September 18, 2000

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CRM Data Analysis Gets Visual

Upgraded business objects tool lets users create easy-to-use, visual sets of data

By Rick Whiting

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eciding what data to analyze is often the toughest part of a business-intelligence project. Business Objects SA is targeting that problem with the latest version of its Set Analyzer data-analysis software for customer-relationship management applications. Set Analyzer 2.0, shipping now, offers new visual data-analysis capabilities and CRM reporting tools.

Like other business-intelligence software vendors, Business Objects is responding to demands for E-commerce and CRM data-analysis technology. Set Analyzer 2.0 gives marketers a way to segment customer data into groups, such as identifying a company's most-profitable customers or those who buy specific products. It then puts that data in tables that can be accessed by virtually any business-intelligence tool or CRM application. The tool can process data from IBM DB2, Informix, Microsoft SQL Server, NCR Teradata, Oracle, and Sybase databases.

"With Set Analyzer, users can create new sets of data to work on. That's something I haven't seen from other business-intelligence vendors," says Keith Giles, a senior analyst with Giga Information Group. Users get more flexibility when analyzing data, compared with other business-intelligence tools that rely more upon a database's structure.

"It's highly valuable for setting the stage for data mining and to zero in on areas in a database," says Bob Moran, an analyst with the Aberdeen Group.

Component Source Inc., an online supplier of software components, is using the original Set Analyzer to identify groups of customers in its 500,000-member customer database who might be good prospects for product upgrades or cross-selling opportunities. "About 90% of our marketing campaigns get planned with the help of Set Analyzer," says Adrian Robinson, chief operating officer at Component Source, in Atlanta. Previously, database administrators had to tediously pull names from the database using SQL queries.

Set Analyzer 2.0 provides visual features, such as Venn diagrams, that make it easier for analysts to see the data, and prepackaged CRM reports. Pricing is based on configuration and platform; most installations run about $100,000.

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