viaSport Tracks Sport Participation and Funding Throughout British Columbia With WebFOCUS

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Apr 10, 2013) - Information Builders, a leader in business intelligence (BI) and analytics, information integrity, and integration solutions, today announced that viaSport, a not-for-profit organization that provides strategic leadership to amateur sport organizations in British Columbia (BC), is using Information Builders' WebFOCUS technology to account for the distribution and use of public funds throughout the province.

Previously, viaSport created reports using personal productivity tools such as Microsoft Excel. However, there was little consistency, the process was time-consuming, and the grant administration team was overwhelmed by escalating data and reporting requirements. With support and funding from the Province of BC, and consulting services from Information Builders' Professional Services, viaSport used WebFOCUS to create reports and dashboards that automate or replace these manual processes. Municipal parks, recreation departments, and other viaSport partners use the public-facing reporting system to upload information about their memberships, activities, and programs. In return, they can generate detailed reports that help them develop better programs and stage better events.

Currently about 200 people across 70 organizations rely on WebFOCUS for information and insight. In addition, WebFOCUS helps viaSport staff members to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and generate funding reports about championships, education programs, coaches, and athletes, along with a huge variety of competitive statistics.

"WebFOCUS enables us to generate reports and meet the needs of multiple stakeholders with minimal time and effort from our staff," said Michelle Hohne, manager of information systems and sport participation at viaSport. "It has freed up hundreds of hours of staff time that we used to spend sifting through spreadsheets, databases, word documents, and paper reports to answer questions from sponsors and funding partners. Easier access to the information has made everyone more efficient. Information Builders' licensing model allows for unlimited distribution of information."

For example, Hohne's staff used to spend six weeks each year creating a basic summary report for the provincial government. Now, a WebFOCUS dashboard allows authorized personnel to access this data through parameterized reports with drill-down capabilities. Users can quickly generate an unlimited number of variants on each basic report, eliminating the unwieldy hardcopy printouts and cutting down the preparation time from six weeks to one week.

"Provincial governments establish specific requirements for non-profit organizations to receive funding, and complying with those requirements is an ongoing reporting challenge for those organizations as well as for their funding partners and sponsors," said Gerald Cohen, president and CEO at Information Builders. "By effectively sharing participation data on sports and recreation activities throughout the province, viaSport is demonstrating how BI technology can save tens of thousands of dollars per year in staff time and labor for the agency and its partners."

About viaSport
A legacy organization of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, viaSport British Columbia is a not-for-profit organization established in 2011 to provide unified, strategic leadership to sport in BC and increase levels of physical activity in all communities, at every stage of life. Formed in partnership with the Province of BC and provincial sport sector, viaSport is shaping a new, more effective model for sport delivery and funding support, which drives increased participation, powers sport excellence, and promotes British Columbia as a sport-hosting destination. For more information visit viaSport.ca or follow us on Twitter at @viaSport.

About Information Builders
Information Builders helps organizations transform data into business value. Our software solutions for business intelligence and analytics, integration, and data integrity empower people to make smarter decisions, strengthen customer relationships, and drive growth. Our dedication to customer success is unmatched in the industry. That's why tens of thousands of leading organizations rely on Information Builders to be their trusted partner. Founded in 1975, Information Builders is headquartered in New York, NY, with offices around the world, and remains one of the largest independent, privately held companies in the industry. Visit us at informationbuilders.com, follow us on Twitter at @infobldrs, like us on Facebook, and visit our LinkedIn page.