Business Intelligence Terms in a InetSoft Technology Environment
August 29, 2012
Sometimes things can get confusing in the tech world, specifically speaking the InetSoft Technology world. This perplexity is even worse if you do not get a few key terms. In the article, Business Intelligence Terms in the Context InetSoft’s Technology readers learn meanings to some basic InetSoft words in a practical way. This article explores buzzwords and their definitions. The three major words explored are Big Data, Data Warehouses, and Data Mining. The article then investigates their relevancy in an InetSoft context:
“This post is not just for anyone just starting to learn about the business intelligence solution space…Big Data…All kinds of transactional databases are candidates for creating Big Data, some in a matter of weeks of recording….Data Warehouses…user expectations, both from internal enterprises users as well as external customer users, have been raised where real-time or near real-time access to information is expected….Data mining…It’s the act of looking for trends, relationships, and outliers in data.”
This writer shares some interesting opinions about the relevancy of this vocabulary. This article shares the view that Data Warehouses no longer make sense. It’s certainly true that InetSoft is a unique solution with its data access that offers users two modes of real-time and near real-time catching, but that does not necessarily make Data Warehousing obsolete, at least not yet. However, IntelSoft’s specialty in visual analytics cannot be denied its supremacy.
Edie Marie, August 29, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
IntelTrax Top Stories August 17 to August 23
August 27, 2012
This week the IntelTrax advanced intelligence blog published some innovative articles regarding the state of analytics solutions and the various industries that they are permeating.
“Analytics Providers on Roll with Online Marketing” discusses how data analytics is slowly but surely breaking into the online marketing industry through partnerships that offer customers online marketing analytics.
The article highlights a recent partnership between Emory Digital and National Analytics:
“The platform includes a daily website audit, competitive position and gap analysis, website analysis, keyword analysis, link analysis, conversion analysis, benchmark tracking and ROI tracking, and project management. The software tracks Key Performance Indicators that go far beyond search engine rankings. It measures brand engagement, pages bringing traffic, page view per visit, new visits, time on site, bounce rate, goal conversions, ecommerce transactions and revenue and lead generation.”
Another industry that is starting to rely as heavily on data mining as rock mining is the field of geology. “Big Data Teams with Geologists to Mine the Earth” discusses how there is a new tool that speeds up the process of data mining and exploration for geologists.
The article details:
“GDD’s Field Data Integrator combines best-of-breed technologies for collecting, managing and analyzing data more rapidly. The end-to-end solution enables geologists to collect samples in shorter time frames, and then quickly analyze large volumes sample data for complex scenarios such as such as project timings, cash flows and profitability with greater sensitivity levels….GDD’s Field Data Integrator automatically synchronizes sample data from various field instruments, GPS, and cameras onto a ‘tough’ tablet using Bluetooth. Geologists enter notes directly onto the tablet using on-screen or wireless keyboards, enabling all data on samples to be collected automatically into a single source. The tablet then automatically synchronizes with a master database running Vectorwise whenever in mobile range, saving geologists time in manual data entry.”
The Financial industry is also being highly impacted by data analytics, according to “Cloud Makes Financial Analysis Easier.” The post discusses a new cloud based data visualization system called Adaptive Discovery. Adaptive Planning, the creator of the new product, claims that it has an intuitive visual interface that will appeal to business managers, allowing them to more easily access, analyze, and explore key financial and operational data.
The article states:
“Adaptive Discovery, the visual discovery application within the Adaptive Planning suite of performance management solutions, allows companies of all sizes to quickly and easily understand and take action upon their companywide data. Business users can easily compile, display and explore data from multiple systems and lines of business with highly visual, interactive dashboards and scorecards. The application presents data in ways that managers can easily grasp, so they are able to make better day-to-day decisions. Adaptive Discovery delivers an exciting new level of capability and interactivity that is far superior to both static data in spreadsheets and the limited reporting options available in existing enterprise applications.”
While Adaptive Discovery is one solution that improves data mining, there are also other affordable data analytics solutions on the market. Digital Reasoning has a long standing reputation of bringing data analytics to a variety of industries, including the financial world.
