U.S. and international banks - and then to interface this data with other countries. The international coordination is facilitated by The Egmont Group, a cooperative financial crime law enforcement group composed of FIUs (Financial Intelligence Units such as Fincen) from 92 countries. Fincen has an explicit objective in its 2006-08 strategic plan to champion the development of common IT / data standards through Egmont. And for good reason. Sadly, the international sharing of financial investigative data is in a deporable state. Egmont's published guidelines for member FIUs allow them to respond to written requests for fraud data by other FIU's not within hours or days - but gives them an entire month! Obviously by that time, a terrorist attack financed with the suspect funds could already be completed and with the tragic results of which we are already too familiar. Egmont knows this, and last year created a working group to address the issue: "... in the IT component research, analysis and information exchange in order to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other financial crimes, it was recognized that Information Technology (IT) issues are in such great demand by both experienced and nascent FIUs, that a Working Group was created to focus solely these issues." I will continue to track developments in this arena and report new issues - the devil will indeed reside in the details. The safety of us all, both in the U.S. and abroad, may depend on the effectiveness with which industry and government cooperate in this highly complex and difficult initiative.

Data cemeteries impede business intelligence use Renai LeMay, ZDNet AustraliaMarch 03, 2005 Industry analysts are falling over themselves to highlight 2005 as the year when business intelligence hits the mainstream. But those looking to implement business intelligence solutions may find their efforts hampered by vast silos of generally incorrect data. Several industry analysts from different organisations have all picked the last several weeks as a good time to comment on the current and future growth in the domestic market for business intelligence (BI). Frost & Sullivan analyst Foad Fadaghi said of the BI market at last weekend's KickStart conference in Queensland that "all vendors have had double digit growth in the last 12 months" and that the area is sure to heat up in the next twelve months.

