Model before you build

"Users will not know exactly what they want until they see it (maybe not even then).”

A reality in BI projects is that business users have a hard time providing feedback on the design requirements or value of a BI system until they see actual results with real data.  BI prototyping helps this issue by giving users the opportunity to provide concrete feedback about the solution and its benefits.  These feedback checkpoints, using company data, are critical to justify an investment in BI because they validate that the BI system will meet business expectations. 

Mariner uses a variety of tools to help with prototyping:

• Expression Studio - SketchFlow
• PowerPivot (BISM)
• Tableau 
• Excel & Visio