Welcome to my Expert Channel on Analytic Platforms for the BeyeNETWORK. The old assumptions about analytics being performed with tools that talk to RDBMSs are being upended by a new series of data stores optimized for analytics, the use of non-database analytic programs such as MapReduce, and streaming or event processing engines that perform analysis on data even before it is persisted – if indeed it ever is – in any form that data warehouse or database professionals would consider an appropriate format.

The entire space is in upheaval. Software companies are converging on new analytic platforms – some are traditional BI vendors; some are emerging startups with a new storage engine, new analytic techniques or even new hardware assists. Packaged business applications players like SAP and Oracle have purchased leading business intelligence (BI) firms in order to add analytics to their business applications. BI tool vendors like SAS, who sell "horizontal" BI tools to companies in many industries, have added business process applications within specific industries to their portfolios. "Software platform" vendors such as IBM, Microsoft and Oracle, who provide additional software components on which BI solutions are built, such as databases, ETL tools and portals, are adding BI tools, process models, industry models and services into the mix to deliver packaged offerings of their own. Some are in the hardware business; others, like Oracle, have recently moved there, and are building “full stack” offerings with the intent to monopolize “share of wallet” within their customer base. Even storage vendors like EMC are seeking ways to get into the perennially hottest market in IT.

In this channel, I will track the emergence of these new solutions, document case studies of their implementation and success, highlight emerging trends and best practices, and describe the industries and business processes that are among the early targets for these vendors.Please contact me at merv@itmarketstrategy.com to share your thoughts.