A Review of Business Analytics: A Business Enabler or Another Passing Fad

Business Analytics has emerged as a potential business enabler in both public and private sectors and is one of the fastest growing fields. By implementing Business Analytics initiatives in their organizations, decision makers can integrate disparate data sources, predict trends, improve performance, see key performance indicators, identify business opportunities, and make better and informed decisions. The purpose of this study is twofold: first, it provides a working definition, background, and a review of Business Analytics (BA) / Business Intelligence (BI) / Big Data (BD) theory and practice. Secondly, it discusses if BA/BI/BD is another passing fad or a business enabler.