New Tool Developed for ERP Data Extraction and Analysis
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PC Week has reported that a Silicon Valley startup company has developed a tool combining extraction capabilities for data in SAP AG's R/3 applications with OLAP and predefined database schemas.
Influence Software Inc. announced its IKW (Influence Knowledge Warehouse), a Web-based tool for extracting and analyzing data from SAP's R/3 ERP (enterprise resource planning) software and populating a data warehouse structure that is predefined but customizable. IKW also works on data in relational databases.
Influence takes a step beyond several competing extraction tools for R/3 and other ERP applications by offering analytics and the prebuilt schemas, Robert Craig, an analyst with Hurwitz Group Inc., in Framingham, Mass., told PC Week. "I think it's a better approach from the perspective of actually delivering a decision support application," Craig said. "I think it provides a higher-value solution and moves you further up the food chain. It enables you to get users actually running queries and reports against the data a lot faster."
Bundled atop IKW will be Influence's Aperio OLAP (online analytical processing) tool and prepackaged applications for analysis of product profitability and performance in the areas of delivery, manufacturing, suppliers and inventory, said Influence officials in Sunnyvale, Calif.
Preconfigured database schemas are optimized for the complexities inherent in R/3 data sources, officials said. Influence is working on similar products for prepackaged applications from Baan Co., PeopleSoft Inc., Oracle Corp. and Siebel Systems Inc. IKW also features an administrative component for process scheduling and management of security systems, applications and metadata.
Another component provides for transformation and cleansing of data that is optimized for the SAP environment, according to officials. Influence and other developers have been hustling products to market in an attempt to capitalize on the difficulty that users of R/3 and other ERP applications have encountered when trying to leverage ERP data.
"The prepackaged applications for the most part have not done a good job in delivering analytical capabilities," Craig said. "They're all scrambling now to provide analytical capabilities for their end users."
Influence is looking at deals with competitors such as D2K Inc., of San Jose, Calif., and Acta Technology Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif., to use their technology to strengthen the extraction component in IKW, said Influence President Marvin Mouchawar.
Influence's IKW software will support NT, AIX, HP-UX, Solaris and Irix. Pricing has not been announced. In related news, D2K announced it is shipping an upgrade to its Tapestry extraction tool. Version 2.0 adds R/3 to the data sources accessed, along with PeopleSoft, MVS, AS/400, Windows NT and Unix. Databases supported include those from Microsoft Corp., Informix Software Inc., IBM, Sybase Inc. and Oracle.
D2K officials said Tapestry 2.0 automatically reconciles data by integrating heterogeneous data sources and complex ERP transactions in a single metadata catalog. Tapestry 2.0 supports NT and Unix. Pricing begins at $50,000 for NT and $75,000 for Unix.
Influence can be reached at http://www.influencesw.com D2K can be reached at http://www.d2k.com IKW produces graphical analysis of SAP data after extraction.