A major challenge in implementing BI applications' usability is the lack of integration or in other words, the information is distributed among so many applications that end-users are reluctant to use it for their day-to-day activities.

The source of this problem usually relies in one or more of the following:

• Various and different types of BI applications and interfaces are implemented (OLAP, relational, dashboards, etc.)
• A single BI application is implemented by it is using various business models or several different authorization mechanisms
• Documents and supporting information are scattered across different business units of the organization

The above situation characterizes a fairly complex BI environment, which discourages the designated end users, especially at the executive levels, from using BI applications as much as they would want to.

As a direct result, the organization suffers from less informed decision making processes.

BI Portal, a web application based on Microsoft's share-point portal server technology, was developed by Gilon to address this important challenge. BI Portal is about centralizing all the organizational knowledge in one place, thus making it effortlessly available to all designated end-users.

BI Portal efficiently provides end users with a unified environment which contains all the key business information they need, thus improving accessibility, increasing productivity and optimizing organizational decision making processes.

Main Benefits
By implementing the BI Portal organizations gain the following benefits:

• 360° business perspective of the organization – the ability to analyze the data from different applications and environments in a single unified interface, provides end-users with an over whole perspective of the organization.

• Accelerate implementation of BI applications – often organizations fail to motivate users to use BI applications. BI Portal provides a familiar and intuitive environment which reduces the learning curve and accelerates the implementation process.

• Flexibility in adjusting to the organization needs – BI Portal provides personalized environments for BI end users. From the 'look and feel' to customized functionality. Enriching user experience and encouraging use of BI applications.

• Clear ROI – Simply put, BI Portal increases the exposure of end users to BI applications, thus improving the flow of knowledge and decision making in the organization.

BI Portal Key Elements
BIPortal contains six components whose integration creates significant value:

• Single Entry Point – a single application which is customized according to the organization's needs and requirements, and contains all the relevant information. This entry point enables the user to easily navigate messages, external applications, etc.
• Flexible Organizational Reports View – the Organizational Reports View is organized in a flexible tree form, which gathers various types of information (dashboards, report, documents) into one easy to use and intuitive structure.
• Personal Favorites – each user has her/his own personal area in which personal data can be saved. e.g. reports from the organizational reports view, personal documents, etc.
• Business Dictionary – a component which contains definitions of all the relevant business terms in one place. The application can be customized to link different data items such as reports from organizational reports view to these definitions. This promotes the creation of unified business language in the organization.
• BI Search Engine – at each step of the navigation, the end user can search for data items, reports and business definitions easily and intuitively.
• BI Portal Usage Analysis – in order to improve the understanding of the organizational points of interest, the BI Portal provides a variety of built-in reports, which analyze users' usage of BI Portal from various aspects (identity of users, used portal areas, common reports, etc).