Business Intelligence: Data Mining

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The three evolutionary dimensions are: • pure EIS/DSS/OLAP tools • analytic applications • data warehousing tools integrated with data management technologies, which constitute their natural origin The four strategic offering groups consist of: • producers of pure EIS/DSS/OLAP tools, with a strong orientation and specialization on open tools, general purpose “tool-kit” and front end for professional or managerial users; • producers of Analytic Applications, some of whom have historically focused on offering these application packages aimed at company control and managerial decision-making activities; • producers of Data Management solutions (used to create corporate data warehouses), whose core business consists of data engines, back-end tools (generally relational or multi-dimensional databases) and who in recent years have progressively expanded, through various market strategies, their offer towards easy-to-use tools for accessing and visualizing data contained in their databases (tools and/or analytic applications); • ERP producers who recently, after successfully attacking the operational-type information systems sector, are completing the product offering with their own tools supporting company managerial activities usually made up of both EIS/DSS/OLAP tools, analytic applications, and data warehousing solutions Companies’ behavior in choosing the software solutions necessary to build the DW and marketing intelligence system architecture can be classified into two main types: a) software selection, by those who prioritize the evaluation of the technical and functional characteristics of software solutions; vendor/partner selection, by those who prioritize the evaluation and judgment of the characteristics of the companies producing the software solutions or implementing them nationally, which is difficult to evaluate ex-ante and increasingly dependent on the real quality of work methods, human resources, cumulative experience in these specific projects and more or less stable partnership relationships, established through commercial agreements, alliances, joint ventures, acquisitions, among competing or complementary operators. Obviously, the optimal behavior is that which provides for the combination of the two approaches, adopting a correct mix of evaluation parameters that consider not only the quality of the software, but also the market and implementation capabilities of the underlying IT companies. Briefly focusing on software selection, in fact every company faces two very different alternatives: a) choosing EIS/DSS/OLAP tools is a more “business-driven” choice, as it presupposes good clarity of marketing needs, especially control and analysis of commercial and marketing data (dimensions, measures, analysis models, etc.). This is a choice more focused on “Make” of directional marketing applications, through the simple purchase of the “software generator”, i.e., the working software environment; choosing Analytic Applications, on the contrary, is a choice more oriented on technology (Technology-driven), because with the software the company also acquires data analysis models of commercial and marketing data, control logic, performance indicators, and so on; often these logics are “hardwired” even just in analysis “templates” or indicator systems, often specific to sectors of activity (retail, mechanical, chemical, healthcare, etc.). This is a choice more focused on “Buy” of directional marketing applications, through acquiring application packages. In summary, making this choice of behavior requires strong mental clarity and intellectual honesty that companies can also obtain through a quick check-up of internal marketing skills, based both on the ability to identify drivers, analysis dimensions, and critical performance indicators of commercial and marketing performance, and on the real ability to exploit the information that the system can then make available, and therefore transform it into explicit marketing knowledge that company management can apply in its company leadership activities. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.