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BI Takes Over Where Canned Reports Leave Off
So why don't more firms use Business Intelligence (BI)? Most of them just don't understand what BI is all about. Many firms have a pretty good report writer built into their time-and-billing system and their vendor provides many pre-designed reports, each with selection options. Moreover, many firms have someone on-staff who knows Crystal Report Writer. Isn't this all they need? No, it's not. Today's managers need more powerful and flexible access to financial information than canned or even custom-programmed report writers can deliver in a timely, economical fashion.
Todd Summerfelt, chief operating officer at the 60-timekeeper firm of Carney Badley Spellman in Seattle gets financial performance analysis requests from his partners all the time. He has, at his disposal, a slew of canned reports from his time and billing system as well as custom reports written in Microsoft ACCESS. These days, he finds it much faster and easier to simply use his Business Intelligence program to build an ad-hoc analysis of almost anything the partners request. “It is just so much easier to click on data elements from my data warehouse and choose an Excel Pivot Table as my output option. Canned reports, as good as they are, just can't handle all the special requirements,” says Summerfelt. Business Intelligence handles all the hard work. Excel Pivot Tables are challenging to build even for an experienced user; my BI program builds them automatically.”
Janice Shoultz, office manager for the 133-timekeeper New York City firm of Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf says, “When I want information, I always go to my Business Intelligence system first. Using it to analyse information is remarkably easy and the reports generate so quickly, that I have the information I need in moments. BI is essential to our firm's year-end reporting. We can now extract accurate data quickly, in practical formats, without custom programming. We write reports in minutes, drill down to detail or re-organize data with a click of the mouse and easily provide information partners want.
Major Differences In UK, U.S. Copyright Laws
This article highlights how copyright law in the United Kingdom differs from U.S. copyright law, and points out differences that may be crucial to entertainment and media businesses familiar with U.S law that are interested in operating in the United Kingdom or under UK law. The article also briefly addresses contrasts in UK and U.S. trademark law.
The Article 8 Opt In
The Article 8 opt-in election adds an additional layer of complexity to the already labyrinthine rules governing perfection of security interests under the UCC. A lender that is unaware of the nuances created by the opt in (may find its security interest vulnerable to being primed by another party that has taken steps to perfect in a superior manner under the circumstances.
Strategy vs. Tactics: Two Sides of a Difficult Coin
With each successive large-scale cyber attack, it is slowly becoming clear that ransomware attacks are targeting the critical infrastructure of the most powerful country on the planet. Understanding the strategy, and tactics of our opponents, as well as the strategy and the tactics we implement as a response are vital to victory.
Legal Possession: What Does It Mean?
Possession of real property is a matter of physical fact. Having the right or legal entitlement to possession is not "possession," possession is "the fact of having or holding property in one's power." That power means having physical dominion and control over the property.
The Stranger to the Deed Rule
In 1987, a unanimous Court of Appeals reaffirmed the vitality of the "stranger to the deed" rule, which holds that if a grantor executes a deed to a grantee purporting to create an easement in a third party, the easement is invalid. Daniello v. Wagner, decided by the Second Department on November 29th, makes it clear that not all grantors (or their lawyers) have received the Court of Appeals' message, suggesting that the rule needs re-examination.