ANALYTICAL DETECTIVES:

SOLVING DATA MYSTERIES

April, 2014

 Peter Krensky, Research Analyst,

Analytics & Business Intelligence

 Michael Lock, Vice President & Principal Analyst,

Analytics & Business Intelligence

Report Highlights

p3 p4 p4 p6

40% of Detectives
list identifying key
data sources as a
top strategy.
Detectives are 23% Detectives are 36% Detectives are 26%
more likely than All more likely than All more likely than All
Others to have data Others to have Others to be satisfied
query / discovery interactive data with their access to
tools. visualization. analytical tools.

When business data presents a mystery, certain individuals are

always first on the scene. This Research Report, based on data
from Aberdeen Group's Analytical Mind Map, will examine the
Detectives — statistical sleuths who are after just the facts.
 Analytical Detectives: Solving Data Mysteries

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The Detectives are on the Case
To be identified as a Who are the Detectives? Beginning in February 2014, Aberdeen's
Detective, a Mind Analytical Mind Map collected data from over 650 Business
Intelligence (BI) users on the emotional traits and analytical
Map respondent
tendencies that mold their decision environment. Survey takers
must be both a data- rated themselves on whether they were a data-driven or gut-
driven decision driven decision maker. They were also asked if they were
creators or consumers of analysis as, to be identified as a
maker and a creator
Detective, a Mind Map respondent must be both a data-driven
of analysis. decision maker and a creator of analysis (Figure 1). Detectives
use an evidence-based approach to all of their decisions and as
creators of analysis, they're not afraid to get their hands dirty in
the data.

Figure 1: Traits of the Detective

© Aberdeen Group, Analytical Mind Map: Detectives, May 2014

Identify and Follow the Evidence

Detectives' strategies concerning analytics differ from those of

less inquisitive minds (Figure 2). For 40% of Detectives,

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 Analytical Detectives: Solving Data Mysteries

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identifying key data sources required for analysis is a top
strategy, compared to 26% of All Others. Detectives must be
vigilant when tracking down data, whether they are hot on the
trail of a business problem or just asking a few background
questions. Before Detectives apply their skills to the data, they
line up the most promising informants. By finding the data
sources that are truly relevant to a specific inquiry, Detectives
are also able to avoid red herrings and only follow legitimate
leads.

Figure 2: Top Analytical Strategies

Delivering analytical capabilities to more operational business

functions is a top strategy for 38% of Detectives. Detectives Only 34% of Detectives rated
never know where the evidence will lead them. Investigations themselves as highly collaborative
and just 31% said they trusted the
can span multiple lines of business and Detectives want the
analysis and insight of others.
ability to analyze any department's data. Additional BI
functionality throughout the organization offers Detectives the
opportunity to generate more comprehensive insights.
Analytical proliferation is a priority for Detectives but they are
30% less likely than All Others to make ‘improving collaboration

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Detectives achieved a 26%
improvement in their amount of
searchable data over the past 12
months, a 30% greater increase
than All Others.
Analytical Detectives: Solving Data Mysteries
by breaking down information silos’ a top strategy. This is likely
because many Detectives have already put procedures in place
to collaborate with other jurisdictions and now their focus is on
evidence gathering. The 32% of Detectives that do promote
breaking down information silos are likely more interested in
accessing new data for themselves than in promoting
collaboration (see sidebar). As creators of analysis, Detectives
are less concerned with the ability to consume the insight of
others.
Tools of the Trade
Detectives adopt a set of technologies at greater rates that
enable them to better inspect and understand data (Figure 3).
Over half of Detectives have data query and discovery tools, a
23% higher adoption rate than All Others. Data discovery is at
the heart of the Detectives analytical personality and they are
always looking for the vital data point that will crack a case wide
open. Past Aberdeen research has shown that data discovery
tools provide decision makers with more timely access to critical
information. Detectives are methodical by nature, but they need
data in time to inform the decision at hand or prevent an
opportunity from escaping. Data discovery tools empower
Detectives to freely explore pertinent data and approach
business problems from new angles. Detectives also lead
initiatives to improve the searchability of enterprise data (see
sidebar).
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 Analytical Detectives: Solving Data Mysteries

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Figure 3: Putting Data under the Magnifying Glass

Detectives are 36% more likely than All Others to have

interactive data visualization capabilities. Interactive visuals
help Detectives find the smoking gun behind business problems
or catch the cause of an operational inefficiency red-handed.
Creators of analysis should relish the opportunity to get to the Detectives obtained critical
bottom of intriguing figures on their dashboards. However, there information within the decision
window 71% of the time, compared
is an opportunity for analytical improvement, as more than half to 66% of the time for All Others.
of Detectives are not applying their talents to interactive visuals.
Aberdeen's report, Interactive Data Visualization: Strategies and
Key Technologies, explains the drawbacks and limitations of
working with only static data visualization.

