GRADUATE AND EXECUTIVE CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS

Business Intelligence Graduate Certificate Program

In a knowledge-intensive economy, the ability of a company to compete effectively depends increasingly upon its ability to exploit its available knowledge resources. This requires very effective methods to organize the flood of data that flows into the organization from both operations and the business environment, and smart analytics to decipher the data and extract valuable insights from it. The collection of data management, modeling and analytical methods needed to achieve these goals are collectively known as “business intelligence” (BI).

While many of the tools and techniques of business intelligence have been available for years to technical experts and computer scientists, new software packages from leading firms such as Microsoft, SAS Institute and IBM have made them accessible to key end-users such as managers, business analysts and management consultants.

The Business Intelligence Graduate Certificate Program at the Cox School of Business enables business managers and business analysts to understand how information can be accessed from corporate databases and data warehouses, and how models can be built for a broad variety of decision problems. The modeling techniques that are covered in the program range from traditional statistical models and optimization models to new techniques such as data mining and OLAP. The program also covers how many of these ideas are leveraged in corporate software systems such as KM, CRM and ERP systems.

The program is comprehensive and thorough. The three modules in the program address three key areas of interest: (1) traditional analytical models for decision making using widely available spreadsheet platforms; (2) tools to leverage databases and large datasets for business intelligence; and (3) organizational resources and initiatives that can facilitate and enhance business intelligence.

Program Highlights

• Covers contemporary modeling methods that leverage the large databases and datasets available to organizations today.
• Combines instruction on concepts and methods with hands-on use of popular modeling software tools such as spreadsheet MS Excel, MS Access, and leading edge data mining software such as MS SQL Server 2005 and SAS Enterprise Miner.
• Designed to suit the working professional, with once-a-week, three-hour evening sessions conveniently scheduled at the Cox School on the SMU campus in Dallas.
• Taught by leading faculty from the Cox School of Business and experts from industry.