There is no greater impediment to the advancement of knowledge than the ambiguity of words,Thomas Ried once said.

That rings very true when it comes to the way companies today are throwing around buzzwords like “big data” or “easy to use BI,” and only loosely defining the words, if at all, leaving everyone unsure of their meaning. Researching and choosing the best business intelligence solution for your company is challenging enough, so here are some definitions to help you sort through the marketing hype over buzzwords and understand the technical terms, nuances, and what to look for in a BI tool.