Johannesburg, 10 Nov 2003
MicroStrategy, one of the world`s leading providers of business intelligence software, has chosen and deployed Ascential DataStage to help deliver transparency to all aspects of business performance.
DataStage, a key component of the Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite, is automating the data transformation and movement from more than a dozen enterprise applications into MicroStrategy`s enterprise data warehouse, called Aqueduct.
With DataStage, MicroStrategy can to update warehouse information on demand, rather than once a day.
As a result, MicroStrategy can more efficiently perform monthly and quarterly financial closes, better serve its customers, and provide every employee with more frequent updates on performance metrics for which each person is accountable.
Metrics include business unit profit-and-loss, personal sales achievement and customer relationship management. In addition, automating data transformation will enable IT staff to spend less time developing, maintaining and fixing hand-coded data transfer applications so the department`s small applications team can spend more time on projects with higher returns.
"Timely access to corporate data is critical for any company`s performance," says Charl Barnard, MicroStrategy GM at local distributor Knowledge Integration Dynamics (KID). "The more up to date and complete enterprise information, the better decisions MicroStrategy can make to help ensure its success. Ascential DataStage helps MicroStrategy accomplish this by extracting data from multiple sources in an organised and well managed process.
"The data can then be transformed into an Aqueduct format, allowing the company to load it on demand, translating into improved service and performance."
MicroStrategy frequently uses Aqueduct as a case study when selling its own business intelligence software. Aqueduct is an example of how business intelligence can allow a company to plan and manage results by viewing information that can be sliced for every business unit, for every manager, for every line of business, for every product, and for every customer; and allowing users to investigate the issues from the lowest level of transactional detail to the highest level of profit-and-loss reporting.
In addition to being a customer, MicroStrategy is an important Ascential business partner. The two companies work together to deliver world-class business intelligence solutions. Hundreds of enterprise customers use Ascential`s data integration technology and MicroStrategy`s business intelligence applications to increase productivity and improve cost-efficiencies.
"With Aqueduct, MicroStrategy has developed intelligent enterprise reporting to help all aspects of its business - from HR to sales to accounting - to make informed business decisions based on current, accurate data," says Julian Field, MD of local Ascential distributor CenterField Software.
"DataStage provides MicroStrategy with the ability to integrate two years` worth of data from more than a dozen applications on the fly. Implementing both platforms together gives MicroStrategy a great foundation for business decisions, and the information frequency needed to stay on top of changing conditions."
The Ascential-MicroStrategy collaboration has been fully replicated in SA, with KID and CenterField working together closely to deliver joint solutions to clients.
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