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Abstract
Business intelligence (BI) is a method of using software programs to analyze huge amounts of electronic data collected by a federal agency or private company. It is increasingly being used to dig through seemingly unrelated data to find relationships that explain events and predict future ones. For the federal government, BI can help an agency find relationships in its data that could lead to better delivery of services to the public, sounder policy decisions, or possibly information that could affect legislation. It is difficult to estimate how much it would cost to implement a BI program. What you want to accomplish and the size of the job are only two variables in a complex equation. The job will involve a software tool or suite that can capture information and put it into easily understood language. Ultimately, BI will make your operation more efficient and save money down the road.