New tools, features and functionality are expanding the reach of business intelligence platforms in organizations—and the potential business benefits BI systems can provide. But they also create new challenges for BI and IT teams tasked with implementing and managing them.

In this classroom, BI managers and other BI, IT and business professionals will gain insight on advances in BI platforms and get advice on how to make effective use of new technologies. In a webcast, consultant Rick Sherman will offer tips on supporting self-service BI, mobile BI, collaborative BI and other new and emerging facets of BI platforms. In a podcast Q&A, Sherman will discuss whether standardizing on a single platform throughout an organization is a realistic, or reasonable, goal for BI managers. And a written article will examine the choices involved in building an architecture that can meet the increasing demands of BI environments.