TDWI White Paper Library

From Information to Audiences: The Emerging Marketing Data Use Cases

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:00:00 GMT

No matter what analogy you prefer, one truth is undeniably clear: technology has fundamentally advanced the creation of what many call “big data."

This white paper—produced in conjunction with the Interactive Advertising Bureau—will explore four data-driven use cases (audience optimization, channel optimization, advertising yield management, and targeted media buying) that collectively represent the foundation of how many are now seeking to leverage the potential of “big” marketing data.

Which Chart or Graph is Right for You?

Thu, 24 May 2012 23:33:25 GMT

This paper describes 11 chart types and helps you determine when to use each. It also includes dozens of tips on how to enhance visualizations to make your data pop. Get started by creating the best type of chart for your data and questions. From there, you’ll quickly find you’re not only answering your initial questions, but telling amazing stories with your data.

Top 10 Trends in Business Intelligence for 2012

Thu, 24 May 2012 23:20:32 GMT

Business intelligence (BI) has been a hot topic for years. The acceleration of data volumes, desire by business users to tap this data for insight, and the overall pressure on organizations to do more with less is putting a spotlight on what BI can do for a company like never before.

Check out these top 10 trends for 2012 that will prepare you to think about why and how BI will become a mainstream discussion in the upcoming year. Armed with these key insights, you’ll be equipped to focus your efforts on a BI strategy that converts your data into meaningful insight.

Speeding Insight, Decisions, and Action at Critical Moments of Engagement: Boosting Performance through Business Analytics

Tue, 15 May 2012 22:52:40 GMT

Explore emerging trends in business analytics and the evolution toward systems of engagement, where business users can access, analyze, share, and discuss information as well as make decisions quickly in a single environment.

Data Integration: Moving Beyond ETL

Mon, 14 May 2012 07:00:00 GMT

Effective data integration tools are no longer a convenience, they're a necessity. However, far too many enterprises gravitate toward data integration processes that aren't a good fit. This white paper examines how to find a flexible, cost-effective data integration system that's right for you.

Worst Practices in Predictive Analytics

Mon, 14 May 2012 07:00:00 GMT

In this white paper, we investigate worst practices in predictive analytics. We discuss why these actions can derail predictive analytics initiatives, what steps can be taken to avoid making such mistakes, and the key steps required for building and deploying effective predictive applications.

Increasing Enterprise Data Warehouse Performance, Longevity, and ROI with the Vertica Analytics Platform

Fri, 04 May 2012 21:53:55 GMT

Learn how Vertica complements and enhances your existing enterprise data warehouse.

Cloud Computing Models for Data Warehousing

Wed, 02 May 2012 18:13:07 GMT

Today, most organizations are looking at the cloud as a way to lower data center and IT provisioning costs. Although cost reduction is a real benefit, there is more value in the increased speed, flexibility, and ease of delivery in cloud environments.

Worries about loss of control over the environment, coupled with technical, performance, and regulatory reasons, have led many organizations to adopt private clouds for some applications. The public cloud is maturing as a platform for applications and computational processing. As a platform for BI and analytic database workloads, the public cloud is still immature.

In this white paper, learn how a private cloud for data warehousing can help organizations address sudden surges in business activity and meet BI needs by creating a functioning data lab in as little as five minutes.

Data Quality Management: The Key to Successful Predictive Analytics

Tue, 01 May 2012 07:00:00 GMT

This white paper discusses the importance of data quality management as it relates to predictive analytics and explores various methodologies for assessing and improving data quality. It highlights best practices in preparing data for predictive analysis purposes and how poor data quality can negatively impact predictive modeling efforts.

For Data Integration, Performance is the New Mandate

Tue, 01 May 2012 07:00:00 GMT

As many data integration platforms fail to keep pace with escalating data volumes, performance is the new mandate for organizations seeking alternatives that enable them to harness vast amounts of data and drive business value.

Implementing Real-Time Data Quality Management

Tue, 01 May 2012 07:00:00 GMT

In this white paper, we compare the real-time approach to data quality management with higher-latency approaches, demonstrating the superiority of real-time efforts compared with batch and near-real-time techniques when it comes to time, money, and corrupt data.

Can Your Business Intelligence Environment Handle Data Growth?

Tue, 01 May 2012 07:00:00 GMT

WebFOCUS Hyperstage, a query-optimized data store, embeds directly into the WebFOCUS environment to significantly accelerate the speed and efficiency of WebFOCUS applications, particularly those that handle high numbers of queries or consume large volumes of data.

Cost-Effective Business Intelligence as a Service

Tue, 01 May 2012 07:00:00 GMT

This paper highlights key requirements for successfully building and deploying SaaS-based BI applications for external users, and how some companies are using the WebFOCUS BI platform to make vital, timely corporate information available outside the firewall.

Busting 7 Myths about Master Data Management

Tue, 01 May 2012 07:00:00 GMT

This paper explains several common myths about MDM and provides guidance about making better choices when deciding to pursue a master data management strategy.

Embedding BI into Your Software Solution - Best Practices

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 07:00:00 GMT

Embedded business intelligence can help boost your bottom line. Adding an analytics offering represents a new territory for those who have focused on their core product line. This white paper offers practical advice for planning, building, and marketing an analytics product so you can grow your business, build customer satisfaction, and improve the "stickiness" of your product.

