AIW basically provides a framework for several products that unify search with business intelligence. It uses techniques like dynamic object association and profiling, linguistic data cleaning and high performance ad hoc querying to create more dynamic and flexible data warehouses, making them more readily accessible to a wide range of business users across the enterprise for decision making.
The product consists of two elements: a web-based BI portal called Radar that provides statistical analysis tools for delivering delivers actionable information to decision makers through a familiar search interface; and a search-based data cleansing tool that applies linguistics analysis algorithms to match, merge and cleanse the data.
AIW works by extracting entities and unique identifiers from structured and unstructured data sources and putting them into a searchable master index.
FAST bills AIW as a disruptive product that offers a more dynamic and quicker approach to business intelligence based on search technologies.
AIW fundamentally redefines Business Intelligence with a shift away from the traditional data warehouse, said David Sutija, vice president of strategic market development at Oslo-based FAST.
AIW addresses the limitations of data warehouses, which are cost, data quality, complexity and scalability, he said.
BI vendors have recently moved to integrate their tools with Google Inc’s OneBox search technology in order to make it easier for users to find relevant BI data. But that doesn’t go far enough according to Sutija. AIW puts the BI software on top of the search platform to integrate and orchestrate all of the information needed to make BI truly effective.
Users can directly search and navigate BI data in an ad-hoc manner, then display relevant, usable information to users without the need for predefined report creation.
FAST is packaging AIW both as a complete platform or separately sold Radar and data cleansing tools.
FAST isn’t the only vendor looking to leverage its search technology more deeply in BI environments.
Last week rival Autonomy Corporation Plc announced its Meaning Analytic Warehouse that searches, extracts concepts, transforms and indexes historical warehouse data in preparation for bulk BI analysis and mining.
