The Relationship between Business Intelligence Systems and Knowledge Management: A Literature Review

Abstract

This paper aimed to review the literature on Business Intelligence (BI) Systems and Knowledge Management (KM) collectively between 2002 and 2024. The objective is to identify the beginning of their emergence together, the associated concepts and their evolution. Additionally, it shed light on research interests, reviewed the most prominent conferences, workshops, and academic associations that addressed this topic, as well as tracked the digital index of the topic's terms in Arabic and foreign databases. The review focused on exploring the relationship between Business Intelligence Systems and Knowledge Management, presenting various types of relationships such as integrative, influential, and correlative. The content was framed within four dimensions: Cognitive, Theoretical, Applied, and Technical.  The findings revealed excellence in foreign intellectual output, alongside a noticeable development in Arab intellectual output regarding the study of the topic. The first period (2002–2010) focused on technical aspects, with the relationship between the two topics remaining unclear in foreign studies, while no Arab studies appeared during this period. The second period (2011–2016) witnessed increased interest in the applied aspects of foreign studies, and a rise in Arab studies that focused on the impact of Business Intelligence Systems and Knowledge Management on organizational performance. The third period (2017–2024) introduced new concepts such as organizational learning, intellectual capital, and sustainable performance, accompanied by a diversity in methodologies. The study concluded that foreign intellectual production surpassed the Arab in quantity, quality, and depth. The theoretical frameworks dominated, with a scarcity of applied studies and a complete absence of technical frameworks in Arab studies, which reflected a superficiality and immaturity in their topics, which were limited to only addressing the influential relationship. The review confirmed that the integrative relationship is the optimal one between Business Intelligence Systems and Knowledge Management for achieving maximum benefit, and called for intensified, in-depth Arab research efforts in this field.