Cognos Inc is planning to launch a new business intelligence tool in preparation for the launch of Microsoft Corp’s Plato OLAP online analytical processing server later this year. Codenamed Aristotle, the tool will join Cognos’ current PowerPlay, Impromptu, Scenario and 4Thought tools, and will be focused on what Cognos calls the mainstream business intelligence market of small to mid-sized companies. Aristotle is a Plato-specific tool, taking advantage of specific OLAP functionality within Plato, and will be sold through third party channels. PowerPlay, which will also work with Plato, will be positioned as a universal OLAP tool and aimed at Global 2000 companies. Aristotle provides EIS- like multiple views of data stored in Plato to be used as decision support information. Cognos turned to Israeli firm Panorama Software Systems Ltd for the Aristotle technology, and has acquired exclusive worldwide marketing and distribution rights for the product for everywhere other than Israel. Microsoft acquired OLAP technology from Panorama back in October 1996 – not the whole company, as reports at the time suggested – and used it as the basis for Plato (CI No 3,032). Aristotle will be available for download from the Cognos web site once Plato begins its beta 3 testing phase around June, and general availability will be timed to coincide with Plato’s release in the late fall. Pricing will be announced at the time of shipment. Meanwhile a PowerPlay connectivity module for Plato has gone into beta testing.