Jasmine Ashton, August 27, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
EasyAsk Taps BrainSell for SugarCRM Embedment
August 22, 2012
Natural language tech firm EasyAsk has turned to BrainSell to help with pre-packaged business intelligence solutions for SugarCRM, the open-platform, web-based customer relationship management software. The press release,”EasyAsk and BrainSell Ink Exclusive Agreement to Deliver EasyAsk Business Edition for SugarCRM Sales,” informs us the new solutions are to be deployed across North America. The write up explains:
“EasyAsk for SugarCRM Sales provides an easy way for entire sales organizations to track, analyze and manage sales operations within SugarCRM. Users simply ask questions about relevant sales topics in English and get fast results from their SugarCRM data. Utilizing a pioneering natural language architecture, similar to that used by IBM in creating Watson and defeating the Jeopardy grand champions, EasyAsk understands both the intent and the content of every sales question an approach that is more intuitive and returns better answers than standard search and analysis products. This is specifically designed for business users, who don’t need to know anything about SugarCRM, to get the information they need, when they need it.”
Invoking the popular Watson—well played. Running directly inside SugarCRM, EasyAsk and BrainSell’s contribution facilitates drilling down into CRM records for the latest results. Display options are customizable, and collaboration tools are designed to be fast and easy to use.
Based in Burlington, MA, EasyAsk was founded in 1994 by a professor of computational linguistics who also happened to be expert in database systems and computerized natural language. As the name implies, the company emphasizes ease-of-use in its products.
BrainSell is headquartered in Topsfield, MA, but has offices across the US. The company stresses its relationships with prominent business software developers, but says its strength lies in its extensive experience integrating and administering business systems.
Cynthia Murrell, August 22, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
IntelTrax Top Stories August 10 to August 16
August 20, 2012
This week the IntelTrax blog published some excellent articles on data analytics and search technologies.
One of the most notable analytics developers for Web sites is the search giant Google. “eGoogle Analytics Is No Longer the Only Game in Town” discusses some other options for those companies that are not satisfied with what Google is offering.
The article explains:
“If you operate your own website, analytic software can be crucial in order to track exactly how well your site is doing. Without this software, you can do whatever you want with your site, but you will never know if it is getting more visitors, aside from the amount of comments. When you look at the possible options you have for analytic software, the most popular choice is Google Analytics. However, if you’re not a fan of Google or its Analytics package, there’s no need to fear. There are still a handful of options for you to try out.”
Another article of note discusses the recent dramatic increase of unstructured data in almost every industry. “Growth of Text Analytics in Response to Unstructured Data” discusses the fact that there has also been an explosion of data analytics solution to make sense of all this new data.
When discussing some great solutions available, the article states:
“The Text Analytics market is rapidly consolidating with numerous mergers and acquisitions over the past year. Oracle purchased Endeca for its technology to mash up unstructured data from many different data sources. HP acquired similar technology from Autonomy. IBM picked up Vivisimo and Lexmark for their rich search features. Popularity of Big Data is driving huge interest in the area of text analytics, and that interest is causing the technology to evolve quickly. Text analytics techniques, for example, are becoming increasingly richer and more sophisticated in the information and insight which they can provide.”
While there are a lot of amazing data analytics solutions on the market, many companies are also feeling the effects of a downtrodden economy, so choosing an affordable solution is a very important part of their decision making process. “CFOs Demand a Reduction in Costs and Increase in Competitive Edge” argues that companies are utilizing data analytics solutions as a way to cut costs and create new growth opportunities.
Here are some qualities that companies in New Zealand and Australia are looking for in their products:
“As a discrete process, like CRM, corporate performance management is particularly well suited to a cloud delivery model. It provides organizations greater flexibility, lower capital costs and fast implementations that take weeks rather than six plus months. The end result is customers fast-track uncovering business opportunity. We’re excited about partnering with Host Analytics as it provides our clients a unique value proposition at a time when CFOs and CIOs are telling us that their number one priority is to reduce costs and gain competitive advantage with business analytics.”
The three articles that I have highlighted drive the point home that companies, regardless of their industry, are looking for text analytics solutions that will efficiently make the most of their limited resources and time. Digital Reasoning is a relatively young provider that understand the unique needs of small and midsized companies and offer their Synthesys platform as a solution that provides all the necessary data crunching tools and apps needed for most industries.
