One size fits all comes to business intelligence under SAP

Heard it before? So have I. Nevertheless, the point being made for its BusinessObjects XI 3.1 is that it gives users even more flexibility and power to access all information, regardless of format, shape, size or location. Just as important, that access is apparently also independent of your technology choice, because the openness of the new BI platform supports heterogeneous computing environments. In fact, Business Objects is claiming integration with data sources from vendors ranging from HP to Microsoft, Netezza and even Oracle. Indeed, much play made of the latter and even more of data supposedly locked into Oracle systems – despite Oracle’s ownership of its own open BI in the form of Hyperion. It’s also said to offer simplified access to transactional data, as well as increased speed and scalability with native support for 64-bit architecture. And back on its Oracle theme, Business Objects says it will enable users “to make the most of information stored in PeopleSoft Enterprise, JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and Siebel applications”. Set that aside though and analyst IDC appears to indicate approval of the direction of Business Objects’ new BI solution: “Our research into factors that lead to pervasive use of business intelligence suggests that providing self-service access to all available, relevant information, which can originate in different internal or external systems, is key to BI diffusion,” comments Dan Vesset, programme vice president at IDC. “Organisations should include in their BI software evaluation processes solutions that provide end user access through multiple query, reporting and analysis tools, and at the same time support functionality for structured data and unstructured content integration from multiple sources,” he adds.