PeopleSoft Adds Ascential Data Integration Tools

PeopleSoft has built Ascential Software Corp.'s DataStage data-integration software into its PeopleSoft Enterprise Performance Management applications under a four-year deal announced Tuesday by the vendors. The Ascential technology will let users pull data from other applications into PeopleSoft EPM for analysis.

PeopleSoft also is reselling Ascential's connectivity software for linking its applications with Oracle, SAP BW, SAP R/3, and Siebel applications, and will build Ascential's MetaStage metadata-management software into PeopleSoft EPM by year's end. Ascential already has reseller deals for DataStage with IBM and SAP.

Under a previous five-year deal, PeopleSoft bundled data-integration software from Ascential rival Informatica Corp. with its EPM applications. That deal expired at the end of 2003, and an Informatica executive says the vendors were unable to agree on terms to renew the contract.

PeopleSoft will provide conversion services to customers who now use the Informatica software and will continue to support the Informatica technology for some time. A report from Ventana Research says migrating to the Ascential software will likely require making changes to entire IT systems, including databases, networks, and workflow processes, as well as personnel skill sets. PeopleSoft customers should look at the migration "as if it were a new implementation," the report says.