Scalable Data Quality: A Seven-Step Plan for Any Size Organization

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 07:00:00 GMT

Instill trust in the quality of your data. With the increasing complexity of data, globalization, and the need for accurate, real-time information, data quality plays a very important role in any organization's IT initiative. Trusted data gives businesses more power to make accurate business decisions. However, data quality does not happen by accident. It requires a plan that addresses any weak points in your data management process and anticipates the future needs of the organization. This white paper describes the seven steps you need to develop a plan for data quality—one that scales to growing business needs.

The Vertica® Analytic Database Technical Overview White Paper

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 07:00:00 GMT

Learn how Vertica works and what sets it apart from other databases.

The Practitioner's Guide to Data Profiling

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 07:00:00 GMT

This white paper explores four methods used by data profiling tools for analysis (column profiling, cross-column profiling, cross-table profiling, and data rule validation) and how analysts apply profiling to operational processes and application contexts, such as reverse engineering, anomaly analysis, and metadata compliance. This paper also considers key characteristics of data profiling products useful for supporting business objectives.

HBMP: The New Frontier of In-Memory Business Intelligence and CPM

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 07:00:00 GMT

BOARD's approach to in-memory technology started with a precise goal: to exploit the full potential of in-memory computing in terms of better performance without sacrificing the flexibility, scalability, total cost of ownership, and ability to effectively support the simulation and planning processes.

From this research, a unique technology called HBMP arose that has no equal in the business intelligence or corporate performance management space. The new algorithm, designed to exploit all the potential of in-memory computing, brings enormous benefits in terms of performance as well as data compression, parallelism, and highuser concurrency. Furthermore, unlike what happens with the majority of in-memory solutions, the algorithm is designed to ensure full bidirectionality (read-write) in the use of information.

HBMP technology has the ability to manage data in three different ways:

Full in-memory to do all processing against data held in-memory
On-demand in-memory to decide which subset of data to use in-memory as more appropriate to the workload
Hybrid in-memory to store in-memory data indices and mapping and to leave data on the disk

The Impact of Social Graphing Analysis on the Bottom Line: How Zynga Performs Graph Analysis with the Vertica Analytics Platform

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 07:00:00 GMT

A lot can be learned from the world’s largest social gaming company, as Zynga’s user community offers a microcosm of several real-world social graphing scenarios. This white paper describes how Zynga uses the Vertica Analytics Platform to improve its business and game features.

Addressing the Business Impact of Data Performance Problems: Non-Disruptive Strategies for Existing Data Integration Environments

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 07:00:00 GMT

Organizations with data performance problems must minimize or eliminate them before they impact the entire business. Ideally, the solutions will be cost-effective, won't require significant investments in additional software and hardware, and will not disrupt the company’s existing, core data integration environment.

Reaping the Benefits of Next-Generation Dashboards

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:39:03 GMT

The need for timely and succinct business intelligence (BI) continues to grow as executives demand critical information to seize opportunities faster than competitors and address potential problems in the making. It is not just C-level executives and upper management who need access to business intelligence.

Business-unit managers and rank-and-file personnel must also have updated information to do their jobs, and in every case, users of BI solutions desire a flexible and intuitive method for assimilating information without manually gathering data. The delivery mechanism must provide transparent connectivity and security to users while presenting an easy-to-use interface for navigating and consuming information. These requirements are driving the demand for a new generation of BI solutions.

Expanding BI’s Role by Including Predictive Analytics

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:29:32 GMT

SAP offers a way to overcome these limitations and make predictive analytics a part of the normal business decision-making process. Its SAP BusinessObjects Predictive Workbench helps uncover trends and patterns to solve business problems, anticipate business changes, and make forecasts.

Magic Quadrant for International Retail Core Banking

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:02:06 GMT

Read this Gartner report that provides an analysis on the evolving retail core banking software market where Gartner rates SAP as a leader in this field.

Best Practices for a Mobility Center of Excellence

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:55:20 GMT

The proliferation of different mobile devices, operating systems, suppliers, and services, coupled with a lack of mobility standards, leads to complicated management and support requirements. Enterprises are struggling to come up with an approach to manage the proliferation of mobility across the organization. A proven way to handle this challenge is to establish a mobility center of excellence.

Keeping up with the Mobile Consumer

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:50:06 GMT

In RSR's collective years in the retail industry, they have rarely seen a technology act as such a galvanizing force on the retail industry (and in a positive way) than consumer mobile. It is a sea change in how consumers engage with retailers, for the first time truly bringing together the physical and the virtual in ways that cross-channel efforts to date have not. And it is relatively inexpensive to experiment with on the part of retailers. Learn more now by downloading this white paper.

Collaborative Care Wherever You Are

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:47:14 GMT

The SAP® Collaborative E-Care Management application leverages mobile applications to better manage patients’ health wherever they are and wherever they go. Improved collaboration and coordination of care activities outside the hospital provide higher quality of care, while also managing healthcare costs.

Mobile Is the New Face of Engagement

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:43:05 GMT

Mobile is not simply another device for IT to support with a shrunken Web site or a screen-scraped SAP application. Rather, mobile manifests a broader shift to new engagement systems. CIOs must plan now for them and empower customers, partners, and employees with context-aware apps and smart products.

In Support of (Business) Intelligence

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:03:23 GMT

A Business Intelligence Center of Excellence (BICoE) for support and enhancement is the ideal strategy for reducing costs and improving the productivity of an enterprise BusinessObjects implementation.

CIO Analytics: Managing Business Value of IT

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 21:55:31 GMT

"CIO Analytics" helps implement a visual framework for building a platform to measure, plan, and optimize the business value of IT using a service-oriented IT delivery model.