Business Objects Drives Intelligent Processes
By Madan Sheina
June 2005
Excerpted from ComputerWire
Business Objects SA released an extension for its BusinessObjects XI platform that will push the benefits of business intelligence (BI) closer to front-line workers.
Dubbed, rather long-windedly, as "BusinessObjects XI Built for Operational BI", the new software is modeled around features like context-based "in-line analytics", process analysis and tracking tools and a guided analysis framework built around best practices.
Two new process components - Process Tracker and Process Analysis - form the heart of the system. They help companies define the structure (step series, ownerships and timelines) of a given process and apply analysis to it to align BI more closely with key operational decision-centric processes.
The components represent an analytic engine that is specially built for the close monitoring and analysis of process-oriented data, like queue-times in each step of a processes. Historically this type of data is not well codified or automated; it typically resides in people's heads. Business Objects' software defines it in an optimal, repeatable way by measuring the hand-off points and quantifying the value and cost of inefficiencies of processes.
The operational BI features are embedded as part of the core BusinessObjects XI product suite.
Lance Walter, vice president of product marketing at San Jose, California-based Business Objects, said: "The product fits into a new category called operational BI, which you can think of as being the intersection between business process management and BI."
Walter added: "We're including in-line analytics directly in the context of a business processes, providing BI that's more tightly linked with business operations, the people involved, and the way they work."
This isn't a brand new innovation in BI; in fact the term "in-line analytics" was first coined by Alphablox Corp (now part of IBM Corp) in 1996 as way of integrating customized analytics with business processes. But there has since been considerable activity to drive BI closer to the operational coal-faces of the organization and to a much broader audience. BI software companies have promised for some time to "democratize" their technology; evident through their integrations with popular Microsoft Office tools and applications.
Walter said the software has evolved from the experiences of customers in the field that are using Business Objects' software in an operational context. "Rather than strategic board-room level decisions, we're finding that some of our customers are also using our software to do more simple things like printing out delivery orders for truck drivers."
"Its about executing a repeatable operational business process and incrementally improving it over time."
Walter added that a great amount of the domain expertise has also been gleaned from General Electric's Six Sigma analysis of discrete manufacturing processes. "We've now applied this knowledge to more generic business processes."
Business Objects acknowledges that partnerships will play a key role in driving operational BI to front-line workers. Business Objects' software already integrates with popular developer environments and is also bundled into operational application like SAP as well. "We have 850 odd OEMs in place," Walter said, adding that the new operational BI component is being warmly received by business process management partners like Handysoft Corp, Fuego Inc, Lombardi Software Inc, and Ultimus Inc.
Business Objects is also exploring wider partnership opportunities around the new software with IBM, Hewlett-Packard Co and Tibco Software Inc.
Business Objects XI Built for Operational BI product is bundled into XI and is primarily targeted at new customers of XI. It is also available as an a la carte software offering as well.
