Abstract
Business Intelligence (BI) solutions become increasingly important in today's business world. In regard to introducing a BI solution, this process can be either started by using a bottom-up or top-down approach. A bottom-up approach is mostly driven by functional departments and sets an emphasis on the data analysis part. In contrast, a top-down approach is usually driven by senior management and focuses on the strategic objectives of the firm. This thesis identifies the strengths and weaknesses of both approaches and links the findings to the ideas of different IT frameworks. The results of this comparison are inputs for suggesting extended Event-Driven Process Chains (eEPCs) as a new methodology for addressing BI implementation projects. eEPCs compensate the issues and weaknesses identified using either a bottom-up or top-down approach. In the second part, this methodology is used in· a practical case study. It is show how eEPCs support the alignment process of a BI solution in order to meet the needs of the supply chain at Deutsche Steinzeug Cremer & Breuer AG (DSCB). DSCB is a German based company that operates in the competitive tile industry and intends to add the SAP BI solution on top of their existing SAP ERP system. Part of this thesis is the identification of metrics that can be used in a postimplementation review plan, which helps the company to measure the success of the BI project as well as allows providing lessons learned to future BI enlargement projects.