A typical BI application gets built in an assembly line process – you connect to a data source, integrate data and transform it, query aggregated output, decide how to display it, then deliver it to device or another application such as smartphones, tablets, and portals. This output is then embedded as a proprietary application as part of the BI tool.

BI mash-ups allow business users to mash these things together to create their own applications. They can gadgetize the output of each step and place them into various libraries that work like an app store with easy pick-and-choose capabilities.

This allows BI to be more self-service, users build apps themselves without having to wait for IT and get specifically what they want, when and how they want it.

Wayne Eckerson uncovers more on BI mashups in this brief and informative video.