Business Intelligence (BI) is a term that has been in existence since the 1960s. It is reported to have evolved from the decision support systems originating from the computer-aided models created to assist with decision making and business planning. The aim of BI is to transform historical, current and predictive data into meaningful and useful information for business purposes in order to make the best business decisions going forward. At Conspicuous we expect the buzz word for 2014 to be ‘Data’. In 2013 there was a tendency to call all forms of data ‘Big-Data’, but in effect whether big or small the aim for any business is to utilise all the information available to them. This information can be their internal records or information available externally. The primary aim of ERP solutions, from Sage to SAP, is to offer a return on investment. Any ERP solution with finance at the core should streamline business processes and practices for a company. Traditionally a company will look to Dynamics AX and NAV to either implement their first solution or replace a legacy ERP solution for a more modern and powerful alternative. Traditionally the decision to implement any ERP solution will revolve around the finance department, the warehouse, the manufacturing department, the EPOS and the business practice in general. However, increasingly we are seeing businesses looking at the ERP solution and then prior to making any purchasing decisions, looking further at the additional benefits in terms of BI and the BI solutions associated with the ERP. Without a doubt any ERP solution will be processing the business data on a continuous basis and so any associated BI solution should offer the stakeholders the opportunity to access this data in a straightforward and meaningful way. As SQL Server has evolved and especially with the introduction of SSRS, SSIS and SSAS these processes can take place without utilising the existing third party add-ons, for examply QlikView for NAV. At Conspicuous we are increasingly seeing Microsoft Partners, both NAV and AX, building their internal BI teams with SQL Developers and with SQL DBAs. If you are a NAV developer or SQL Server DBA with ERP experience and looking for a new and interesting challenge for 2014 then gaining SSRS experience as part of your role can offer a rewarding career path for the future. NAV and AX development is about building the perfect ERP solution BI development is about utilising the data to help the businesses build for the future. Conspicuous are Dynamics recruitment specialists and have been placing Dynamics NAV, AX and CRM professionals since 2000. We see ourselves as much more than a recruitment agency offering intelligent insight and advice in the Dynamics arena.