Just 23% of Detectives have predictive analytics, though they are

more likely than All Others to have this technology. Aberdeen's
report, Predictive Analytics is Delivering Results: So what are BI
Adopters Waiting for?, examines the slow adoption of predictive
modeling across all industries despite its clear performance. Just
as real-life law enforcement uses predictive analytics to

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Detectives are 18% more likely than
All Others to consistently track and
report data quality issues.
Analytical Detectives: Solving Data Mysteries
intelligently deploy patrols to high risk area, Detectives can build
models to see what data may serve as indicators of future
trends.
For Detectives, Data Engagement should be Elementary
Detectives that feel empowered to engage data are more
productive and insightful. Across several satisfaction metrics,
they are more likely to be satisfied with key elements of their
analytical decision environment (Figure 4). Sixty percent (60%)
of Detectives are satisfied with their analytical tools' relevance to
their job roles. Successful organizations align analytical
functionality with the day-to-day activities of their Detectives
and give them the proper tools to perform at a high level. A
Detective on the shop floor may need real-time analytics, while a
more executive Detective is better served by a strategic
dashboard. The entire organization benefits when Detectives
can properly engage the data that matters to them.
Figure 4: Satisfaction Metrics
Detectives are 26% more likely than All Others to be satisfied
with their overall access to the analytical tools they want or
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 Analytical Detectives: Solving Data Mysteries

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need. Organizations with true Detectives in their employ should
listen to employees' needs and deliver streamlined access to
requested tools. Managers of Detectives should work to Just 4% of Detectives
eliminate any obstacles or IT middlemen between creators of work in Business
analysis and the BI system. Powerful analytical tools are the Development /Sales,
Detectives' forensics lab, which they access to convert the
compared to 15% of
smallest speck of evidence into hard findings. Well-equipped
Detectives will deliver insights that will elude others who lack
All Others.
their skills and demeanor.

Finally, Detectives are 34% more likely than Followers to be

satisfied with the ease-of-use of their analytical tools. The fewer
challenges and delays Detectives face when interacting with
data, the more analysis they can create. Still, more than half of
Detectives feel their tools could be more user-friendly.
Aberdeen's report, The BI User Interface Best-in-Class: Self-
Service, Ease of Use, and Data Access, examines the superior
analytical performance and decision making of BI users with a
friendly interface.

Key Takeaways

Successful analytics is fundamentally about getting the right

data in the right person's hands at the right time. Detectives
bring data into the interrogation room and always get a
confession. They know what questions to ask and when they
need more evidence. It is in their nature to bring the proper data
to bear on business problems and derive insights that others
miss and their methodical approach provides a strong backing
for decisions at any level. Detectives have to be careful not to get
locked into one theory and block out any conflicting evidence as
tunnel vision and analysis paralysis can cause Detectives to miss
obvious connections. The Detective persona presents analytical
practices to emulate as well as areas for improvement:

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 Detectives track down clues anywhere in the
organization. Detectives are 54% more likely than All
Others to make identifying key data sources for analysis a
top strategy. Additionally, delivering analytical
capabilities to more departments is a key strategy for
38% of Detectives. These creators of analysis focus on the
evidence that matters and are able to follow clues
wherever they lead within the organization's data.

 Detectives use more just a magnifying glass. Detectives

are 23% more likely than All Others to have data query
and discovery tools and 36% more likely to have
interactive visualization capabilities. These technologies
offer Detectives the ability to more closely examine data
and seek out new evidence to hone their analysis.
Predictive analytics, still an emerging technology among
Detectives, offer the opportunity to leverage data and
past insights to model the future.

 A happy Detective is a productive crime solver.

Detectives are more likely than All Others to be satisfied
with the relevance of their analytical capabilities and
their access to BI tools. Detectives empowered by the
right data and technology can leverage their natural
inclination towards creating insight and address more
business problems. Engagement can be facilitated by a
better user interface and the majority of Detectives feel
that their analytical tools could be easier to use.

Some people know how to treat numbers like fingerprints.

Analytical Detectives should ask themselves if they are dusting
off every piece of data that will drive better decisions.

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For more information on this or other research topics, please visit www.aberdeen.com.

Related Research
Introducing the Analytical Mind Map: The BI
Personality Test; April 2014
Analytical Gunslingers: The Quick and the Dead;
April 2014
Analytical Evangelists: Preaching the Gospel of
Data-Driven Insight; April 2014
Analytical Professors: Leverage of the Nerds; April
2014
The BI User Interface Best-in-Class: Self-Service,
Ease-of-Use, and Data Access; April 2014
Sales Analytics: Data-Driven Forecasting for Better
Quota Attainment; April 2014
Interactive Data Visualization: Strategies and Key
Technologies; March 2014
Location Analytics: Putting the Evolution of BI on
the Map; February 2014
The Executive's Guide to Effective Analytics;
December 2013
Real-Time Data Visualization: #$%& It! Do it Live;
October 2013

Author: Peter Krensky, Research Analyst, Analytics & Business Intelligence

(peter.krensky@aberdeen.com)
Author: Michael Lock, Vice President & Principal Analyst, Analytics & Business Intelligence
(michael.lock@aberdeen.com)

About Aberdeen Group

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This document is the result of primary research performed by Aberdeen Group. Aberdeen Group's methodologies
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