Intelligence. What does it really mean? Definitions vary from the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills to the capacity for understanding to the aptitude to perceive and comprehend the meaning of things that our mind turns into concepts. The truth is that there are as many definitions of intelligence as there are individuals trying to describe it. Experts have even categorized intelligence as cognitive, social, emotional, artificial, artistic, digital, business, and so on. You name it!
Truly exceptional leaders, those that are called transformational or disruptive, are considered intelligent in at least two of these categories.
I strongly believe that Fernando Rivero is part of this privileged group of transformational leaders. More than 20 years ago, I had the opportunity to recruit him as a MicroStrategy intern, pioneering business intelligence in markets struggling to understand and implement ERP systems and geographies, where BI was just a buzzword, a nice to have, and Decision Support Systems were perceived as a useless luxury with no clear idea of the potential benefits they might bring to companies' performance.
I witnessed Fernando's personal and professional growth for some years, as BI and DWH offerings were consolidated by the largest IT providers in the industry and transformed from BI to data mining to analytics, big data, IOT, and so on, incorporating web, mobile, and cloud computing technologies. Very few companies survived this consolidation, NASDAQ catastrophes, and other setbacks to remain faithful to their original principles and technological vision to continuously deliver innovative ways to transform data into valuable information for decision makers.
MicroStrategy Quick Start Guide is the result of Fernando's ability to explain extremely complicated ideas in a very simple way. He has transformed highly technical manuals into a billboard for dummies, depicting data models, dimensions, facts, attributes, metrics, and relationships as simple building blocks, understandable to any common user, and has changed the way in which business analytics should be described. He has even developed his own philosophy and manuals to instruct various attendees (consultants, power, and end users) in his MicroStrategy's training sessions.
MicroStrategy Quick Start Guide is a practical, step-by-step toolkit that will guide the reader through the ropes to know of this marvelous BI platform. It clarifies MicroStrategy's architecture and its powerful engine logic, covering the platform's components and information delivery channels. It addresses the MicroStrategy features that are necessary for any BI or data analytics implementation, such as design, development, visualization, connectivity, security, administration, security, and monitoring, among others, in a friendly manner.
I am confident that you will find this guide extremely useful, regardless of your level of training or expertise with MicroStrategy, and that it will be a critical factor in the success of your BI or analytics initiatives.
Juan Pablo Martinez
Former CEO, Active Data Systems
Channel Sales Manager, Informatica Mexico
I first met Fernando Rivero in 2004. Two of the people in my consulting practice at the time had been raving about their favorite professor of business intelligence at their alma mater. A short time later, by chance, that man's résumé landed on my desk. Fernando, the softly spoken professor, joined our practice and quickly became the preferred advisor to C-level executives at Fortune 500 retailers, financial services firms, and more.
Business intelligence, after all, is the science of turning the mounds of data that every company has floating around their organization into actionable information. I think of a company's data as being like the random stuff that most people have in their garage. It's not very useful in its current state. But if you can turn a random assortment of information into a way to save a company millions in expenses, or reveal a potential new line of business, then suddenly you become a very sought-after person.
Fernando was that rare consultant with deep technical mastery, along with a knack for efficiently explaining complex topics to others. In my quarter-century of leading technical consultancies, I've met few others like him.
In this book, Fernando uses the same easy-to-understand tone that made him popular with CIOs and college students alike, and reveals the essential information needed to become the resident expert in MicroStrategy business intelligence. He starts with the basics of installation and setting up your MicroStrategy work space (or project). Very quickly, you will be learning some of the advanced features that will capture the interest of business users, such as setting up drill maps, creating visual reports, and supporting self-service enthusiasts.
This book provides the reader with an incredibly efficient means of reaching proficiency with MicroStrategy products, and will set you on the path to being a business intelligence leader. The lab approach to the material keeps your hands on the keyboard to maximize your retention. It is compact, to the point, and chock full of what you need to know.
Happy learning!
Rob Jammes
Former Professional Service Director, MicroStrategy Inc.
Professional Services Executive, Imperva