ERP Reporting, Analytics & Business Intelligence Flashcards

What distinguishes a real-time ERP dashboard from a scheduled batch report?

Answer: Dashboards reflect current data updated continuously or near-instantaneously; batch reports reflect data as of the last scheduled run

Real-time dashboards pull live or near-live data so users always see current status, while batch reports capture a snapshot of data at the time the scheduled job ran.

In ERP reporting, what is the purpose of a Chart of Accounts (COA) report?

Answer: Display the complete hierarchical structure of financial accounts used to categorize transactions

A COA report displays all general ledger account codes and their hierarchical groupings, which forms the backbone of all financial reporting in the ERP.

Which ERP analytics concept refers to comparing your organization's performance metrics against industry peers?

Answer: Benchmarking

Benchmarking compares an organization's KPIs against industry standards or best-in-class competitors to identify performance gaps and improvement opportunities.

What is the significance of data granularity in ERP reporting?

Answer: It describes the level of detail captured in data — finer granularity enables more precise analysis but requires more storage

Data granularity determines how detailed the data is (e.g., transaction-level vs. monthly summary); finer granularity supports deeper analysis but increases storage and processing requirements.

In ERP business intelligence, what is predictive analytics used for?

Answer: Using historical data patterns and statistical models to forecast future outcomes such as demand or revenue

Predictive analytics applies statistical algorithms and machine learning to historical ERP data to forecast future events like sales demand, cash flow, or customer churn.

What is master data governance in the context of ERP reporting accuracy?

Answer: The set of policies, processes, and ownership rules that ensure core ERP data (customers, vendors, items) remains accurate and consistent

Master data governance establishes ownership, quality standards, and maintenance procedures for foundational ERP data to ensure all reports and analytics built on that data are trustworthy.