If you're tempted to dip your toes into the sea of analytics and BI, there are plenty of resources available to help.
• If your interest is in measuring effectiveness of your on- and off-line communications, check out Measuring Public Relationships, by Katie Delahaye Paine (KD Paine & Partners, Berlin, NH.).
• To read about the basics, have a look at these sites: http://www.learnbi.com/, http://www.learndatamodeling.com/bi_overview.htm.
• Here's Microsoft's take on the uses for BI in various industries and job roles: http://www.microsoft.com/bi/role/
• You'll find feature demos and a 30-day evaluation of SAS's JMP at http://www.jmp.com/software/jmp8/demos.shtml. Consulting company Predictum offers both free and paid e-learning using JMP, as well as Dynamic Illustrations (simulators) illustrating statistical concepts ( http://www.predictum.com/).
• IBM Cognos Express information and a 30-day evaluation are at http://www-01.ibm.com/software/data/cognos/solutions/small-medium-business/
Lynn Greiner