Don't just take my word for it...

I've always enjoyed having the chance to stand on my soapbox and tell people what I think... about almost anything! I find that by being upfront with partners, clients, and prospects, there's far less risk of problems down the road. So thank you to those of you who have listened to my advice/opinions/rants in the past.

Obviously some (most) of my comments are about Business Intelligence - which kind of makes sense! But I think it is really important for people to have multiple sources for their information. So listed below are a few resources that I think are of great value for those currently using Business Intelligene in their businesses, or for those considering a step down that path. If you have any other suggestions, please feel free to forward them:

• The Data Warehouse Institute (TDWI): This organization is not affiliated with any particular vendor, and their site has lots of great content. In particular, Wayne Eckerson always has great comments/insight.
• TDWI on Linked-In: For ongoing, community-generated discussions about BI, this is a great place to go. Highly recommended.
• BOB - BusinessObjects Forum: If you are using BusinessObjects for your BI, as either a technical resource or an end-user, this site has lots of excellent content! It has lots of willing participation from around the world. And it is independent of SAP BusinessObjects, so there is definitely some honesty there!
• SDN - The SAP Software Developers Network: I know what you're thinking, but this is NOT a plug for SAP. (They do enough of that by themselves!) But the SDN is another well-maintained site open to public contribution, and with lots of helpful people involved.
• The Kimball Group: Ralph Kimball knows more about Data Warehouses than most of us can ever hope to learn, but I also find that hte information is readable - far more so than any technical manual I've ever seen. Check out their forums, too.

This should get you started! I'll add some more soon. Also, we'll be adding some video blog pieces to youtube.com soon. Hope it's useful.

Jim