Modern-day trucking companies face operational challenges far greater than logistics. The rigors of supply chains, higher fuel costs, equipment maintenance and tighter regulations all take their toll. Pair that with the task of managing inventory, and multiple trucks and warehouses, coping with regional difference and tracking shipments in transit. Then further compound the complexity of the trucking business with market impacts (like...

The old ways of spreadsheet wrangling, complex data prep with formulas and models have given way to the ease of asking questions and getting relevant, insightful answers in a matter of minutes. Per an MIT Sloan Management Review and IBM Institute for Business Value study, almost 40% of respondents had a limited understanding of how to use analytic tools for better data driven decisions, while 80% of the time is spent on data...

The number one priority with incentive compensation management (ICM) is paying commissions accurately and in a timely manner. A strong reporting strategy should be tied to this process, which can make a significant difference in terms of building employee trust and in increasing productivity. A typical example of how reporting can impact ICM processes is the Compensation and Detail Statement. When designed well, this type of report...

IBM has signed an agreement with Mapbox to offer geospatial mapping in Cognos Analytics (CA).  Cognos Analytics will ship MapBox with CA and offer it at no additional cost to customers (unlike some other Analytics partners of Mapbox). MapBox is a unique provider of geospatial capabilities, deployed first and foremost in the Cloud, which means easy global access and a continual stream of daily updates to maps from leading data sources....

Recent studies show that 74% of financial managers are using spreadsheets as their primary vehicle to generate reports.  This means creating lengthy reports or presentations manually, which can yield financial documentation that is prone to human error, contains outdated information and has little or no version control.  This in turn brings key problems associated with a manual reporting process, such as information and data on...

Rarely, is the truth in plain sight.  When faced with disparate systems, applications, or sources, gathering the data in a single place is only half the battle. The second half of the equation is putting in place a stringent set of data standards that would enable users to slice and dice data in whatever context they need it.  Creating a database that provides a holistic view of all relevant domains and focusing on information content...