Scope of Business Intelligence (BI) Which of the following describes tasks that BI systems do NOT perform?

Introduction / Context:
BI systems are designed for analysis—descriptive, diagnostic, and sometimes predictive or prescriptive. By contrast, OLTP systems are optimized to process and record transactions in real time with strict integrity and latency. This question checks if you can separate analytical workloads from transactional ones.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• BI includes reporting, dashboards, ad-hoc queries, and data mining.
• OLTP includes order capture, payments, and inventory updates.
• “Only” in an option means that is the sole or primary focus.

Concept / Approach:

Option A (analyzing past/current) is a core BI activity. Option B (processing and recording transactions) is OLTP. Therefore, the task not performed by BI is B. Do not be tricked by “only” in A—BI indeed analyzes past and current activity (and may forecast), so A is still something BI does.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

Reference architectures keep analytical stores (warehouses/lakes) separate from operational systems to prevent workload interference and maintain ACID guarantees for transactions.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• A: Clearly a BI function.
• C/D: Contradict the evaluation of A and B.
• E: Primary system of record is OLTP/ERP, not BI.

Common Pitfalls:

• Thinking BI replaces OLTP; it complements it.

Final Answer:

Process and record transactions only (e.g., capture sales into the order table).