| Course | DAA-7030 Data Analytics and Visualization with Capstone Project |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | Discussion forum: initial post and replies |
| Length | About 418 words |
| Format | Discussion post with APA 7 citations |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | MBA in Data Analytics |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for DAA 7030 Module 1
Module 1 Discussion: What Would Business Intelligence Change for Us?
Beyond the Monday Spreadsheet: Defining Business Intelligence for a Fitness Studio Chain
Every Monday our owners receive a spreadsheet of new members, cancellations and class attendance by studio. They read it, worry about the numbers that went down and make decisions in conversation. That is reporting, not business intelligence.
Loshin (2012) describes business intelligence as the processes, technologies and tools needed to turn data into information, information into knowledge and knowledge into plans that drive profitable business action. The emphasis is on the last step: BI exists to support decisions. Chen et al. (2012) trace the evolution of business intelligence and analytics through three generations: the first built on structured data in warehouses and reports, the second adding web and unstructured data and the third adding mobile and sensor data. Our chain is barely at the first.
A BI program for us would start from decisions, not data. Three matter most. Where should the seventh studio open? Which members are likely to cancel in the next month? Which class times and formats fill reliably? Each requires joining data we already have, membership records, class bookings and payment history, with outside data such as neighborhood demographics, and presenting it so owners can act. The Monday spreadsheet answers none of these because it was never designed to. The payoff is not guaranteed, but it is real: Germann et al. (2013) surveyed senior marketing managers and found that firms that deployed marketing analytics more extensively reported better performance, with stronger effects where competition was intense and customer preferences changed quickly, conditions that describe boutique fitness well.
The risk is building dashboards nobody uses. I would begin with the member cancellation question, since it touches all six studios and the owners already know cancellations are the main threat to revenue.
Starting small also tests the organization's readiness. If the owners act on a cancellation list in the first month, the chain is ready for more; if the list sits unread like the Monday spreadsheet, the problem is not data but habits, and that has to be solved first.
Reply to Gabriela
Gabriela, your hospital's BI team produces 140 reports a month. Do you know which decisions each one supports, and could some be retired so analysts can focus on the few that change what managers do?
Reply to Darnell
Darnell, your credit union uses BI mostly for regulatory reports. Is there one member-facing decision, such as which members to offer a refinance, where the same data could drive growth rather than compliance?
References
Chen, H., Chiang, R. H. L., & Storey, V. C. (2012). Business intelligence and analytics: From big data to big impact. MIS Quarterly, 36(4), 1165-1188. https://doi.org/10.2307/41703503
Germann, F., Lilien, G. L., & Rangaswamy, A. (2013). Performance implications of deploying marketing analytics. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 30(2), 114-128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2012.10.001
Loshin, D. (2012). Business intelligence: The savvy manager's guide (2nd ed.). Morgan Kaufmann.
Reading the DAA 7030 Module 1 assignment instructions
DAA-7030 grades discussion forums at 30 percent, two three-page written assignments at 10 percent, a synchronous event in Module 5 at 10 percent and a capstone project at 30 percent, alongside a five-page midterm paper due with Module 3; Loshin's Business Intelligence is the main text, with two open chapters on BI architecture and maturity. Every forum needs a first post plus replies. In Module 1, define business intelligence from the course sources, distinguish it from reporting and analytics, and explain what it could change for an organization you know. Tie your definition to specific decisions rather than to tools. Name one first project and say why it comes first.
How this DAA 7030 Module 1 example is built
The post opens with the chain's Monday spreadsheet and calls it reporting, not intelligence. Loshin's definition centers BI on action, and the three generations that Chen and colleagues trace place the chain at the start of the path. A margin note explains why asking what decision a report serves separates the two. The post names three decisions BI should serve, where to open, which members may cancel and which classes fill, and chooses cancellations as the first focus. Germann, Lilien and Rangaswamy's evidence on analytics and performance supports the case. Two replies ask a hospital analyst about unused reports and a credit union manager about growth decisions. The post ends by treating the first project as a test of the owners' habits.
Where the marks sit in the DAA 7030 Module 1 rubric
Forum posts in DAA-7030 are graded on understanding of BI concepts, use of the course text and research, application to an organization and replies that add to classmates' thinking. A post that defines BI by its purpose, supporting decisions, shows more understanding than one that lists technologies. Placing an organization on a maturity or generational path shows analysis. Naming specific decisions and a sensible first project shows managerial judgment. Replies that ask about decisions and use, rather than tools, advance the discussion. Posts that suggest a first project small enough to finish show judgment about organizational readiness. Linking the definition to the organization's own reports keeps the post concrete.
Common DAA 7030 Module 1 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Common weaknesses include defining BI as a software product, listing dashboards and tools without naming decisions and replying with agreement only. Start from what your organization decides and how it decides now, define BI with the course text, place the organization on a path of maturity and name one first project. In replies, ask what decision a classmate's data supports. Describe your organization's reports and a free DAA-7030 Module 1 post can be drafted for you. Propose a first BI project you could deliver in a month or two, and say how you would know it was used. Ask classmates what decision each report serves.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Thomas Edison State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More DAA 7030 and MBA in Data Analytics sample papers
- DAA 7030 Module 2: Written Assignment: A Data Mining Model and Process Fix for Member Cancellations
- DAA 7030 Module 3: Midterm Paper: Collecting, Mining and Presenting Public Data on Where to Open the Next Studio
- DAA 7030 Module 4: Written Assignment: Choosing Analytics Software for a Small Chain's First BI Project
- DAA 7030 Module 5: Discussion: One BI Platform for Classes, Staff and Money at a Fitness Chain
- DAA 7030 Module 6: Capstone Project: A Data-Driven Marketing Plan for a Seventh Fitness Studio
- BFO 7010 Module 3: Discussion: Judgmental Forecasting and the Delphi Method
- DAM 7020 Module 5: Discussion: Can Forecasting Give a Regional Tire Chain an Edge National Chains Cannot Copy?
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DAA 7030 Module 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free DAA 7030 Module 1 sample paper?
The discussion post above defines business intelligence for a six-studio fitness chain, with two replies.
What is business intelligence?
The processes, technologies and tools that turn data into information, knowledge and plans that drive business action.
What is the difference between reporting and BI?
Reporting describes what happened; BI is organized around the decisions that information should support.
What are the three generations of BI and analytics?
Chen and colleagues trace BI from structured data in warehouses, to web and unstructured text, to mobile and sensor data.
What textbook does DAA-7030 use?
Loshin's Business Intelligence: The Savvy Manager's Guide, with two open chapters on BI architecture and maturity.