Open source implementation of business intelligence system for Kenyan universities: a case of the technical university of Kenya

Abstract

Latest technological advancements in computer storage, networking and processor speeds have enabled organizations to develop innovative ways to intelligently collect data that was not possible before. However, this has led to the explosion of data and unprecedented challenges in making strategic and effective use of the available data. The current information systems such as executive information systems and decision support systems, among others, have not been able to provide crucial reports to decision makers. Decision makers require reports that are timely, accurate, actionable, and depicting the whole „business picture‟. Business Intelligent (BI) systems come to the rescue of decision makers. BI systems provide timely, accurate, and actionable information to the right person enabling quick and correct decisions. Higher learning institutions like universities, being one of the organizations, require such systems for effective management. Past studies reveal little adoption of BI in Kenyan Universities. This research project was geared towards implementing a Business Intelligence System for Kenyan Universities; taking a case of the Technical University of Kenya. Kimball‟s dimension modeling was used in designing a data warehouse. The system was implemented using Hadoop cluster integrated with R Statistical Software. Data warehouse was developed and analysis achieved using Hive Query Language and R through data visualization and dashboards. Comparison with the state-of-art open source BI tools was conducted. The project revealed great opportunities for open source tools in data analytics for universities. The study recommended a real-time BI system that would relay live status of events for effective decision-making and also incorporation of unstructured data from social media in improving the University analytics