3) Query drill-downs

Also referred to as OLAP, query drill-downs answer questions like, "Where exactly is the problem?" and "How do I find the answers?" said Davis. This is for when an organization wants to see not only the results, but what the results mean and what backs it up, he explained.

4) Alerts

Alerts answer questionas like, "When should I react?" and "What actions are needed now?" said Davis. "This is when you reach a particular threshold ... something changes from green to red, so you do something about it."

5) Statistical analysis