Decision Management Blog

Why the MPS File is Still Useful

2013-02-22T10:59:24-08:00

The Mathematical Programming System (MPS) file is a relic of the IBM MPS/360 system of the 1960s, which is an extension of the SHARE format which preceded it. The SHARE format for linear programming (LP) problems assigned a 6 character...

Advances in Algorithms and Hardware Help Speed Optimization

2013-01-25T09:44:46-08:00

The relationship between algorithmic developments and hardware improvements has led to the immense speed-up in optimization codes over the last few decades. There has long been a debate over which improvement has done the most for forward progress. Hardware developments...

The Science and Art of Decision Management at a Large Bank

2013-01-15T12:40:57-08:00

IDC just published an in-depth case study demonstrating how a large bank used FICO Blaze Advisor as a base for their decision management capabilities. Here are some key take-aways from this interesting use case: Industry: Banking Company: Large bank (anonymous)...

The Future of Big Data is Here

2013-01-02T13:30:06-08:00

OnlineBusinessDegree.org recently created an interesting infographic to help explain the future of Big Data. As one of the hot buzzwords for 2012 it seems a fitting way to start the New Year. I like the section explaining how Big Data...

Effective Use of Data and Analytics Can Increase Profits

2012-12-19T17:09:04-08:00

In the November/December issue of Non-Prime Times, the National Auto Finance Association’s official publication, FICO’s Ken Kertz describes six strategies that auto lenders can use to win more business: Frequent model assessments – Health checks help determine the effectiveness and...

The Complexity of Sports Scheduling

2012-12-11T10:24:20-08:00

The NBA recently fined the San Antonio Spurs $250,000 for resting four of their marquee players in a game against the Miami Heat. The Spurs coach stood by his decision stating this was the sixth game of a road trip...

FICO Success Snippet Featured by Gartner

2012-11-07T14:09:57-08:00

Gartner analyst Jim Sinur picked up on a recent FICO success story featuring Blaze Advisor Business Rules Management System for context sensitive, event based marketing. As Sinur points out, customers now expect companies to understand their preferences and market accordingly...

Analytics and Big Data are Key Technology Trends for 2013

2012-11-05T14:05:03-08:00

I attended the Gartner IT Expo in October to interact with senior IT leaders, showcase FICO’s products and get the latest take on Gartner’s upcoming trends in the technology industry. I found their talk on the Top 10 Strategic Technology...

Celebrating 40 Years of Forrest-Tomlin

2012-10-12T16:27:52-07:00

This year marks the 40th birthday of the Forrest-Tomlin Method, which was implemented to speed up the simplex algorithm for early computer architectures. As many Operations Researchers know, this method is still applicable as one of the fundamental technologies in...

Decisions in the Cloud

2012-09-21T14:10:41-07:00

Many companies are thinking about ways to take advantage of cloud computing. SulAmérica is turning those thoughts into action. As Brazil’s biggest independent insurance company, they needed a better way to connect with their 30,000 brokers throughout the continent in...