4Thought

4Thought is Cognos’ forecasting tool that can be used in conjunction with  Cognos’ other tools (including  Impromptu, Powerplay and Scenario) to get the most information from data warehouses & data marts.

Ab Initio

An ETL popular in the USA from the Lexington based company of the same name.

Acclue Information Server

Decisionism’s flagship product, Acclue Information Server, enables the rapid deployment of analytical applications. Acclue automates data gathering and generates multiple, targeted analytic cubes for analysis by individual business units.  It supports all 3 top OLAP servers (Microsoft SQL Server OLAP Services, Oracle Express & Hyperion Essbase).   

Acta

Acta Technology’s eCommerce Data Platform, Acta, is a data integration solution that enables companies to leverage, share and use data stored in back-office systems in real-time with customers, partners & suppliers.

Active Architect

ActiveArchitect is the name of EMS’ (European Management Systems) family of BI tools that includes ActiveAnalyst, ActiveArchitect SDK, ActiveReporter and ActiveWebAnalyst.

Adaytum e.Planning

Adaytum’s  e.Planning is a set-based data selection tool that is described as an integrated Web based, collaborative planning solution. By offering multiple, integrated platforms, it provides a single solution for planning, budgeting, forecasting, modeling and reporting. By leveraging Windows DNA, it integrates with existing legacy systems & ERP applications. In addition, by providing the flexibility to create top-down strategic plans and ‘what if’ scenarios, it addresses the bottom-up and top-down debate.

AlphaBlox Analysis Server

AlphaBloxCorporations 100% Web based platform for delivering analytical applications for eBusiness and supply chain management.

Analytic applications

Analytic applications support interactive analysis, modeling and planning that goes well beyond traditional reporting systems. They can reconcile data from different sources and deliver sophisticated insights into areas such as customer behaviour & strategic planning.

Applix iTM1

iTM1 is Applix’s real-time, multidimensional OLAP solution for highly complex business and financial analytical solutions. Used by more than 50 of the Fortune 500, iTM1 forms the heart of Applix’s iPlanning solution.

AppsMart

AppsCo Software’s  AppsMart  is an analytic application development environment for building Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 data mart applications. With automated design & development capabilities, Appsmart can be used by less-skilled implementers. It is well suited to building and maintaining federated data warehouses consisting of multiple, integrated SQL Server 7.0 data marts

Ardent Software

Ardent Software is a provider of data integration, data warehouse and BI infrastructure products including DataStage suite, a DW solution (ETT) for the Internet, which includes a set of integrated products for data movement, meta data management and data quality assurance.

ASTRAC

ASTRAC is a leading provider of BI software solutions including ASTRAC Application System (AS) &  ASTRAC Visualizer software solutions. AS, acquired from IBM in 1998, is a decision support & application development product for the IBM mainframe.

‘balanced scorecard’

The balanced scorecard is a strategy-driven performance management system  developed in the early 1990’s to enable companies keep a score and balanced view of  their performance. It combines a number of key performance indicators in a number of areas including customer, financial, internal business processes, learning and growth.

BIA

BIA (Business Internet Analytics) is a set of tools, database schemas and methodologies introduced by Microsoft that enables the rapid deployment of data warehouses based on Web server log source data: it forms a service offering that provides companies with e-BI by analyzing customer Web click-stream data on large, multi-site/domain e-commerce sites (see Web housing & click-stream data).

BIP (or BI Portal)

BIP, one of the latest acronyms to emerge, refers to the Business Intelligence Portal, are BI solutions, which include a portal with integrated query, reporting and OLAP. They enable users at all skill levels to personalise their view of the organisation.  An example is Cognos’ ESP (EnterpriseService Portal) which allows Cognos’ BI customers to customise their preferred level of service, support and education.  

Brio Enterprise

Brio Technology’s Enterprise is a BI tool,  which enables companies to implement enterprise business intelligence and maximise the value of corporate data from different sources.

Brio One

Brio Technology’s Brio One  solution, which includes Brio Enterprise, enables its customers to derive BI from all B2B information sources including ERP, SFA & CRM applications.

Business Objects

Business Objects is one of the world’s leading providers of e-BI solutions; these include BusinessObjects (an OLAP tool which gives business users self service access to information held in data marts, data warehouses, OLAP servers  and packaged applications),  WebIntelligence (a query, reporting and analysis solution for the Web),  Broadcast Agent (an enterprise reporting and broadcast solution) &  analysis tools (including Set Analyser, Business Query & BusinessMiner).

