While breaking down data silos and making critical data accessible to decision-makers across the enterprise has been high on the IT priority list for several years, a lot of work still needs to be done, according to the proprietary study "How are We Doing: The Drive Towards a Single View of the Business," conducted by Unisphere Research in conjunction with the Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG) and sponsored by Teradata, a leading provider of enterprise data warehousing and analytical solutions. In the survey, more than 7 out of 10 respondents, 71 percent, reported difficulties in performing analysis, or collecting the information they need, to answer new, unanticipated financial performance questions. Just 23 percent are satisfied with their existing analytic tools.

Perhaps more troubling, line-of-business employees often question the validity of the data they receive. In the survey, in three out of four companies, end-users and employees have been known to at least occasionally challenge the validity of data that is delivered from these enterprise systems. Only 16 percent could say that the problem occurred only rarely.
A total of 360 respondents participated in the study. Survey respondents represented a cross-section of Oracle applications sites. Job titles ranged from financial analysts and directors (25 percent), business analysts (18 percent), and IT managers, directors and CIOs (40 percent). A majority of survey respondents are involved in management reporting, monthly financial reporting, and quarterly financial reporting. Close to half are also involved in the budgeting process.

There are a number of factors that hinder respondents’ ability to get information important to their companies. The inability to validate data quality and completeness is cited by 44 percent, while a similar number said they have difficulty extracting data from different systems that are spread across the business. The ability to acquire data in a timely fashion - integrating data from different systems with the speed required to influence corporate performance - is cited as a challenge by close to four out of 10 respondents.

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