2005: The Year We Hog-Tie Data

2005: The Year We Hog-Tie Data - ' '
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The second is that theyll try to apply some type of relevance to the ocean of data in which theyre drowning. Like Oracle user Jack Biliter II said to me at OpenWorld, Oracle BI 10g is a step in the right direction when it comes to figuring out which specific data in the companys ocean of data is relevant. "Weve gone through several phases of being inundated with data," said Biliter, vice president of planning and analysis for EverBank Financial, a private holding company. "Whats worth looking at?"

BI 10gs capability of setting up "stoplights"—i.e., the ability to set parameters around data that flags when sales are slipping too low in a given area or time frame, for example—would help departments start analyzing data more efficiently, as they narrow down their focus to whats really important. For example, when a sales region is doing well, cells in a table turn green. When they slip below a specified limit, cells turn red.

Whats the central theme for 2005? This is the year were going to hog-tie data. Were going to figure out whats really important. Were going to figure out what to do with the damn stuff to avoid getting into trouble with regulations. Were going to figure out what e-mail to delete, how to track who did what with it, and were going to be turning to a very smart new generation of databases to help.

Finally, were going to send our prayers to PeopleSoft employees. Make a New Years resolution right now, as a matter of fact. This is how it goes: You are going to network like mad to make sure those who get laid off are working soon thereafter.

Maybe Larry Ellison is right about the need to consolidate, or maybe hes wrong. From what I can see, it looks like the world in the coming year will be ripe for innovation—and well need all the help we can get.

Write to me at lisa_vaas@ziffdavis.com.

eWEEK.com Associate Editor Lisa Vaas has written about enterprise applications since 1997.

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