BusinessObjects

OLAP tool from Business Objects which gives business users self-service access to information held in data marts, data warehouses, OLAP servers  and packaged applications. It can also be used by IT staff to deliver e-BI solutions.

BusinessWare

see Vitria BusinessWare

Cartesis Carat

Cartesis’ Carat is an advanced  financial reporting and consolidation system described as ‘the complete financial BI solution’.

click-stream analysis

By analysing customer click-stream data, the otherwise useless information that is generated with each Web click, companies are able to leverage information about the people hitting their site. With companies collecting gigabytes of such data on a daily basis, its analysis can lead to a much better understanding of its e-Business. ( see Web housing and BIA).

CLIME

CLIME is PricewaterhouseCooper’s corporate financial reporting and consolidation solution. Announced in June 2000, CLIME 2.6,  the latest version is uses ObjectStore. In being able to hold all the ‘lumpy’ data that a traditional OLAP database cannot, it is described as the first Group Reporting system that goes beyond conventional OLAP to create, store and manage all the data required for group reporting. 

CorVu

CorVu Corporations’ Enterprise Business Performance Management Solutions which include CorManage, CorBusiness and  WebServer  combine OLAP query & reporting with Balanced Scorecard applications.

Data Junction

Data Junction is Data Junction Corps’ data integration solution

Data Marts

Data marts contain a subset of enterprise-wide data, built for use by  individual departments or divisions. (see data warehouses).

Data Mining

Data mining is the process of finding hidden patterns and relationships in data; data mining tools are able to locate patterns in large volumes of data and are able to analyse significant relationships which exist only when several dimensions are viewed at the same time.

Data Model

A data model is a description of the organisation of data that reflects the information structure of an enterprise

Data Warehouse

A data warehouse is a database in which data is collected  for analysis in order to support management decision making.  A data warehouse is defined by its purpose. It comprises data that is by definition  subject-oriented,  integrated,  time-variant, and non volatile meaning that it is focused on a business concept (e.g. sales) as opposed to a business process. There are two basic types of data warehouse: ‘enterprise data warehouses’ and ‘data marts’.  It is typically a subject database that enables users to analyse a company’s vast store of operational data.

Data Warehouse Infrastructure

the combination & interaction of technologies that support a data warehousing environment

Data Warehouse Management Tools

software that extracts and transforms data from operational systems and loads it into the data warehouse

Database Schema

the logical and physical definition of a database structure

DataStage

Ardent Software’s data integration solution. See Ardent Software.

DB2 OLAP Server

IBM’s  DB2 OLAP Server is a powerful multidimensional analysis tool for building analytic applications. Storing data in a relational database using a star schema structure, DB2 OLAP Server  combines the flexibility of a relational database with the performance of a multidimensional store and is able to integrate Hyperion Essbase OLAP products with DB2 UDB.

DB2 UDB

DB2 Universal Database

DecisionStream

Cognos’ DecisionStream enables the implementation and deployment of a series of liked, subject-area data marts that form an integrated BI system, ensuring that all users have access to consistent data.

DecisionSuite

DecisionSuite is Information Advantage’s BI product line. With a thin-client, server-centric architecture, it can handle complex analytic applications, even when accessing terabytes of data with thousands of users.

Designer/2000

see Oracle Designer/2000

DRDA

DRDA (Distributed Relational Database Architecture) is a database access standard defined by IBM.

DSS

DSS (Decision Support Systems) are software systems that supports exception reporting, stop light reporting, standard repository, data analysis and rule-based analysis.

DTS

see Microsoft DTS

e-BI solutions

e-BI is a term coined by Business Objects in 1998 to describe the intersection of business intelligence and the Internet

EDA

EDA (Enterprise Data Access) is  Information Builders’ data access & integration middleware. It was designed in the early 90’s to provide data integration for enterprise client/ server environments. EDA has since evolved into a strategic infrastructure for e-business integration capable of accessing and integrating many databases & applications. 

