According to Gartner's recent publication "Emerging Technology Analysis: Visualization-Based Data Discovery Tools", "...data discovery grew double-digits even in the crisis year of 2009, and in 2010 growth reached 37%. A continued strong growth pace is also expected from 2011 through 2015, with gradual tapering off of growth as the area matures.”

What happens when data discovery reaches its maturity? What will be the next trend in Business Intelligence? Business Intelligence is a tool that continues to evolve as business needs and structure change. It has become quite clear that organizations of all sizes and in all industries can no longer function without a business intelligence tool, because we have moved from fighting fires to focusing on future issues. Time is of the essence and in order for companies to stay engaged in today’s economic culture, people need to adapt to change, educate themselves, and bring BI knowledge to the conference table. This way of thinking will mold the BI of tomorrow.

In the past year, we have humanized BI through the use of mobile devices. The iPad has become our friend; telling us stories about our business, keeping us up to date on the latest company news, allowing us to travel and work at the same time, and giving us a place to share ideas. It is like a dream come true. Who would have dreamed that technology would have come so far? In the next few years, we will witness further advancement of these tools. They may not get smaller but they will be more intuitive and more powerful. If you think we are running our lives through our devices today, wait to see what happens tomorrow.

With Facebook and Twitter we have become inundated with social media. It has become a plague. This phenomena is spreading around the world. Businesses took a social networking tool and made it work for them: free advertising. Businesses are creating brands and people are branding themselves. We know that communication is the best way to stay connected with industries and on a personal basis with family and friends. This is only the beginning of connecting with people, resources and growing a “personal network.” Those who stay connected are those who will move forward quickly.

And that is exactly what is happening to Business Intelligence. It has moved forward quickly from Data Analytics to Business Analytics. We call it Business Discovery today, what is next?

The answer is True Business Intelligence. The results will be based on facts derived from precise algorithms developed from real life analytical situations. The development of BI software will help to predict the future in a way that was never done before. It will combine the social technology that we have learned with an advanced version of today’s BI.

How is this going to effect the analyst? With these advances, the analyst will be able to quickly separate out the factual information providing increased accuracy in decision making and future planning. As for management, the executive dashboard will provide constant communication from the analyst and appropriate staff members on issues that need immediate attention or approval to avoid delays.

Our efforts to communicate with one another is in its infancy. The next trend after Business Discovery is Social Intelligence. It is the epitome of how individuals work as a group using advanced data.