Jasmine Ashton, August 20, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Tableau BI App Now Available for Android Tablets
August 15, 2012
Tableau version 7.0.6 includes Android functionality, according to “Tableau Software Expands Mobile Business Intelligence Capabilities with Support for Android” at the San Francisco Chronicle. The press release explains:
“The native Android application will provide Android users with touch-optimized controls for dashboards, including filters, pinch and zoom and dynamic scrolling. It will also allow users to browse the content on Tableau Server right from their Android tablet device.”
The BI consultants at I.T. firm InterWorks got to test drive the beta version, and were happy with the results. Their James Wright declares:
“Presenting business intelligence via a Tablet really breaks the mold and completely reframes expectations. The user expects, and receives, a fully interactive experience that transcends the traditional BI approach of ‘Sit and Stare.’ I never walk into a new client or training session without a Tablet.”
That’s a very good point. A version with touch-aware support for the iPad was released last year. No word yet on a version for the Surface. Hmm.
Last year Gartner and IDC rated Tableau Software as the world’s fastest-growing business intelligence company. The enterprise grew from a Department of Defense project, pursued at Stanford University, that sought to increase folks’ ability to analyze information. Founded in 2003, Tableau is headquartered in Seattle, WA, and has four other offices sprinkled through the US and Europe.
Cynthia Murrell, August 15, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
IntelTrax Top Stories: August 3 to August 9
August 13, 2012
This week, the IntelTrax blog delivered some informative posts that discuss the issues surrounding big data analytics technology in today’s workforce.
While many articles discuss the prevalence of analytics technology in various industries, “Troubling News for the Analytics Needy” looks at those that are not using it.
A recent survey found:
“Fifty-six percent of respondents indicated they will not be deploying big data analytics applications even beyond 2013, the survey of 255 IT professionals found. Half of those surveyed were data storage professionals at the analyst level; the other half comprised IT managers, vice presidents and CIOs…Survey respondents with no plans to roll out Hadoop or other big data analytics software said doing so requires a specific business case, and in most instances they didn’t see a need for it, according to Marco Coulter, managing director of TheInfoPro’s Cloud Computing Practice.”
Another interesting piece is “Big Data Law Might Be Changing.” It discusses the fear that many have of data analytics technology falling into the wrong hands. One suggestion has been to grant the legal right to accessing personal information of third parties as a way to incentivize transparency.
Writer Patrick Roland concludes:
“This is promising news for a population concerned with the potentially invasive nature of data mining and analytics. After last year’s surprising Supreme Court ruling that basically let Vermont sales reps mine doctors’ patient lists, we are pleased to see reasonable thought return to the table. We can only hope they further find ways that help us utilize this strong technology, while still keeping wrongdoers away.”
One industry that is already seeing lucrative returns on its investment in data analytics technology is Wall Street Investors. “Big Data Promises Big Returns for Stock Investors”
references an article that discusses why savvy stock traders should pay attention to the latest analytics technology.
The article states:
“At the heart of the feed from ORATS is the use of “implied dividends” – the dividend levels implied by prices within the options markets. In the case of equities that have both dividends and exchange-traded options on their stock, the dividend price is a major component in the calculation that traders use to compute a fair price for those options. ORATS runs that calculation backwards to compute “implied dividends”, a measure that reveals the broad consensus of all players in the options market about how much a company will pay as a dividend along the entire option expiration calendar”.
All three of these stories provide different avenues to get to the same conclusion. Investing in data analytics technology is an integral way for companies to make the most out of the unstructured data that is being put out on a daily basis. It is important that you find a reputable company with affordable solutions like Digital Reasoning.
Jasmine Ashton, August 13, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
Pentaho Semaphonic and Infobright Partner to Tackle Big Data
August 13, 2012
A partnership between three Web analytics organizations is another to keep your eye on. The press release, “Pentaho, Semaphonic and Infobright Deliver Big Data Web Analytics,” uncovers the meaningful union intended to help organizations maximize the value of their Websites as lead generation and revenue engines.
Pentaho, specializing in business analytics, is teaming up with Web analytics consultancy Semphonic and high-performance database Infobright to tackle big data concerns. The partnership is intended to bring together everything organizations need to understand their online channels better and what to do wit that knowledge.
