My name is Dallas Marks, an analytics and cloud computing professional. For over twenty years, I have helped organizations of all sizes create actionable insights from their corporate data. I started this blog in 2007 as a space to teach and encourage other analytics professionals by providing practical tips and tricks, helpful book reviews, analysis of analytics trends and vendor roadmaps, and occasionally random thoughts. I prefer piano keyboards instead of computer keyboards when not blogging or tweeting about analytics.
After several years as a C/C++, Oracle and web developer (anybody else remember writing Active Server Pages, or ASP?), I began using BusinessObjects analytics tools in 2003. I became an SAP Certified Application Associate for SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence and for BI Platform administration. Since 2005, I have been an authorized trainer for Web Intelligence, Universe Design, Dashboards (formerly Xcelsius), and SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence administration. I am a co-author of three editions of SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence: The Comprehensive Guide from SAP Press, including the latest fourth edition that was published in 2017.
I’ve spoken at many BusinessObjects and SAP user groups and conferences across the United States, including ASUG and SAP Insider. I was an occasional contributor and guest for the Diversified Semantic Layer podcast and have written articles for other web sites including the SAP Community, Global Knowledge, and EV Technologies (now VedaPointe).
I became an ASUG member in 2011 and began serving as an ASUG volunteer in 2013 as part of the SAP BusinessObjects Advisory Council. In 2014, I began serving with the Kentucky chapter. first as a market leader for analytics and then program chair. From 2016 to 2019, I served as the primary organizer of the annual ASUG Developer Tools Day event held each December. Prior to my ASUG experience, I was chairman of the Southern Ohio/Northern Kentucky BusinessObjects User Group (SONKBOUG) from its re-launch in 2005 through 2007.
In April 2015, I was nominated and accepted into the SAP Community Mentor program. SAP Mentors “are the top community influencers of the SAP Ecosystem. Most mentors work for customers or partners of SAP. All of them are hands-on experts of an SAP product or service, as well as excellent champions for product roll-in and roll-out. They have been nominated by their peers on the basis of their passion for the community and their willingness to contribute and share as well as motivate others.” You can follow me at dallas.marks on the SAP Community.
In December 2020, I began the process of reinventing myself. I became an AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner and stepped down from being an active SAP Mentor, joining the ranks of SAP Mentor Alumni. Later, I would obtain a certification for Microsoft Azure. In June 2021, I briefly left BusinessObjects behind and joined ThoughtSpot as a solutions architect in their professional services organization. Many of my ThoughtSpot customers were simultaneously adopting Snowflake. ThoughtSpot was a challenging employer on many fronts, but my tenure there allowed me to join Cognizant’s Artificial Intelligence and Analytics practice in 2022 and support one of their key accounts leading training and enablement for both SAP BusinessObjects and ThoughtSpot, with a little bit of Tableau and UniverseBridge.
In 2024, I joined Need4Viz as a Senior Consultant, helping SAP BusinessObjects customers extend the capabilities of Web Intelligence with N4V FOR WEBI, which adds unique data analysis, data visualization and distribution capabilities, making SAP BusinessObjects into a modern analytics platform.
If you’re an author or publisher interested in sending me a review copy of your book, please email me at dallas AT dallasmarks DOT com. I enjoy writing book reviews for analytics and related subjects such as cloud computing, data visualization, system architecture, public speaking and presentations, social media, and technology’s impact on society.
If you are interested in having me speak at your event, please send a message to dallas AT dallasmarks DOT com. You can also follow me on Facebook and X, check out my certifications on Credly, and follow or connect with me on LinkedIn.
Thanks for visiting!
This web site is the personal blog of Dallas Marks and only contains my personal views, thoughts and opinions. It is not endorsed by my employer Need4Viz, nor does it constitute any official communication of Need4Viz.
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links on this web site above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Also, some of the books I review were received as review copies and I’ve given my best effort to accurately disclose that information as part of the review. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Comment Policy: Comments to articles are welcome but are moderated, meaning that they do not appear until approved. Comments that contain inappropriate or offensive language, requests for product support, or just plain spam may be deleted and not approved for publication. This blog is not intended to be a source for product support, as I cannot always respond to the questions raised by your comments. Please post technical questions to the appropriate vendor, such as Need4Viz Support, SAP Support or ThoughtSpot Support.