The global Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems industry
blossomed in the 1990s automating back office operations. These systems have
now become essential infrastructure for many companies. These companies are
now extending these transaction-based systems to support more strategic and
complex decisions. Accordingly, the ERP vendors have developed a range of
solutions focusing on Business Intelligence (BI) in various functional areas.
However, the question must be asked is there an evolutionary nature to the
adoption and use of these various solutions similar to that which occurred with
ERP systems. This paper adopts a two pronged research methodology to
investigate the adoption of BI solutions in Australian companies. The first
methodology involved a web-based survey to identify BI implementation
patterns. This was then expanded upon using a case study approach. The
research identified an evolutionary maturity to how BI solutions are adopted in
Australian companies.