Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Is Siri future of BI?

Siri, a voice-activated "personal assistant" on the new iPhone 4S helps you send messages, set reminders, and search for information. You speak to Siri to ask it questions and give it commands, such as small tasks that you'd like it to complete. For example, ask Siri about the weather, and it will respond out loud with a short summary of the day's weather report and on-screen with a snapshot of the five-day forecast.

What will happen if we integrate Siri with BI applications? If we integrate Siri with BI application then conversation between BI end user and Siri will go like this

Siri: What can I help you with?
CEO: What is our sales revenue?
Siri: It's 300 mn till date. There is growth of 10% Y-o-Y.
CEO: Which is our worst performing region?
Siri: North. Sales revenue has declined 20% compared to the same period last year.
CEO: Text scott why is sales revenue declining? Can we meet tomorrow? (Scott - Regional Manager - North)
CEO: Set up sales review meeting with Scott at 9 am tomorrow.
Siri: Ok. I have set up a meeting at 9am.

Siri makes it so easy to consume the information and hence it is a ideal match for BI applications. Currently Apple doesn't allow third party developers to access Siri. When they open access to Siri, it will definitely change the way people use BI applications. Siri has potential to revolutionize BI application world.