EIP

EIP is an acronym for Enterprise Information Portal. Fuelled by the growth of the Internet, the EIP is a web-based solution that has revolutionised the delivery of corporate information by linking structured (ie databases) and unstructured (ie documents and images) data across the enterprise, providing users with a single point of access to personalised information that facilitates informed decision making. (see Enterprise Portal)

EKP

EKP is an acronym for Enterprise Knowledge Portal. (see EIP and Enterprise Portal)

Enterprise Data Warehouse

An enterprise data warehouse contains enterprise-wide information that is integrated from multiple operational data sources for consolidated data analysis. It is typically composed of several subject areas such as customers, products and sales and can range in size from 50 gigabytes to more than one terabyte. (see data warehouse).

Enterprise Portal

An enterprise portal is an Internet site, owned and operated by a company, that supports its business operations by providing a single point of contact between the enterprise and wider community. As well as organising the information, tools, applications, and transactions provided by the enterprise to its  employees and wider community, the enterprise portal also provides the platform for the delivery of information and commercial transactions to customers, partners, prospects, and stakeholders. With their need to link and integrate separate commerce systems, enterprise portals require an architecture that enables the rapid deployment of new applications and content and supports access, delivery and personalisation.  

ERWin

Computer Associates’ ERwin is a database design tool which can be used for  implementing transactional systems & data warehouses across the enterprise.

ETI Extract

ETI Extract is ETI’s (Evolutionary Technologies lnternational) flagship product is a data integration solution  for moving and integrating data across the value chain and multiple business processes. ETI Extract 4.1, released in Jan’ 2000, includes enhancements to enable organisations integrate e-commerce with their back-office and decision support systems.      

ETL tools

ETL tools include Informix’s DataStage, Microsoft’s DTS and Cognos’ DecisionStream.

ETT tools

Extraction/Transformation/Transport tools: it is  predicted that by 2003, the ETT tools market will be dominated by IBM, Microsoft & Oracle as they integrate transformation functionality into their DBMS’s. ETT tools vendors include Ardent, Informatica, IBI, Sagent, Data Mirror, Acta, Platinum (CA), Data Junction, ETI, Constellar, Carleton, Sybase, Broadbase, & Showcase.  Unlike ‘Integration Brokers’ ( the other group of data transformation tools which communicate program-to-program), ETT tools integrate applications at the database level.

Functional Data Warehouse

a data warehouse that collects data from nearby operational systems that serves a distinct & separate group such as a division or functional area.

Genio

see Hummingbird

Gentia Balanced Scorecard

Gentia Software’s flagship product, Balanced Scorecard,  is a Web-based enterprise solution that is described as an application for strategy management (ie an enterprise solution for translating strategy into action at all levels of the organisation). In being able to monitor business performance (customer satisfaction, quality of service, etc.), it provides decision- makers with a complete view of performance as well as a framework to ensure that operational resources are aligned with strategic direction.

In May 2000, Gentia Software announced Wireless Scorecard, an extension to its  Balanced Scorecard, that is aimed at capitalising on emerging wireless protocols to provide staff on the move with the ability to track strategic developments. It will run on the current generation of WAP-enabled phones and PDA’s. 

Hummingbird

Hummingbird Communications, which acquired the PC DOCS Group in 1999, has emerged as one the world’s leading software companies specialising in the development of enterprise software solutions (including document management, knowledge management, BI and network connectivity).

The acquisition of PC DOCS Group (with its subsidiaries including PC DOCS/Fulcrum), a leading provider of document and knowledge management systems, has helped propel Hummingbird to the forefront of the emerging EIP market. Hummingbird’s varied solutions include Hummingbird EIP, Fulcrum KnowlegeServer & SearchServer, DOCSFusion, CyberDOCS and DOCS Open. 

Hummingbird Communications’ end- to- end data warehousing solution (Hummingbird Data Integration and Reporting Solutions) comprises of its Genio Suite ( the data integration solution),  BI/Suite (the enterprise query and reporting solution) and Genio Miner (the data mining solution).

See Hummingbird EIP  

Hummingbird EIP

Hummingbird Communications’ EIP,  launched in December 1999, provides a single point of access to all business-critical information and resources. Hummingbird EIP 1.5, the first enhancement of the solution, was announced in June 2000.

Hyperion Essbase

Hyperion Essbase OLAP Server is an analytic platform for delivering enterprise analytic applications for reporting, analysis, modeling and planning. It is recognised as the industry-leading OLAP technology for analytic applications spanning all business areas including e-business and CRM analytics. Hyperion Wired for OLAP is a tool that leverages and extends the advanced analytics of Essbase

Hyperion Integration Server

Hyperion’s Integration Server has been described as a breakthrough technology that integrates relational systems such as data warehouses, packaged applications and ERP systems with Hyperion Essbase and IBM DB2 OLAP Server.

