Business Objects is expanding its analytical applications suite by building predictive analysis and statistical process control into its Application Foundation software and adding planning, manufacturing, and product-return modules to its supply-chain analysis applications.

Packaged analytical applications combine data analysis with business logic about a process such as manufacturing or customer-relationship management. They're designed for business managers who often lack extensive data-analysis skills. Business Objects, Cognos, and Informatica are among the business-intelligence software vendors that have debuted analytical applications. Business Objects says analytical app sales reached $3.5 million in the first quarter.

Application Foundation is Business Object's platform for running its analytical applications. Application Foundation 3.0 will include a predictive-analysis engine, provided by KXEN Inc., that lets users analyze relationships within large stores of data. The engine, for example, can help identify customers that are at risk of leaving, predict how a promotional campaign will affect sales, and forecast the personnel needs in a call center for specific seasons.

The new release also has a statistical process control engine that aids managers in their quality-control efforts. The software, for example, can help a shop-floor manager track the number of product defects created by his production line, or a call-center manager evaluate problem-resolution times. Business Objects developed the engine in conjunction with General Electric Corp., known for its extensive quality-management programs.

The new supply-chain analysis software includes Plan Analytics for balancing planned product supply with demand, Make Analytics for analyzing manufacturing processes, and Return Analytics for monitoring the impact of product returns on supply-chain performance. All of the applications in the supply-chain analysis suite also now incorporate the supply-chain operations reference model, a set of standard benchmarks and terminology developed by the Supply-Chain Council trade organization.

All the new software will be available in late July. Application Foundation 3.0 with the predictive-analysis engine, as well as rules, segmentation, and metrics engines will be priced starting at $225,000 on Windows. Application Foundation 3.0 with just the statistical process-control engine will start at $50,000. The individual supply-chain analysis modules start at $95,000 on Windows.