These slides are created to teach students how to use Gartner database.

1. How to Use Gartner Database
Wei XIA
Research Librarian, Information Systems
Li Ka Shing Library
Singapore Management University

2. What is Gartner
• Gartner researches, analyzes and interprets the
business of IT within the context of individual industries
and IT roles. This database provides access to analysis
and reports on technology intelligence, market analysis
and issues in IT topics.

3. What is available
• Highlighted research
– Hype Cycle Reports
– Magic Quadrants and Marketscopes Reports
• Other research

4. Hype Cycle Reports
When to use?
• Hype Cycle reports provide a graphic representation of the
maturity and adoption of technologies and applications, and
how they are potentially relevant to solving real business
problems and exploiting new opportunities. They you insights
on the promise of an emerging technology within the context
of their industry and individual appetite for risk.
• You can decide whether you want make an early move, take
moderate approach or wait for further maturation based on
cost/benefit/risk analysis.
How to access?
• You are able to access a list of Hype Cycle reports from
Gartner homepage.

5. Hype Cycle Reports

6. Magic Quadrants and
Marketscopes Reports
When to use?
• Magic Quadrants and Marketscopes reports give you a wide-angle
view of the relative positions of competing players in the major
technology markets. The reports apply a uniform set of evaluation
criteria to position the market players over the long haul.
• Use those reports as a first step to understanding the technology
providers to consider for a specific investment opportunity.
• Keep in mind that focusing on the leaders' quadrant isn't always the
best course of action. There are good reasons to consider market
challengers. And a niche player may support your needs better than
a market leader. It all depends on how the provider aligns with your
business goals.
How to access?
• You are able to access a list of Magic Quadrants and Marketscopes
reports from Gartner homepage.

7. Magic Quadrants and
Marketscopes Reports

8. Other Research - 1
Vendor Rating: Tracking and Monitoring Vendor Performance
• Gartner Vendor Ratings assess all the different aspects of a technology
provider, such as its strategy, organization, products, technology,
marketing, financials and support. You can use Vendor Ratings to
understand how a provider’s offering aligns with your business strategy, and
to help assess the health of your own strategic provider portfolio. Vendor
Ratings also reveal solution gaps among providers, and markets that could
be ripe for investment opportunity.
Market Forecasts: Where are Markets Headed?
• If you want to understand the market opportunity for IT products and
services, differentiate which market opportunities are emerging, maturing or
declining, or base your business plans and strategies on fact, you can use
this analysis as checks against industries' internal forecasts in the telecom,
IT services, software, hardware and semiconductor industries.

9. Other Research - 2
Market Share: How is Revenue Allocated Across a Market’s Leading
Technology Providers?
• If you want to understand where and how you can take advantage of shifts
in market share, identify markets where providers have opportunity to take
additional market share, or understand how leading providers are
competing for market share, you can use Gartner Market Share analysis to
find how share is allocated among 400 technology providers in 37 key
markets.
Others
• You can also find resources on Best Practice, Market Analysis, Case
Studies, Key Issues, SWOT Analysis, Critical Capabilities, Took Kits,
Data&Practice, and News.
How to Access?
• Use the search box on the top right corner of Gartner homepage and then
filter the results by content type. or
• Click the link The Latest Gartner Research in the middle of Gartner
homepage.

10. What to look for?
Your research topic decides the types of information you are looking for.
Explore your research topic and discover different aspects of the research
topic.
If Social Software at Workplace is your topic, you may want to find answers to
those questions:
• What is available on the market for use? How are social software
implemented? - To answer this question you may need Market Analysis,
Key Issues, and Case Studies.
• What is the implementation strategy, guidelines, and best practice? -
To answer this one you need Best Practice, Success Stories, Case Studies
and Critical Capabilities.
• Who provides the technology services? - MarketScope/Magic Quadrant
reports and Vendor Ratings can help you on this question.
• What is the potential of social software at workplace? - You can
consider Forecast information.

11. How to search – step 1
Start Search
• Go to the library homepage and click Databases link. Type in
Gartner and click Enter.
• You can start search easily by using the search box on the top left
corner of Gartner homepage. For example search Social Software in
Gartner.

12. How to search – step 1

13. How to search - step 2
Filter Search Results by Content Type
Here are filtered results relevant to this research questions:
• Hype Cycle reports: Hype Cycle for Social Software 2010, Hype Cycle for
the High-Performance Workplace 2010, Hype Cycle for Business Use of
Social Technologies 2010
• Magic Quadrant/MarketScope reports: Magic Quadrant for Social Software
in the Workplace, Magic Quadrant for Externally Facing Social Software
• Best Practice: Dealing With 'Stay-Behinds:' How to Encourage Social
Software Usage in Conservative Organizations, Avoid Five Critical Failures
in Social Media Projects, How to Win Arguments About the Security of
Social Software, Why Your Enterprise Needs a Corporate Blogging Policy?
• Key Issues: Key Issues for Social Software and Collaboration 2010, Key
Issues for the High-Performance Workplace 2009
• Case Studies: The Business Impact of Social Computing: Real-World
Examples of Collaboration in Employee Networks, Case Study: Swiss Re
Optimizes the Value of Social Business Collaboration Software, Case
Study: Evolving Employee Social Networks to Support Strategic
Communities at Deloitte
• Forecasts: Future Worker 2015: Extreme Individualization
• Market Analysis: Report Highlight for Market Trends: Convergence
Restructuring the Enterprise Social Software Market, Worldwide 2010

14. How to search - step 2
Click > or
>> to have
more
content
type
options

15. How to search – step 3
Filter Search Results by Other Options
• You can also filter the results by Industry,
Topic Area, and Region etc. For
example you are able to look for
information on software used in Education,
Government, or even Energy
industries. You can narrow down the
research on a particular region or country
by using the region filter.

16. How to search – step 3

17. What is next?
• Before analyzing the research materials you
find from Gartner and writing up your paper
you can also explore other resources the
library has. For example you can use PYXIS+
to look for some books and scholar articles
from academic journals, as well as some
other databases.
• Finally happy writing!

18. Stay tuned
Alerts
To set up a custom alert follow the following steps:
• Enter a keyword and name and click Create Alert to preview your expected
results.
• You can then add a filter to refine your results, modify the keyword and
name if necessary, or update your email delivery preferences. Click Save
Alert once your Alert is final.
• When you receive confirmation that your Alert is saved, you can add an
RSS subscription by clicking on the RSS link under the Alert in the Manage
Alerts section.
Blogs
• To hear, learn and share with Gartner analysts check out Gartner Blog
Network. You can also RSS Feed the latest discussions on Gartner blog
network.
Webinars
• Learn about today's critical IT initiatives and engage directly with a Gartner
Analyst, who can give tactical advice that can impact your top initiatives.
Click here to find a list of webinars. Registration is needed.