"It's not about going out and buying the fastest database or the coolest interface or the best piece of hardware. It's about solving a very focused business problem," said Davis.

1) Standard reports

Standard reports provide summary statistics and answer questions like "What happened?" and "When did it happen?" said Davis. "That's analytics, but not enough."

2) Ad hoc reports

Ad hoc reports answer questions like, "How many? How often? Where?" he said. They provide a level of independence on desktops that allow an individual, for example, to see sales in a particular region or at a particular point in time without needing to go to an IT governance counsel and wait three months for the result.