HOLAP

HOLAP (Hybrid Holap) is, as its name implies, a hybrid of MOLAP and ROLAP that is typically more difficult to implement and administer.

Holos

see Seagate

IBI

Refers to Information Builders’ EDA middleware solution: see EDA

IBM DB2 OLAP Server

see IBM DB2 OLAP Server

Impromptu

Impromptu is Cognos’ database and query reporting tool that enables users to easily create powerful reporting applications without needing to understand how the database is structured.

Informatica

Informatica is a leading provider of  integrated analytic solutions and data integration tools including: Informatica Analytic Applications, PowerCenter & PowerCenter.e (Informatica’s  industry leading data integration hubs), PowerMart (for building and managing data marts), PowerConnect (providing native data connection for SAP R/3, PeopleSoft & DB2) & PowerPlugs (which enable data & metadata sharing between Informatica and other products such as BusinessObjects).

Information Warehouse

An Information Warehouse is IBM’s approach to data warehousing that supports the implementation of functional, central or decentralized warehouses.

Informix MetaCube

OLAP Server

Integrity

see Vality Integrity

Intelligent Agents

An intelligent agent, in its simplest definition, is software that is given and executes a particular task and reports back to the user. They have been employed to execute tasks on behalf of a business process, computer application or an individual. Examples of application areas include information retrieval (e.g. AltaVista, WebCrawler, Hotbot, Infoseek & MetaCrawler) and e-commerce (e.g. Jango & Kasbah).

Knosys ProClarity

Knosys ProClarity,  one of the leading application development toolkits for querying and reporting on multidimensional data stored in Microsoft SQL Server 7 .0  OLAP Services (& other OLE DB compliant database structures). ProClarity  facilitates the development of completely custom client-server or Intranet analytical applications.

LEX2000

LEX2000 is an integrated application system & database that gathers financial data from many sources to enable financial reporting, consolidation, budgeting & forecasting.  Collecting data from transaction systems & GL’s, it builds and maintains its own multi-dimensional OLAP database. 

Max

Max is Maximal’s flagship BI solution (or client) for exploiting Microsoft’s BI platform ( Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 OLAP Services); it was  launched in July 1999.

MDDB

Multidimensional database which is used by MD-OLAP

MDIS

Metadata’s MDIS (metadata Interchange Specification) is an industry standard that simplifies interoperability among repositories, CASE tools, ETML tools and analysis tools. It supports a range of data access options including ODBC, JDBC, native DB2 clients, industry-standard SQL and Hyperion Solutions’ Essbase OLAP API.

MD-OLAP (aka MOLAP)

MD-OLAP (Multidimensional OLAP) is one of  two prominent architectures for OLAP systems. MD-OLAP architectures utilise a multi-dimensional database to provide analyses. MD-OLAP architects believe that OLAP is best implemented by storing data multi-dimensionally. (see OLAP systems & ROLAP).

Metadata

Metadata is simply data about data (e.g. data definition, data type, using systems etc.). Stored in a data dictionary & repository, metadata insulates the data warehouse from changes in the schema of operational systems.

Microsoft Data Warehouse Framework

The Microsoft Data Warehouse Framework is a widely supported architecture created by Microsoft via an open process involving the input of customers and   independent software vendors. The feedback resulted in the creation of a more robust infrastructure with OLE-DB as a data access AP (to enable universal data access), OLE-DB for OLAP (an interface for enabling a wide range of query and reporting tools to access data stored in multidimensional cube formats) and Microsoft Repository (an open store for capturing and sharing metadata). These together form Microsoft’s data warehousing platform that is  provided with Microsoft SQL Server 7.0.    

Microsoft DTS

Microsoft DTS (Data Transformation Services) is a facility in Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 that supports many types of data transformations.

Microsoft OLAP Services

OLAP Server

Microstrategy DSS Agent

DSS Agent is Microstrategy’s tool for delivering BI solutions both within and beyond the enterprise. The latest version, DSS Agent 5.6 has been designed to enable users gain intelligence via Windows, Web & wireless interfaces.

