We know the alphabet soup of IT acronyms can get confusing, so we've gathered a short list of the top data management terms you need to know. Read on to learn what the buzzwords mean and how Oracle Corp. is implementing these emerging data management technologies.
1. Customer data integration
2. Corporate performance management
3. Master data management
4. Software as a Service
5. OLAP
Customer data integration (CDI) is the process of managing customer information from all sources and ensuring that everyone in an enterprise can access the most current and complete view of customer data possible. CDI gathers data from sources including contact details and customer valuation data and is essential for customer relationship management (CRM). To learn more, read "CDI initiative: Where to begin?" and "CDI: How much does data matching technology matter?" Oracle's acquisition of Siebel gave it a leg up in the CDI market.
Corporate performance management (CPM) is a method of monitoring a company's performance according to key performance indicators (KPIs) such as revenue, return on investment (ROI) and operational costs. Once the exclusive domain of finance departments, CPM is gradually converging with business intelligence (BI) technologies deployed across the enterprise. CPM for online businesses includes server load, page views and transactions per second. CPM is also known as business performance management (BPM) or enterprise performance management (EPM). To learn more, read "BI and CPM: What's the deal?" Oracle's E-Business Suite has a Corporate Performance Management module.
Master data management (MDM) is a way of enabling an enterprise to connect all its critical data to one master file, which serves as a common point of reference. MDM streamlines data sharing across multiple departments, platforms and applications, bringing companies closer to a "single version of the truth." Learn more about MDM from a podcast interview with Mark Smith of Ventana Research, who discusses how early adopters are making use of MDM, and "Master data management market heats up -- software buyers beware," which explains what you need to know before you go on an MDM buying spree. Oracle Corp.'s answer to MDM initiatives is its Customer Data Hub (CDH).
Software as a Service (SaaS) is a distribution model in which hosted applications are made available over a network. SaaS is becoming increasingly prevalent as service-oriented architecture (SOA) and other technologies that support Web services are adopted. The related term Information as a Service (IaaS), also known as Data as a Service (DaaS), refers to a new way of integrating data in a service-enabled fashion. This is particularly useful for sets of widely dispersed users that need fast access to information, such as emergency call centers. Read about five key data management trends including DaaS, MDM and data governance programs. Also, learn why one IT analyst thinks Oracle's recent purchase of Tangosol Inc. means the applications giant is preparing to make a play in the emerging IaaS market.
OLAP (online analytical processing) enables users to extract and view data from different points of view. OLAP is used for data mining or uncovering relationships among items of data. OLAP data is stored in a multidimensional database to facilitate analysis. Oracle's Express Server is a leading OLAP product, as is Essbase from Hyperion, which Oracle recently acquired.
