From advanced query performance to Cube Views, there's plenty for BI users to like in the "Stinger" release of IBM's DB2 database system
                    
		            
                
                    
                    
                    
                 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    New solution consolidates information from different sources—including financial applications and internal controls—into a single dashboard view.
                    
		            
                
                    
                    
                    
                 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Enterprise planning needs to provide CFOs enough reaction time to respond to problems.  Spreadsheets are cumbersome and don't provide a good corporate overview.  So what tools should planners use? 
                    
		            
                
                    
                    
                    
                 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Companies say users of Siebel’s analytical applications can more efficiently get at the massive amounts of data stored in a Teradata warehouse
                    
		            
                
                    
                    
                    
                 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Highlights of the latest release include support for WebSphere and Lotus notes, improved sales lead management, and improved calendaring from the hosted CRM vendor.
                    
		            
                
                    
                    
                    
                 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Company replaces Excel with a new dashboard in its Activity Suite, its business activity monitoring software.
                    
		            
                
                    
                    
                    
                 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Established ETL purveyors must increasingly compete against database vendors for market share, though no vendor consolidation is forecast.
                    
		            
                
                    
                    
                    
                 
            
    
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    SQL Reporting Services will be available in 2005 version of Visual Studio
                    
		            
                
                    
                    
                    
                 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    By verifying names and addresses over the Web, Saab provides near-instant lead generation for its dealers
                    
		            
                
                    
                    
                    
                 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    New features for Oracle databases, data quality capabilities, and integration with Crystal Enterprise highlight new release
                    
		            
                
                    
                    
                    
                 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    SAS makes its formal debut as an end-to-end BI player 
                    
		            
                
                    
                    
                    
                 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    A British market research firm reports that the software giant had the leading—but not dominant—OLAP market share last year, despite selling an old product
                    
		            
                
                    
                    
                    
                 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Companies using spreadsheets alone can spend five months or more on budgeting and planning than those who use spreadsheets with other planning and budgeting tools, analyst says.
                    
		            
                
                    
                    
                    
                 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Product may compete with company's long-time partners, but those partners aren't worried
                    
		            
                
                    
                    
                    
                 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Company seeks to expand the definition of CRM to include non-traditional customers
                    
		            
                
                    
                    
                    
                 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    The Business Performance Management Standards Group hopes to accelerate adoption of BPM practices in the enterprise
                    
		            
                
                    
                    
                    
                 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Companies adopting dedicated planning and budgeting applications (instead of spreadsheets) typically achieve greater accuracy while budgets and plans are more consistent, though time spent on these tasks wasn’t reduced.
                    
		            
                
                    
                    
                    
                 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    i/Lytics Data Profiler will be released as a standalone solution; integration with its data profiling technology and the rest of the i/Lytics data quality solution will follow
                    
		            
                
                    
                    
                    
                 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Update includes revamped portal and enterprise application integration components; it also signals the company’s biggest effort to date to field a complete BI stack
                    
		            
                
                    
                    
                    
                 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Though the Basel II Capital Accord won't become law until early 2007, some vendors already pushing Basel II-centric solutions for a very important reason: customer history.