Microstrategy 7

Microstrategy’s new and completely re-architected version of its flagship business intelligence platform whose availability was announced in June 2000. Microstrategy describes it as the next generation intelligence platform (or the new platform for the new economy) and it is designed to drive emerging e-business applications (such as eCRM, ERP analytics, mobile commerce, narrowcast networks & click-stream analysis).

Mini Marts

A mini mart, a small subset of a data warehouse, represents a focused slice of a data warehouse that is used by a small number of users.

NCR Teradata

NCR’s Teradata RDBMS is the world’s most powerful, decision support, parallel  relational database with the capability of supporting the largest data warehouses with even terabytes of data.

NovaView

Cognos’ NovaView is Cognos’ front-end tool for querying and reporting on multidimensional data stored in Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 OLAP Services.

ObjectStore

ObjectStore is eXcelon Corp’s (formerly Object Design) world leading object oriented database management system.

ODS

An ODS (Operational Data Store) is an integrated database of operational data. An ODS typically contains 30-60 days of information whereas a data warehouse contains years of data.

OLAP

Online Analytical Processing: the interactive multidimensional analysis of application data which enables users to gather data from various sources and then ‘slice & dice’ the data for strategic analysis and decision making.  The term was coined by Arbor Software and made more relevant by Dr Codd who wrote 12 rules for OLAP.

OLAP @ Work

Business Objects’ OLAP @ Work leverages the functionality of Microsoft OLAP Services by transforming Excel into a powerful OLAP analysis and reporting tool. 

OLAP Systems

OLAP (On-line Analytical Processing) systems are decision support systems which, by enabling knowledge workers to intuitively, quickly and flexibly manipulate operational data in order to provide analytical insight (ie provide strategic and tactical information based on corporate information.)

There are 2 major architectures for OLAP systems: ROLAP (which uses a RDBMS for data storage & retrieval) and MD-OLAP (which uses a MDDB).

Oracle 8i

Oracle 8i, which builds upon the data warehousing technologies introduced in Oracle 8, represents Oracle’s third generation of data warehousing technologies

Oracle Designer/2000

Oracle Designer/2000, Oracle’s CASE approach, is a suite of tools for business modeling, systems design and software development. Its tools (which include the Process Modeller, the Entity-Relationship Diagrammer and the Database Design Wizard) can be used for a variety of functions including: the design of data warehouses, to facilitate the strategic planning and business area analysis of the enterprise and to enable the rapid implementation of distributed client/server and Web-based systems.

Oracle Discoverer

Oracle Discoverer is an ad hoc query, reporting and analysis tool which provides access to information stored in relational data warehouses, data marts or online transaction processing systems.

Oracle Express

Oracle Express Server is an  OLAP Server that uses a multidimensional data model.

OFA

Oracle Financial Analyzer

OSA

Oracle Sales Analyzer

Oracle Warehouse Builder

Oracle Warehouse Builder (OWB) is an integrated, Java-based tool, unveiled by Oracle in March  2000, that automates the construction of data warehouses or data marts. As part of Oracle’s Intelligent WebHouse Initiative, OWB is targeted primarily at obtaining and aggregating e-commerce data, retrieved from the massive, daily influxes of online data from Web sites in order to help corporations analyse customer habits and consumer needs. Being able to retrieve data from multiple sources, OWB enables customers to quickly deploy even terabyte-sized data warehouses. (see Web housing).

Orchestrate

Torrent Systems’ Orchestrate is a framework for BI & eCRM applications. It  accelerates the development, deployment & management enterprise-scale analytical applications for processing the terabytes of transaction, clickstream and historical data generated by today’s e-commerce and operational systems.

PowerCenter

Informatica’s PowerCenter is an enterprise data integration hub; it is a leading data integration solution.

PowerDimensions

see WhiteLight

PowerMart

Informatica’s application deployment tool (ETT) for data mart & analytic application development.

PowerPlay

Cognos’ PowerPlay provides a powerful OLAP reporting and analysis tool with ‘drill down’ and ‘slice & dice’ capabilities that ensures that analysis or reporting is always on the latest, most up-to-date information. PowerPlay packages data in multi-dimensional structures known as PowerCubes.

Red Brick

Red Brick Warehouse, is a relational database RedBrick Systems’ Decisonscape

ROLAP

ROLAP (Relational OLAP) is one of two prominent architectures for OLAP systems. ROLAP architectures access data directly from a data warehouse to provide OLAP analyses. ROLAP architects believe that OLAP analyses are best provided directly against the relational database. (see OLAP systems & ROLAP).