Susan Davis, Vice President of Marketing at Infobright, comments on the partnership in the news release:
“This partnership makes it easy for organizations to use their detailed Web analytics data to drive business improvement. With their expertise in Web analytics and measurement, Semphonic helps organizations understand what data is important and how to use it to their advantage. Using Infobright technology simplifies the process of storing and analyzing the growing volumes of Web data at a fraction of the cost of traditional approaches, while letting companies gain a deep level of data analysis delivered in interactive user-driven visualization and dashboards from Pentaho.”
An interactive demo is available at http://webanalytics.infobright.com/ and will show users how to gain insight from detailed Web data. The trio is sure to help organizations find a way to meaningfully and easily understand digital behavior at the customer level.
Andrea Hayden, August 13, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Rapid-I and Radoop Partnership: Working Toward User-Friendly Big Data
August 11, 2012
A new partnership announced between a business intelligence firm and a big data problem solver is one to put on your radar.
Rapid-I, a leading provider of open source solutions, and Radoop, an interface for big data analytics, have joined forces, according to a blog post on Rapid-I, “Partnership Between Rapid-I and Radoop.” Both parties are excited about the collaboration and state the development of the RapidMiner extension offered by Radoop is just the first step in a long-term business partnership. CEO of Rapid-I, Dr. Ingo Mierswa, states about the move:
“The extension is assuming a pioneering role and is already being used with great satisfaction. The best of two worlds is brought together by Radoop: The analysis of large data volumes enabled by Hadoop and an intuitive user interface brought in by RapidMiner. The real-time insights offered by the solution make a tight interlocking with operational business processes possible and therefore give enterprises a real benefit, e.g. for the early detection of customer churn or sales optimizations through combining CRM data with social media analyses.”
With a whirlwind of nonsense and heavy words surrounding the big data trend, it is refreshing for us to see two companies working toward user-friendly big data analytics. We look forward to the possibilities that will be sure to arise out of this collaborative effort.
Andrea Hayden, August 11, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
New Advancements in BI Semantics Asserts FiirstRain
August 11, 2012
Business Intelligence or BI is steadily becoming more and more relevant as we consumers continue to pursue online activity. The article, FirstRain Spotlights Semantics Across Domains discusses more about the application of newer BI technologies like FirstRain and how they are revolutionizing the playing field. The article claims that this particular BI can process thousands of pages of consumer relevant data for businesses on a daily basis from online content like news, blogs, PR, web sites, etc. YY Lee who is the head of the intelligence for FirstRain explained a little bit about how the company got to this point.
“Ten years ago we tried a taxonomy but they don’t really work because they are static…So we created a flexible data structure that could reflect the different atomic players and pieces in the business, and based on the information we see coming over we could [semantically] categorize and derive the structure of different business and relationships between entities. So, over time our internal data structures are driven by the information we process.”
By implementations like the addition of FirstTweet, a technology that processes Twitter postings for customer data it is clear sign that BI advances at least as fast as consumer activity does. But even this technology is flawed, “With tweets and social content the information ambiguity could just kill you,” Lee said in the article. One has to wonder if these kinds of kinks in the newest BI can even be solved before the technology becomes outdated.
Edie Marie, August 11, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Information Builders Cages the Columbus Zoo for Business Intelligence
August 10, 2012
In an unusually informative press release, Information Builders crows, “Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Selects Information Builders to Gain a Consolidated View of Business Operations.” The write up goes into unusual detail on how the organization is taking advantage of the software. It quotes zoo V.P. of Technology Services Gregg Oosterbaan:
“We’ve grown at a rapid rate in recent years, expanding our operations to include several new entities. We needed tools capable of capitalizing on our vast data assets, from point-of-sale, membership, and ticketing data to donations and animal health. We have a lot of different information systems, and we lacked a unified view across all of these entities, which made it difficult to make knowledgeable decisions. Information Builders is supplying the technology and services that we need to provide the best possible experiences for our animals and guests while continuing to grow our operations.”
The new unified data warehouse, created together by Information Builders and zoo staff, initially supports two reporting portals: a membership and a revenue portal. The software company’s WebFOCUS BI platform pulls from disparate data sources to produce valuable reports.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, located in Columbus, Ohio, houses over 9,000 critters. The organization also spends over $1 million a year to support more than seventy conservation projects worldwide.
Headquartered in New York, Information Builders has offices around the world and remains one of the largest independent, privately held companies in the industry. The company has been in operation since 1975, possibly because of their stated focus on customer success.
Cynthia Murrell, August 10, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
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