Business Objects To Debut Data-Analysis Tool

Business Objects will unveil today an application that lets organizations using the software intelligence vendor's online analytical processing (OLAP) tools query against large amounts of data.

BusinessObjects Set Analyzer builds on the suite of query, reporting, and OLAP tools in the existing Business Objects product line.

The new drill-down features and enhanced aggregation engine in Set Analyzer let users more quickly analyze large data sets typically found in retail, sales, and marketing applications. New advanced query techniques and an easy-to-use interface let users ask complex business questions that have traditionally required multistep queries, the company says. Set Analyzer also includes index tables that can hold pre-processed query results.

The analysis tool is optimized for use in sales and marketing applications, such as customer retention, special promotions, and churn analysis. A profile scoring capability lets users attribute "points" for specific characteristics, such as owning a home or paying bills on time, making it easier for them to identify their best customers. It also includes trend-analysis features that let users track customers and products over time.

Available next month, the Set Analyzer user module starts at $2,095 per user. The IT module, for the setup of metadata, is priced at $7,995, and the server module, which provides the aggregation engine, is priced at $35,000. A typical eight-user configuration costs about $60,000.