HP partnership improves data virtualisation

HP is working with Composite Software to deliver more agile enterprise data virtualisation technologies for BI and other high-value data projects, reports IdevNews.

The partnership will focus on data virtualisation middleware, real-time access and optimising private/public cloud, say company officials. Under the partnership, Composite and HP will design a physical data warehouse, a virtual data view, or a combination of the two.

The ability to combine virtual data integration with physical data consolidation will help save money and provide cost-effective and custom global access, company officials said. A recent Gartner report notes the data integration software market will hit $2 billion by 2012, and grow at 17% per year.

Retailer Mills Group plans to roll out business analytics systems across 82 convenience stores in the UK to help target products and promotions more effectively to shoppers, states ComputerWeekly.

Mills plans to use Torex Business Analytics software to analyse shopping data to help outlets better meet customer needs and give managers a better understanding of local markets as well as wider consumer trends.

"We can also look at trends in loss prevention, like voids, cancels, no-sales and all the aspects of using an Epos system used and abused on a fraudulent basis," says Mike Hodgson, IT director at Mills Group.

The newly published research on business intelligence from Aberdeen Group shows healthcare organisations can achieve impressive gains in profitability, accounts receivables performance and nurse retention through the use of reporting and analytics capabilities, says CNNMoney.

The research, 'BI in healthcare - A prescription for good financial health', revealed the top performing 20% of organisations on average achieved an excess revenue (profit) margin of 9%, took 36 days to receive payment on accounts and had an annual nurse turnover rate of 10%.

In comparison, the remaining 80% of survey respondents on average achieved an excess revenue (profit) margin of 1%, took 46 days to receive payment on accounts and had an annual nurse turnover rate of 14%.