Think about someone you think of as smart. Think about what makes them smart. Now think of another smart person you know. Now, do you think they are smart for the same reason? There are different kinds of smart.

Some people are good at explaining things and communicating information – like a news anchor or a professor. Some people have artistic ability and can visually show the world what is going on in their minds. Some smart people are quick thinkers who get to the right answer faster than everyone in the room while others are great at researching and finding patterns in huge amounts of information.

Psychologists and brain scientists still argue about what makes people smart. It would be fair to say that if a person had a combination of some of the above characteristics, it would be hard to objectively deny that they are, in fact, smart. So it is with BI software. If it’s fast but has trouble communicating or visually appealing but has limited connectivity with data sources, it would be hard to categorize it as smart.

That’s why there is a list of elements and characteristics that must be present for BI software to be called smart. They include:

So, do your smart friends and colleagues meet these criteria? Are they open with information? Are they deep and do they offer intelligent advice? And if they do, does that make them smart? We might never know. But at least you can evaluate Smart BI software solutions to make sure that yours is truly smart.