Sagent Solution

Sagent’s integrated product suite for the development and deployment of e-business analytic applications. It has end-to-end functionality by combining ETL capabilities with front-end functionality (designed to include Web reporting features), thereby enabling it to compete head-on with BI tools.

The latest version, Sagent Solution V4, utilises XML and comprises of various products which include Sagent Server (an application server), Sagent Information Studio (enabling users to access and share corporate data), Sagent WebLink Server, Sagent Analysis, Sagent Reports, Statview for Sagent, Sagent Design Studio & Sagent Admin. 

SAP BW

SAP BW (SAP Business Information Warehouse) is SAP’s ready-to-go data warehouse that converts raw data from diverse internal and  external sources into meaningful information.

Schema

A schema (plural = schemata) is the organisation or structure for a database and derives from the Greek word for ‘form.’ The activity of data modeling leads to the creation of a schema of which there are 2 major types: the STAR schema and SNOWFLAKE schema.

Seagate

Seagate Software’s BI tools include Holos (a high end development environment for customised BI applications), Seagate Info (an enterprise system to enable reporting and analysis to throughout the enterprise) and Crystal Reports (a market leading desktop query and report writer).

Showcase STRATEGY

Showcase Corporation  is a leading provider of e-BI solutions for the AS/400;  Showcase  STRATEGY is an end-to-end, enterprise-wide data warehousing solution for the AS/400.

‘slice & dice’

‘slice and dice’ is a term that is used to describe a complex data analysis function that is provided by MDDBS tools.

SmartSite

Revelwood’s SmartSite is a leading software solution for building real-time collaborative planning and analysis solutions on the Web; it can be used to build and deploy analytic applications across corporate Intranets and Extranets.

Snowflake Schema

A snowflake schema ( or ‘snowflaking’) results from the  normalisation of the  dimension tables of a star schema. In snowflaking, some of the fields of the dimensions tables are split off into separate tables. Despite achieving a higher level of normalisation, snowflaking reduces the performance of BI tools.

Star Schema

A star schema is a very simple database design consisting of a central fact table (for the subject area) that is linked to  one or more related attribute or dimension tables (that contain descriptive information of the subjects dimensions). This schema  clearly presents the multi-dimensional character of the data and allows for the rapid querying of the data in a data warehouse. The central fact table can contain many millions of rows.

Sun Decision Warehouse

Sun Microsystem’s Sun Decision Warehouse System platform  xxx

Sybase Warehouse Studio

Sybase Warehouse Studio is an integrated product for data warehousing that facilitates the use of BI tools such as Impromptu and Business Objects.

Teradata

see NCR Teradata

Vality Integrity

Integrity Data Reengineering Environment is Vality Technology’s flagship product which enables organisations to uncover patterns and relationships within their data and thereby optimise their strategic information assets in areas such as DW & BI systems, ERP conversions and e-commerce.

Versant ODBMS

Versant Corporation’s ODBMS (Object Database Management System), with its object-based architecture, has been deployed by major companies to support highly complex data applications such as OSS and network management systems as well as highly business critical financial applications such as risk management systems. As an object database, Versant ODBMS supports multiple media such as text, graphics, full-motion video and animated graphics.

Visual Warehouse

IBM’s Visual Warehouse, a complete data warehousing solution, was designed to simplify the process of building, managing and analysing data warehouses and, with MDIS facilities, designed  to interoperate with other systems and tools.

Vitria BusinessWare

Vitria Technology’s process integration solution. BusinessWare is an integrated e-business platform comprising EAI and B2B components which work together to automate cross-enterprise business processes and enable real-time eBusiness and trading communities.

Web-housing

Web-housing is the term applied to a new practice that is a combination of Web data and data warehousing. It involves the analysis of customer Web click-stream data, generated with each Web click, in order to gain intelligence about customer behaviour. With the Gartner Group predicting that 50% of large companies will have an e-BI strategy by 2002, Web-housing is fast becoming a hot trend. (see click-stream analysis and BIA).

WhiteLight

WhiteLight Systems’ WhiteLight is a modern hybrid OLAP; it is also marketed by Sybase under the name PowerDimensions. The WhiteLight Workbench comprises of a  powerful analytic server (WhiteLight Analytic Server) together with tools including WhiteLight ACE (Application Component Environment), a component based approach for assembling web-based user interfaces for analytic applications.