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BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE, AI & CLOUD CONCEPTS
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOR BUSINESS (THE
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS) 2026 LATEST VERSION
BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE (BI), AI & CLOUD
What is BI?
Business Intelligence (BI) uses software and services to turn raw data
into meaningful insights that support strategic and tactical business
decisions. 3 Benefits of BI
1. Collects and organizes large amounts of information
2. Helps develop insights about customers, competitors, and
internal operations
3. Supports better decision-making → leads to higher profitability
Data Warehouse vs. Data Mart
Data Warehouse
• Stores current + historical data from multiple systems
• Standardized across the entire organization
• Used for analysis and reporting
• Data cannot be changed
Data Mart
• Mini-warehouse
• Focuses on a single subject (e.g., Sales, HR)
Analytical Tools
, 2
• OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) → think Rubik’s cube
for data
o Allows rotating, drilling down, slicing, and dicing data
• Data Mining
• Text Mining
• Web Mining
What Data Mining Can Find
• Associations: One event linked to another (e.g., people who
buy X also buy Y)
• Sequences: Events over time
• Classification: Predict behavior (e.g., which customers might
leave)
• Clustering: Grouping similar data
• Forecasting: Predict future values
Text Mining & Web Mining
• Text Mining: Extracts key info from unstructured text
(emails, reviews, social posts)
• Web Mining: Extracts info from websites, links, and logs
What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?
AI is when machines simulate human intelligence—learning,
reasoning, and problem-solving.
Examples: Alexa, facial recognition, chatbots, recommendation
engines.
Cloud Computing
Cloud = storing and accessing apps & data over the internet, not on
your hard drive.
Cloud Service Models
BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE, AI & CLOUD CONCEPTS
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOR BUSINESS (THE
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS) 2026 LATEST VERSION
BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE (BI), AI & CLOUD
What is BI?
Business Intelligence (BI) uses software and services to turn raw data
into meaningful insights that support strategic and tactical business
decisions. 3 Benefits of BI
1. Collects and organizes large amounts of information
2. Helps develop insights about customers, competitors, and
internal operations
3. Supports better decision-making → leads to higher profitability
Data Warehouse vs. Data Mart
Data Warehouse
• Stores current + historical data from multiple systems
• Standardized across the entire organization
• Used for analysis and reporting
• Data cannot be changed
Data Mart
• Mini-warehouse
• Focuses on a single subject (e.g., Sales, HR)
Analytical Tools
, 2
• OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) → think Rubik’s cube
for data
o Allows rotating, drilling down, slicing, and dicing data
• Data Mining
• Text Mining
• Web Mining
What Data Mining Can Find
• Associations: One event linked to another (e.g., people who
buy X also buy Y)
• Sequences: Events over time
• Classification: Predict behavior (e.g., which customers might
leave)
• Clustering: Grouping similar data
• Forecasting: Predict future values
Text Mining & Web Mining
• Text Mining: Extracts key info from unstructured text
(emails, reviews, social posts)
• Web Mining: Extracts info from websites, links, and logs
What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?
AI is when machines simulate human intelligence—learning,
reasoning, and problem-solving.
Examples: Alexa, facial recognition, chatbots, recommendation
engines.
Cloud Computing
Cloud = storing and accessing apps & data over the internet, not on
your hard drive.
Cloud Service Models
