Enterprises looking for speed when it comes to their business intelligence applications are getting some help from Microsoft Corp. and Sybase Inc.
Microsoft Wednesday announced the availability of Version 1.2 of its SQL Server Accelerator for Business Intelligence, a rapid application development tool to automate the process of building the infrastructure of an analytical application.
Sybase on Tuesday announced Sybase IQ 12.5, the latest version of its analytical engine for powering business intelligence applications, which promises analysis of information in seconds and the ability to handle thousands of users and queries and terabytes of data.
Microsofts Accelerator for BI can create the back end for a customized BI solution by automating development procedures, Microsoft officials said.
The newest version of Accelerator for BI provides support for SQL Server 2000 Standard and Enterprise editions as well as support for Microsoft Office 2003. This version also includes the capability to generate a solution from an XML file to speed integration with partner solutions.
Other new features include separation of the application generation and deployment processes so that applications can be put into production faster, without dependencies on the application generation code, and support for drill-through actions in count measures to enhance the reporting capabilities of the generated application.
Sybase IQ 12.5 can be used to analyze customer profitability, market penetration, sales effectiveness and operational efficiency and is suited for both large and small organizations because it has low overhead costs, according to Sybase officials in Dublin, Calif.
The SQL Server Accelerator for Business Intelligence is available for download today at no additional cost to licensed SQL Server 2000 users. Sybase IQ 12.5 is available now. Pricing starts at $30,000.