In-memory Data Analysis and Embedded Business Intelligence
We are often asked what was the driver for developing an in-memory database solution as part of our reporting and data analysis solution. It does seem like we are creeping towards the back end of the Business Intelligence stack when our focus has been on the presentation layer or report builder.
Well one of the primary drivers was the fact that we have so many ISV partners and we found that by working with them there were some critical hurdles in getting their BI module to market. That was a long way of saying we developed it for our software vendor partners. Why?
Agility
When developing a new BI module we have repeatedly seen an issue where the software developer does not have a clear understanding of what their customers require. So using an in-memory db rather than a hard coded data warehouse is a great way to test the market before committing to any further development. Get a reporting module into the hands of your customers so that they can give you feedback. Nothing beats getting your hands on a BI tool to work out just want you want to report on.
BI is not a core competency
We found that generally software vendors are very good at developing their own product but that data analysis is not their core competency. So anything that can be done to reduce the complexity of a BI module is a benefit – and Yellowfin’s in-memory db does just that. Point it at your application, create an entity model and hey presto you are writing reports that are wickedly fast without grinding your app to a halt.
Time to market
ISVs want to get their BI module to market quickly. Generally reporting directly off your application is not a great idea when performance considerations are taken into account. Developing a full data warehouse for their product can be time consuming so an in-memory database lets you take one major step out of the development cycle.
So there you have it three really good reasons to develop an in-memory analytics solution to help out our ISV partners.
Find out more about how you can embed reporting software into your application.