Characteristics of an Outstanding Business Intelligence Project Manager by Jonathan Wu Summary: Not all projects are created equal, and the same can be said for project maangers - yet the outcome of a BI porject rests with the project manager. What characteristics must this individual possess? Not all projects are created equal, and the same can be said for project managers. Let's start with the first statement. Managing a business intelligence (BI) project is considerably different from managing a traditional software development project due to the melding of wide-ranging business requirements with various software and hardware technologies. In addition, traditional software development projects adhere to a development methodology that logically progresses in a serial manner until completion, while BI projects require an iterative approach that begins in development and continues through implementation as new information requirements are addressed and the business evolves. BI projects also require the project team to have greater interaction with a broader constituency, ranging from other IT professionals who are responsible for the information systems that capture or create data to business analysts and executives who need to access it. To be successful in the field of BI, a project team needs members with an understanding of and appreciation for the information needs of the user community as well as the technologies. In certain cases, this requires subject-matter-specific expertise about a business process or function, such as supply chain or finance. Of course, having in-depth knowledge of essential technologies such as data integration, dimensional modeling or enterprise reporting and analysis is a must as well. Leading a BI project to its successful implementation requires many skills and traits that range from common project management abilities to unique knowledge and experience. The Characteristics The people behind the projects are the fundamental drivers of success. They must possess a wide range of skills in order to be effective project managers. Over the years, I have worked on numerous BI projects in a variety of roles ranging from business analyst to technical architect and project manager. In addition, I have had the pleasure of working with several outstanding BI project managers such as Glenn Drayer, Denise LeGault, Josh Raysman and Damon Bowman as a project advisor or an engagement manager. I have also worked with a few BI project managers who were ineffective leaders or inexperienced with BI technologies; the names of the "guilty" are best left unsaid. Unfortunately, these projects floundered until a change in leadership was executed. My experiences with both successful and unsuccessful project managers has left a lasting impression when it comes to deciding what approaches to take - or not - when leading a BI project. From these collective experiences, I have distilled my appreciation and observations of those characteristics that distinguish outstanding BI project managers from their peers. This is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of the skills and characteristics for project managers, but rather to focus on those characteristics that differentiate outstanding BI project managers. Knowledgeable Beyond firmly understanding the principles of project management, a BI project manager must be knowledgeable about the business and technical aspects of the project. Outstanding BI project managers continuously stay informed of advancements in the field of BI. Risk is posed when an individual who is not knowledgeable about BI technologies or the subject matter is in the leadership role. If a person cannot knowledgeably manage a team, the staffing situation contradicts the primary goal of achieving results. This is also unfair to the project team, which can suffer from a lack of guidance. Outstanding BI project managers have an understanding of technical architectures and the differences between the corporate information factory and dimensional warehousing. They also have an understanding of the subject matter and the corresponding business processes and functions that will be addressed by the project. Their business and technical knowledge helps them advise and challenge their technical architects and business leads in order to formulate and design a solution that satisfies the information needs of the business community. In essence, they have the ability to provide guidance in any area of the project. Lastly, an outstanding BI project manager recognizes what he or she knows - or doesn't. With this understanding, he or she seeks guidance and assistance from other individuals who can contribute to the success of the project and help to mitigate knowledge gaps involving business requirements or BI technology. Experienced Not much can compare to having practical experience as a project manager or working on a BI project. Being book smart or knowledgeable about project management or BI development methodologies is great from a theoretical perspective. However, when in the middle of the development phase of a BI project, having previous experience helps the project manager to identify, react to and resolve items before they become issues. These can range from technical challenges such as creating a data model to satisfy business requirements, to changes in business requirements that arise because users have gained a better understanding of what you are trying to build for them and are now able to articulate their needs. Ideally, a project manager has served in various capacities and roles on previous BI initiatives. In addition to practical experience working on BI projects, an effective project manager must manage the scope of the project and its budget. Scope creep is a common occurrence on a BI project. This requires project managers to actively monitor tasks, deliverables and each project team member's time and expenses. By actively managing these items, he or she can determine the impact of a change request, thereby mitigating project overruns and managing the project sponsors' expectations. Leadership Skills Not everyone possesses the leadership skills or qualities that are needed to manage a BI project. An outstanding project manager must be able to inspire people and garner respect, not just among the project team members, but also among the sponsors and representatives from the user community. This requires the project manager to manage the expectations of both his or her direct reports as well as his or her supervisors, which establishes rapport and helps to create accountability for everyone involved. The project manager must build a team of individuals that possess different skills but complementary values. Developing a cross-functional team has its challenges because members have different backgrounds and come from different disciplines. This requires the project manager to unite members for the common good of the team and the success of the project. The project manager must also be well versed in conflict management and the art of negotiation, because these skills come into play more often than expected. Yet oddly, many managers remain only lightly trained in these capacities, if at all. Organizational Skills As with all outstanding project managers, good BI project managers are very organized and adhere to the guiding principles of project management. This requires them to develop and submit for approval a formal project plan that encapsulates deliverables, tasks, timelines and budget. Once the project plan has been approved, the project manager actively monitors the progress of the project as compared to plan. One way to communicate the status of the project is to hold weekly status meetings that include all project team members, the project sponsor and the project steering committee. By conducting these regularly scheduled meetings, all involved individuals are informed of progress made and outstanding issues. Communication Skills To be an effective leader, an individual also must be a great communicator. An outstanding BI project manager conveys his or her messages and ideas in an articulate manner that resonates with the target audience. This requires superb writing abilities and verbal communication skills. Imagine working for an individual who is a poor communicator. In addition to dealing with the frustration of not understanding what is expected, the lack of clear communication poses significant risk to the success of a BI project. Clear and concise communication is required in order to garner support for the solution by the user community. The success of a BI project directly corresponds to the effective usage of the solution. If users do not understand how to use the solution or the benefits that it provides to them, why should they change their behavior and daily activities? Effective communication is essential to managing expectations, educating users and encouraging individuals to embrace the BI solution. Personal Traits From my perspective, there are a few personal traits that distinguish good project managers from outstanding ones. First, there is honesty and the desire to be forthright in communications. The outstanding project manager understands the balance between being brutally honest to reinforce a position on an issue and being tactful so as to not damage relationships with other individuals. Honesty fosters trust and respect from the project team and the sponsors. Second, outstanding BI project managers are positive in their disposition. This is different from being an optimist. An optimist always hopes for the best despite the reality of the situation, and he or she may not appreciate or discover issues until it is too late. On the other hand, a positive disposition includes a healthy amount of skepticism and an understanding of the realities of the situation. Third, outstanding BI project managers are very perceptive and can identify areas of concern before they become issues. While perception is influenced by experience, the ability to recognize and address these items greatly reduces project risk and keeps the project moving forward. What it Takes Outstanding BI project managers possess numerous characteristics that are fostered from their educational background and continuous professional education, and are influenced from previous experiences. The common characteristics of an outstanding BI project manager are those traits that distinguish them from their peers. The outcome of a BI project rests with the project manager and his/her ability to navigate the political currents of the organization with the support of the project sponsor and steering committee while creating an information solution from disparate technologies and diverse business requirements. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jonathan Wu is a senior principal with Knightsbridge Solutions, www.knightsbridge.com, the largest independent professional services firm specializing in business intelligence and data warehousing. He has extensive experience designing, developing and implementing information solutions for reporting, analysis and decision-making purposes. Wu initiated and contributed to the development of the Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing Certificate Program at the University of California, Berkeley Extension and is also a lecturer in the program. In addition to this quarterly column, Wu is the business intelligence online columnist for DMReview.com. He can be reached at jwu@knightsbridge.com. Copyright 2005, SourceMedia and DM Review.

BPM Standards Group - Working Groups Members of the group include SAP AG.